• Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA
Thursday, February 2, 2023
TheGreatNews.com
  • Home
  • MINDSET
  • WELL BEING
  • POSITIVE NEWS
  • WISDOM
  • PURPOSE
  • NEW TECHNOLOGIES
  • More Topics
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • GREEN ENERGIES
    • SUCCESS
    • GOOD LIFE
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • MINDSET
  • WELL BEING
  • POSITIVE NEWS
  • WISDOM
  • PURPOSE
  • NEW TECHNOLOGIES
  • More Topics
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • GREEN ENERGIES
    • SUCCESS
    • GOOD LIFE
No Result
View All Result
TheGreatNews.com
No Result
View All Result

How to Handle Gym Anxiety to Reach Your Fitness Goals

in PURPOSE
Reading Time: 9 mins read
A A
How to Handle Gym Anxiety to Reach Your Fitness Goals
Share Share Share Share Share

Related articles

How to Rebuild Your Finances And Get back On Track?

What Is Quiet Quitting, TikTok’s New Viral Trend?

With access to a wide range of equipment, and an environment designed to motivate your workouts, gyms can be a sanctuary, a space to focus exclusively on your fitness goals. Common fitness advice — particularly that tailored to strength training or gaining muscle — encourages people to develop the habit of making the gym a regular occurrence. Any resistance is a lack of motivation, of not wanting it enough.

But what about people that don’t lack motivation, but instead, experience anxiety towards the gym? Rather than a motivational sanctuary, the atmosphere of a gym can trigger anxiety and self-consciousness.

RELATED: SMART Fitness Goals Examples to Motivate You

Energy is then wasted on worrying about what other people think, rather than focusing on learning techniques or pushing yourself to reach new physical goals. The gym, for all its promise of success, can become a burden.

It’s a tough spot to be in. If you have a strong desire to find a routine, gym anxiety can lead to feeling like a failure, despite being committed. This article will provide support in overcoming anxiety, so that you can attend the gym burden-free and make the most of what it has to offer. So let’s dive into the world of ‘gymtimidation’ to make your experience more… gymjoyable…

What Is Gym Anxiety?

interior of an empty gym
(Photo by Risen Wang on Unsplash)

Gym anxiety is incredibly common, and absolutely not a personal failing. One study of 2,000 Americans found half of them felt daunted by working out in a gym, surrounded by other people. That means when you’re at the gym and feel anxious, you can be fairly confident you’re not alone. Attending the gym can be a practice of self-compassion, and compassion for other people you encounter, a sense of common empathy for people trying their best to work on their fitness and health.

Sport psychologist Jenny Meggs notes that the prime cause of gym anxiety comes from viewing the gym as an unfamiliar or intimidating place. That’s a crucial insight, as it calls for a different approach for beginners and those well-versed in #gymlife. For beginners, common causes of anxiety include uncertainty around workout routines, exercise, using different types of equipment, making mistakes, or being judged by people with more experience.

RELATED: 20 Fitness Motivation Quotes to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Gym anxiety is closely linked to social anxiety. One way of identifying the difference is to ask yourself: would I have the same insecurity if the gym was empty? For example, if you’re anxious about learning how to bench press, you might find you feel even more nervous if there was no one around to support you! The anxiety here is useful, because it encourages you to take care, and train with safety in mind.

However, if you’re anxious about being judged, then it’s more to do with the social aspect of the gym, the daunting experience half of Americans experience. That requires a different toolkit in order to approach the problem. Identifying the root of your anxiety gives you a clearer path to finding solutions. And, true to the human experience, often it’s a mixture of overlapping causes; the more confident you get with the equipment, the less you’ll worry, and so on.

Ease Uncertainty With Education

young woman working out at home
(Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash)

The solution to uncertainty is education. If you’re a beginner, a period of uncertainty is understandable, from how to use the equipment, to what routines are effective, to what exercises to do in what order and for how and how many sets for building muscle or losing fat and how much cardio and… you get the point. Fortunately, we live in an age of information, perhaps even too much information, but guidance is available.

When I started out, I remember the feeling of overwhelm. I joined a rough-and-ready gym near my home, full of alpha males about four times my size, benching more than I weighed. I was facing not only the uncertainty of training but self-consciousness and anxiety. Slowly, I realized that these experiences are related. Believe it or not, most of the hardcore trainers were more than happy to assist.

