Congrats on beginning your first gym journey! It’s often a big step that a lot of people take so you can be rest assured many other people have overcome the uncertainty of starting regular exercise. With this guide you’ll be sure to hit the ground running and be well on the way to a healthier, happier you!
It’s always best to start your workout with a quick 5 to 10 minute warm up. There is plenty of cardio equipment to warm up on.
If you’re new to the gym or have had a long break it’s advised to start on the pin loaded machines because the machines will take you through the movement so you won’t need to worry about technique. In order to save you time we’ve complied a complete beginners workout based on pin loaded machines.
Everything that is yellow on the equipment is made to be moved. If the equipment does not feel comfortable, pull or press the yellow lever or button to adjust the machines until you find a comfortable position.
Most people when exercising either want to lose weight or gain muscle. Either way it has been shown by the American College of Sports Medicine that performing strength based exercises between 10 to 15 repetitions is the ideal duration to maximise muscle mass (hypertrophy). This is because the more muscles cells created, the stronger your muscle will become. Creating new muscle cells also takes a lot of energy! So even after your workout is completed you’ll still be burning calories which is great for burning off those extra fat cells.
Completing 10 to 15 repetitions equates to around 45 to 60 seconds of effort for each machine otherwise known as a “set”. Try to aim for 2 – 3 sets for each exercise. Most of the benefit in strength based exercises is gained on the 2nd set and then progressively less for each set after. You can think of completing your first set as the setup to reap the rewards of exercises in your 2nd and 3rd set.
You want to select a weight that is light enough for you to complete at least 10 reps but not so light that you can do more than 15 over 2 to 3 sets. Conversely you do not want to select a weight that is so heavy that you cannot do 10 reps. Finding a weight that is challenging enough to keep you in that sweet spot of 10 – 15 reps is your goldilocks zone.
You may notice on some machines there is a small yellow 2.5kg lever. This is because it can be too difficult to increase your weight in 5kg increments especially on the shoulder press! Pulling this lever takes off 2.5kg and pushing it back in adds another 2.5kg. This means you can increase the weight by a much more manageable 2.5kg increments as you get stronger.
Aim to stick at your new workout for 6 weeks, attending the gym twice a week and aiming to complete one aerobic or cardio activity during your week. This could even be a long walk on the weekend. If you miss a week or two, that’s okay, carry on until you have 6 weeks of equivalent training under your belt.
There are plenty of new exercises and gym equipment to try! At Link Health and Fitness we’ll help guide you through at your own pace so you can truly experienced gym user. If you want to learn more about effective program design we recommend you check out our article on how to design your gym program.
Clean and well looked after facility with premium Technogym Equipment
Our gym contracts have no hidden fees, no notice periods, and very easy to put on hold or cancel anytime
No waiting round for equipment due to our capped membership
Helping you feel confident to exercise independently
Fixed term and monthly payment options available
1 Week Gym Trial
No Payment Information Required
No Sign Up Fee
Free
12 Month Minimum Term
Billed every fortnight
$25.00 Sign Up Fee
$14.99 per week
No Minimum Term
Billed every fortnight
$25.00 Sign Up Fee
$17.99 per week
17/18 Link Drive Wairau Valley, Auckland 0627
hello@linkhealthandfitness.co.nz
09 5536565Gym – 24hrs / 7 Days
