How to Not Die At the GYm

Don’t wear jeans to the gym – Seriously?  Jeans?  In addition to being slow and having a restricted range of motion, jeans are heavy.  Also… you will look stupid.  Find some comfortable clothes that breathe and are not restrictive.

Don’t interrupt people during a set –I’m working here!  I don’t care about whatever it is you are yammering on about.   

No phones – You are a zillion times more likely to find your phone distracting than helpful in the gym.  Put that thing in airplane mode to keep you focused on the task at hand.  It’s also very obnoxious to be tying up gym equipment while you talk on the phone. 

New machine! – Sometimes I see a new machine at the gym and I think, “What in the world does that do?” Curiously hopping around the gym and slopping through whatever you think you’re meant to do on the machine is NOT a workout.  If you need help to understand how a machine is used, just ask someone.  (Wait until after their set) Better yet, ask a gym employee.  

Bench Pressing 1000 pounds -  Choosing a weight that is too big and then doing all the exercises wrong might impress your friends, but it is a good way to hurt yourself and will NOT help you get stronger.  Start with a light weight and learn to do things right.  Adding weight will come later.  When you are at the gym, ALWAYS start where you are.  Leave your ego at home.

Lifting on machines – Free weights are just better.  They develop better muscle coordination, utilize stabilization muscles and also…  make you look awesome.  All this means you will get a better workout.  Use machines for muscle exhaustion or the end of your workout.   If you are only working out on machines, you might be able to switch to free weights and get more of a workout in less time.

Abs - Sit ups and crunches will not give you nice abs.  As your body fat % goes down, your abs will come out of hiding.  However, everyone is different.  Some people have a six pack at 15% body fat and other people will never get there no matter how low they go.   

Biceps - Doing bicep curls won’t give you big arms.  1/3 of your arm is biceps and the other 2/3 are triceps. If you want your arms to look good, hit your triceps hard.   As a side note, don’t forget about your legs!  Just because your legs are usually hidden from sight doesn’t mean you can ignore them.  Some of your biggest muscles are in your legs.  Use them.

Treadmill – Running is SO boring on a treadmill.  Don’t start running a lot unless you are training for something specific.  20 minutes or so of cardio is fine.   Then… hit the weights.

Here are some pics to help you remember what to do (or not do) at the gym: