SO YOU JOINED A GYM...NOW WHAT?
How to Use The Gym More Effectively with Essential Gym Tips, Best Gym Exercises, & Gym Etiquette. Plus, How To Use Gym Machines & Plan Your Best Gym Workouts.
From The Now What? Fitness SeriesTM
By Linda Burke, CPT
SMASHWORDS EDITION
PUBLISHED BY
Linda Burke on Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Linda Burke and Straightforward Fitness, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
****
DISCLAIMER
This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
The opinions and statements made in this book are that of the author and are based on her own experience. They are not intended to prejudice any party. Linda Burke, CPT, http://www.StraightforwardFitness.com, and/or the publisher do not accept any liability or responsibility for any injury or damage that may have been caused through the use of any material in this book. The information in this book is meant as an aid to your health and wellbeing.
Always check with your doctor before beginning this or any exercise, nutrition, or supplement program. The individual results obtained from these methods will vary from person to person and we make no guarantee as to the degree of results that you will personally achieve.
So You Joined A Gym...Now What? is a part of The Now What? Fitness SeriesTM and is owned by Linda Burke, CPT. All rights to the series and the trade mark is the property of Linda Burke, CPT.
Visit the author web/blog site:
http://nowwhatfitness.com
Five
Stars! "Explains machines typically found in gyms and the areas
of the body that each one works. Talks about cardio and strength
training. Gives sample training workouts."
Five Stars!
"Linda Burke delivers complete, intelligent and useful
information in this book. She is totally up to date with today's
workout guidelines. I strongly recommend it to anyone starting
workouts or, like myself, needing to modify my routine after several
years of gym membership. The author is generous and thorough in
covering all the info you might need. I plan to purchase further
volumes. And with a price of under $3.00 ?? WOW, SUCH A DEAL."
More
reviews on this series!
Chapter 2 - After the Warm-up: Strength Train
Typical Strength Training Machines Found In Most Gyms
How To Structure A Safe And Effective Strength Training Workout
What are Compound and Isolation Exercises?
How Much Cardio Do I Have To Do?
Chapter 4 - Guidelines for Safe and Effective Training
ACSM Strength Training Guidelines
Chapter 5 - What to Wear and How to Act
Chapter 6 - Sample Gym Strength Training Workouts
Chapter 7 - Integrating Flexibility Training Into Your Routine
Basic Stretches and Their Descriptions
As a fitness professional with over 27 years of experience in the fitness industry, it has come to my attention that most people don't really understand what they need to do to be healthy. I blame this in large part on commercialism and the media as it bombards people with misinformation in attempts to sell products that claim to be a magic pill, potion, contraption, solution, shortcut, or quick fix to fitness.
Hey, guess what? There is no such thing. And frankly, I think the public is getting sick and tired of being lied to and swindled. If you are one of those people, then I have some good news for you. I decided to write a series of books designed specifically to explain as succinctly as possible what to do once you've decided on a particular fitness objective. The Now What? Fitness Series is intended to break down the subject of fitness into terms anyone can understand.
The purpose of this book is to explain in a bite sized, easy to digest format the best way to utilize your time at the gym in a way that will yield real results in the lives of those who are willing to take the time to learn what they need to do and why. No quick fixes here, just the facts.
It's not rocket science, and my intent is to simplify a very convoluted subject and give you the "straightforward" facts minus the hype, fluff, and filler. All you have to do is check out The Now What? Fitness Series titles and choose the ones that best suit your needs. Or you may read them all. That's the beauty of it. They are succinct so that you don't have to invest hours and hours in reading. However, rest assured they are jam-packed full of vital information. Each book covers a separate, albeit essential, step on the path to achieving improved health and fitness. In fact, without much of this info, you could waste a lot of time and even risk injury with ineffective and dangerous methods. Worse yet, you may get discouraged like so many people do who aren't armed with the proper knowledge and quit. I do not want this to happen to you. You should treat your commitment to fitness like your life depends on it, because it does. Never quit!
Whether you are a novice or just interested in finally getting the true facts on fitness, I suggest you read these and in this order:
So You Want to Get Fit...Now What?
So You Want to Do Cardio...Now What?
So You Want to Strength Train...Now What?
So You Want to Eat Right...Now What?
If you have decided to join a gym, then by all means you need to read So You Joined a Gym...Now What?
If you've decided you want to work out at home, read So You Want to Work Out at Home...Now What?
All of the above fitness books are available at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaburke
It is my desire to help you realize that it doesn't have to be complicated and that taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing is your birthright and your duty. Your life will improve exponentially if you do this, I promise. Your doctor and hospital bills will diminish, and the quality of your life will soar.
I wish you the best of luck. Please do not hesitate to go to the NOW WHAT? Facebook page to contact me, leave comments, or interact with other readers of The Now What? Fitness Series. You may also contact me at NowWhatFitness.com .
Again, thank you so much for your patronage and your trust.
