How to Spot a Newbie at the Gym

Whenever you start something new, you fear looking . This is the same with the gym. You want to blend in at least and not seem like you don’t belong.

While you won’t be able to fool everybody, you can blend in more than others. Some more obvious you can do is make sure you don’t smell before you go and wear gym clothes.

No one wants to smell you before you even start working out showing up in jeans and a polo screams one of two . You were running late and tried squeezing in your working or you don’t know what you are doing.

Don’t be that person who looks like they don’t know what they’re doing.

Create a plan

The best thing to do before you go to the gym is to create a plan. Figure out what exercises you want to do and how repetitions of each movement ahead of time.

This will make you look like you know what you are doing. Plan out what you want to wear as well.

This will not make you look like you belong but will be a fun part of your day. Who doesn’t like looking good? And you will be in a room filled with mirrors so you will want to like what you see.

You can plan out which machines or what equipment to use but if you are reading this, you probably don’t know much about the gym and that’s OK. Most gyms have everything you need to get a good workout in.

Don’t be that person who shows up with every new piece of fitness equipment they bought off Amazon. This is a dead giveaway that you are new to the gym, and you won’t need most of what you brought.

Digital fitness trackers are becoming popular so you can get away with one of those but someone brings one or two to their workout outside of a water bottle and dry clothes for after.

Some recommend looking around at others to see what they bring or wear but that’s another way to look like you don’t know what you’re doing.

There’s a standard image of an out of shape person standing in front of a mirror, curling light free weights. This is followed up with a tag line for “Want to get in better shape but don’t know how?”.

The person then starts looking around all confused while still curling the free weights. From my experience, looking around is a great way to learn other forms of exercise but people have this image of newbies in the gym.

If you want to blend in, you can look but don’t look for too long.

Go with an Experienced Workout Buddy

It’s hard learning something new, whatever it may be. I always thought it would be nice if I had someone to help me with new ideas I was looking into, like a mentor.

This is what going to the gym with someone experienced can do for you.

They will help you with your form, so you don’t get hurt and it's another way to prevent you from looking like you’re starting out.

They will know the equipment there and how to use it. doing anything with others makes it more enjoyable as well. Not will you look like you have been here before, but you will be having fun with your friend while you do it.

Knowing where everything is will make you look like you’ve done this before. , you brought you buddy along, to show you where everything is and in return make you look less like a newbie.

When finding someone to go to the gym with, try making it someone who you feel comfortable around. We are trying to make this a pleasant experience, so we are encouraged to go back.

If you go with someone you don’t like, screaming at you while you work out, or doesn’t help you while you are there, you will begin to feel that the gym is not for you.

Which is not true because the gym is for everyone, but at different fitness levels.

Have confidence

It’s but if you want to look like you belong at the gym, you must have confidence with what you're doing.

This is a basic rule for looking comfortable anywhere in life but for now, let’s take this one step at a time and focus on the gym.

Most of the equipment will have labels on them showing you how to use them and what muscle groups you will be using when you do. While this is a great way to learn the movement, don’t take too long staring at the labels.

You begin to hold up anyone waiting for that machine, and you look more like you're studying than working out. Like mentioned earlier, look but don’t look too long.

People tend to get uncomfortable when you stare at them and get impatient when you're on a machine too long.

Using the equipment will also make you look like you know what you’re doing.

I’m sure you’ve seen all the videos on YouTube of people using equipment the wrong way and others getting hurt because of it.

While we may think its funny, others in the gym are taking this . Remember you are sharing everything in the gym with everyone else. The time you spend fooling around on equipment is time that others are waiting to use it.

You are more to get hurt using equipment for something its not designed for.

You will see people on their phones trying to learn how to use some machines. It’s good they are trying to learn but now is not the time. They should go home and learn about it later.

Try staying off your phone while you are at the gym.

of us will get a text or change the music but that takes a seconds. Others say they are resting between sets and stay on their phone for ten minutes making others wait.

It may not be their fault, phones are addicting, but you shouldn’t be on it while you are working out.

Final Thoughts

It can be scary trying something new. You don’t know what to expect and the not knowing is what most of us are afraid of.

But we don’t have to be. Before you start going to the gym, learn more about what you want to get out of it and start setting goals.

Having something to strive for makes its more you will go.

The more you do something, the more confident you get at it. Like anything else in life, the gym is no different. Create a plan, have a gym partner that knows their way around, and not will you look like you know what you're doing but you will be able to spot a new gym goer from a mile away.