Gym Beginner Confessions: 4 Months In, Just Push or Pull

Gear · Published 2/16/2024 ·

Trying anything new makes me nervous.

You finally get to the gym and then… what am I even supposed to do here? If I use a machine, are people waiting on me? You’re so self-conscious about it. Am I lifting way too light? You worry… and just kind of fidget there, not knowing what to do with yourself.

I’m four months into lifting. If you count all the times I signed up and never showed, or went for a week and quit, it’d be a lot longer — but four months is how long it’s been since I actually got serious, going at least three times a week and keeping myself moving. By now I’ve got a decent feel for the gym’s vibe, and I’ve mastered how to use all the machines. So this seems like a good moment to jot down the things beginners worry about. I’m still a beginner myself, but… the way I see it, lifting is just repeating patterns of pushing or pulling. Mostly you grab and pull with your hands, push with your hands, hook your foot and pull or push, push with the soles of your feet… The body parts you work change, but in the end it all comes down to pushing or pulling.

This is the lat pulldown (a back exercise), one of my favorites. I haven’t been able to load up much weight. I set it to 40kg and do about 20 reps, for 4–5 sets. But even that much leaves my back feeling so loose and good. I tried going beyond five sets, but the reps stop coming and my form falls apart… My PT told me that with the lat pulldown you keep your hands fixed and pull from above to below as if pulling with your elbows, to work the back muscles. I’m just passing along what I was told. It may be different for everyone.

When you pull… using straps does help, but it’s not a must. The pros say your forearms need to work too, because that’s ultimately what boosts your performance, and straps can get in the way of the forearms naturally doing their part. I think they have a point… but when you’ve got no strength to begin with like me, your forearms give out before your back even gets going, so you never actually work the muscle you set out to. In the longer run, sure — if your forearms get stronger and your performance goes up, then your back gets worked too, and so on… but us beginners are always left wanting. ^^

This is a chest machine. You push with your arms. Machines like this don’t need straps — they actually get in the way, so I boldly take them off, toss them on the floor, and get to pushing. My chest pumps up and it feels great. I can feel the marbled fat tucked around my ribs slowly shrinking. That’s something you start to notice after more than three months. I think it’d work even better at four-plus sessions a week, but… my schedule won’t allow it.

Another pulling machine… this one I use straps for. To a beginner’s eyes, the machines are mostly just… push? or pull… over and over. Push? or pull… funny enough, just doing the pushing and pulling well is enough to start changing your body. For me, I started feeling a little change around the three-month mark, but apparently it varies from person to person. Some bodies take as long as six months of working out before they start to change. And this isn’t a one- or two-year project, so there’s no rush.

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These are a beginner’s shoes. They say shoes with thin, cushionless soles are the right choice for lifting. My PT drilled that into me over and over. But thin shoes make my ankles and the soles of my feet hurt when I do the cardio at the end — the treadmill, the stair climber, that kind of thing. So the compromise I landed on is Metcons, or honestly just regular sneakers. For heavy deadlifts and the like they actually get in the way, so I take them off for those. Then I hop on a machine to squeeze in even 10 minutes of cardio and burn a little extra. Hauling around two different pairs of shoes is a bit much for me, and the lockers are expensive. So I just end up shuffling in with whatever sneakers happened to be on my feet when I finished parking.

For beginners, gear doesn’t matter. Weight doesn’t matter either. You just need to show up and work out.

As long as you rack the plates you used, nobody cares one bit whether you’re doing lat pulldowns with 10kg loaded or vertical leg extensions with no weight at all. Everyone’s too busy with their own workout, trying to budget their time for maximum efficiency and get back to their day. There are plenty of people working out in three-stripe slides at the gym too. They say they like them because they’re thin. The shirt and shorts the gym provides aren’t bad for working out either. Grab a towel and a water bottle, push and pull at whatever’s in front of you, and before long a routine? starts to take shape. The only way to get to your own routine is to just keep throwing yourself at it — or, like me, getting PT is a good option too, though it doesn’t come cheap. The vibe at gyms these days is that nobody’s allowed to butt in or nitpick at you… so beginners, just go anywhere and start working out.

That’s been your mid-40s gym newbie.

Thank you.

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