As a new person walking into the gym and trying to get the most out of your workouts, it can be hard to walk in without feeling out of place.
I was once in your shoes and I know how it feels.
The majority of my clients feel the same way and it is my job to help them overcome those initial butterflies and make them as comfortable as possible when they workout.
RULE #1: Have a Plan.
To walk into a gym without some sort of plan of attack, is like going into battle barehanded.
All must have a goal! Your goal may be to just get into the gym 3 days a week.
Maybe it's to lose those stubborn 20 lbs baby weight.
Or maybe it is to train for a specific event or competition.
Whatever your objective, you need to make sure you have some structure to your workouts.
If you don't take the time to plan, chances are you will fall to the wayside and not see results.
RULE #2: Enlist a Professional.
Yes it takes a time commitment and a financial commitment to a certain extent.
As a personal trainer I can tell you that putting your money where your health is, can be the best investment you will ever make.
Think of it this way, you go to the gym for an hour and work your butt off.
Wouldn't you like to be as efficient as possible during that hour? Wouldn't it be nice to have some variety to avoid hitting the dreaded WALL? The benefit of a professional is that they see your body change, they see weaknesses or imbalances and help you fix them, and they can provide you with the needed structure to help you see results as quickly as possible.
RULE #3: Set Goals! This is SUPER important and probably one of the biggest reason people do not see results.
The job of a personal trainer is to plan your workout program based on your goals.
Without a goal, what are you working towards? How can you move and improve with nowhere to go? You want to have an end goal which may be in the distant future, but it is also important to set short term goals.
Having a goal that is too far from fruition can lead to diminishing interest and progress.
Your goal can be to lose 10 lbs, to be able to do 5 pull ups, to finish a half marathon in 2.
5 hours, or to improve your vertical jump.
Point is, there can be so many different goals that you might want to strive for, all of which will give you the direction needed to be successful in your training program.
RULE #4: Track Your Nutrition.
Another job of your personal trainer is to ensure that you are not sabotaging yourself with food.
If you workout like a mad woman and then continue to consume foods high in fat and processed carbs, chances are you will not see the desired results.
I have all my clients track their food in some way shape or form.
I track MY food! Start with just keeping track of your consumption, without changing your habits.
Once you do this for a week or two, you will have an idea of the weaknesses or holes in your diet.
Then you and your trainer can begin to tweak a few things and inject more of those foods that are healthy and beneficial to your program.
If you follow these steps and stick to your goal, you can't lose! It takes some time in the beginning to get it going, but once you have the structure in place you will be on your way to a successful program.
A program that you can modify along the way and stick to long term.
Melissa P Farrell is a certified personal trainer in Las Vegas, NV.
She works with teens, athletes, older populations, groups, one on one training, weight loss clients, powerlifters, and bodybuilders.