Welcome to 2026 Wellness Warriors! Another year, another fresh start, and for a lot of us the new year means rededicating ourselves to a health or fitness journey. If you are starting from scratch or jumping back in after a long hiatus, I want to spend some time alleviating some common fears and blocks.
If you are new to this little corner of the internet, I want to say hello and welcome. This is a space for encouragement and science based information. My job is to spread accurate information without judgment. I take that pretty seriously, too.
I’ve worked in the fitness industry for a lot of Januarys and there are two certainties. First, the number of times I’ll hear the phrase, “lose weight and tone up,” will be unmatched. And second, people are nervous setting foot in a gym. Even if they have been members before, even if they are active, and even if they have been steady with a routine in the past.
And despite the fact that I am the one sitting in the trainer’s office, I get it. Gyms get a bad rap for being very judgmental places thanks to a few jerks. There’s also a veritable sea of steel, rubber, and headphones. That sounded different in my head than it reads typed out. My point is that it is an intimidating place to walk into.
Add in the fact that no two chest press machines are actually constructed the same way and it’s no wonder that there is so much apprehension. This is the issue I want to address today: fear and confusion surrounding the equipment itself. The anxiety felt when standing in the middle of the strength floor is real and completely normal. Especially if you are brand new to strength training, cause let’s be so for real, the influencers can make it seem like it is way easy.
If you are coming back to strength training after some prolonged time off, my best advice is to start with the basics. Body weight focused exercises, like push ups and lunges, will ease some of the fears while allowing you time to reconnect with how your body feels during strength motions. After a few weeks, you can ratchet up the challenge by adding barbells, working with more demanding setups, or jumping on new machines.
If you are brand new to strength training, there are few things you can actively do to alleviate the anxiety. First, ask for a consultation. Many gyms offer this for new members free of charge. For years this was the bulk of what I did in January and February and while I only have anecdotal evidence, I was much more likely to see the members who came in for the consultation still using the gym in June. This study, which only used email and phone calls to encourage usage, seems to indicate the same.
It makes intuitive sense if you think about it. You are getting face to face time with someone who can minimally walk you through where things are located and demonstrate some of the machines. That’s huge when it comes to confidence building.
I will note that there are many instances where the consultation is just a fancy sales pitch for personal training sessions. You are under absolutely no obligation to purchase, though, and if you are pressured, maybe find a new gym. If you can afford a three session package, I think these are super worth it. You’ll have a knowledgeable individual to set up a program for you and to demonstrate everything you’ll need to know with plenty of time for form adjustments and corrections.
If a full consultation isn’t available, ask the staff for help. Now if you are in a Planet Fitness type situation (no hate to Planet Fitness, btw, most people just know what that gym format is so it is useful for example sake, but it’s by far not the only gym that operates this way), understand that there may be limited staff if you are attending at an off peak time or that the staff may not undergo any type of training. They might be there for the free membership and their knowledge might be specific to themselves.
However, gym staff are usually gym staffers because they work out themselves and enjoy talking to other people about exercise. At the very least, they are likely to be familiar enough with the basic equipment that they can demonstrate how to safely use a piece. And in my opinion, having a friendly face that is more official is never a bad thing.
If you are in a Planet Fitness situation or are attending at a major off peak time, start with machine based exercises. The machines are often hulking and intimidating, but they are built to only allow one or two exercises. The range of motion is locked in via the construction of the machine itself and there are usually informational placards. The placard will usually walk you through the exercise(s) you can complete, which muscle groups you are targeting, and how to safely align yourself and set up the exercise. Long story very short here, it’s pretty hard to mess this up, even if you are a complete beginner.
Lastly, and if you’ve been around here for awhile I’m sure you’ll be sick of this advice, consider a workout buddy. Often I talk about this as it relates to accountability, but there is such a thing as safety in numbers. You’ll feel less like fish out of water if you’ve got a friend around. And, in case that wasn’t enough cliches to convince you, two heads are better than one. There is a good chance that something you are struggling to figure out, your buddy can help you with.
It’s also useful to remember that everybody in the gym was a beginner at some point. They didn’t know how to use a piece of equipment or the exact correct form for a particular exercise either. So, it is completely okay that you don’t at the start. And if you remind me, I might tell you about the time I got my foot completely caught in a suspension trainer. While trying to teach my training staff how to properly use it.
Until next time, be well friends!
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