<p>I know that college is the optimal place for working out because of the easy access to facilities and whatnot. What I'm wondering is how easy it is for someone who's never really set foot in a gym before to get with the whole working out scene.</p>
<p>I don't really care that much about buffing up, since I'll just disappoint myself, and it's a lost cause. But I do care about being a bit healthier, and I also want to preserve my body well, since my family has a history of joint problems.</p>
<p>Working out will be totally useless if I hurt myself doing it. Will there usually be other students or whatever around who will help explain how to do things properly in the gym?</p>
<p>OK, I have step foot in the gym about twice in my entire freshman year, and I regret it. I just don’t like being around machines and stuff. It makes me feel a bit out-of-place and uncomfortable. I’m really used to just taking walks. But I realized a few weeks ago just how expensive gym memberships really are. I couldn’t believe it the first time I heard how much the YMCA membership cost. So one lesson I learned was, definitely use the gym.</p>
<p>To directly answer your question, you can probably just ask the person who works at the desk how to use a machine that you don’t know how to use. Or just ask the guy right next to you. If he’s nice, he’ll take a minute to teach you.</p>
<p>Most 4 years will have a nice gym setup and trainers available to get you started. Consider paying for a few training sessions so you can learn proper form and which exercises are best for you. Usually the campus trainers will also be familiar with what’s served in the dining hall so they can give nutrition/meal planning advice.</p>
<p>It might seem a little awkward at first, but after 1 week you fall into a solid routine and just keep that routine going. Also, I was always a pretty skinny guy (and I still am), but since going to college and eating eggs twice a day (they are the cheapest meal at my school) I have been getting great results. I went from 133 to 145 in a month. Just make sure you are getting as much protein into your system as possible.</p>
<p>Also, try to find a workout buddy or two; they will help motivate you to keep showing up no matter how much homework it seems like you have (there is almost always time for a 2 hour workout every other day, it’s a great break from studying and you come back more focused).</p>
<p>Do yourself a favor and start doing some exercises now, especially building upper body strength. Having some upper body strength will save you the embarrassment of not being able to pull any weight or have the stamina to work out very long when you learn how to use the machines. Work your way up by doing sets of pull ups, push ups, free weights. Jog and run intervals of sprints. Strengthen your “core” with set ups. Start eating a balanced diet. Get regular sleep. Agree with Kulakai, it is worth the money to hire a trainer for a few training sessions, they may have a deal like 5 sessions for $. Trainers may also be able to refer you to a campus nutritionist who knows the food served in the cafeterias nd can devise a diet plan. The university student gym is a great way to meet people plus provide stress relief.</p>
<p>It’s pretty hard to injure yourself. I’ve been weight lifting for over 6 years, including stretches of powerlifting every now and then and I’ve never had a serious injury. I’ve had tendonitis in my shoulder a few times, I’ve had runner’s knee, and sore knees from deadlifting. That’s about it.</p>
<p>exrx.net has decent instructions for common exercises</p>
<p>At least least you can take advantage of the gym’s pool and track Treadmills are always cool and you might find some other equipment that’s not to bad at first. Your school’s gym might have some fitness classes you can sign up for, so search for that on your school’s website.</p>
<p>Yeah research a bit to learn about your campus’s fitness classes, trainers, etc. I also recommend taking a couple classes with trainers. Before college to get yourself in a little better shape, try looking online for workouts and stuff (menshealth is fine). Maybe even buy a workout book at borders.</p>
<p>id say your best bet is to get a trainer, but if you don’t have the money find a friend that has been lifting weights for a while, and most likely hell know what to do. im wrestling in college so ill have a whole team telling me what to do. tbh if you just do something its better than nothing and eventually you will see some improvements. and remember nobody cares how much weight you lift, all that matters is that youre doing something unlike some fat geek that plays video games all day</p>
<p>A lot of schools require you to take some sort of a “gym” class that a lot of people take their first year. This is a great way to get used to the gym and you will be there with people of all shapes and sizes, so it is a fantastic way to meet a future work-out buddy. You will also have an instructor who will be more than happy to tell you anything and everything about a machine or exercise. Plus, most of those classes are a pretty easy A, which is great for a GPA boost.</p>
<p>Before I came to college, I never touched the weights, either. I figured since I was healthy and played sports that I didn’t need to go. However, I took a weight training course as a PE requirement last semester and I’ve been doing a five day routine ever since. Plus, as someone said above, gym memberships are expensive, so take advantage of your college’s facilities. I assure you, once you start going and seeing results, you’ll want to keep doing it.</p>
<p>Weights aren’t everything. If you’re trying to buff up, try to take in lots of protein- my target is 2 grams daily for every pound I weigh, and it’s working nicely.</p>
<p>I’d take it easy on the calories there. If you work out hard and consistently you should gain about 1 lb-1.5 lbs of muscle a week, so gaining 12 lbs in a month means you might be putting on a little too much fat at the same time. I don’t know what your diet is but just based one experience.</p>
<p>Hey, some people gain weight fast when they first get into college b/c the buffet style dining and greater food selection leads to consuming a lot more calories. 145 is the opposite of a fat person; in fact it’s probably healthier that you put on that weight.</p>
<p>I’ll make a few comments.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You can go from skinny to buff if you want to. Do some research online; this topic has been covered several thousand times over.</p></li>
<li><p>Lifting accounts for 20% of your gains while your diet accounts for 80%. Obviously those numbers were pulled from the sky but diet is supremely important. If you’re lifting and not eating a ton of food, you’re just spinning your wheels and going nowhere.</p></li>
<li><p>A trainer may be a good idea, but I know countless idiot trainers. I also know several awesome trainers. The problem is, if you are just starting out and learning for the first time, you won’t know if the guy knows proper form or not. You could try a trainer but I would scour the google/ the internet/ lifting message boards for proper form either way.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The only way you’ll hurt yourself in the gym is with improper form. If you lift correctly, then you’ll be fine; in fact weight lifting actually improves joint strength and general flexibility and has about a thousand health benefits. So yeah, I agree it’s hard to get injured, compared to something like running, where a pulled/rolled/nagging something might occur every 3-4 months - but I wouldn’t say injuries never happen.</p>
<p>I don’t get all the talk about buffing up. I quite honestly don’t care that I’m more macho than someone else. I thought I made this clear in my original post.</p>
<p>But anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I do have a set of small weights at home, but I’ve always shied away from using them because I really don’t know how. I’ve done some reading, and I figure I can handle some push ups and general weight exercises. I plan on starting with twenty minutes of exercise per day for three days per week. Does that sound good? I’m not totally out of shape, but I don’t really have good stamina as of now.</p>
<p>The gym can be intimidating at first but once you start going regularly, you’ll find it’s not a huge deal. People are too busy doing their own thing to really care what you’re doing.</p>
Treadmills are always cool and you might find some other equipment that’s not to bad at first. Your school’s gym might have some fitness classes you can sign up for, so search for that on your school’s website.</p>