How To Make The Most of Your Commercial Gym Membership (Avoid Common Mistakes To Get Better Results)
I joined LA Fitness to use their sauna, pool, and hot tub. I have a gym at home (the #shredshed), but I was missing the amenities that a big box commercial gym offers. After a couple of visits, I noticed some glaring mistakes from gym-goers and was inspired to put together this guide to help you get the most out of your commercial gym membership and to avoid common training errors made at the gym.
I will say if someone went to the gym instead of sitting on their couch after work, that is undoubtedly a win. The problem is if people don't see results, they probably won't keep that habit up long-term. People don't know what they don't know. Or worse, they think they know, but they are doing it wrong or inefficiently.
Yes, they're out there trying, which is more than a lot of people can say—But, how long will it last? I want those people in the gym to do more than try; I want them to succeed. I want those gym-goers to see and feel results so that they make it a lifestyle they want to live!
Why do I care so much about random strangers at the gym? Of course, it's not my place at the gym to do or say anything, because I don't work there, but I can put together a helpful guide on my blog to help people get the most of your commercial gym membership (and maybe pass out copies on my next visit— kidding!).
I’ll start with some of the mistakes I saw as I walked from the front door to the sauna, in those 45 seconds, I saw a lot of wasted time, poor form, and inefficient effort.
I will say I couldn't get an up-close view of the free weights section on my short walk through the gym, and I am sure in that area, people were likely working more efficiently. I'll get into that in more detail shortly.
This post isn’t intended to be judgemental or critical, but a helpful guide so you can improve and get better results.
Big box commercial gyms are great for budgets, convenience, and equipment, but let's make sure you are getting the most out of your membership.
GYM COMMON MISTAKES
MISTAKE #1: POOR POSTURE ON CARDIO MACHINES
Bending over to lean on the handles of the cardio machines (treadmills and stair steppers). Putting most of your body weight on the handles of the cardio equipment makes the exercise a lot less productive. Poor posture while doing cardio can lead to muscle compensations, and imbalances that can lead to injuries when repeated over time.
If you are not able to stand up straight and focus on the workout, then slow the speed until it is manageable. A shorter workout with proper form is more effective than a longer one slouching and leaning.
If you get too tired to hold your body upright, then that's ok, it's a sign that it's time to end your training for the day. Tomorrow you can aim to go a bit longer with good form (and we can work on core training because a strong core will give you the strength to hold a good posture for a longer time).
HOW TO SELF-CORRECT
To get the most out of your cardio training session, stand up straight, and aim to vary the pace throughout your workout.
Here are a few ideas to try next time you get on a cardio machine at the gym, such as a treadmill, elliptical, or stair stepper.
CARDIO MACHINE WORKOUT: LEVEL ONE
Warm-up for five minutes at a slow and sustainable pace to get your body ready to work.
After five minutes increase the pace (or resistance depending on the machine) for one minute—go a bit faster, but stay in control. It isn't an all-out effort as quickly as you could go, but an increase in the intensity so that you feel like you are working a bit harder. Stay in control, keep your body upright, and lightly touch the handles if you need to (no leaning).
After a minute, decrease the pace back to your warm-up baseline for two minutes.
Repeat the one-minute fast, two-minute slow for a total of five times
Cool down for five minutes by walking until your heart-rate returns to normal
Each week try to increase the pace slightly of your working intervals.
If you aim to complete the working sets a bit faster each week, you will continue to see improvements in your performance.
This workout should take 20 minutes with the warm-up and cool down and will give you better results than slouching over a treadmill for an hour, especially if you use the 30 minutes you saved to perform resistance training exercises. More on that shortly.
Giving a little extra effort for short bursts will provide you with better results than a long drawn out cardio session with poor form.
CARDIO MACHINE WORKOUT: LEVEL TWO
After a month to six weeks of your level one workout, you will be ready to move to level two. In level two:
Warm-up with five minutes of an easy-effort movement.
Then increase the speed or intensity (incline or resistance depending on which type of cardio machine you are using) for five additional minutes.
Then recover for three minutes at your baseline warm-up pace.
Repeat the five minutes hard, three minutes easy intervals a total of three times
Cool down for five minutes or until your heart-rate returns to normal.
The workout should take less than 35 minutes.
Always work at your current fitness level. If these workouts are too challenging at first, then do fewer intervals and build up over time. There is no downside to starting small when you have a whole lifetime to get stronger. If you do too much too soon, you set yourself up for burnout, injury, and over-training.
It's perfectly acceptable to start small and build, especially if you are brand new to training.
You don't need to perform interval workouts every day. Our bodies adapt to exercise (get stronger and fitter) during the rest period after the workout, not during the exercise itself. Therefore, rest days are an essential part of the plan. Due to the higher intensity, I recommend no more than two interval sessions per week on cardio equipment; you can do resistance training on the other days.
MISTAKE #2 HEALTHY PEOPLE USING MACHINES INSTEAD OF FREE WEIGHTS
As I passed through the gym, I saw capable-appearing* men and women using gym machines when free weights would give better results. The use of gym machines is acceptable when the gym-goer lacks body control, body awareness, or the stability to handle free weights.
