GYM LABS Fitness Guide for Beginners

When you step through the giant doors of a gym for the first time, the dozens of machines, giant dumbbells, and loud music might intimidate you. Don't worry, everyone who looks like a professional bodybuilder right now once walked through those doors with hesitation just like you. As the GYM LABS family, we've compiled the basic rules you need to know to spend your first days as efficiently as possible.

Master the Basic Terms: What is a Set and Rep?

When your trainer writes you a program, they will write "3 x 12 Chest Press". What does this mean?

• Repetition (Rep): It is how many times you perform a movement consecutively without pausing (e.g., pushing the weight 12 times).
• Set: It is one full group composed of those reps. "3 x 12" means you will push that movement 12 times, rest for a while, and do this for a total of 3 rounds.

The First Month (Adaptation Process)

In the first weeks, our goal is not to pump up muscles or lift heavy weights. Our goal is to strengthen the attachment of muscles to tendons and bones (achieving neuromuscular adaptation) and accustom the cardiovascular system to sports. In this phase, "Full Body" programs are applied. With 1-2 exercises for chest, 1-2 exercises for back, and 1-2 exercises for legs daily, machines (isolated movements) are preferred with light weights.

Leave Your Ego at the Door (Ego Lifting)

The biggest mistake beginners make is looking at experienced athletes next to them and trying to lift heavy like them. Because your joints aren't ready for these loads yet, your technique deteriorates, and you get injured. Form > Weight. Start with the lightest weight where you can feel the movement with the most correct angle.

Don't Let Muscle Soreness (DOMS) Scare You

The day after your first workout, or on the morning of the 2nd day, you might experience pain so severe that you can't lift your arms. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). This is a good thing! It shows that your body is responding and developing. Do not quit sports to get rid of this pain; on the contrary, do light cardio to remove lactic acid from the body; the pain will completely disappear in a few days.