7 Insanely Important Tips for Your First Day at the Gym

Your first day at the gym can be so exciting yet so daunting all at the same time. But good news–I’m here to save you some trouble and share a few game-changing tips that I wish I had known when I was starting out!

Hey friends! My name is Maddie, and I’m both a strength athlete and a personal trainer; it’s safe to say that I spend PLENTY of time in the gym. I learned so many things the hard way, so I’m here to save you from doing the same (these tips best apply to strength training workouts).

This post is all about what you need to know for your first day at the gym.

*Note: This post includes several Amazon affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link (at no extra cost to you). Please read full disclosure here. Also, I am not a doctor or dietician. I am a personal trainer and powerlifting coach. It’s always best to speak with your doctor before making any changes to your diet and/or lifestyle.

Your first day at the gym:

What we’ll cover…

The importance of having a proper routine
Basic fitness terms
Gym etiquette
Appropriate apparel
Gym safety
How to deal with muscle soreness
Other general gym tips

After reading this post, don’t forget to check out…

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The importance of having a proper routine

So many beginners fail to make the most amount of progress possible because of a lack of proper workout structure. You never want to hinder your results because of a few small, fixable errors found in your routine.

That said, there are a few crucial aspects of creating a good workout plan for first day at the gym workout that you’ll want to consider:

As a beginner, you only need to strength train 2-3x per week
- You should consider doing full body workouts when starting out
Include 5-8 exercises in each workout

Of those 5-8 workout exercises, at least 3 of them should be compounds (the rest can be isolation exercises)
Compound exercises should always come first in the workout
3 sets of 8-12 reps is a good starting point for each exercise
Rest 30-90 seconds between sets (on the longer side between compounds, on the shorter side between isolation exercises)
Always apply progressive overload to your workouts
- Ex. add weight, increase reps/sets, and decrease rest time

If you’re still a little confused or curious, we have an entire post that goes into much more detail about creating a workout routine!

Basic fitness terms

Since it’s your first day at gym for weight loss or muscle gain and you’re new to the whole experience, there are a few common fitness terms that you’ll want to be familiar with…

Rep: The number of times you perform a given exercise

In “3×8,” 8 stands for the number of reps

Set: How many times you’ll repeat a certain amount of reps of a given exercise

In “3×8,” 3 stands for the number of sets

Rest: You’ll want to take some rest time between sets or between rounds if you are circuit training

PB: AKA “personal best,” stands for a lifter’s best performance in a given exercise

Clips: Clips can be found all around the weight room–they hold weight plates into place

Range of Motion (ROM): ROM means how far you move a certain part of your body (joint and muscle) throughout an exercise

Compound Exercises: Compound exercises are those that involve more than one muscle group at a time (ex. deadlifts)

Isolation Exercises: Isolation exercises only use one muscle group throughout the movement (ex. bicep curls)

Gym etiquette

Let’s be real… no one likes an inconsiderate person whether it is intentional or not. So, here are some generally agreed-upon rules of the weight room:

*But first of all, know that it’s always good to read your gym’s individual rules as they will vary from facility to facility.

Now for general gym etiquette…

If you get a machine sweaty, wipe it down!
- Many gyms now require members to wipe everything down because of COVID-19
Practice good hygiene (please!)
Always ask if someone is using a piece of equipment if you’re unsure
Put your weights (and all equipment) back in the right place
Avoid hogging equipment
Respect others’ space, especially if someone is in the middle of a set
- Ex. Don’t walk in front of a person who’s squatting
Never block anyone’s view of the mirror
Never hang out or do your exercises right by the dumbbell rack
- Grab your dumbbells and clear the area
Don’t do curls in the squat rack… just trust me on that one

Appropriate apparel

The most important thing when considering appropriate workout apparel is closed-toe shoes; many gyms don’t allow opened-toe shoes or barefoot lifting. If you plan on strength training, you should try wearing a flat shoe (ex. Converse or Vans), as flat shoes make for a more stable base.

