well, here I am again. Haven't completed any of my goals, havent' stuck to any of my decisions. Have tried, LC, Atkins, low calories, etc..., as well as walking at the park, treadmill at home and doing my weights at home.

So on Xmas day I decided my gift would be a membership to the Gym. Nice new gym by my house, hugeeeeeeee. Well, on New Year's Eve I went for my orientation as I have never belonged to a gym so don't know the machines, etc. The trainer was very nice, showed me about 6 or 7 machines and had me work out on them (thighs & legs). Unfortunately trainer sessions are out of my reach at the moment so I'll have to learn on my own.

I anxiously went to bed last night as I knew I'd be getting up early this morning to work out my arms/back. I woke up at 5:00 AM, made me egg whites and 1/2 banana and headed to the gym. I was shocked to see how busy the gym was at 5:30!!! I walked in and immediately felt lost, intimidated and just wanted to run for the hills. Instead I walked a bit around trying to figure out what to do but ended up doing cardio as I couldn't even figure out what machine was for what. They all looked the same and I must admit I was too embarrassed to spend more than 10 seconds at a particular one as I didn't want everyone to notice how lost I was. I know, perhaps I should have asked someone. But everyone seemed to be in their own "zone", a lot of them with either a trainer or a buddy. I hated it! I hate even more how I feel now.

I"m not giving up, I will go back but I wish today would have been better. I'm at a loss right now, not sure what to do. I thought I had a plan, but I guess I don't.

My stats are: Female, 33 yo, 5'0", 134.5 lbs and 32% BF according the session with the trainer. He said I must do 3 days of weights followed by 20 minutes of cardio and 3 more days of cardio of a minimum of 20-30 minutes. Is this the right thing for me?

The trainer also said I needed to rest each muscle for a good 6 days. So that means if my routine is M,W,F, that every monday I would work the same muscle groups and so on...Should I do different body parts each of those 3 days or should I do a bit every time? I'm so confused. I've been reading all morning on this site and bodybuilding as well. I'm even more confused now. Some things conflict with what the trainer said in the session. I don't even know where to begin. Hope someone can help me. Sorry for the long post.

That anxiety has kept me away from the gym for years. Thankfully there is a gym here with wonderful equipment that the association takes great care of. so I can go in and use whatever I want, whenever I want. No one is ever there!
I did have to have a friend fo mine come over and show me what machines to use for what though. I didnt want to hurt myself.

I think you should call them, see if you can make an appt with someone to show you around, and show you how to use the different equipment. Then you can sit down a plan a workout. One week you can plan to do one cardio machine and then next another. They would most likely also help you get a routine for weights.

Just call them and ask, cant hurt (well maybe after you do it it will)

You might try the library--there are several books about weightlifting for women, and you can look at the pictures to see how the machines work. They won't be perfect matches, but you won't feel quite so overwhelmed, either. There's also a weightlifting magazine for women--someone on here will know the title. They're pretty serious, sometimes, so take everything with a grain of salt.

Might also want to change your plan: Make a commitment to keep going on your schedule (3x/week?) for 90 days and to be in the gym for 30 minutes, or 20, or 5 more than you made it today, regardless of how awkward you feel. Do the cardio if that's all you can manage. No matter what you do while you're there, it will be more than sitting on your tail at home. And you can learn a lot by watching other people while you are doing the cardio.

If you do light enough weights, you can lift more often than six days, so maybe you can figure out one or two lifts you can do now and do them every time, too, just to get you out on the floor and a little less intimidated.

Plus--almost all gym staff will be able to help you some, if only because they need to prevent lawsuits from your not using the equipment correctly. So make them work for their membership money. Most people will drop out within two weeks and you can take advantage of all that "extra" membership money floating in the front office.

I definitely would call the gym. They should have someone available to manage a complete orientation with you.

I myself read the program guides for my gym. They have a women on weights class. There is an instructor available at all times to help with both free weights and nautilus equipment. It has halped tremendously.

Not only that, but people when they go to work out don't usually worry about what others are doing. So please don't feel like people are staring at you. g

Good luck.

