My friend and I joined together, and two of my other (male) friends go to the same gym as well. All of our fitness goals are very different but just going with friends should make things easier, I'm excited

The thing is I've never been to a gym before in my life so any tips are much appreciated. The membership came with a free personal training session (that's tomorrow) so I assume that will help me get started. But really, ANY advice about gyms whatsoever - what kind of workouts I should do, gym etiquette, random general advice - would be very much appreciated.

Also a get rich quick scheme would be helpful right about now. Between all the miscellaneous "gym things" I had to buy and the membership itself my bank account is pretty sad this month! :P

Congrats....It took me a long time before I mustered up the courage to go. When I finally got to the gym, I wanted to kick myself because there was NOTHING to be afraid of.

I've found exercise is key and I use the treadmill and have tried many of the fitness classes. I had fun experimenting and found that most fitness teachers love to answer questions and help newbies modify moves, etc. I've tried stuff just for fun and the variety has been hilarious. I found out why I never took up cycling when I took a spinning class and almost took out some skinny people in my Bosu class

It's been great experimenting. Only tip I have is to wipe off the machine when you leave.

Way to go!

My tip would be- don't skip the strength training.

Good for you guys! I hope you have as much fun at your gym as I do at mine. Here are my 2 bits of advice:

*I work harder in group fitness classes than on my own - give them a try. Circuits, weight training, cardio, etc. Try them all.

*No one is watching you as much as you think they are, so try different things until you see what works best for you.

Have a ball.

Lin

PS - If anyone has a good "get rich quick" idea, please pass it on to all of us.

you dont need all the fancy gym things in order to go to the gym....i WOULD recommend a good pair of shoes though...but besides spending money on my running shoes, i've been running almost every day and started with just an old t-shirt and pair of capri pants...when those wore out (literally, wore the seams out) then i bought running capris that have lasted longer...i dont even have a real gym bag, i shove all my stuff into one of those bigger $3 eco-friendly bags made from recycled plastic something that they sell at the walmart check out stands and that's lasted for over a year

Thanks everyone! I'll be sure to bring a towel and not neglect strength. And most of all I'll try to have some fun haha.

@alaskanlaughter, I pretty much own only jeans and had nothing gym appropriate to wear I also invested in a water bottle and a lock so I would avoid spending money on drinks and getting my fancy stuff stolen! All that stuff was (hopefully) worth it, but on the bright side should motivate me to actually use it now that I've spent on it. I could have definitely saved on the bag, though.

I still need to buy some good shoes but I was holding off on those, any recommendations? I have always bought shoes with style/comfort in mind, never exercise. Thanks in advance!

Hi, I love reading everyone's posts