January Gym Dont's - (an open letter to new gym members across the world)

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Congratulations on your decision to get in shape this year. Though some may scorn you for jumping on the bandwagon , assure you you'll fall at the first hurdle and show nothing but condescending amusement at your new regime, I for one applaud you. We all need prodding into action, and a new years resolution is as good a prod as any.

Now, I'm sure you're being bombarded with weight loss options right now, from gyms to bootcamps to diet regimes all promising a "new you" this new year.

Well I won't lend my voice to the cacophony. Instead allow me to give you some equally valid free advice you may not get elsewhere.

You see, the gym can be an intimidating place. Us seasoned gym goers do you newbies no favours with our grunting and our dropping weights and our being a bit stronger than you, sure, and I think we need to work on that. But if we bear a few things in mind I think we can all get along just fine. Now all of this advice applies equally to the non- newbies, in fact they have much less of an excuse for not knowing this stuff already, but I think learning this when you're just starting out will stand you in good stead.

At aegis we dont have to contend with these issues, being a small private studio rather than a big club with a membership base of thousands, but the majority of you will be embarking on your fitness journey in regular health clubs, so this is for you.

Spotting- spotting is the act of preventing an individual from decapitating or throttling themselves with a barbell when they are unable to perform another rep. It is not assisting or even touching the bar on every single rep while repeatedly assuring the presser that it's "all them"

Curling in the squat rack- please don't do this. The squat rack is for squatting or perhaps rack deadlifting, but most definitely not for bicep curls. By all means curl, but its highly likely that whatever Weight your biceps are capable of lifting will be significantly less than the maximum amount you can simply lift off the floor.

Squat racks are sadly thin on the ground in many gyms and the last thing we all need is to wait even longer to use them so that someone doesn't have to "deadlift" a couple of kilos in order to do curls. Don't be that guy!

Be aware of your surroundings- The gym can most definitely be an overwhelming place for a beginner so it's really no surprise that new members can go a bit Dawn of the Dead, wandering round in awe but with little awareness of those around them getting on with the business of lifting things.

Having someone bump into a hundred kilo barbell in your outstretched hands on your 5th rep is one way you harsh both your Monday and your rotator cuff. So again, I love that you're in the gym and want to help, just try and be cognisant of your fellow trainees.

 And last but not least...

Be cool - like everything I've said this goes for everybody in the gym, not just the newbies.

The gym should be somewhere we enjoy going. We're all here to better ourselves. We can make that a hell of a lot easier by just being cool, being considerate and not being a jerk.

It doesn't take much, it's just putting your weights back when you're done, allowing someone to work in with you on a machine if necessary, not leaving pools of sweat on every surface for someone else to mop up.

A little bit of consideration goes a long way.