I totally sympathise. That gym intimidation factor is huge! All the machines look alike, and if you are not familiar with circuit machines, you don't have ANY clue where to start. A brief (or TOO detailed) orientation just ain't gonna stick in any meaningful way. Here're some basics to help you sort out all the info you have sloshing around in your head, although I am by NO MEANS an expert:

(1) There are many many ways of strength training--some people use circuit machines (those anonymous, all-look-alike machines), others free weights (dumbbells). A lot of people use some of both. I use free weights for my triceps, for example, bcs I find it is more effective for me than the machines.

(2) Also people schedule their workouts differently--some folks tend to work one body part each day of the week like that fellow told you, usu with a rest day, like Abs-legs-back-chest-arms or something like that, whereas others work upper body one day, lower body the next. I think the more "serious" people do one body part a week. But I think that is pretty time-consuming, meaning you are lifting almost every day. Does that fit into your schedule? As a beginner, it may be smart to structure a workout you can AND WILL do...one that is easy to remember, and not too painful/unpleasant. You can alays add more circuit machines, etc later on, after you have gotten the basic routine down.

(3) Pretty much everyone agrees that you should lift before doing cardio (partly bcs you could hurt yourself if you lift after you are tired from cardio).

(4) You should do cardio on an empty stomach (like 2-3 hours after eating at least), to reach into your fat reserves.

(5) A beginner's lifting routine would be 3 "sets" of 8-12 "reps" on each machine (meaning you lift the weight 8-12 times, rest for about a minute, and then repeat that twice, with a minute rest in between each "set"). Reps are more important than how much weight you are lifting--but the most important of all is FORM--HOW you lift the weight (for example, slow and steady, NOT pumping away in quick little moves...there should be no jerkiness, that's just hell on your joints and doesn't do anything for your muscles).

I agree with what people here have already said so eloquently: You should call the gym and schedule a proper orientation--they would MUCH rather instruct you than have you hurt yourself on a machine, absolutely! Maybe it would be helpful to write down a list of body parts to work (there are multiple machines for each body part, it's really redundant and confusing), and bring the list with you, then make notations somehow so that you can remember which machine is which. If the machines are numbered, write the number down; if not, write down the "title" of the machine (there is always a sticker on the machine with the title of the equipment and a description of the body part/s it works, etc), or its location ("near the stairs") if you are desperate and there are no other distinguishing features.

You might want to start with a schedule like this one:
M, W, F lifting then 20-30 min cardio
Tu, Th, Sa just 20-30 min cardio
Sunday rest

where lifting= whole body (upper+lower, short routine for each)

OR

M, W F upper body lifting before 20-30 min cardio
Tu, Th, Sa lower-body lifting before 20-30 min cardio
Sunday rest

OR you can just lift upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week--whatever works in your schedule! It's true that if you do very intense lifting regimens for each muscle group (multiple machines, for example, and free weights) then you should only work the muscle group once in a week--but really, can you keep track of all that mess? I couldn't. Get the basics down first!

The muscles you should address with a VERY basic lifting routine: Chest, deltoids, biceps, triceps, quads, hams. I am purposely leaving off (1) Abs, bcs I am thinking to KIS, and for abs I do crunches and side crunches on a bench without any weights *ABS ARE CRUCIAL THOUGH* I just dont think you need a machine to work them (2) back, bcs I think back machines can be difficult to use and dangerous if not done properly. if you want to do a back machine the "row" is a good, easy one for the upper back and the "pulldown" (also easy to figure out) is good for the trapezius (3) leg abductors and adductors--those machines i think are pointless; spot reduction doesn't work! if we have fat on our thighs we need to diet/cardio it off! And if you increase the size of the inner thigh muscle, it will make your thigh look WIDER (4)Butt/gluteus--I think "squats" and "lunges" are best for those, although the "donkey kick" kind of butt machine (where you are on all fours and kick out a plate behind you, pressing with your foot) is good I think too...but trying to KIS here. (5) calves--KIS again

I would choose one machine for each basic body part and just memorise those: that makes maybe six machines to memorise. You should work the body parts from big muscle to little muscle, ie: Chest--deltoids--biceps--triceps...because the big muscles help the little muscles and if you have fatigued the big muscles you can concentrate on the little muscles... Abs can be done first or last--some folks use them to "warm the body up"--and should be treated as a muscle group (ie, don't work them every day, give them a rest period too).

After you have that down, you can consider adding a machine here or there (or changing out the pectoral "fly" press for the incline chest press, for instance).

it's okay to carry a card/sheet of paper with you to remind you what's what (also to remind you which weights you are able to lift with each machine).