However, if you only plan on doing some cardio, a pair of sneakers will work just fine. I would definitely pack a few hair bands as well.

Overall, you should wear comfortable clothing that you feel confident in.

Gym safety

Spotting

It’s SO important to have a spotter for certain lifts such as the bench press because you could be pinned under the weights if you fail to lift the barbell up off your chest.

And because of that, it may be tempting to always go light so that you don’t need a spotter, but you’d be seriously hindering your progress by doing so–never be afraid to ask for a spot.

Clipping weights

Clipping weights is always good to do during squats, deadlifts, or if you’re using something such as an EZ curl bar. Clips keep the weight plates from sliding around.

However, know that you should never clip the weights when you bench press. If you happen to fail a bench press without a spotter present, (as embarrassing as it may be) you can simply tilt the bar and slide the weights off.

Safety bars

Safety bars can be found on squat racks and sometimes benches, too. Be sure to set a proper safety bar height depending on your height and limb length. When you squat down, the safety bars should be set to rest an inch or so below where the bar sits at the bottom of the squat.

If your bench has safety pins, set them up a few inches below chest height. That way, if you can’t push the barbell up, you can sink down into the bench (assuming you have an arch) and set the barbell onto the pins.

Unloading plates properly

The big thing here is to be sure that you unload weight plates evenly. This mostly applies to any plates loaded on a barbell. You should not have more than a 45-pound difference on one side of the barbell at any given time, as it can cause the barbell to tip and go flying across the room (very dangerous and super embarrassing!).

As much of a pain as it may be, it’s always best to take one plate off each side at a time.

Range of motion

The phrase range of motion (ROM) was featured in the “Basic fitness terms” section above. I’ve seen it time and time again–so many people limit their potential because they don’t use a full range of motion during their strength exercises.

If you squat, squat to depth. When you do bicep curls, fully extend your arm. If you bench press, touch the barbell to your chest. These may seem like little and non-important things, but I’m telling you–utilizing a full ROM can really drive your success in the right direction.

Tip: Try Googling proper form for whatever exercises you think you may be doing. That way you’ll have a good idea of how to properly perform them beforehand.

Ways to deal with muscle soreness

You may experience first day of gym pain, and some pain and soreness is inevitable. But don’t let it discourage you. Muscle soreness is common, especially if you are new to working out or are just getting back into it after a long time.

But there is some good news–after staying consistent, you shouldn’t experience much soreness after your workouts. Your muscles will become used to the stress and will actually tear less during your workouts.

In the meantime, there are a few things you can do to lessen soreness after your first day at the gym female:

Move!
- Sitting around will make the soreness worse–try to stay active
Eat adequate protein (0.5-1 gram per pound of body weight)
Get at least 7 hours of sleep
Stay hydrated
Try foam rolling
Take a few days before your next workout

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Other general gym tips

Warm-Up Properly:

A proper warm-up doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I like to start by walking slowly on the treadmill for 5 minutes, and I follow that with a few dynamic stretches such as squats, torso twists, and arm circles.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help:

Most likely your gym will have a personal trainer on duty, so never be afraid to ask a trainer questions if you have any. And like I mentioned above, don’t hesitate to ask someone for a spot if you ever need one.

Bring Headphones:

I’m not sure about your gym, but mine doesn’t have music playing. Forgetting my headphones can make my lifts PAINFUL. Having music is great for getting pumped up and for staying motivated. Many gym-goers really like the Powerbeats Wireless Earbuds because the sound quality is phenomenal AND they stay in your ears super well.

Pack a Water Bottle:

This one should be pretty common sense but it’s important; you need to stay hydrated while you exercise. I recommend bringing a reusable water bottle, and sometimes I like to add Liquid IV for extra hydration.

Start With Lighter Weight & Work to Perfect Form:

It’s always good to start light and work your way up as you become more comfortable with your routine. Don’t worry about going heavy right away.

Log Your Progress:

It’s so important to keep note of what weights and what rep ranges you do so that you can always properly apply progressive overload to your workouts. See the Lift Log above!