AND WERE BACK! The new year is here, which means it is time to make some changes you’ve always wanted to act on. And by looking at this segment, I assume you are looking forward to getting big. Some things I want people to know are motivation, patience, discipline, integrity, and popular gym fashion trends. These are just some of the many traits you need to apply to succeed in the gym, because working out isn’t just lifting weights; it is a lifestyle.
WHAT IT TAKES
• Working out is great for the first 2 weeks or longer, but if you really want to last for the long term, it requires you to push yourself when nobody is there.
• It requires you to be patient with your progress; it requires you to have discipline because the only person who’s going to get you to that gym and do all the workouts with 100% efficiency is yourself.
• Lastly, it requires you to have integrity because you can’t expect to get the same gains when you cheat yourself because your gym buddy isn’t lifting with you.
MY ADVICE
My strongest advice to beginners going to the gym is that it’s going to take time and determination to see the results you aspire to get. I know it is easy for people to say, “I’ll go to the gym tomorrow," “I’ll skip legs this week," or “I really don’t want to go to the gym tomorrow," but these are things that cause people to stop going for good. Take those thoughts and use them to push yourself to go workout because you’ll feel 10 times better when you finish that gym session knowing that you didn’t give into those negative thoughts of not going.
Another piece of advice is to apply a growth mindset because nowadays it is popular to be a "hater." The problem with this is that you start hating yourself, which causes you to neglect going to the gym, hate yourself, and quit. The gym is a process, not a straight line, so don’t feel discouraged when you miss one day or one week. Believe it or not, some of the strongest people in the world have missed days of working out, but they didn’t let that stop them from putting them to work, so why should you? As long as you don’t quit and you keep putting in that work to be better, then you have nothing to worry about.
Also, write down your workouts because you’ll need that information to know if you should increase the weight of that lift and achieve progressive overload. You can do this by going to the note’s app on your phone and writing today’s date, exercise name, sets and reps, and additional notes. Also, you should start sleeping more because if you had an exhausting leg day and didn't get that proper sleep, you were setting yourself up for failure. I say that because you’ll be exhausted the next day, and you will no longer be able to work out effectively or at all.
My last piece of advice is to drink water! Drinking enough water every day and eating healthy are essential to building a strong and healthy body, and it’ll make you feel better overall. Moreover, if you need help in the gym, don’t be afraid to ask for help because the people in the gym are your friends, and if they are nice enough, they’ll make sure you do your workout safely. Another thing is to ask if someone is using the equipment you are about to use because sometimes people leave to grab something or drink water, so by taking their bench, dumbbell, cable, etc. You are ruining somebody’s workout routine; don’t be that guy.
My bonus advice is to please make sure you are doing the exercise correctly. When I go to the gym, I always see one person doing an exercise with bad form, and the bad thing about it is that it could cause an injury or that you don’t feel the exercise hitting the correct muscle. Now, while performing the exercise, it is okay to break form when you are on those last 3-2 reps until failure (as long as you are trying your best to maintain the form).
My additional bonus advice is to not compare yourself to the bigger people in the gym and to remember this saying: “Comparison is the thief of joy." Genetics plays a big role in bodybuilding; people can simply gain muscle faster than others, or they could be using a supplement that boosts their muscle growth. Another thing is comparing yourself to people on social media; these people have literally been working out before we were born, or they have been committed to working out since we were in middle school. Instead of wishing you were living in their body or living in their shoes, you should tell yourself, “I’ll be better than that guy or girl,” or you can admire their work because getting a physique like their social media influencers is not easy.
GYM EDIQUITE
• Put the weights in the proper place.
• Always ask before taking something, unless you are 100% sure it is not being used.
• Clean your sweat off the bench. (Nobody wants to touch that.)
• Help someone out if you know they are doing an exercise wrong. (It doesn't hurt to help.)
• If someone asks you, “How many sets do you have?" answer truthfully.
Don't be that guy.
• Give people the space they need to perform their exercise.
• Don’t be obnoxious. (The gym is not a playground.) (doesn’t mean you can't have fun, though.)
• When people are recording, try your best not to walk in front of their camera, or try to ask if you can.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
This is one of the most important concepts a beginner needs to understand: progressive overload. Progressive overload is when you increase the weight of your set and perform at least 7-8 reps. A common misconception that people make is that they need to always hit 12 reps on their exercise. This is now true and false because when you increase the weight of the exercise and you get around to the 7-8 rep range, you should now work your way up to the 12-15 rep range.
Furthermore, I’ll give an example. Let’s say I am doing dumbbell curls (which is the exercise that involves you curling a dumbbell to your chest), and I could do 20 pounds for 13 reps. If I do progressive overload, I should be able to do 25 pounds for 8–9 reps or less. That is progressive overload in its simplest form, so if you want to get gains, you’ll follow this formula.
BONUS: CONTENT CREATORS
When going to the gym, you are 100% going to get social media posts of these people in great shape doing some crazy workouts or a workout that looks cool. Those workouts are garbage. Nowadays, fitness content creators are trying to sell beginners like you these weird “Isolated Handstand Dumbbell Curls." Don’t do it. They do this to get views and attention; however, that doesn’t mean that there are people on social media who give good advice. The two people I watch to get good advice for my workout routines, exercises, meal plan, and motivation are Sean Nalewanyj and Noel Deyzel.
Sean Nalewanyj is primarily a YouTube creator, but he does make some content on Instagram as well. This man gives nothing but the facts and calls out other fitness influencers for their lies. He knows a lot about the science of weightlifting and how it affects the body, and he literally gives great advice and makes great videos. Noel Deyzel is a more light-hearted, funny, and lovable kind of guy because he’s like a gym bro and can relate to jokes we make nowadays. Other than that, he also gives great advice on workout exercises, but in my opinion, his greatest trait as a fitness influencer is talking about meal plans because he shows you how to make the food, where to find it, how to balance it, etc. And another one of his great traits is his heart-to-heart motivational videos, where he simply motivates the viewer to go to the gym or take their time.
Links
FITNESS FASHION
Working out can be a fun experience or a painful experience, so let’s experience those feelings in style. Some popular gym outfits you’ll find people wearing in your gym can range from compression shirts to super baggy hoodies (or, in other words, a pump cover).
HOPE YOU GUYS DO GREAT IN THE GYM!
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