If you’re new to weight lifting, there is a lot of information available to sort through.  With this article though, I’ll take you through the beginning process step by step.

Step 1: Choosing a Gym

The first thing you should do is research the gyms in your area and decide which gym to join. Convenience is important so the gym should be close to either work or your home so that you won’t waste a lot of time driving  Since you will be going there quite a bit the easier it is to get to the gym, the better chance there is of you actually continuing to go.

Once you’ve found a handful of possible gyms to join, read through the new gym checklist to make sure they meet the necessary requirements. Many gyms will offer a free trial for a week which you should definitely take advantage of.

I really like Gold’s Gym because they’ve consistently kept the highest standards I’ve seen, and they’re pretty much everywhere.  I used to travel around the country quite a bit and I have been to several different Gold’s Gyms and they’ve never disappointed me.  However, the closest Gold’s to you may be too far away so you can look into other chains like Powerhouse, 24HR Fitness, Bally’s, or find a good local gym.

Step 2: Clothing and Gear

So now that you have a new gym membership you will need to get some suitable workout clothes and a few basic accessories. Here’s a list of the main things you’ll need:

•    Shoes: Get good quality sneakers with comfortable soles. Cross-training style shoes are a good all-around choice for comfort and stability.  Running shoes will be comfortable but may not provide the necessary support needed, so consider that.

•    Pants/Shorts: If you wear pants they should be loose enough to allow deep squatting movements. No jeans though, stick with sweat-type pants.  Your shorts should be around knee or mid-thigh length; ultra-short, tight shorts should not be worn.  Not only will they be uncomfortable but you will look like you just arrived from the 70’s.

•    T-shirt/Tanktop: Wear a loose and comfortable shirt.

•    Sweat towel: A small towel about the size of a dish or hand towel is necessary for not only wiping the sweat off your head and face, but for wiping off the equipment after you use it as well. Read more about this in my post on gym etiquette.

•    Water Bottle: You will definitely need a water bottle to hydrate yourself through out your workout.  It should be big enough to last the whole workout so something around 20oz. should be adequate. Don’t forget to clean the bottle between trips to the gym as bacteria can grow in water that sits in the bottle.

•    Lifting Straps: Lifting straps are an optional accessory that helps you train back if you have a weak grip. There are different options such as lifting hooks as well but may not be necessary until you start lifting heavier weights.

•    Gloves: Another optional item which will help to improve your grip.  This can be critical if you do pressing movements with certain advanced grips.  Also, some of the gyms use barbells and dumbbells that have very deep knurling (ridges cut into the metal) for the grips which can be rather sharp to newbies.  Using gloves will help protect your hands from calluses and blisters when you are starting out.

•    Lock: Most gyms have lockers where you bring your own padlock.

Step 3: Creating A Workout Plan

I wrote about beginner exercises in my post, Laying The Right Foundation. I believe you need to focus on mastering the basic, free-weight movements rather than rely on machines. The reason is that if you know how to do free-weight exercises, when you do the machine variety it will be a nice variation. Also machines have a fixed, pre-determined range of motion which will leave you are ill equipped to handle the balance requirements that come into play during squats, presses, rows and so forth because your stabilizer muscles will not have been built up sufficiently.

You may also want to consider hiring a personal trainer to learn how to do each exercise right. In the article above I suggest starting out with a training plan that trains the entire body in 2 workouts. However, you may find that 3 or even 4 days a week work better.  Pay attention to the feedback your body gives you as it is more important than any suggestion I could make.

However, whatever kind of training plan you decide on, you definitely need to start keeping a training log right from the start. This will not only ensure that you stick to the plan in the gym, it will also provide valuable feedback later on when you track your progress to ensure you are making gains and what exercises worked and what didn’t.

Step 4: Diet and Nutrition

As a beginner, there is no need to jump headfirst into all the details of protein absorption rates or study the pros and cons of different amino acids. Basically it comes down to focusing on eating good, healthy food and avoiding bad foods.  It’s incredibly simple to do and sticking to this rule will take you a long way. You know what is good and what is bad – chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, lean beef, parboiled rice, potatoes, thick pasta, oatmeal (not instant) and of course vegetables are all good foods.  Stuff like pizza, ice cream, bacon, soft drinks, alcohol and most snacks and candy are bad foods which should be avoided.

Once you’ve cleaned out the junk from your diet you can start examining the finer details like calorie counting, breaking down meals into protein/carbs/fat percentages, tracking glycemic index values etc., as you progress. But right now just focus on your basic eating habits. In addition, you may want consider taking a good multivitamin supplement and adding a few protein drinks.

You will learn more about nutritional supplements as you become more advanced, but as a beginner you just need to get the basic vitamins and the occasional protein or meal replacement drinks when it’s impractical to have a whole-food meal. Never lose sight of the fact that supplements are just that — supplements. You can read more about the difference between basic food and supplements here.

Step 5: Your Progress

It is important that you take your time and learn the basics, both in the gym and in the kitchen. Track your progress and evaluate everything often. There is no rush, but keep your mind open to the fact that you’ll be ready to move on from the beginner at some point soon. If you start to feel that a certain training plan doesn’t do it for you anymore then by all means change it!  If you’re tired of the same old exercises then try something new!  If you feel you’re ready for some extra oomph in your training then buy some creatine and give it a shot!

After 6-12 months you should be into Intermediate territory, and you can start carefully experimenting with more advanced techniques such as forced reps, supersets and negative training. Also, you should have a good handle on food and supplement basics, so don’t be afraid to branch out and examine supplements like glutamine, BCAAs, and antioxidants.

The bottom line is simply to follow your own pace and step up to the next level when you feel you are ready. But be prepared to do so when the day comes. If you need help creating your own training plan to get started, then check out my article Twelve Week Beginner’s Weight Training Program for one you can use.  Good luck!