#FacingGymFear: Overcoming Anxiety About Going to the Gym
Hey there! I totally get where you’re coming from – the gym can be an intimidating place, especially if you’re new to working out. It’s totally normal to feel anxious about stepping into that environment, but I promise you, it’s not as scary as it seems!
### Understanding Your Fears
First off, let’s address your fear of being judged by others. Trust me, most people at the gym are focused on their own workout and aren’t paying attention to what anyone else is doing. Everyone has to start somewhere, and no one expects you to be a fitness expert right off the bat.
### The Value of Exercise
Exercise is incredibly important for your overall health and well-being, regardless of your age or body size. Not only does it help you stay physically fit, but it can also improve your mental health, boost your confidence, and increase your energy levels.
### Tips for Getting Started
Here are some actionable steps you can take to ease your anxiety about going to the gym:
ποΈββοΈ Start with a Beginner’s Workout: There are plenty of resources online that can guide you through simple, beginner-friendly exercises to help you get started.
π Remember Everyone Starts Somewhere: No one is born knowing how to use every piece of equipment at the gym. Take your time, ask for help if you need it, and don’t be afraid to start with the basics.
π€ Find a Workout Buddy: Going to the gym with a friend can make the experience less intimidating and more enjoyable. Plus, you’ll have someone to motivate and support you along the way.
### Conclusion
Ultimately, going to the gym is a personal decision that only you can make. Remember that everyone has their own fitness journey, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to staying active. Take small steps, be patient with yourself, and know that every workout you do is a step towards a healthier, stronger you. You’ve got this! πͺπΌ
If itβs your high school gym, some people might. A lot of teenagers are shitty people. Otherwise, do not worry about it. Most people are there focused on themselves and donβt pay much attention to others. Most of the others will actually be super supportive and want to help you get started.
Literally nobody cares
I’m not being rude, I’m being truthful
If they see you at all, they’ll see the skinny kid they used to be. Nobody starts out weighing 180 with 12% body fat.
If anyone talks to you, they’ll want to share information about techniques and form
You will get zero negative attention
Dude. Go!
Itβll be awkward the first time or time or 2.
Just watch some tube videos and then ask someone there for tips.
Youβll thank yourself.
Donβt worry too much, people are too busy looking at themselves to care!
But if youβre nervous about form etc, watch some videos or read a programme before so you know what youβre doing. Even just go on the treadmill or bike for 10 mins so that gives you time to look around the gym and figure out what you want to do and where things are.
A lot of machines also have pictures on them on how to use them so you can follow that too. Just try get in there once and youβll figure it out π
This is a valid fear and I understand it. People will look for a moment then move on. They don’t care. Everyone was a short skinny kid at some point (more or less). Hit the gym, put on headphones, give it a try. Once you do it 3x it will be fine.
Starting at the gym is always weird for a while, getting used to a new place, managing your emotions while there, physical exercise. Itβs a lot. But no one cares. Everyone is in their own little bubble in the gym, everyone is focused on themselves and doing their own thing. No one is gonna judge you or try to mess with you or anything.
If you want you can look up some beginner routines on youtube before you go to the gym. Write down which machines and how many reps youβll need on your phone, then youβll have a roadmap of where to go and what to do so youβre not wandering around aimlessly trying to figure out which machines do what. A little research will go a long way towards making it less awkward the first couple times. Plus youβll be working out with intention and a goal.
Good for you for getting out there! Remember, everyone started where you are now. Everyone had their awkward first time at the gym. Itβs basically a right of passage. Welcome to the club, my friend. Get pumped.
Every person you see at the gym started somewhere, at some other gym, at some point in their lives; and felt the same way.
Everyone is too focused on their own goals and getting their shit done to even notice you
If you’re going to a commercial gym, no one will care. Everyone started at some point. I wish I got into it in my teens, but I started as a skinny 20 year old and have been at it over a decade since.
High school gym? Well, kids can be assholes sometimes.
Is it worth it? Well, do you find having a body capable of greater physical tasks, discipline building, looking more attractive, increased longevity as you age, and increased confidence worth it? If you don’t don’t bother.
