How to exercise correctly in the gym on your own

According to statistics, about half of gym visitors prefer to exercise without a trainer. But the abundance of incomprehensible metal structures can confuse a beginner. In fact, everything is not as scary as it might seem. If you have any questions, you can always contact your gym instructor. However, he is not obliged to monitor your training and, moreover, create a program. Therefore, let's look at the main aspects of proper independent training in the gym.

• Exercises in the gym without a trainer: recommendations for beginners
• Training regimen: what days to go, how many times a week, the difference between women's and men's training
• General principles of weight loss for women in the gym
• General principles of gaining mass and volume for women in the gym
• General principles of weight loss in the gym for men
• General principles of weight gain for men in the gym
• General principles of training to improve strength and endurance in men and women
• Basic types of exercises on simulators and technique of execution, how to train correctly
• Cardio equipment
• Rows on block machines
• Vertical pull-down to the chest
• Horizontal row in a block machine
• Leg exercises
• Leg press
• Lunges in Smith
• Squats at Smith
• Exercises for the abs
• Roman chair sit-ups
• Roman chair crunches
• Leg raises on parallel bars
• Exercises for the pectoral muscles
• Butterfly
• Hammer press
• Hummer press, video
• Exercises for the shoulder girdle and arms
• Scott Bench Curl
• Curling arms on a biceps machine
• Exercises with apparatus
• Barbell Bench Press
• Deadlift
• Deadlift technique, video
• Is it possible to continue working out in the gym if you have over-exercised and your muscles hurt after training?

Exercises in the gym without a trainer: recommendations for beginners

First of all, you must follow the following rules for training in the gym:

• Always start your workout with a warm-up. This will allow you to tone your muscles, warm them up and prepare them for the work ahead. Warm-up is performing simple cardio exercises. This could be running on a treadmill, jumping rope, lunges without weights, jumping, or riding an exercise bike. After warming up, muscles are more pliable and less susceptible to injury.
• Before the main workout, it is recommended to properly stretch your joints using leisurely rotational movements. Start with the neck, then move to the shoulders, elbows, hands, then knead the torso and spine by bending in different directions. And lastly, work the joints of the legs and lower back.
• You should exercise directly on the simulators with caution. You shouldn't start with heavy weights if you're a beginner. During the introductory training session, set the minimum weight values, and only then, when you have confidently mastered the technique, can you gradually increase the load.
• After completing the main workout, you need to return to the cardio equipment and also do some stretching exercises. This will significantly reduce or completely eliminate muscle pain the day after your workout.

By following these recommendations, you will significantly reduce the risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of each session.

Basic types of exercises on simulators and technique of execution, how to train correctly

So you came to the gym for the first time. Where to start training, which simulator to approach first? You should start by warming up on a cardio machine. Then you can work out different muscle groups. But it is recommended to first perform the basics - these are multi-joint exercises that involve several muscle groups at once, and then work on local muscle groups. It’s worth creating a program for yourself based on the general principles of training described above.

Let's look at the most popular exercises for training in the gym.

Cardio equipment

The treadmill is the most common piece of exercise equipment in any gym. On modern tracks it is possible to adjust the speed and angle of inclination.

Treadmill running technique:

1. Get on the treadmill and choose the mode that suits you best.
2. Adjust the tilt angle if necessary. If you are a beginner, it is better to start on a straight path.
3. Use the pens exclusively to check your heart rate.
4. The main indicator of training intensity will not be speed, but heart rate. Heart rate should be no less than 120 and no more than 160, although some calculate their maximum possible heart rate using the formula: 220 minus your age. In this case, the indicator of training effectiveness will be a heart rate of at least 70% of the maximum.

For example, you are 30 years old. Your maximum heart rate is 220-30=190. Training will be effective at a heart rate of 133.

You can do cardio training not only on the track. There is also an exercise bike, as well as various steppers and rowing machines. If the treadmill is aimed at strengthening the leg muscles, then the exercise bike and steppers also partially develop the abdominal muscles, and rowing machines imitate the movements of rowing, helping to strengthen the shoulder girdle and the entire muscle corset.

