My First Gym Experience

Walking into a gym for the first time can sometimes be an awkward and daunting experience. You could not help but feel intimidated by the fit people who have already accomplished their goals, and simply go to the gym to stay in shape or fill up their spare time. That, combined with the fact that you would not know how any of the equipment works, might make you want to give up. Here’s how I overcame those feelings.  

I started going to Cynergi a little over a month ago, in the hopes of losing some weight and gaining some muscle of course. I had never been to the gym before or done any real physical activity for that matter, so I knew I was going in blindfolded.

The first time I entered the gym I felt like I was a child all over again going in for my first day of school.  I head towards the changing room, subtly looking over my shoulder trying to find out how the lockers work; Needless to say, I was unsuccessful at my first few attempts. I then made my way to the LifeFitness cardio machines, consequently, the only gym equipment I actually knew how to use at the time. I stalled from approaching the weight training area as much as possible, moving from the treadmill to the cross trainer and back again to the treadmill, until I was all cardio-d out and was too exhausted to carry on. 

From this moment on things got a bit difficult. I did see people being guided by the Cynergi fitness professionals but for some reason at the time I just ignored the notion. I made my way to the weights section of the gym which heavily kitted out with LifeFitness and hammer strength equipment, walking as slow as I possibly could, pretending to catch my breath while I tried to grasp how the machines worked. As I hovered over the area I thought to myself, “this doesn’t look too hard”. So I attempted to try out one of the machines, one that I now know is called the pull-up machine. I unsuccessfully tried to pull myself up a couple of times, only to release and make a huge bang that could be heard across the room. I felt like everyone was watching me fail comically.

That’s when I decided to call it a day and make my way back to the changing room; I opened my locker, grabbed my things and walked out of the gym as fast as I could. To be completely honest, I could have simply asked for the help of the many fitness professionals, Cynergi have at your disposal, but I guess I was too shy or proud to do so. 

Despite this awkward first experience at the gym I was determined to get fit, I wasn’t going to let a little bump in the road bring me down. Lucky for me, Cynergi offers a free session for all new members with one of their internationally qualified fitness professionals, who will teach you how to use all of the fitness equipment safely and correctly and set up a fitness programme according to your goals. 

I spoke to Abigail from the front desk team, who was extremely helpful and informative on the session itself and setting up an appointment. Vivian was assigned as the fitness professional for my session. She began the session by asking what my goals are and my previous fitness experience. She then designed a programme according to these goals and spent an hour, patiently walking me through everything there is to know about how to use the various equipment, including the Life Fitness weight training equipment, cardio machines and what to do in the free weights area. Throughout the session we filled in a gym program which gives a step by step account of the fitness programme Vivian put together for me. Some of which included the Russian twist with medicine ball, leg raises, squat machine and shoulder press amongst some others. The Cynergi Gym program card will also be updated for free every 6 to 8 weeks.

Fast forward a month, and I walk in to Cynergi with confidence and my head held high. I feel as if the gym is a place where I can now relax and unwind. I feel healthier, lighter, more energised and more productive. To those reading this who are thinking about starting the gym, but hesitate cause of their lack of knowledge in the field, I assure you that the team at Cynergi are with you every step of the way, offering a helping hand and giving you that extra motivation! I never thought I’d say this, but I actually look forward to ending my long day at work at Cynergi.