Getting started

How to start when the gym feels intimidating

By Jill McCracken, ISSA-certified personal trainer · · Updated · 2 min read

If walking into the weights area makes you want to turn around and head for the treadmill, you’re not alone, and it isn’t a sign that you don’t belong there.

Jill stepping onto a treadmill in a small, quiet gym
Jill warming up on the treadmill.

In one study of women’s experiences in UK gyms, women described the free-weights area as the men’s space and talked about feeling constantly “on show.” Those feelings are common, and they’re a big reason women never start lifting. Here’s how to get past them.

1. Start at home

You don’t need a gym to begin. The CDC recommends muscle-strengthening activity at least two days a week, and lifting weights, resistance bands and body-weight exercises all count. A pair of adjustable dumbbells covers the first several months.

2. Walk in with a plan

Most of the discomfort comes from not knowing what to do next. Write your session down before you go: five moves, sets and reps. Then you’re not wandering, you’re working.

Your planThe first 30 days guide gives you exactly what to do, week by week.

3. Go when it’s quiet

Ask the front desk when the weights area is least busy. Mid-morning and early afternoon are often calmer than before or after work.

4. Start with dumbbells

Dumbbells are simpler than barbells, you can take them to a quiet corner, and every one of the five starter moves can be done with them.

5. Claim your spot

Pick a bench, put your water bottle and towel down, and put your headphones in. Most people in the weights area are focused on their own sets, not on you.

6. Learn the equipment once

A single session with a trainer or coach to walk through the machines, the benches and how to set things up takes most of the mystery out of the room.

7. Measure progress, not comfort

The first few visits will feel awkward. That fades. What doesn’t fade is watching the weights go up week after week, and that’s what makes the room feel like yours.

Online coaching is another way in: a plan you can follow at home or in the gym, video form checks so you know you’re doing it right before you ever feel watched, and a weekly check-in so you’re not walking in alone.

You don’t have to do this alone.

Knowing what to do is the easy part; sticking with it is where most women stall. Jill coaches women over 40 online with a plan built around you, weekly check-ins and video form checks, so you have a real person in your corner. It starts with a free 30-minute consult call.

It’s not just an app. It’s an app with accountability.

  • Your workouts and meals in your own private app
  • Every set you log goes to Jill
  • A real person checking in with you every week
Request your free consult →See inside the app →

Sources

  1. Turnock, Wellbeing, Space and Society (2021): Women’s experiences of barriers to access in UK gyms. Interviews and fieldwork in four UK gyms: women described the weights area as the men’s space and feeling constantly “on show.”
  2. CDC: Physical activity recommendations for adults. At least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity such as brisk walking, and at least 2 days a week of activities that strengthen muscles.
  3. Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation: Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises. Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercise help build and keep strong bones; people with fractures or high fracture risk may need to avoid high-impact moves and some forward-bending positions.

Keep reading

Start here

Your first 30 days of lifting weights after 40, week by week

A simple first month for beginners and returners: three short sessions a week, five moves.

2 min readStrength basics

The only five strength moves you need to start lifting after 40

Squat, hinge, push, pull, carry: the beginner version of each, with form cues.

2 min read

This guide is general fitness and nutrition education, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor before starting a new exercise or nutrition program, especially if you have a health condition, an injury, or take medication.