RELATED: Inspiring Man Loses 50 Pounds In Prison, Continues to Transform His Life Through Fitness 

Sure some guidance wasn’t useful. I remember some guy looking at me, dead in the eyes, and saying, “it’s pretty simple, just lift more than you are at the moment because that’s too light.” I remember thinking, “cheers mate, I’m trying!” But the point is, many people have been on a similar path, and are more than happy to guide a newcomer. I’d dismissed this by creating an internal me vs. them mindset, and viewing ‘them’ as unwelcoming. It was a lesson. Assuming someone who looks a certain way to be judgemental is judgment.

Outside of the gym, YouTube and Google are your friends. Start by looking at routines for beginners. Look up tutorials on equipment. Understand the basics of nutrition. Consider your goals. And take it real easy in the early stages. I’ve been training for 13 years and there are still pieces of equipment I can spend minutes staring at, trying to work out what body part they operate. Plus, compound movements, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, require a lot of focus on proper form. It takes time.

Digging Into the Causes of Anxiety

gym weights interior
(Photo by Jelmer Assink on Unsplash)

Caring about what other people think is a form of social anxiety. Like it or not, unless you have a personal gym in your garage or mansion, the gym is a social place. If you want to attend, and your goals depend on consistent attending, it’s something that has to be managed. Avoiding the gym due to fear of judgment places the assumed or projected opinion of others (mostly strangers) ahead of your personal goals.

Start by digging into underlying beliefs. When you bring the fear of judgment to the surface, what content is there? You might notice some common beliefs such as:

  • People will think I’m silly for not knowing how to use the machines.
  • Other people will judge my physique or strength.
  • People will ridicule me for doing something wrong.

Remember the fear of what other people think is insecurity projected. It’s amplified by the spotlight effect, where people believe they’re noticed more than they believe they are. It can be a relief to realize that most gym-goers are too focused on their own workout to care about others. When you start paying attention to what others think, re-focus on the workout in front of you. Trust others will do the same.

RELATED: 5 Reasons to Prioritize Physical Fitness In the Mornings

Cognitive reframing helps. For example, challenging the belief and replacing it with something much more compassionate, such as “it’s understandable to be unsure about how to train properly, with the correct technique.” Any issues that arise around body image are their own set of insecurities that need exploring, beyond the scope of this article. Try your best to avoid comparison and self-judgment. Be inspired. But don’t insult yourself in the process; the gym is a skewed sample of the human physique.

Keep in mind that even seasoned pros feel anxiety in the gym. Injury, time-off, and new routines, all set people back to beginner mode, even if temporary. For example, an advanced trainer might have high standards that they feel they aren’t meeting. The muscle man might have muscle dysmorphia. If you play the game of comparison, the bodybuilder who benches 100kg will look at the guy benching 110kg and run the risk of feeling inferior. It’s a futile game, one to be avoided.

Always keep yourself as the barometer. Start at ground zero and look to gradually improve. When I first went to the gym, all those years ago, I stepped up confidently to bench press for the first time, decided to warm up with the bar and… struggled to do a few reps. No one had told me the bar alone weight 25 kg, and that was enough for me! But those first few times I put plates on, even a few kilos? Although my ego wanted to judge, the greater part of me was happy with the accomplishment.

Sometimes the Gym Is the Problem

young man suffers
(Photo by Fernando @cferdophotography on Unsplash)

Not all gyms are equal. Sometimes the environment is the problem. Maybe it’s incredibly busy, and you have to regularly wait for equipment, or feel like someone is always waiting whilst you’re trying to focus on your own routine. Maybe it’s more of a social space for regulars, who spend the majority of their time talking. Consider the percentage of the issue that comes from your mindset, and what comes from the environment. From there, take practical steps.

If you’re self-conscious, you might feel the gym is busy, even though you are able to access all the equipment you need, when you need it. I’ve fallen into this trap. My current gym gets progressively busier from 9 am onwards, so I go before. On days when I’m running behind, I feel anxiety, fearing if I’m late, it’ll be too busy and my flow will be interrupted. Yet, on those days, I’m still able to do everything I need.