It may be an elderly person, a younger teen or preteen, a person that has an injury, is recovering from an injury, or someone new to training that has no guidance on proper form.
Most healthy people, with a little research on proper technique, can jump right to dumbbells to get better results in less time with their resistance training.
Machines are better than nothing, and I understand they are a lot less intimidating than the free weights section of the gym, but you may get better results in a shorter time with free weights. If you want to start on machines because you feel more comfortable, that’s a great place to begin. However, most people will benefit by making a plan to transition to free weights within six weeks.
*I say capable-appearing because I admit that I am not able to assess someone’s ability to use free-weights in 10 seconds. For example, I spent some time doing the leg press machine when I had a joint injury that prevented me from doing heavy squats, but that would not be visibly apparent to anyone. Someone could look at me and think “She looks perfectly capable of doing squats” without having knowledge of my injury. My comments are in reference to healthy people. Machines do have their place and could be the appropriate choice for some people.
HOW TO SELF-CORRECT
Perform a full-body workout using a dumbbell weight that is appropriate for your fitness level. You may start with five-pound dumbbells, maybe ten, twelve, or fifteen, it's only vital that you are choosing a weight that is appropriate for your current skill and abilities.
Start small, practice technique, and increase the dumbbell weight as you get stronger.
Hire a trainer if you still need help. Most of these gyms offer at least one free session to get you acquainted with the equipment—and to try to sell you personal training packages.
How to choose the weight for your workouts
It may take some experimenting at first, so be patient with the process. For this dumbbell workout, we will be performing between 8-12 reps. This rep range is best for building muscle.
The appropriate weight will feel achievable the first few reps, and then as you get to the end of the rep range, it will start to feel challenging, but you can still complete them with good form.
For example, when you start, you may choose eight-pound dumbbells and perform eight reps, and the last two reps will feel challenging.
The next week, you aim to perform nine reps, then the week after 10. You get stronger with training, so you can achieve more reps until you reach 12. Once 12 reps with that weight feel easy (not challenging at the end), you go up in dumbbell weight and start at eight reps again.
If you keep building this way, increase reps to 12, then increase weight, you'll continue to make progress in your workouts for a long time.
WORKOUTS TO DO IN A COMMERCIAL GYM
Gyms have different equipment, but to keep it simple, I am showing all exercises with dumbbells. Feel free to replace it with a kettlebell, medicine ball, or barbell, if you feel comfortable doing so.
Perform 8-12 reps with 2-4 sets each. Alternate between workout one and workout two with at least one rest day between them. Start with two days a week, and build to three overtime
Remember, it’s OK to start small and build over time. Give yourself room to grow. Keep it as simple as possible. You don’t need a complicated gym routine to get results.
BEGINNER DUMBBELL WORKOUT #1
Squat with overhead press
Bench press
One-Arm dumbbell rows
Side lunge
Plank to side plank
BEGINNER DUMBBELL WORKOUT #2
Romanian Deadlift
Lunge with bicep curls
Push-ups or bench incline push-ups
Sidestep squats
plank rows or 3-point rows
MISTAKE #3: NOT STAYING FOCUSED
The last common gym mistake that I would like to bring to light is the number of people I saw looking at or talking on their phones. I know this is common in this age of gym selfies, we can't even put out phones down while driving these days, but focusing on the task at hand is critical.
I watched a guy doing an ab exercise on the mat while watching a video on his phone. He would get better results if he focused on the muscles being worked during the exercise. Disconnecting mentally from the exercise may make it seem easier, but you’ll get more out of the exercise if you focus on engaging the muscle during the reps.
HOW TO SELF-CORRECT
I realize that some people may use phone apps to track their workouts, like I do, but keep the phone time to the bare minimum.
Mindset is an integral part of the process, so you will get the best results if you focus on the work at hand. During rest periods, mentally prepare yourself for the next set. Visualize a successful next set. It may sound a bit hokey, but you will accomplish more in a shorter time if you train your brain to focus, then you work hard, and expect results. Time spent scrolling Instagram is mental energy wasted. The mind-muscle connection is real.
Before I go, let's cover some quick gym etiquette.
GYM ETIQUETTE
Don't have phone conversations when other people are in earshot. Take your call outside.
Don't attempt to have conversations with people with headphones or someone about to perform a lift.
Don't hoard the equipment, especially in a crowded gym. It's OK to claim a bench with your towel, but don't walk away from it for more than a minute.
Don't sit on an empty bench and look at your phone. There may be someone who needs to use it for its intended purpose.
Always re-rack any weights back to the same spot you found them.
Wipe down the equipment after you use it.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Treat the equipment as if you owned it (with care).
Don't block someone else's view of the mirror.
Grab your dumbbells from the rack and walk away. Don't stand directly in front of the rack, potentially preventing someone else from getting what they need.
Be polite and kind.
Are you ready to make the most out of your gym membership? Follow these guidelines you’ll get the best results from your commercial gym membership.
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Questions? I’d love to help.