As a fat guy at the gym I feel you, gym rats are often very nice actually. However if you have general anxiety your best bet is to put on some ear buds and focus on you. Hell, I even take off my glasses so I canβt see people sometimes
I notice people at the gym for two reasons: I want to be aware of who’s around me, and/or they’re being loud and obnoxious. This is regardless of age.
You gotta start somewhere. No reasonable human is judging you for being skinny or a newbie. It’s most likely that everyone else in the gym will be in their own little world. It’s possible that people will offer you help learning.
14 year olds are SUPPOSED to be skinny – Only at 16 or 17 do we begin to “buff out” a bit when training. You’re alright no matter what you do. <3
Also, when you get there, ASK someone. “Can you help me? Ive never used this before, would you show me how i should do it?” Great way to learn to talk to strangers, and they’ve all been where you are.
If itβs a real gym, youβll not have any problems at all. We all started somewhere. We are there to improve our fitness, just like you. Most gym rats are happy to help and get you going in the right direction.
Most gyms have an βinstructorβ who will help you get going with exercises and training.
Anything can happen , In my first time some jerk took the dumbbell from me , saying he needs to warm up , time passed I got a better body shape , I started praying that he does the same thing cuz this time things are so much different.Amd people started respecting me , I think that kind of toxic atmosphere is necessary.
Don’t worry, the worst that could happen is judging you.
I hate to break it to you but nobody will care or notice you. It is not middle school anymore.
My son was the skinny kid and now heβs the big kid after going to the gym. Not like magic. Took a couple years but it happens. Donβt be afraid. Start out on the machines at the gym. We all look like we know what weβre doing on the machines that show pictures of how to use them π
If anything, some people will be jealous bc they will wish they started going to the gym at 14.
I was skinny once. And I thought the same thing, eventually I started going to the gym. I asked people around what to do, how to do, and most of them are more than happy to help. And now i teach others the same things. I eat more, took a weight gainer and enjoy gym
If they think anything about you, theyβll probably think itβs good to see a young person getting into fitness
You’ll find a lot of support, man
I promise that no one cares. If someone says something to you, know that the rest of us within earshot are silently judging them for being an ass.
Be careful, though. Very rarely, there can be creepy men and women at the gym, so listen to your gut and get the hell out of there if one tries to hit on you. Tell the front desk if that happens to you..
You get over being nervous very quickly. If you’re interested, I’d suggest watch Jeff Nippard on YouTube. He goes over the basics very well and has in depth videos for basically every body part.
Trust me, bro, because your small and skinny when dudes in the gym see you lifting it’s gonna motivate them. Because they too were skinny at some point. The only people gym bro judge are the lazy dudes that don’t go to the gym. I’ll bet money that most guys in the gym will even teach you how to do a lift your trying to learn because that’s just how guys in the gym are.
Nobody gives a shit about the skinny kid at the gym. Most people are just focused on their own workout. If you go and talk to anyone at the gym, most will provide you with great encouragement and tips. Gym culture is usually very positive!
That sounds exactly like Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was starting up (only put sick instead of short).
Go to the YMCA and take an intro class, they will teach you how to work with the equipment.
If you went to the gym and saw someone skinnier than you would you judge them? Probably not so no one is gonna judge you. And even if people do βjudge youβ why does it matter you gotta not care about what people think
Felt the same when I first started, now I donβt care. Life is too short to care about stuff like that.
Wiry bodybuilder here, I started lifting cans of soup as a kid. If Iβm wearing a shirt, youβd never know I lift.
Youβve got this, friend. And even if someone did comment some dumb thing, theyβd be a poser because *all* of us started somewhere.
I tell people all the time, Iβve had years to do this so people new to it are working harder than I am. Weβre here to help you, and Iβll be rooting for you every step of the way.
Gym goer of almost 9 years here.
I promise literally no one cares. Everyone is focused on themselves
“Iβm scared to go to the gym?”
Understandable
“Iβm a 14 year old short and skinny kid and I feel like people will stare and judge me as I donβt know any forms workouts”
Some people may stare, those people are curious (or like others mentioned, are jerks that should just focus on themselves), no one should be interacting with you to give you a hard time or bother you, let facilities know if they do and it shouldn’t happen twice.
As for workouts there are currently many different types online in video amd text form for you to pick from.
