Feeling Lost in the Gym

The trainers at the gym said they'd be happy to have someone do an introductory session with me, walk me through the fundamental lifts, safety, equipment use, etc., which is great, but they also gave the program some criticism. I was advised to switch from strength training to "volume training," which I didn't quite understand, and was given a rough 4-day schedule with each workout being divided into two parts: part 1 was "compound work to 1RM, dropping% of weight for volume," and part 2 was "accessory training." Squats on Day 1, chest press on Day 2, deadlift on Day 3, and shoulder press on Day 4. The dreaded workout plateau occurs when you reach a certain point and are unable to move past it.

Consider it this way. You perform 10 push-ups each day and aim for a 10-minute mile. It might appear to be quite difficult at first. But as your body gets stronger and develops aerobic endurance, the same fitness challenge gradually becomes less difficult.

Despite this, you continue to run that 10-minute mile and perform those ten push-ups. You'll have the same strength and endurance when you run that mile and do those push-ups months or even years from now as you did when your workouts first became easy. Doctor Behm explains that if you don't force your body to work harder or differently, there's no reason for it to gain muscle or cardio fitness.

Of course, if your goal is to maintain your fitness or overall health, he says that's fine, too. After all, your goal isn't to progress. It's going to stay the same—and what's the harm in doing what you're doing if you enjoy it?

However, if you want to improve any aspect of your fitness, whether strength, muscle mass, or cardio endurance, you must constantly adapt your body. And in order to do so, you must keep pushing yourself.

When using progressive overload, you must commit to an exercise for weeks or months at a time in order to advance it. According to Perkins, people frequently need to perform and advance the same fundamental exercises over a long period of time in order to see noticeable improvements. For instance, you won't be able to add progressive overload most effectively if you alternate every few weeks between kettlebell deadlifts, single-leg deadlifts, and sumo deadlifts without a plan. The moves challenge muscles differently and can prevent progressive overload because they are performed differently and with different loads, even though they largely target the same muscles.

There's a really cool physiological explanation for this as well, and it all has to do with what's taking place in your body and mind when you first begin a new exercise. The doctor explains that no matter how physically fit you are, the initial strength gains you experience when you start a new exercise, workout, or routine have a strong neurological foundation and l

ast for the first few weeks. The motor neurons that instruct your muscles to lengthen and contract "learn" how to fire in the most effective, coordinated manner. Your neurological system becomes more adept at a particular exercise as a result. You may hear about "newbie gains" like these.

Your muscles are undoubtedly working during these first few weeks, but they are also letting your nervous system handle the majority of the adapting. After all, your body may not be aware of how long you intend to commit to a particular exercise. Why invest energy in developing muscle if an exercise is only temporary? It's simpler to just let the nervous system take care of things.

According to Perkins, the majority of your fitness gains won't really occur in your musculoskeletal system until after that. Your muscle cells expand, get stronger, and your body composition changes at this time. Your current level of fitness, past exercise habits, frequency of workouts, and other factors all affect how long it takes for this to happen. Before changing up your exercises, Perkins advises spending at least six to eight weeks, if not longer, with your base workouts.

By reinventing the wheel before your muscles have even had a chance to adapt, you aren't really encouraging your muscles to grow. The same is true for your heart, lungs, bones, and connective tissues.

However, what if you like to vary your workouts?

According to Perkins, many people mistakenly believe that training for muscle confusion will benefit them when, in reality, they just have the personality type that easily gets bored and doesn't like to focus on one thing for very long.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that if that describes you. And you can change up your exercise routine as much as you want if your objective is to keep up your current level of fitness, get more active, release tension, or manage stress. You should make sure you are having fun because this is your workout. (To lower your risk of injury, make sure you've established a solid foundation before experimenting with advanced exercises or variations.)

But what if you're easily bored and want to improve your strength, stamina, or muscle mass? You still don't have to give up enjoying your workout in order to advance. Additionally, the way you organize or plan your workouts can have an impact.

Perkins advises making a weekly schedule for yourself. You might eventually work on your upper body, lower body, or overall strength. Maybe you'll practice yoga or cardio on another day.

Even though you'll repeat the same workouts and exercises week after week, there will still be plenty of variety within the week to keep things interesting. Additionally, even though you'll be doing the same basic exercises every week, you'll perform them under slightly different conditions. Using progressive overload will allow you to lift a little bit more weight, perform your exercises with slightly better form, or run a little bit faster.

According to Perkins, progress is defined as a slight increase in difficulty, which over time will enable you to advance exercise variations. You can add new challenges by changing your exercise choices every few weeks or months, depending on your current level of fitness, your exercise routine, and the progress you see. For instance, you might advance from a goblet squat to a barbell squat.

Naturally, none of this progression will work if you don't follow your plan consistently, so it's critical to design it around exercises you actually enjoy. According to Perkins, if you concentrate your workouts on activities you're motivated to master and advance at, you'll achieve the ideal balance of consistency and novelty.

Everything is based on the goals you have.

What should I do to get ready to join a gym? First time for me. I'm a 19-year-old male.prior to starting a gym

1. Remind yourself that until you eat right, you won't notice a significant change in your body.

2. Recognize your body type ( ectomorph or mesomorph or endomorph)

3. Even if your master advises against it, don't use any oil injections as a shortcut.

4. Avoid making impulsive purchases of artificial protein products in the beginning ( it all depends on you whether u will continue your gym or not.. So probably u can save your money)

5. Select a respectable gym because, eventually, the environment becomes very important.

After starting a gym

1. Be confident in the gym. Nobody will care about you.

2. Limit your weightlifting.

3. Finish your workout in 45 to 1 hour (if crowded - usually in lower and mid level gyms)

4. Include either cardio (if strength training is your go-to exercise) or both (if cardio is your regular)

5. Learn proper technique for your workouts during the first two weeks, and use light weights. (Stay humble here)

6. Do not perform more than three sets of each exercise for the first two months.

7. Do give bodyweight exercises the same importance!

The above said are based on my personal experiences!!

Happy gymming!