When exercising on any type of cardio equipment, you need to follow approximately the same recommendations for heart rate as on a treadmill, taking into account the specifics of each.

Rows on block machines

Block simulators are simulators that are based on blocks, by lifting which you purposefully pump up a particular muscle. The advantage of such simulators for beginners will be their relative safety and simple technique for performing the exercises. This is an alternative to free weight exercises for those who have not yet learned to feel their muscles.

for detailed study of individual muscle groups

Rows on block machines are basic exercises that work several muscle groups at once. Let's take a closer look at the main and most popular ones.

Vertical pull-down to the chest

The back muscles work, as well as the shoulders and arm muscles. An alternative to pull-ups if you don't know how to do them yet. When performing this exercise, you should follow the following technique, carefully monitoring the correct position of the body and arms:

1. We set up the simulator, adjust the height of the rollers so that it is comfortable to sit and hold on with your feet.
2. Sit down so that the bar is directly above your head, hold the bar with your hands, palms slightly wider than your shoulders.
3. The back should be arched at the waist and tilted forward or backward. It is important to understand that the thrust should not be performed at an angle, but strictly vertically.
4. We lower the handle to the upper chest, and the work of the shoulder blades should be felt.
5. Then we raise the bar to its original position, slightly short of bringing the arms to full straightening.
6. We repeat the exercise.

Horizontal row in a block machine

This exercise targets the muscles of the back, chest and shoulders.

1. The starting position is sitting on the simulator, the back is arched in the lower back, the legs should remain slightly bent at the knees.
2. We take the handle with outstretched arms, as we exhale, we move our shoulders back and try to bring our shoulder blades together, placing our elbows behind our backs as far as possible. At the same time, intense work of the back muscles should be felt. To use your back as much as possible, you can experiment with your grip and handles.
3. As you inhale, slowly return the projectile to its place, stretching the just-used back muscles as much as possible.

Leg exercises

Leg training is an important element of both mass gain and weight loss programs.

Leg press

This is a basic exercise that involves lifting a special platform by bending and extending your legs. The platform can be positioned horizontally or at an angle of 45 degrees. This exercise allows you to work your buttocks and thighs. It is ideal for those who are contraindicated in classic weighted squats due to back problems. When performing leg presses, you should follow the following technique:

1. Lie down on the machine and place your feet on the platform, placing them approximately shoulder-width apart.
2. Remove the platform from the stoppers and straighten your legs.
3. Bend your knees and lower the platform down.
4. We straighten our knees, resting on our heels, and repeat again the required number of times.

   basic exercise for working the legs and back

   Read also:  Muscles of the legs and buttocks: anatomy I Review of exercises

Lunges in Smith

Smith lunges are an increasingly popular exercise for pumping up the muscles of the front of the thighs, as well as the buttocks. Technique for performing classic Smith lunges:

1. Set the desired weight.
2. We stand under the machine, feet shoulder-width apart. Place the barbell on your back, just below your neck. Be sure to bend your back at the lower back, with one leg slightly in front.
3. As you inhale, move your other leg back and do a squat. The body weight is concentrated on the heel of the working leg.
4. We rise back and put the leg back in place, without straightening the knees completely, and at the same time exhale.
5. Repeat the required number of approaches. Then we change legs.

   correct position of the barbell

Squats at Smith

An effective exercise for working out the hips and buttocks. Technique:

1. We set the desired weight, place the barbell on the back in the same way as in the previous exercise. The grip is slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and your feet are also slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor. Shoulder blades retracted, back straight.
2. Slowly squat while inhaling, lowering the bar and bending your knees to a right angle. You can imagine that you are sitting on an invisible chair.
3. We rise up to the starting position, straightening our legs, with the main weight falling on our heels. Repeat as many times as necessary.

