Tips For New Gym Beginners

Look, the gym can be intimidating. No question. Especially when you’re going to the gym for the first time.

 This is where My Fit Pod comes in.

 There’s nobody else around. It’s just you and the gym. Your own personal fitness journey. You’re in control.

 Thanks to YouTube (other video services are available) there are plenty of instructional videos and digital personal trainers available to help you get the most out of your workout. We’re also creating our own – watch this space!

How does the My Fit Pod App work?

  • Download the My Fit Pod App on Google play or the App store

  • Register to your chosen Location

  • Create your My Fit Pod Account

  • Choose your booking option

  • Book

  • Arrive

Download the My Fit Pod App

The first step couldn’t be simpler for new gym beginners. Download the My Fit Pod App from your app store of choice. Our app is designed to be intuitive and easy, a one-stop-shop for making your gym bookings in both Aylesbury and Berkhamsted.

Register to your chosen location

Select from Aylesbury or Berkhamsted (for now – more locations coming very soon!). Both gyms are fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment including Peloton cycles, Peloton treadmills, weight machines and more. Click here to see our full list of gym equipment. Every My Fit Pod is fully stocked and exceptional quality.

Create your My Fit Pod account

Set yourself up with a username and password. All your details will be stored safely and securely within our app. You’ll also need to select how you’d like us to contact you, with options for email, SMS, and push notifications. We recommend selecting at least one of email and SMS, plus push notifications – this will enable reminders for when you’ve booked a personal gym session at My Fit Pod.

Choose your booking option

Every My Fit Pod has three booking options (although there are various different selections within those options).

  1. Registration Memberships

  2. Subscriptions

  3. Credit Packs

Registration Memberships: This is your first port of call as a new gym beginner with My Fit Pod. There’s no charge, this membership simply allows you to book your sessions or credit packs whenever you choose.

Subscriptions: Exactly what it says on the tin, this is a monthly paid subscription entitling you to 5, 10, or 20 visits per month via Direct Debit. This is the closest My Fit Pod gets to a ‘traditional’ gym membership. If you’re going to visit regularly there are savings to be made with this option, however pay-as-you-go is also available. These recurring memberships at My Fit Pod are available for solo trainers, duos, groups, or Personal Trainers.

Credit Packs: Whether you’re booking a single session or bundles of 10, 20, or 30 gym sessions, this is the ultimate flexible option for a new gym beginner, seasoned gym go-er, or anywhere in between. Also available for friends, groups of 3 or 4, and Personal Trainers, experience the ultimate in flexible gym membership. As My Fit Pod is open 24 hours you’ll be able to workout whenever and however you want.

Book My Fit Pod

All My Fit Pods offer hourly bookings. You’ll be able to see whether your Pod is available or booked by the colour of the dot next to your chosen hour. If it’s green, then you’re in! Just make sure you have enough credits to book your session and away you go. If it’s orange you can still join the waitlist. We ask all members unable to make their session to cancel so it opens up for other users.

Arrive at My Fit Pod

Congratulations! Whether you’re a new gym beginner or a professional athlete, welcome to My Fit Pod. Hold your phone up to the scanner at your arrival time and the doors will open automatically for you. Enter your very own private gym and voila! A wide range of state-of-the-art gym equipment. And it’s all yours.

Now it’s up to you. You can jump straight into your warmup or get the environment right. Want to change the lights? You can. Connect your phone to our speaker system? You can. Browse the Peloton classes we have available? You can.

All we ask if please follow the rules, and please don’t forget to leave everything as you found it for the next person. Wipe down any equipment you’ve used. Ensure you have all your personal belongings before leaving. And make sure you’re on time!

Top Ten Tips for New Gym Beginners

 

Now that you’re familiar with working out in My Fit Pod, it’s time for some more general tips. Remember, every single athlete from lean machines like Mo Farah to muscular mountains like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson started somewhere. It’s about finding the work out that works for you. Finding your own pace. Finding your own style. So here they are. My Fit Pod’s official Top 10 Tips for Gym Newbies.

  1. Ask For Help

  2. Keep It Simple

  3. Be Patient

  4. Hydrate

  5. Don’t Compare Yourself To Others

  6. Watch Your Nutrition

  7. Keep It Under An Hour

  8. Time Your Rest Periods

  9. Keep A Journal

  10. Take That Before Picture

Ask for Help

It’s pretty unlikely that you’ll be an expert straight away. While My Fit Pod is a private gym that doesn’t mean you can’t ask questions. Whether it’s Google, someone you follow on social media, or even a member of our team here, you’ll find lots of people who’ll be delighted to help. The gym isn’t something we gatekeep – it’s the more the merrier!

Keep It Simple

If you’re a gym newbie there’s no need to push yourself straight into a complicated workout. Start with 20-25 minutes on a cardio machine to build up your general fitness, then ease into some weights or one of the more complex machines. You’re just starting out, there’s no need to try the Van Dam Lift straight away. Keep things simple and manageable until you feel ready to push yourself further.

Be Patient

Wouldn’t it be lovely if a single gym session could leave you with rock hard abs? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. Making progress takes time. Making visible progress takes even longer. You’ll probably start feeling better before you start looking better. But that’s okay! It’s like that for everyone. Go easy on yourself, you’re just starting out as a gym newbie.

Hydrate

It’s such an obvious tip that it’s easily forgotten. Bring water whenever you go to the gym. Refill it regularly. You’ll be hot. You’ll be sweating. You’ll be tired. The best way to counteract those effects? Keep drinking! Hydration is so important for your workout, but also for the rest of the day. We can’t stress this enough: DRINK WATER!

Don’t Compare Yourself To Others

Social media can be wonderful. It can also be terrible. You’ll likely follow a few people who have been going to the gym for years. Remember, it doesn’t matter what you look like compared to others. All that matters is you’re trying to be a better version of you. A healthier, fitter version of you. Ignore the photoshopped ideals of Instagram and concentrate on your goals.

Watch Your Nutrition

How much this matters depends on your goals. If you’re hoping to look leaner and/or fitter, nutrition cannot be ignored. That doesn’t mean cutting out everything you love to eat, or jumping straight into a fad diet. Just be conscious of your goals and make sure you’re eating for them. Building muscle needs protein. Losing fat needs less fatty foods.

Keep It Under An Hour

 More working out equals more gains, right? Wrong. If you’re a gym newbie your focus should be on realistic goals. Spending three hours in the gym might feel like a win, but it probably isn’t. Keep your workout manageable and give yourself enough time to recover between gym sessions. That’s the best way to give your muscles time to recover and grow. Plus, pushing yourself too hard can easily result in injuries. Injuries which will force you to take a break from any workouts.

Time Your Rest Periods

Rest periods are a crucial part of any workout. Arguably just as important as the time you spend working out. So take them seriously! As a gym beginner it’s worth timing these to the second. This will help you maximise your gym time and help keep yourself to your goals.

Keep A Journal

Whatever your fitness goals are, it’s a marathon not a sprint. There will be times you don’t feel motivated. Keeping a fitness journal accomplishes several things. One, you’ve got a record of how hard you’re working. Two, it can keep you honest. If there’s an entry missing you’ll be extra motivated to attend the next one. If you’re in a good mood, write some words of encouragement to yourself.

Take That Before Picture

You’ve seen them all over social media. The “before” picture taken ahead of someone’s first gym session. Well, whether it’s to be shared or just for you, we highly recommend this strategy. Three months, six months, a year down the line, you’ll be so grateful you did. There’s no better way to chart your long-term progress than the before-and-after picture. You can do this!