If you’re like most Australians, your New Year’s Resolution was either ‘Lose weight’, ‘Get fit’ or ‘Eat better’. The logical first step to achieve these goals is to join a gym! So you got the tour, signed on the dotted line, got your key chain pass and you were all ready to lose 20kg and start running marathons.
Fast forward a couple of months and not only have you NOT lost 20 kilos, you haven’t lost ANY kilos. And what was that about running? You haven’t stepped foot on a treadmill for 6 weeks, let alone RUN. And you’re not alone. The majority of people who made New Year’s fitness resolutions have failed within 3 months.
So what went wrong? We’ve listed the 8 most common reasons for failing at a Gym and the solutions to these problems!
1. No Idea what to do at the Gym
If you’ve never worked out in a gym before, the sales staff or a friendly fitness trainer might give you a run-down on how to use some of the machines. But let’s be honest it’s hard enough to remember how to use ONE completely new piece of equipment you’ve never seen before, let alone 20. Most of the time you’ll probably just stick to the treadmill so you don’t embarrass yourself by climbing into the leg curl machine up-side down.
Solution – Getting a Personal Trainer to help you may cost more money than just a gym membership BUT working with a Trainer for just one hour a week can get you more results in a shorter amount of time (especially if you’re not even using the said gym membership!)
2. No fitness goals
With no specific goals you’ll probably wander around the gym from machine to machine, trying to remember which leg is supposed to go where. You might spend 5 minutes on each of the machines you know how to use and then give up and sit in the sauna for 20 minutes.
Solution – Having solid goals is important as it helps you direct your behaviour in a constructive direction and keeps you motivated. Try using the SMART acronym for great goal setting.
3. One boring workout program
If you’re lucky enough to have a program written up for you, you will have a program card in a file that you can follow and fill out each time you come in. Now you have a plan of attack, so now you can’t fail right? Wrong. After doing the same boring workout 8 times in a row, it’s easy to lose interest. Not to mention the fact that once your body adapts to a workout, you stop making progress.
Solution – The key to progressing with your fitness is to keep challenging yourself with a variety of exercises and intensity levels, doing the same thing over and over again will cause you to plateau quickly.
4. No accountability
Without anyone to message you and ask if you’re coming, track your progress, or push you to finish that last set – you are much more likely to just quit as soon as it starts to feel hard if you show up at all! The gym doesn’t care if you don’t show up. In fact, the fewer members that show up but keep paying membership fees – the better!
Solution – Being accountable to a friend or Personal Trainer will greatly increase your chances of showing up, working harder and having success. Try at least writing your goals down and keep them somewhere you can see them every day!
5. A program that’s NOT designed for you
There are plenty of great group training and team training Gyms out there but the same exercises may not work for everyone. Large group training classes of 40 or so people are usually designed for the general population, and the program may not take your individual needs and goals into consideration. This may lead to you not working towards your fitness goals effectively or even injuries!
Solution – Our PT8 Group Personal Training classes only have a maximum of 8 people in the class, so you’ll get plenty of personal attention! Our Trainers always make sure that the workouts are customised for your needs and goals.
6. Feeling uncomfortable in the gym
On the days that you do manage to drag your butt to the gym at 5am you might start to feel a bit out of place. Between the lycra-clad bikini models looking fabulous in full-make up, the giant body-builder grunting loudly with every rep, and forgetting how to use any of the equipment – you can easily feel self-conscious with your baggy sweats and complete lack of direction; an outsider in the middle of a jungle of gym-pros.
Solution – A mobile Personal Trainer that comes to you OR our 100% private Studios! As mentioned before, a Trainer can get you more results in less time. Plus, our Trainers are down-to-earth real people who won’t make you feel uncomfortable about exercise!
7. Unrealistic Expectations
Expecting that you would magically become a ‘morning person’, go to the gym 5 days a week, and become spectacularly fit was probably a bit unrealistic. By setting your expectations too high, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment when reality hits.
Solution – Make it a lifestyle change, NOT a temporary change. It needs to fit into your daily routine and become a habit if you want to keep it up! It’s important to have short term, realistic goals to tick off along the way to your big goal. You also need motivation, accountability, and variety to keep you interested.
8. Giving up too easily
After sticking to your plan religiously for the first two weeks, the novelty starts to wear off. Whether you get discouraged by a lack of results, feel burned out from over-training, or simply lose interest in your repetitive program, after the initial honeymoon period – the reality sets in, daily life and other priorities start to take over. Before you know it, you haven’t been to the gym in a month.
Solution – Find a place that works for you. If you feel out of your depth in a giant, big-box gym setting, you might feel more confident starting out in a private training studio, or even better, in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Gyms are not the only place to get fit! Get your friends and family to support your goals. Don’t over-train, start out with one or two sessions a week!
