Most people who go to the gym for the first time ask themselves what should they do. They see all the buff guys lifting heavy, grunting, and walking around with their chest puffed up. It can be a very intimidating experience. I can understand if you feel that way, I’ve been there too. But don’t let all those first impressions distract or scare, let me share with you some lessons that will help you focus on yourself and your training.

Make it simple

There are so many machines in the gym.  Just walking around reading all the instructions is very overwhelming. Most people will just end up on the treadmill, and walk for hours. But it is really all rather simple. You just have to remember three movements, the push, the pull and the squat. Find one or two exercises for each movements and work on it. Try not to go crazy with the weights. Remember, if you are new to lifting, form and range of motions are very important. It will save you from unwanted injuries in the long run.

Learn the basic movement

Our body is made up of many muscle groups like pecs, back, deltoids, triceps, abdominal, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Each of the muscle groups consist of several individual smaller muscles. To work on them, we must understand the way they move.

Every muscle has specific movement and the best way to learn the specific movement of a muscle is to use an exercise machine. You can expect most of the machines in the gym to have a good design. Used in the right way they are safe to use and their range of motion is already predetermined. All you have to do is to adjust the machine to fit your body and move the load. As you progress in your train and experience, slowly move to free weight, like dumbbell, barbell, kettlebells or a combination of them.

Train your whole body

When you are just starting to lift weights, the best routine if a total body workout routine.  Work on every muscle group in a single session, recover and repeat again. Be sure that you have enough of rest and fully recover. For most people it should work fine to do a full body routine every other day.

Later, as you get more comfortable with the routine, and as you get stronger, you should split your workout to focus on individual muscle groups. Plan your workout to fit your schedule throughout the week.

Be patient and consistent

No matter what your fitness goals are, gain mass, gain strength, get fit, or stay healthy. The truth is, it will not come overnight. You must put in a lot of work, and you will be facing failure several times along the way. If you don’t give up but stay patient and be consistent, you will eventually reach your goal.