Exercises for the abs

The abdominals are the collection of muscles that make up the abdominal wall. To lose weight in the abdominal area, you should not do abdominal exercises every day or every workout. You can do a couple of abdominal exercises on your easiest workout day. At the same time, watch your diet. To pump up noticeable sculpted muscles, you need to understand that fat will not turn into muscles, even pronounced relief may be unnoticeable if you do not dry it regularly.

Let's look at the most popular abdominal exercises in the gym.

Roman chair sit-ups

This exercise engages the rectus abdominis muscles. To lose weight, it is enough to use your body weight. If you want to pump up your abs, you can use weights. Technique:

1. The starting position is lying on the simulator, the lower back is pressed against the bench, the legs are comfortably placed on the bolsters and fixed.
2. As you exhale, slowly raise your body up, slightly rounding your back.
3. As you inhale, lower your body down without lying on the bench, and then repeat the rise up again as you exhale.

Roman chair crunches

Crunches help keep your abdominal muscles toned. It is very important to consider that this exercise is performed slowly and calmly, without sudden movements to avoid possible back injuries. Technique:

1. We sit on a bench, arms crossed on our chest, eyes looking straight.
2. As you inhale, lower your body down, just below the horizontal position.
3. As you exhale, raise your body up to an angle of about 45 degrees, and linger at this point for a short time.
4. Lower the body to the starting position and repeat the exercise.

   straight crunches on a Roman chair

Leg raises on parallel bars

This exercise allows you to effectively work out the lower abdominal muscles and remove a protruding tummy. The exercise has a good effect, and the technique is simple:

1. We stand on the uneven bars with straight arms (if it’s hard on straight arms, you can use your elbows), tilt your chest slightly forward. The head and chest are on the same line.
2. We raise our legs bent at the knees to the chest.
3. Lower it to the starting position.

How to force yourself to go to the gym: the power of motivation

If a girl is seriously thinking about playing sports in the gym, and not at home, then most likely she already has motivation. The main thing is not to lose her! To encourage yourself to regularly visit a fitness club, you can follow a famous fitness model, trainer, etc. on Instagram. The main thing is that your ideal arouses interest and desire to change yourself. Follow your guru's progress and follow his advice.

Buy a couple of sets of nice sportswear to look good while working out. As an additional incentive, a girl can wear nice jeans or a dress a couple sizes smaller.

Gym workouts for beginners will be more fun if you bring along your favorite music. Make a playlist of energetic tracks that lift your spirits and encourage you to be more active.

To lose weight and improve your figure, a beginner girl should exercise 2-3 times in 7 days. In this case, it is necessary to take a break between workouts of 1-2 days.

It is important to give the body rest and recovery. A novice athlete can spend from 30 to 60 minutes doing the exercises.

Rest between sets should be 1 to 2 minutes.

It is also important to understand what time of day to conduct training for beginners in the gym. The optimal time period is from 13 to 16 hours of the day

During this period, the girl’s body becomes the strongest, most resilient, and flexible. In addition, the gym is practically empty at this time. Most people appear from 7 to 9 am, from 18 to 21 pm on weekdays, and from 9 to 16 pm on weekends.

Exercises for the pectoral muscles

In pursuit of six-pack abs or toned buttocks, don’t forget about the chest muscles. But here it should be taken into account that the principles of female and male chest training should be different. Women should focus on the upper chest muscles and not overwork the lower ones. And for men, the load should be distributed evenly.

Let's look at a few popular chest exercises in the gym.

Butterfly

To perform this exercise, a “pack-deck” simulator is used, consisting of a bench with a back and two levers. The essence of the butterfly exercise is to bring the levers together. Let's look at the technique in more detail:

isolated workout of the upper chest muscles

1. We sit down on the bench, press our backs and the back of our heads against the back, with our feet shoulder-width apart. We clasp the handles with our palms.
2. As you exhale, pushing the levers, bring your arms together in front of you. We linger for a second in this position, tensing the pectoral muscles.
3. As you inhale, slowly and smoothly return your arms to their original position.
4. We repeat the exercises the required number of times.

