These are my best tips and tricks on how to start going to the gym alone! It’s a little but of a nerve-wracking time. But trust me, it’ll be SO worth it.
Going to the gym for the first time can be a little overwhelming.
And if you’re alone, having people buzzing around you can also be quite intimidating.
I’ve been there. Actually, everyone that goes to the gym now has been there.
The point is: you will also be one of those confident people at the gym. So rest assured that those nerves will calm down. Before you know it, you would have forgotten about this gym-timidation.
This blog post is all about the best tips on how to start going to the gym alone!
HOW TO START GOING TO THE GYM ALONE
1. Start with what you feel comfortable doing.
Have you ever seen a dog entering a new house? It sniffs around and looks at everything. Along the way, it might get scared of a few things and decide to avoid the vacuum and camp out in the living room. Eventually, they’ll get used to the whole house and roam freely.
Be a dog entering a new house at the gym.
When you first arrive at the gym, make a beeline to the section that causes you the least amount of stress. The treadmill? The stationary bike? The yoga mats? The leg press? The abductor machine? Whichever one it is, just go to that one and stay as long as you want.
Once you’re at that section, start looking around. Even if it’s while you’re walking or stretching or whatever, just get a feel for the place and check out where everything is placed.
Eventually, by being familiar with the location, you’ll feel more comfortable adventuring around and moving on to other machines.
2. Have a plan, or hire a personal trainer
I remember when I first started, the thing that I found most embarrassing was not knowing what to do. I was totally 100% in my head, but that’s what stressed me out the most.
If this is the same for you, then go having already a plan of what you’ll be doing.
Maybe it’s 20 minutes on the treadmill? Or maybe you built your own workout plan? The workout doesn’t have to be complete or perfect, it just has to be a plan.
The point is to have a step-by-step plan of what you’re going to do. The exact exercise, the exact amount of reps and sets, and the exact amount of rest.
Having an exact roadmap of what you’ll do is going to be so relieving, trust me.
And if you really have no idea where to start… then hire a personal trainer. I know those can be expensive, but most gyms offer the first session for free, so that’s helpful. I’m sure that after 1 or 2 sessions with them, you’ll have an idea of what to do.
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3. Watch technique videos beforehand
Once you’ve figured out WHAT exercises you’ll be doing, it’s time to understand HOW to perform them.
First thing first, watch Youtube tutorial videos of all the exercises that you scheduled to do. Bonus points if you practice the movement at home to get accustomed to it.
Planning on doing squats? “How to do squats?”
Planning on doing curls? “How do I do curls?”
Just watch it until you understand the movement.
But keep this in mind: do not expect your movement to be perfect your first time around. Actually, executing the exercise perfectly and having a full range of motion is something that even gym addicts have to work on.
It’s like when you’re a ballerina. It takes YEARS of order to perfect a movement. So don’t let this cause you any form of stress because… well… we’re all in the same boat.
4. Keep those videos accessible during your workout
Once you’ve found the YouTube tutorial videos that you like the most, save them and keep them easily accessible during your workout.
When I first started, I used to create a Note with all the individual exercises I would do, along with a link to a Youtube tutorial.
Below is one of my very first workout Notes. 
In retrospect, I would have done things SO differently, so don’t pay attention to the exercises that I picked or the amount of reps/sets. But see how I added a link to a Youtube video beside each exercise?
Also, something else to keep in mind… do NOT be embarrassed of watching those Youtube videos if you need help.
There are SO MANY jokes in the gym community about people who have been going to the gym for YEARS and still need to watch those videos sometimes.
5. Build a plan that requires minimal moving around so you can stay in one place
You have no idea how much I utilized this when I first started.
I would build a plan that only required me to stay in ONE place for the entire workout. These would be either dumbbell or barbell workouts.
Just grab the single piece of equipment that you need, find a corner in the gym where you feel comfortable working out and get your head in the game!
Ideas
Single equipment workout plans
Lower body dumbbell workout:
- Hip Thrusts: 5×8 reps
- Deadlifts: 3×5 reps
- Single Leg Deadlift: 3×10 reps
- Goblet Squat: 3×8 reps
- Bulgarian Split Squats: 3×10 reps
Upper body barbell workout:
- Overhead press: 3×5 reps
- Curl: 3×8 reps
- Bentover rows: 3×8 reps
- Front Raises: 3×10 reps
- Overhead tricep extension: 3×10 reps
6. Start off using bodyweight and go up little by little
One thing that many gym rats agree on is that having to decrease the amount of weight that you’re lifting is an embarrassing thing to do.
Why? No idea. Would we all like to put a stop to this embarrassment? Yes. Is it entirely in our heads? 1,000,000% it is.
So when you’re first lifting, start light. If you’re squatting, start with bodyweight, and then add the bar over your shoulders. Once that becomes comfortable, add the weights 2.5lb by 2.5lb. Don’t try to overshoot it.
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7. Go when it's quiet
Do not go to the gym between the hours of 5pm and 7pm. It will be packed, and it will be overwhelming, especially for the first few times.
Go when there aren’t many people so you give yourself the luxury of taking your time and look around.
In my gym, this downtime is either first thing in the morning at 6am, or 2-4pm for a more convenient time.
8. Keep this in mind: no one is watching you
I cannot tell you this often enough:
No one is watching you. No one is staring at you. No one is secretly making fun of you.
Brad, Chad and Jake over there are too busy looking at themselves in the mirror. And Jessica on the other side is too concentrated on dealing with her own sh*t.
In the same way in which you probably aren’t starting and making fun of others, they aren’t either.
9. Be in your bubble
I don’t know about you but when I go to the gym, I like to block out the entire world. It’s me, my music and my burning muscles.
And I’ve come to use two things that allow me to really block everything out: the Beats wireless headphones, and this beige Nike cap.
10. Wear whatever it is you feel comfortable in
From the day I started going to the gym up until today, I always wear big hoodies and leggings. It’s the only thing I ever wore to the gym.
One time I remember wearing an oversized T-shirt because it was so damn hot. But other than that? Always a hoodie.
The picture below is what I’d look like 110% of the times I went to the gym.
My point is to wear whatever it is you feel comfortable in. Whether it’s a massive hoodie or a matching set, wear what you like.
You’ve got enough things to worry about on your first time at the gym, don’t let your outfit be one of them.
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