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The 3 Key Training Hurdles: Part 1 “The getting started hurdle”

The 3 Key Training Hurdles: Part 1 “The getting started hurdle”

Whether you’ve been actively involved in physical training, sports or gym training in the past, or not, coming back into the gym after a significant lay off can be very daunting, overwhelming and uncomfortable. We understand this and acknowledge you for taking the steps to choose your health and fitness as a priority and we are here to support you to get back on your feet and feeling the positive momentum that comes with regular training, progress and well being.

There are 3 key hurdles that we believe need to be addressed and overcome for members to have a successful, longterm, enjoyable experience within any gym and this three part series of articles is designed to help our members to overcome these hurdles no matter whether they are just starting, just struggling or a little lost in their well being fitness journey.

The first one up is the “getting started hurdle” and this hurdle can be a tricky one to overcome because the reasons why we haven’t started until now have been playing loudly in our minds for quite some time. “I can’t be bothered, I’m tired, I’m too busy, what’s the point, I’m so embarrassed, I won’t know what to do, people might look at me funny”… and then suddenly now, we are frustrated enough, tired enough, un-healthy enough or perhaps we’ve just moved state or town and we realise that its time we make an effort to get into the local gym and show up regularly. Its at this exact time that we need to focus on creating some positive momentum to overcome the noise of our past and create some new noise, some new direction and enjoy it.

The getting started hurdle

The getting started hurdle isn’t just a matter of getting a new membership at your local gym is it? Because how many of your friends and family do you know that have a gym membership and never actually go and use it? This may even be true for some of you, in the past. So, there’s a few things that I have noticed that really help people to get started successfully.

1. Set a low level commitment that you can definitely achieve.

Achievement for a lot of people is a huge part of the momentum building process. It’s that sense of achievement that comes with doing what we’ve set out to do, or that feeling of honouring our own word of saying I’m going to go to the gym and actually going to gym. There is so much personal power in that!

2. Acknowledge yourself

It’s very easy to allow negative self talk to take over at any point during this new training experience. In fact it’s not uncommon for my personal training clients to ask the question “Am I the weakest, fattest, slowest, dumbest client you’ve ever had?”. Where the demonstration I’m trying to make here is the fact that we all have self doubt, so when you go and take action on your new training commitment, PLEASE, Pat yourself on the back. Allow yourself to walk out of the place feeling good, feeling like you have taken a step in the right direction, you have honoured your word to yourself and allow that good feeling to overflow into your day. This good feeling will help you to show up to your next session, so please always, always, always, use the power of self  acknowledgement to grow your own personal power.

3. Get familiar with the gym itself.

We are comfort seeking creatures, we all know this, we like shelter, clothing, safety, supportive friends and welcoming communities and all those things are so important and amazing. Here at Coolum Fitness we have a beautiful vibe and community and you will find most people will be keen share a smile, a conversation and perhaps even grab a coffee with some one new post training. What I would like to add to this is that, when its been a long time between gym training sessions we need to appreciate that we may be feeling a little uncomfortable despite all the welcoming vibes and one thing we can do to get more comfortable is to simply gain familiarity with the equipment, the space, the free weights, the toilets, yoga mats, drinking fountain. Whilst it may seem silly you will notice a lightness wash over you when you walk through the gym and have more certainty around where stuff is.

4. Programs

Gym programs have been a thing forever, why? Because they give new members an opportunity to walk into the space and have some sense of direction rather than going in blind and wondering what am I going to do today? If you have had some experience in the past with programs that have worked for you maybe you can get one of those out again and reconnect with it.

Often times, gym goes with busy lives may only have 45 -75 minutes to spend in the gym before they have to get back to other family, work or household responsibilities so the time we spend in the gym is important to be used wisely. A gym program tailored towards your desired outcomes (increase strength and tone), your allocated training time (45 minutes), your experience level (beginner), and the frequency you intend to come into the gym at first (3 times a week)… this will be a very different program to someone who wants to get seriously strong and is prepared to train 5 days a week for 90 mins a session, or the Dad who is coming back from a shoulder injury surfing and needs to spend his time in the gym stabilising the shoulder and increasing his overall mobility to fight the ageing stiffness, or the female that is coming to get a body weight deadlift and a chin.

This is why we feel its great to connect with our team, have a no commitment chat about what you’re looking to achieve and how you wish to go about it and see whether we have any advise or direction. You may find that our PTs have some fantastics insights and you’d be crazy not to train with them, that’s how we feel about them, or you may simply confirm what you already know and you sound boarded your ideas off one more experienced person. Both are great outcomes and will give you confidence in taking action.

Finally I would like to welcome you to Coolum Fitness and invite you to check out the follow up articles to this one:

Blog Post By

Tristan Enright

Physical Training & Health Coaching

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