8 things to remember as you get back to gym
Now that places have begun opening up; going back to gym has become a big event! At least for those who’ve been serious gymaholics in the past and have had their fitness journey brought to an abrupt halt because of the pandemic.
Although, the real fit brigadiers have managed to get their bit of workout done, one way or the other — bodyweight exercises at home, running as and when possible, online yoga classes, why, even online sports coaching as organized by khelomore.com– hitting the gym to amp up the workout is necessary. So is the little social interaction, albeit with safe distancing and proper sanitization in place.
But as some of us are pushing ourselves to get going, let’s remember a few things that tend to get in the way of our quality gym sessions… I call them, my personal commandments for working out.
1. Everyone is there to get fit..
…even that girl who looks like she doesn’t need to. Just that she may have been a regular since a couple of years before you and hence can deadlift with ease. But she has her goals and so do you! So suck it in and plough on! Let that fitter person be your inspiration and not your boundary.
2. No one’s really judging you for your extra weight, your thunder thighs or your flabby tummy
Because anyone who’s a serious fitness-yogi knows what it takes to achieve that so-called perfect body and, if anything, they respect you for wanting to work on yours.
3. Strength training is the best, especially for women
You wanna lose weight, girl, strength train! Nothing burns the fat faster than building muscle.
You have weak back, weak legs, no energy… strength train. Nothing gets your body fitter than stronger muscles. Cardio is great for blood circulation and is to be worked in tandem with strength training.
And no, women do not get bulky with weight training; gosh, whoever propagated that myth!
4. Trainers are great; but it is your job to motivate yourself (more on motivation in my next blog)
They can do only this much; but if you don’t push your limits, you won’t see the results. They are trainers, not magicians.
5. Understand your muscle groups and learn how to target them
Once you get a hang of it, you will know what works for you. Because everyone’s got different goals and different strengths and weaknesses. A trainer can do a generic job of showing you the ropes, correcting your form and being a spotter; you have to do the rest.
6. It may seem like a cliché, but yes, abs are made in the kitchen
So, you could spend 3 hours in the gym, doing your thing, lifting like a badass and doing a 1000 crunches…but if your food is not right, you won’t cut the mark. Period.
7. You do not need to spend more than 50 minutes to an hour with your workout if you are strength training thrice a week
It’s a myth again that the longer time spent in the gym will show you results. Again, know the muscles you got to target and work on those with 2, maximum 3 variations of exercises.
8. Warm up and cool down are most important in your gym session
Or any workout session for that matter. Learn them from your trainer and never ever compromise on the time spent on them, especially the post workout stretches. Your muscles will thank you for that everyday.
Getting your body in shape is not easy; it requires immense amount of patience. Neither is it a 12-week/ 6-month program to be gotten done and over with. It is a lifestyle that needs to be created, and maintained. There’s a lot of tweaking of workout and diet involved, a lot of ‘making of time’, a lot of self-motivation and understanding of what works for you involved. Although far from having a picture-perfect body myself, over a period of years that I have dedicated to my physical fitness; I have realized a few ‘truths’ about workouts and the above is based on my experiences and observations of the others around me.
