I've been lifting for about a month now, and I'm by no means an expert. I started out with absolutely no clue what to do. I had to get orientation from the staff to learn the machines. I felt like an idiot the first few times, but now I'm pretty good at knowing what weights to move and what my seat position should be. It just takes practice. No one looked at me funny when I fumbled around, no one laughed when I dropped my clipboard a hundred times. Now that I'm more comfortable I see other people fumbling around. Just be confident that you're doing something healthy for your body and screw what everyone else thinks. I pay $45/month for a Y membership and it's the best spent $45. I can swim, I can treadmill, I can lift weights... and I don't have to store it all. If you have a membership, then by all means, use it!