How To Overcome Gym Anxiety
Getting into the gym for the first time for someone who has never worked out before can be a really scary experience. I’ve had many clients tell me that they had tried and failed to workout before because the anxiety of going to the gym was just too much so they searched for excuses not to! Here’s 3 things that can help you overcome your anxiety of going to the gym!
)
Remind yourself no one in the gym is there to judge you. A lot of times we assume that everyone in the gym is looking at us and judging us for not looking a certain way or not lifting a certain weight or whatever it may be you feel insecure about. Really that’s just not the case. Most people in the gym are too focused on themselves and their own goals to judge you and if they do notice you they probably get it! We all start from some where no one just starts super fit everyone in the gym that is fit already has gone through the work you’re about to undertake to get fit yourself so they get that you’re just in the path and everyone’s path is different. I’ll share a story about me because everyone sees the Max that’s super confident and strong and can lift heavy weights but no one sees the max that just 5 years almost died under the 45lb bar because he failed doing sets of 10! About 5-6 years ago I had just gone through a low point in my life and had taken nearly 6month off working out completely. I had lost about 35 maybe more pounds of weight and I was skin and bones to what I had been before when I played college football. I had decided to get back in the gym and went to workout with a friend and we did a leg day so we started with barbell squats something I had easily performed with over 300lbs in my back before and I tried doing a set of 10 and failed and he had to lift the bar off me. I’ve come a long way since then but at the time I was very anxious that people in the gym were judging me for how weak and skinny I was now compared to before(no one knew me from before completely irrational!) but my friend reminded me everyone is here for themselves myself include so I focused on myself and stayed the course and I’m both bigger and stronger than I was before! Whatever your anxiety in the gym might be take a deep breath and remind yourself “I’m here for me, to be a better me”
2.)
one of the best ways to overcome gym anxiety is to have a or multiple gym buddies! Going to the gym with other people is both more fun but also helps you overcome the anxiety. You don’t feel like you have to deal with alone you have someone to help distract you from the anxiety as well as just help you relax and have a good time. I definitely suggest picking people you trust and feel comfortable around and you know will lift you up and make the experience better!
3.)
One of the biggest things that cause people anxiety in the gym is being worried about if they’re doing movements correctly. Everyone knows the videos on the internet is someone doing something clearly wrong and being made fun of on the internet or the guy doing way too much weight weight on an exercise and ends up on gym fails. No body wants to be that guy or gal and if you’ve never been in a gym before it’s a legitimate concern to that person. Hiring a personal trainer who knows what they’re doing can help teach you how to do movements properly and take this concern away as well as help you not have to worry as much about doing a movement incorrectly and hurt yourself. A extra added bonus is like I mentioned in the last post being in the gym with a friend who’s comfortable in the gym can help you feel more comfortable and well the trainers are usually the most comfortable people in the gym because they spend all day there.