“and Iβm just overall skinny do people do this?”
yes, and they usually get less skinny as muscle mass forms over a few months (given you go consistently for multiple days a week and do your best to stick to a routine)
“And is it worth it to go to the gym”
Depends on what you ultimately want from it, that answer you will need to give yourself.
Nobody really cares. If you go to a gym and someone bully’s you go to the desk and complain, they will ban them.
Absolutely, I wish i stuck to a schedule in my 20’s about going to a gym and getting fit unfortunately that fell through.
We all started somewhere.
Start with the machines. Focus on the larger muscles first. Leg press, chest and back. You can also add shoulders, biceps and triceps if you have time.
Start slow and easy. Once you have gone for a month or so and gotten past any initial soreness, find the weight where you can barely complete three sets of 12 reps for each machine. Watch what folks are doing with the free weights for those muscle groups in between sets and start to add free weights into the mix. Bench press is the most logical place to move from machines to free weights, but start at low weights so you don’t hurt yourself.
When you are ready to move to squats and deadlifts, it is worth paying for a personal trainer for one session to help you with do those safely and with good form.
**You’re a lot more likely to receive help than anything negative in my experience.** Best thing you can do is asked the jacked dude who used the machine, barbell, etc. before you how to use it or how to do the exercise he was doing.
There’s also no rule against having your phone open to see how to do a new exercise or whatnot.
I’ve been going to the gym for over 10 years my dude and I still encounter machines that make me think “how tf do I use/adjust this thing”, and I still google new exercises.
There’s absolutely no shame in trying to improve yourself. That’s why everyone is there.
You got this kid.
Just re rack your weights and youβll be ok
Virtually everyone at the gym is pulling for you, seriously.
You know who I judge at the gym? People who hog the machine I want for way too long while spending most of the time on their phone. Literally everyone else is awesome and I love to see them working on their fitness. Now get out there, pick up some weights light enough for you to work with, and build those muscles!
>and I feel like people will stare and judge me as I donβt know any forms workouts and Iβm just overall skinny do people do this?
In what way is your life affected by the answer to this question?
As long as you donβt go with a pack of 5 friends and occupy a single machine or rack for 5x as long as the normal lifter I couldnβt be bothered to care
No one cares. I was on a chemo cream for pre cancerous growths on my forearms and it looked like I had chicken pox for 4 months. No one said a thing. Everyone is in their own world while lifting.
I’m a gym bro though and through. The worst we will do is encourage you and tell you that you’re strong.
Get those gains.
Nobody really pays attention to other people at the gym unless you’re in their way.
Also, YouTube has a ***BAZILLION*** beginner workout videos for young people you can watch before you go and get some ideas on what to do. Use it. Just type in the **YouTube search bar**: “First time at the gym” and then refine your search from there.
Also, depending on the gym, most usually have a free beginner session with a trainer. They’ll try to upsell you like crazy for an 8-week plan for a fee but all of them usually give the first lesson free. Use it.
Go, you’ll be fine.
Nobody cares my man.
My “gym bro” advice is to do some of the popular movements using light weight that you can control and develop perfect form. Please don’t be that guy trying to set a PR every workout and hucking weight you can’t control.
My personal starter lifts.
Flat or incline bench press. Pay attention to the bar path and don’t flare your elbows out or you’ll kill your shoulders.
Body weight squats. Again focusing on perfect form. Drive through your heels, not the front of your feet.
Bicep curls with a straight bar and tricep extensions with the same bar.
Chin ups and pull ups. If you can’t do them either use a band or do negatives with a controlled descent.
From there you can build upon your workouts and find the style that suits you best. Watch some youtube vids and follow those you aspire to be like.
Study basic nutrition. It is key to your muscle development and good habits early on will pay dividens in your future years.
Don’t ego lift. Its OK to fail at a set. Don’t get stuck under the bar tho.
As a 49yo guy who didn’t listen to my own advice, I’m in pain constantly. I still workout regularly but I’m paying the price.
Good luck my man
Gym is one of the most positive places to be vulnerable. Itβs very rare that someone would make fun of how you look.
My dude. Everyone feels the exact same way the first time they go to the gym, including the dudes benching 400lbs.
Everyone has been there and your progress will get noticed.