Can you reduce gym anxiety? Can you stop the feeling of being judged and watched in the gym? Can you work out care free with other people around you? Yes, you absolutely can!
Walking into the gym can be an anxiety inducing experience. New people, weird machines and confusing a layout can make you want to grab your stuff and get out of there as quick as you can. What was going to be a productive workout, can turn into 10 minutes of trying to finding the exit.
By learning how to reduce anxiety, your time in the gym doesn’t have to be so daunting. In reality most people will be beginners and only a small handful will really know their stuff. Let’s face it, we’re all too concerned with ourselves to really care about the person next to us.
I could tell you to stop caring about what others think of you but we both know that’s easier said than done. So i’ve complied my top 8 tips, from my own experience, to help reduce gym anxiety and get the best out of your workouts.
What Is Gym Anxiety? – AKA ‘Gymtimidation’
Before we can understand how to reduce gym anxiety, we need to first understand what it is.
Gym anxiety or ‘gymtimidation’, can be describe as the anxiety a person feels going to the gym or even thinking about going to the gym.
It is a feeling that is often experience by people when they first step into a gym, usually caused by not knowing what to expect: fear of the unknown. It can also come from a fear of being judged by others.
Head of Fitness First, Micheal Cunico, described gym anxiety as, “a type of social anxiety marked as a fear of social or performance situations in which a negative evaluation may occur”. He also notes that gym anxiety is very common as it is human nature for people to worry about judgement from others. Cunico also highlights that “Gym anxiety is heightened when you do anything new or that you haven’t mastered, or simply when you’re around new people or in a new gym.”
Gym anxiety was defiantly something I experienced when I first started working out. In fact it took me 2 years to muster the courage to start using gyms. Previously I had stuck to the home workouts with minimal equipment but I wanted to challenge myself further and improve my fitness. I finally plucked up the courage and used my first gym in 2018. The first month was tough but I slowly found myself becoming more and more confident in the space. I still get the jitters using a new gym but using these tips helps put me at ease.
1. Do Your Research
This is the first thing I do before using a new gym. I simply type the name of the gym into google and suss it out as much as possible. You’d be surprised how much information you can find before even set foot in there.
The gym’s website can give a great overview of the style and vibe of the gym. Some gyms will often describe themselves as having a casual, friendly and inclusive environment. For beginners, these gyms are perfect as it normally doesn’t attract the die hard gym goers.
The websites often have pictures showcasing their equipment and facilities. This gives you a great idea of the gym’s layout and enables you to recognise a few areas and machines when you do visit. My anxiety is always reduced if I sort of know what to expect and have a rough idea of where things are.
2. Don’t take lots of stuff
Take as little as possible with you to the gym. The less you have to worry about the better. I’d recommend a water bottle and that’s it. Easy to carry around and you don’t have to stress about finding a locker. Keep in mind, most gyms come stocked with pretty much everything you’d need, including; resistance bands, bar pads, skipping ropes ect. Unless you really need your own special equipment, don’t feel the need to take a gym bag full of stuff. The most I ever take is occasionally my own resistance bands.
3. Avoid Peak Time
Peak time is when there will be the most amount of people in the gym. These times are stressful for everyone as we all want to use the same limited equipment.
Sometimes there will be a queue to use something but whose next in line isn’t always obvious and it can become a guessing game of ‘is it my go yet?’. You’ll be tempted to get on a machine or equipment and stay there as long as possible. This is defiantly an easy way to upset your fellow gym members. At busy times you’ve got to remember your gym etiquette. You don’t want to be using equipment or a machine for longer than 20 minutes.
My advice, stay clear of the peak times to avoid the unnecessary headache, at least until you become more confidence in the gym environment. Using my gym at peak time doesn’t phase me now but a few years ago I avoided it like the plague.
Peak times will depend on where you are and can differ from each gym. I usually find the busiest times are in the morning before people head to work and in the evening after everyone has finished work. I find that afternoon’s and Sunday’s are always the quietest time to go workout.
If you want to avoid unnecessary headache and reduce gym anxiety, use the gym during the quieter periods.
4. Head To the Cardio Machines
Cardio is pretty much the last thing I ever want to do in the gym. When i’m in a new place the treadmill is the first thing I head for. Why? Because it’s the easiest and least daunting thing in there. We all know how to use a treadmill, hit the start button. Easy.
I whack the incline up (to make it look like i’m doing something) and just walk for about 5-10 minutes. In this time, i’m looking at the area around me. Noting machines that look familiar and the different areas of the gym. I’m able to plan out where i’ll go next so I can confidently move around the gym instead of looking lost.
This walking time also gets me to relax and adjust to being in the environment.
5. Have a workout planned
Having a workout planned is so important before going to the gym. It will make your workout 100% more efficient knowing exactly what you’re going to be doing and what equipment you’ll need.
I always find that if my workouts aren’t planned then I waste time trying to figure it out and stress over not knowing what to do.
If a major cause of gym anxiety is fear of not knowing what to do, then set your self up for success and plan ahead. You can confidently walk into the gym and straight away know exactly what machine or equipment you need to start on.
7. Join A Class Or Hire A Personal Trainer
This tip is great for people just starting out in the gym. Classes and personal trainers can help you to feel more comfortable in the gym environment and with the equipment.
Classes normally use a range of free weights and body weight movements. This is great for building up your repertoire of exercises. You can also learn how classes structure their workouts and take inspiration for building your own. Generally, classes are a fun and uncompetitive environment with helpful and supportive coaches.
Hiring a Personal Trainer (PT) is what allowed me to feel super confident in a gym. My PT built me a workout plan and in our sessions, guided me through every exercise, focusing on technique. He taught me how to use every piece of equipment effectively and safely. He made me realise that using gym equipment doesn’t have to be scary and most things are easy to use. A PT allowed me to confidently use equipment by myself with proper technique. This drastically reduce my anxiety of others judging me.
I personally found Classes and PT’s were a super effective tool to reduce gym anxiety.
8. Take a friend
This to me is a no brainer. Taking a friend can make working out fun and more enjoyable. It also take the pressure off being alone. Having someone with you can make you more confidence to try out a different exercise or a new machine. A friend can put you at ease and help reduce anxiety.