From my heart to your health,
Linda Burke, CPT
****
First of all let me just say that I completely understand the overwhelming feeling that you may have when you first walk into a crowded gym and see everybody like worker bees on a mission; they all seem to know exactly what they are doing. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and inhibited by the unfamiliar sights and sounds of a fitness facility, especially when you are new.
I actually still remember my first time entering a gym about 27 years ago. It was horribly scary. I felt paranoid and uncomfortable, not to mention stupid, because I didn't know what to do or how to do it.
The information in this book will set you well above where I was then and where most people in the gyms and fitness facilities are now. If you follow my instructions, it truly will mean the difference between minimum results and outstanding results and inherently save you time while yielding superior progress.
However, the first thing I think you should try to wrap your mind around is that even though it may feel like everybody is staring at you or watching everything you do, it is simply and absolutely not true. They are there doing their own thing. Their main concern is their own workout. That is their mission. That is what we are all there for: to try and get healthier, to feel better, to look better, and to improve the quality of our lives through exercise and fitness. Remember, every person in the gym had to start somewhere too. So firstly, relax. It is completely normal to feel a bit self-conscious when you enter your gym at first, but just trust me on this: Nobody is going to (at the risk of sounding crass) care about what you are doing. As long as you follow a few simple rules, which we will cover in this book, nobody gives a hoot what you are doing. Just get on with it and know that everybody is in there doing the same thing that you are: trying to improve their state of being.
Secondly, you need to walk in with a positive attitude. With the help of this book and a bit of courage, you are about to take the first steps to taking back control of your health and wellbeing. Kudos to you for doing this! I absolutely know you can succeed! So hold your head up high and get on in there! And remember, whether you think you can or you can't, you're right. Attitude is everything.
Now that your head's in the game and your butt's in the gym, let's get this party started, shall we? Your workout is going to be structured something like this: 1) Warm-up. 2) Strength train. 3) Cardio, which should always start with a 5-minute warm-up and end with a 2- to 5-minute cool-down. 4) Stretch (if you choose to end with a stretching routine). If you are doing it all in one session (more on that later) it needs to go in that order.
The first thing you will want to do is start out with a 5-10 minute warm-up at a moderate pace on a piece of cardiovascular equipment, which could be a treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical trainer, etc. (By the way, cardio and strength training are more fully discussed in the next few chapters.) NOTE: A moderate pace is about a 5 on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being no-to-very-little exertion or effort and 10 being full-out effort. This is known as RPE or Ratings of Perceived Exertion.
As far as which to do first, cardio or strength train: Best case scenario is to do cardio one day and strength train on another. If, on the other hand, you want to do both on the same day and in the same workout, you may split your time between them; however, if you do I suggest doing strength training first. This will augment the fat burning process during your cardio workout and allows your best glycogen to be utilized for your strength training session. If you are doing much more than 30 minutes of cardio on the same day as strength training, I would suggest you put a few hours between them, if possible, in order for your system to recuperate a bit. For example, you could do cardio first thing in the morning and strength train later in the day or vice versa.
After Your Warm-up: You may choose to stretch after your warm-up or you can move right into the strength training portion of your workout. Never stretch a cold muscle though. Meaning: warm up for at least 5-10 minutes on the cardio machine of your choice before stretching.
Some people choose to cool down with stretching after they strength train. This is completely optional and up to your personal preference. I personally prefer to stretch the muscle group I just worked between sets instead of before or after the workout, and that is how I usually train my clients; but this is totally up to you. Stretching anytime after the warm-up is a good thing! You have to rest about 30-60 seconds between sets anyway, why not spend that time stretching the muscle you just worked? I truly believe stretching helps facilitate the desired results of strength training and it feels great to boot. I also believe the more flexible a body is the less susceptible to injury it is. So just stretch, okay?!?! I promise you'll love how good it feels.
Most gyms have stretch charts on their walls showing you basic stretching exercises. If you do better with hands-on instruction, you may want to sign up for classes, if offered, or hire a personal trainer. For more on stretching be sure and read the last chapter of this book.
****
CHAPTER 2 - AFTER THE WARM-UP: STRENGTH TRAIN
When you first walk into the gym, you will usually notice that there are different sections devoted to specific activities. You will find an area that is completely devoted to cardiovascular exercise. Machines there may include treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, rowers, etc. This section usually has target heart rate (THR) charts on the walls and TV's and such. You'll use these machines for the cardio portion of your exercise regimen and for your warm-up. We will talk more about the cardio portion of your workout later. For a more in-depth discussion about cardio be sure and read, So You Want to Do Cardio...Now What?
WHY STRENGTH TRAIN?
Strength training actually builds, conditions, and tones your muscles. The more toned, conditioned, and lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the more calories you burn even at rest. You have to love that! That is precisely why cardiovascular training and strength training work so well together. Your cardio burns off the fat, and the strength training tones and conditions your muscle, thus, turning your body into the calorie-burning, energy-efficient machine that it longs to be. It's a win-win combo! Consequently, strength training AND cardio training are hugely and equally important components of fitness; they simply must be a part of your fitness plan in order to accomplish improved health and fitness, weight loss, or weight control. Whatever your goals may be, one without the other is like missing an ingredient that is essential in order to successfully reach your intended outcome.