RELATED: At 70, This Woman Defied All Odds By Starting Her Fitness Journey

If you feel the environment isn’t supportive, consider if you’re looking for too much extrinsic motivation. It’s easy to blame outer circumstances for why you’re struggling for motivation or not pushing yourself, but can you evoke that feeling from within? Can you be intrinsically motivated by your goals and values? That might mean playing music that motivates you, keeping your long-term goals in mind with each rep, or going with a friend for mutual support.

If all else fails, consider changing gym. Maybe you’ll find one closer to home, one with more equipment, a different gender balance, one that is quieter, or is full of people focusing on certain routines (such as powerlifting or Crossfit) where the environment itself is motivating and teaching.

In Conclusion

interior of an empty gym
(Photo by Rodrigo S on Unsplash)

You want to feel supported by your environment when aiming for fitness goals, that’s why most people join a gym in the first place. Gym anxiety can be a huge barrier to that. Depending on how extreme it is, it’s not going to be an overnight fix. Accepting anxiety will be part of the process. But as you familiarize yourself with the environment and start progressing, the gym becomes a training ground for transcending both physical and mental limitations.

KEEP READING:

6 Apps to Improve Your Physical Fitness in a Few Minutes a Days

Credit: Source link

ShareTweetSendPinShare
Previous Post

‘I can’t watch someone in pain’

Next Post

Justin Bieber Gets Hope about Rare Illness from Survivor Mike Shoreman

Related Posts

How to Rebuild Your Finances And Get back On Track?

How to Rebuild Your Finances And Get back On Track?

January 18, 2023

If you're feeling overwhelmed by your debt and financial struggles, there are steps you can take to get back on track. One important step is to...

What Is Quiet Quitting, TikTok’s New Viral Trend?

What Is Quiet Quitting, TikTok’s New Viral Trend?

August 30, 2022

After years of scrolling Pinterest boards encouraging us to “rise and grind,” and listening to podcasts on how to boost productivity, hustle culture may have finally...

Inspirational Ariana Grande Quotes About Life, Love and Success

Inspirational Ariana Grande Quotes About Life, Love and Success

August 30, 2022

Ariana Grande has proven she’s wise beyond her years. The pop star has been been called “the feminist hero we need” and has repeatedly been dubbed...

Student Council Invites Lonely 16-Year-Old to Eat Lunch With Them

Student Council Invites Lonely 16-Year-Old to Eat Lunch With Them

August 30, 2022

One young man’s mother publicly thanked her son’s classmates when he came home from his first day of school with a huge smile on his face...

Alison Brie’s ‘Heartbreaking’ Response to GLOW Cancellation

Alison Brie’s ‘Heartbreaking’ Response to GLOW Cancellation

August 30, 2022

While recently promoting one of her latest projects, the film comedy Spin Me Round, Alison Brie came clean about her feelings regarding the end of her...

Next Post
Justin Bieber Gets Hope about Rare Illness from Survivor Mike Shoreman

Justin Bieber Gets Hope about Rare Illness from Survivor Mike Shoreman

Understand Projection Bias to Develop More Accurate Goals

Understand Projection Bias to Develop More Accurate Goals

Adults Understand a Need to Do Their Bit for Biodiversity–Even 73% of Allergy Sufferers Planting Flowers to Help

Adults Understand a Need to Do Their Bit for Biodiversity–Even 73% of Allergy Sufferers Planting Flowers to Help

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Weekly Updates

Best Side Hustles in Real Estate to Earn Profits 

Best Side Hustles in Real Estate to Earn Profits 

January 30, 2023
TheGreatNews.com

This is an online news portal that aims to provide the latest updates about mindset, well being, positive news, wisdom, purpose, new technologies, entrepreneur, green energy, success, good life and stuff like that around the world. Feel free to get in touch with us!

© 2021 - TheGreatNews.com - All rights reserved!

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • MINDSET
  • WELL BEING
  • POSITIVE NEWS
  • WISDOM
  • PURPOSE
  • NEW TECHNOLOGIES
  • More Topics
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • GREEN ENERGIES
    • SUCCESS
    • GOOD LIFE

© 2021 - TheGreatNews.com - All rights reserved!