You shouldn't need to PAY for instruction on the machines--it's not a part of personal training, it's a part of your GYM MEMBERSHIP DUES. So don't feel bad asking them for help! Showing you how to use the machines is in their job description.

Good luck! I wish you lived near me, so I could just show you myself. I totally understand what this feeling is like--it really held me back from the gym for a long time until I just bit the bullet and scheduled time with a member of the gym staff to show me. What, are we born knowing this stuff? Um...no.

Happy new year and congrats on your new resolve!!

Lucy

Lots of great advice here. I was one of the lucky few when I joined my first gym years ago........the gym employees were abundant, easy-to-approach, and very helpful. Remember, YOU are the paying customer, and gyms are very much aware of word-of-mouth. They want you to have a good experience, so don"t be shy to do what the others have so rightly urged.......call/drop in, explain your position and desire for more/better orientation. Just like dancing, it will take you a few times to really get into the groove, but then it will click, and it's so worth it. HiFive laid out some great routines. IMO, start out with the 3 alternating days of weights, followed by 15-20 minutes of easy cardio. YOu can add extra cardio days later, if desired. Focus on large muscle groups.....legs/chest. Note these machines:
Leg Extension
Seated Leg Curls
Chest Press
Chest Flyes (aka Pec Deck)
Shoulder Press
Biceps Curls
Delt Lifts
Triceps Press

As a beginner, I would also suggest just doing a slow set of 8-12 repetitions per exercise. As you progress, you might want to extend that to 2 or 3 sets.

Drag around a peice of paper with you to keep track of everything. People who don't keep a written record have no idea (or very little) of what they're doing, plus you can see your progress, and it can be very motivating.

Do abs on your own......crunches are more effective than machines. Your back will get enough of a workout from the above exercises, for now.

As time goes on, and you get more experienced, you might play around with the other types of machines, but if you just stuck with this basic routine for a few months, you will see GREAT results.

Also, as HiFive said, don't worry about the amount of weight.......just concentrate on form, and keep it slow and steady. A slow count of 1-2 up, squeeze, and slow 1-2-3-4 down.

Don't give up! There are lots of good people here who can help you (for free )

I don't think you need to rest each muscle group for 6 days. That's not good advice. As a beginner, you aren't going to be lifting intensely, and you don't need that kind of rest. That's ridiculous, IMO. A day in between is sufficent.
And, by the way, at the gym, everyone IS in their own "zone", as you said. It's actually proper gym etiquette to be quiet, and not disturb others. If you're confused, ask someone who works there, or someone who looks approachable. The main thing to remember is that everyone is there for themselves, and aren't looking at you, and aren't going to notice if you're doing something wrong. Half of them are making mistakes too, trust me.
Get yourself a good lifting book, and learn proper form. Pretend everyone else doesn't exist, and get yourself in shape.

I understand the feeling of intimidation. I started going to the new gym in our town last April. They were pretty good at giving instructions to the 'new kid'. Any gym worth the price of monthly dues will have plenty of employees who can show you how to use the machines. A good idea might be to pay for at least one session with a personal trainer who will be able to show you specific moves on specific machines to target specific areas.
I try to do a round of arms and chest alternating with legs every other day. I do cardio for at least 25 minutes with each visit. Be careful not to get your heart rate too high. You don't want to explode in the gym.
Just my 2 cents worth
Anyway, give it a go. And don't worry about the gym rats. They are more concerned with themselves. You might have to fight them for mirror time.

Karen in Tahoe

Good one!! LMAO!!

Those are the dudes who have to walk through a door sideways. I think thier muscles are permanently flexed.

I found this website that I find very encouraging and educational about weight training for women.

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

Hope you enjoy it.

^^^ I second that. Good info, and she's really funny.

Thanks for the link. I will have to make some time to really read it and put it to good use. I love her style!

Karen in Tahoe

What a great site, SnowLion--thank you!!!

Cool site. I'll have to read it all when I have more time.

Thanks for all the great advice and nice comments. I'm on my 2nd week of going to the gym now. I approached one of the trainers there and he kindly helped me out. Funny thing is that on my first day I didn't even notice there was someone there to help. I think it was more that I was scared than anything else.

Thanks for all the great support and for that awesome link, I love it.