I have spent at least 3-4 days a week in a gym for the last 17 years. The last 17 years consisted of me serving as a manager and a personal trainer for 12 of those years, and an enthusiast for the first 5 of those years.  My devotion to exercise kept me from graduating college in a timely manner. Yeah…it’s true. If I had a class scheduled during 10am-12pm during the week, I would NOT register for that class simply because it conflicted with my gym time. 

“Let’s see, what do I need here….Math 101….hmm …only offered at 10:40am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays? Sorry, can’t take it this time around.”

  My collegiate perquisites took a back seat to my commitment to improving my health, strength, and size.

Having spent all this time in a gym, you tend to develop “fitness profiling” skills. Yep…I totally made that up right now. I am a fitness profiler. And this article is written to show you the signs that may identify who the beginners are in a fitness center. Let’s face it: it is much easier to steal the squat rack away from a beginner than a 230 lb. veteran with 3 plates on each side and a gallon of water by his gym bag. Now, before you think I am pointing fingers at these obvious signs, I will admit that I am guilty of having committed some at one time or another in my life. Some signs are not so obvious to the untrained eye and this article will help you distinguish between them. This article will serve 3 purposes:

1.)    Help you steer clear of beginners if you are too mentally focused on your workout and don’t want to be interrupted or bothered by neighboring stupidity.

2.)    Help you distinguish which signs your buddies are giving off so that you won’t look so obvious to guys like me.

3.)    So that you will shun intimidation easier. When the big guys come over to the squat rack and demand it from you, you can tell them the truth: You really have “3 sets left”, rather than the BS you tell them, “sure you can have it, this is my last set.”

Although this article is written with some humor in mind, # 3 is important because the gym can be an unforgiving place depending on its target market, staff, and management.  Intimidation in a gym is nothing new and nothing that will ever go away.  Susceptibility to intimidation is something that is instilled in us by life experiences; how we were brought up; and “fight or flight” reactions…nothing that this little article will help turn around. But with the ever growing number of people joining gyms, it doesn’t mean that the people joining ever actually “grow up”.

You are a beginner if…you talk on your cell phone while at the gym

Sorry, but there is no need to talk on your phone unless you are expecting  a very, very important phone call that you refused to neglect your workout for this contact. But I see way too many people hop on an elliptical and carry a conversation which I can always hear! Lesson? Don’t be THAT guy that sits on a bench during a rest period and yaps away on the cell. Leave the cell in your car or gym bag. Be focused on your workout goal from the time your car pulls into the gym’s parking lot to the time you pick up your keys and head for the door drenched in sweat. If you are not drenched in sweat…move on to the next obvious sign.       

You are a beginner if…you watch TV or request the remote at the gym

Want to get in a workout while watching Oprah or your favorite soap opera? Great, then don’t pick the cardio piece next to me and don’t ask me if I am watching the TV overhead. Yes, it’s okay for you to change the station because I am too focused on running on this belt and keeping up with the beat from this Hatebreed tune. Get your priorities straight. You are not seeing changes in your body because you are not doing anything differently than walking to your car or walking the dog at the park. Intensity is important…and you can’t be intense and watch “Lost” at the same time.

You are a beginner if…you don’t use collars

This obvious sign is typically seen by the guys that used to be “big” or “used to play football”. They think they can still put up some weight and when they do load the bar you can see some serious plates shifting and hear plates clanking. I get ready for the “see-saw accident”. Lesson? Use the collars. If you were big enough or strong enough, you would be able to balance the bar. God forbid you start doing push-presses, snatches, or cleans without collars. If so, you better wear a mouth guard and helmet. And make sure you warn the guy next to you.

You are a beginner if…you curl in the squat rack 
                                       
It’s funny, all the bars and dumbbells available, but the most important piece of equipment on a fitness floor is used merely for your convenience. It does minimal to make your biceps bigger; does minimal for safety; and does maximally to inconvenience me on squat day. Lesson? If you use a fixed bar, pick it up from the floor. The bar does NOT need to stay at waist level. If you claim it is “safer” for you, then you are using too much weight that throws off your form (and lower back). It’s funny, people will curl from the cable column and have no problem picking up the attached bar from the floor.

You are a beginner if… you wear old athletic shoes (sneakers) in the gym

Yep…this is probably the most obvious for me. A pair of sneakers tells a lot about someone in a gym.  Got your old grass-stained laden sneakers from 1988 to workout in? Lose them…make a commitment to your health by committing to changing your behavior. Lesson? Cough up some cash for some new kicks and begin to think differently about activity.  Your health will need more than pushing a lawn mower or walking the dog. Organized activity (exercise program) begins with a change in the thought-process. Stamp that change with sneakers designed just for your commitment.

You are a beginner if…you wander around the gym

Don’t know where to go next? That means you don’t have a plan.  If you warm up prior to your workout, spend that time to visually take yourself through each movement; each exercise; each set…plan out your program and think of alternatives if a piece is being occupied.  Lesson? The gym floor is not a fair ground. Scout out which equipment, weight, or area you want to use and make the best of your workout.  Know your gym and what it offers. I know the tour you get by the sales rep can be overwhelming, but I usually recommend to my clients that they spend the first couple of days on a piece of cardio and simply look at the equipment floor. Check out the flow of members during that specific time. Map out your routes and have a plan.

You are a beginner if…you join the gym to use the treadmill only

There are more mental barriers here than meets the eye. But financially, why would you purchase a $500-600 membership to a fitness center if you are going to only come in and use a $400 treadmill? Listen, the cat’s been out of the bag now for a while: Cardio exercise is impotent without strength training if you want to lose fat. If your excuse is you have little pink and green dumbbells at home, that is not good enough. Lesson?  This scenario should be reversed. You should join the gym for the strength equipment rather than just the cardio. Cardiovascular work can be done throughout the day through ADL (activities of daily living) modification or you can invest in a home-use treadmill from Sears for $380.

You are a beginner if…you don’t re-rack your weights

As a manager, this is a nightmare for my staff. As a personal trainer, this is the biggest annoyance of working in clubs. The act of walking away from a bar, leg press, or other piece of equipment with 3-8 plates loaded by you, really says a lot about you, your character, and how disrespectful you are. In essence, it tells me a lot about your parents and how you were brought up. Lesson? If you respect the weight you are able to put up (and if you don’t, you are a beginner), than have respect and put it ALL away. If you are strong enough to lift it, you are strong enough to replace ‘em. If not, I will talk about your parents.

You are a beginner if you …wear the club’s free T-shirt they gave you upon joining

Honestly, as a manager I like to see this. I like to see newbies feel like they belong. They come in with their new tees that I bought in bulk for about $1.50 each and I make them feel special. Not a bad deal. But when I’m not in my office and out on the gym floor pushing and pulling weights…I know who to steer clear of.  Lesson?  If you are new to the whole fitness world and you want your gym experience to be pleasant (i.e., reduce intimidation, make friends, and persevere), then leave the “I Am a New Member” tees at home. Use them when you are washing the car or gardening.

You are a beginner if…you don’t warm-up.
 

How many times have you seen THAT guy walk in, flash his badge, put his keys away, and run right up to the dumbbells and begin a set?  Okay…maybe he does some arm circles and a few triceps stretches. The fact of the matter is a proper warm up should include some type of movement activation to prepare the body (temperature, CNS, joints, and mental focus) for the workout. I cannot overstress what it has done to the quality of my personal workouts and those of my clients, since I started incorporating movement prep work years ago. Lesson? Take 5-8 minutes to run your body through the motions that will “wake up” dormant muscles and get them ready for resistance.


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