Everyone Belongs in the Weight Room!

I still remember the first time I stepped into the free weight room at the gym.  I had been using the weight stack machines (the ones with the seats and levers and stacks of weights that you stick a pin into) for more than a year, and I felt I was ready to take the next step.  I had done quite a bit of research.  I had a plan.  It was time.

But I was terrified.  I was sure something horrible would happen, and I think I spent maybe four and a half minutes with some 5-pound dumbbells before I scurried back to my safety zone.  I survived.  No one sneered at me.  I didn’t hurt myself.  Nothing blew up.  Gradually, each time I came back to the gym I tried doing a little bit more.  Since that first day, I’ve fallen in love with lifting free weights, and looking back I see how ridiculous my fears were.   Nowadays, I spend about 80% of my gym time using free weights.

If you’ve been gazing into that mysterious, scary weight room thinking you should maybe give it a shot, you might be having some of the same fears that I had.  But though it is totally natural to be feeling nervous, your fears are probably as baseless as mine were.  Let’s take a look at some common misunderstandings:

• Everyone will laugh at me.  Oh boy, do I remember that feeling!  All those people are gonna turn around and point and stare when I go in there and they’re going to think, “What’s that fatty/bean pole/weakling doing here?”  I’m really sorry if this spoils your ego but you know how much those other folks care about you being in the weight room?  Zero.  Well, that’s not quite true.  There are three reasons people will pay attention to you in the weight room:

1. If you happen to be using something they will need later on (But don’t let that stop you—they can wait their turn!)
2. If you are being an ass hole (Don’t.)
3. If you look like you might hurt yourself (If someone who seems both sane and knowledgeable offers advice, listen.)

• I don’t belong there with all those muscle heads.  Listen, you are paying membership dues just like they are.  And although any given group of human beings will have a certain percentage of jerks, the vast majority of people in the weight room, no matter how buff they are, understand that you belong there too.
• All those people look so mean/angry/constipated.  Yes, I know what you’re talking about.  And although a few jerks will make an effort to be intimidating, mostly you’re seeing the face of someone who is super focused and putting out a great deal of effort.  That look of concentration might make them seem unfriendly, but please don’t be put off.  They’re not frowning at you.
• I will feel extra fat/skinny/weak around those big, strong lifters.  Turn this around for a minute.  You know how those big, strong lifters got big and strong?  They started out as a fat or skinny weakling.  And unless they’re a total jerk, they remember those days and they’re definitely not going to criticize.  They likely won’t say anything to you at all, unless you ask a question or they think you’re in danger of hurting yourself—in which case listen and thank them for the advice, even if you don’t follow it immediately.
• I don’t see any other women in there.  If you’re a woman, I would imagine the whole gender thing would add an extra layer to your reluctance.  Just know that I see plenty of women in the free weight area at my gym.  You belong there just as much as the men.
• It looks dangerous in there.  Okay.  If you want a really terrifying experience, Google “gym fails” and you will find thousands of videos of people getting hurt in the weight room, mostly through stupidity and bravado.  And if you are going to use the equipment like a total imbecile, then the weight room is a very dangerous place.  But you’re not going to be a total imbecile, are you?  You’re going to read the suggestions in my next post about how to approach your first few workouts.  You’re not just going to slap some plates on each end of a barbell and fling it around like you’re trying out for Cirque du Soleils.  You’re going to be fine.
• A lot of those exercises are bad for your back/knees/shoulders/etc.  Wrong.  Those exercises can be bad for you, when done with improper form or with more weight than you can handle.  I hear all the time from people who say they can’t do deadlifts because they're afraid it will hurt their back.  (Deadlifts are where you stand at a barbell that’s resting on the floor, grab it, and stand up with the bar in your hands.)  But deadlifts saved my back.  I started with very light weights, was super careful to get the form perfect, and increased the weight very gradually.  Over the next few months, my posture improved and the back pain and sciatica that I thought were due to aging went away.  Be aware that you should NOT LIFT when you are injured, and be very careful and listen to your physical therapist if you're recovering from an injury.  But if you have a weakness, strengthening that part of your body can work wonders.
• Everyone in there seems to know what they’re doing, but I haven’t got a clue.  Right.  It’s time to give you some clues!  In my next post, I'll fill you in on how to approach your first few workouts.

Remember!  You belong in the weight room just like everyone else!

Hope to see you there,

The Friendly Lifter