One of the easiest ways to get started strength training at the gym is to take advantage of the orientation that the gym normally offers. After letting a qualified member of the staff show you the proper use of the strength training equipment, if you still have questions, you may want to hire a trainer or do a bit more research. You can go to my website at Straightforwardfitness.com and pick up a free copy of The Gym Equipment Handbook. I wrote this book with the intention of helping the gym newbie use the strength training equipment found in most gyms correctly and with confidence, knowing that done right it will yield the most effective and safe workout possible.
TIP: Another way to learn the proper usage of the gym equipment and free weights is to watch videos online of a qualified professional demonstrating them or hire a trainer. Be careful about watching and emulating just "anybody" at the gym. Unfortunately, many people use poor form when performing their exercises, and this can be very dangerous and the reason why they don't get the best results that they could or should from their workouts. But I digress...let's continue with our virtual tour of the gym.
STRENGTH TRAINING MACHINES & PARAPHERNALIA
Moving on after the warm-up in the cardio area, you will usually also see a much larger area with many strength training machines and apparatuses, an area with a cable system, and yet another area with mirrored walls lined with lots and lots of free weights, dumbbells, and barbells, EZ bars, Smith machines, squat racks, etc. EZ bars are usually used for arm (biceps and triceps) work. Smith Machines may be used for any type of press or squat, etc. Squat racks may be used for any type of press or squat, etc. These are found in most gyms. You will use these machines and free-weights for the strength training portion of your regimen. The answer to the question of which ones to use can vary according to what your facility has, what your goals are, and what your workout plan for the day is, not to mention your knowledge of their proper usage. I like a mix of machines and free weights; however, machines are much safer for the typical gym newbie and a great place to start.
The smaller gyms may only have 1-2 machines per muscle group, i.e., chest press machine and pec fly machine for chest, and shoulder press machine and side lateral raise machine for shoulders. Usually, they are laid out in order by muscle group so that you can follow along, going from machine to machine, doing a total body workout by utilizing every machine.
Following is a list of typical strength training machines found in most gyms. I have added the type of exercise it is, i.e., compound or isolation, the primary muscle worked with the isolation exercise, and the secondary muscles worked with the compound exercises. I will briefly define and explain compound and isolation exercises on the pages following the chart.
TYPICAL STRENGTH TRAINING MACHINES FOUND IN MOST GYMS
1. Chest Press Machine - Compound - Chest with Shoulders & Triceps
2. Chest Pec Fly Machine - Isolation - Chest
3. Shoulder Press Machine - Compound - Shoulders with Chest and Triceps
4. Side Lateral Raise Machine - Isolation - Shoulders
5. Lat Pulldown - Compound - Upper Back (Lats) with Middle Back and Biceps
6. Machine or Cable Row - Compound - Mid & Upper Back with Biceps
7. Biceps Curl Machine - Isolation - Biceps (Front of upper arm)
8. Triceps Extension Machine - Isolation - Triceps (Back of upper arm)
9. Leg Extension Machine - Isolation - Quadriceps (Front of upper leg)
10. Leg Curl Machine - Isolation - Hamstrings (Back of upper leg)
11. Leg Press - Compound - Total lower body
12. Inner/outer Thigh Machine - Isolation - Inner and Outer thigh respectively
13. Calf Machine - Isolation - Calves
14. Abdominal Crunch Machine -Isolation- Abs
15. Low-back Extension Machine - Isolation - Lumbar spine (Lower back)
As I stated earlier, for start and finish pictures and detailed descriptions on how to properly perform these exercises, you can go to my website @ Straightforwardfitness.com and pick up a free copy of my book, The Gym Equipment Handbook.
Many of these machines have the instructions and illustrations conveniently visible somewhere on the machine. They usually have illustrations showing the muscle or muscle group that is targeted with that particular exercise also.
Bigger gyms may have a whole array of exercise machines manufactured by different brands like Cybex, Hammer Strength, Nautilus, Life Fitness, Body Masters, etc., that offer many more variations of different ways to work the same muscle group. In this case if you tried to do every single machine, it would be overkill and you'd be overtraining. Basically, you will want to do a couple of different types of exercises per muscle group.
HOW TO STRUCTURE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE STRENGTH TRAINING WORKOUT
Without going into too much detail, in the following paragraphs I will attempt to explain how to construct an efficient workout. In other words, how to know which exercises you need to do. For more details on this, you may want to read So You Want To Strength Train...Now What?
WHAT ARE COMPOUND AND ISOLATION EXERCISES?
Strength training exercises are either compound or isolation in nature. Compound exercises are double-joint exercises that work more than one muscle at a time, i.e., presses, pull-downs, rows, squats, lunges, leg presses, etc. The leg press utilizes hip & knee joint movement; hence, it's a double joint exercise. The bench press utilizes elbow and shoulder joint movement. See how this works? You should do a majority of compound exercises per session and usually do them before the isolation exercises. They make good sense because they kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. It's a great way to train smart, working two or more muscle groups with one exercise.