Hammer press

Exercise to work the muscles of the lower chest.

Technique:

1. We sit down in the simulator, pressing the body tightly against the back. The shoulder blades are brought together.
2. As you exhale, gently push the exercise machine forward, tensing your pectoral muscles and focusing on your elbows.
3. In the extreme position, we linger for a couple of seconds and, while inhaling, slowly return to the starting position.
4. We do the required number of repetitions.

Hummer press, video

Exercises for the shoulder girdle and arms

Arm muscles should be effectively worked out by both men and women. After all, the structural features of the hormonal system will not allow a woman to pump up her arms without the use of additional means. However, it is worth considering the difference in weight and the number of approaches for losing weight or gaining muscle mass.

Scott Bench Curl

The exercise works well on the shoulders, back and biceps. Technique:

1. We sit on the bench, place the triceps on the surface of the bench, elbows shoulder-width apart. In your hands is a barbell or dumbbell.
2. As you inhale, slowly lower the projectile, straightening your elbows.
3. As you exhale, raise the barbell, bending your elbows, to shoulder level.
4. We repeat the exercise the required number of times.

   Dumbbell Curls

Curling arms on a biceps machine

To pump your biceps in isolation, you can perform biceps curls on a biceps machine. The technique is simple, the exercise is safe even for beginners.

1. We set the desired weight, sit on the bench, place our elbows on the supports and grab the handles. The elbows are in line with the shoulders.
2. Using the strength of your forearms, as you exhale, raise the handles.
3. Slowly lower the handles to the starting position while inhaling and repeat the exercise again.

Exercises with apparatus

Also, exercises with apparatus have become classics of training in the gym; dumbbells or a barbell are most often used today. Let's look at a few classic exercises with apparatus.

Barbell Bench Press

The bench press is an exercise aimed at working the muscles of the chest, back and arms. Considered basic. It is better to perform the bench press on a bench. Technique:

basic exercise for working the muscles of the shoulder girdle, back and arms

1. We lie down on the bench on our back so that the bar is at eye level. The legs are spaced slightly wider than the shoulders, the feet are flat on the floor, the main weight is distributed on the heels, the lower back is slightly arched, the shoulder blades are retracted.
2. We take the bar with an overhand grip.
3. As you exhale, raise the bar above you so that it is just above the bottom of your chest.
4. As you inhale, lower the bar to its original position.

Deadlift

An exercise to work the core muscles, as well as the shoulder blades and buttocks. When performing deadlifts, you must strictly follow all instructions, under no circumstances arching your back upward. Can be performed with both a barbell and dumbbells. Let's look at the barbell technique:

1. The starting position is standing in front of the bar, the legs are slightly narrower than the shoulders, the back is straight, the pelvis is laid back, the head is looking straight.
2. We tilt the body forward while simultaneously abducting the pelvis and bending the knees, arms down.
3. Without deviating in the body, we squat a little to grab the bar.
4. We take the bar with our palms facing us.
5. As you exhale, smoothly straighten your legs, then straighten your back, holding the bar in your hands.
6. As you inhale, lower the bar into place, avoiding rounding your back. We repeat again.

Deadlift technique, video

How to force yourself to go to the gym: the power of motivation

If a girl is seriously thinking about playing sports in the gym, and not at home, then most likely she already has motivation. The main thing is not to lose her!

To encourage yourself to regularly visit a fitness club, you can follow a famous fitness model, trainer, etc. on Instagram. The main thing is that your ideal arouses interest and desire to change yourself. Follow your guru's progress and follow his advice.

Buy a couple of sets of nice sportswear to look good while working out. As an additional incentive, a girl can wear nice jeans or a dress a couple sizes smaller.

Gym workouts for beginners will be more fun if you bring along your favorite music. Make a playlist of energetic tracks that lift your spirits and encourage you to be more active.