Hi Everyone!
So I know what you’re thinking. You’ve never been to the gym before. You don’t know how to work out. That’s okay. I only started in my first year at Carleton too! In this short article, I’ll run you through everything you need to know to get started on hitting the gym!!!
Where Do I Go? 🤔
First, the Carleton Athletics Centre has a fitness centre that’s free to use for students. You don’t have to worry about paying them bills. Just swipe your card, and you’re in. It’s open 6am to 11pm on weekdays and 8am to 8pm on weekends. One small caveat for you if you’re a guy is that it’s reserved between 10am-11:30am for women’s only hours.
So what now? The fitness centre doesn’t like us bringing bags in. That’s a problem but there’s a solution. You’ll soon find the men’s change room if you’re a guy and women’s change room on the second floor if you’re a girl. You can put your bags in there. I won’t lie. I lock my locker but most people don’t even lock their locker so feel free to forget about the lock!
You only need a couple of things. Just have your phone and earbuds to listen to music. Make sure you have your water bottle to stay hydrated and if it’s empty, they have a water fountain and bottle filler inside! Last, bring your campus card. You’ll need to swipe it to get inside the fitness centre room. After that, we head to the fitness centre on the second floor~
Do’s and Don’ts in the Fitness Centre📚
Just like a classroom, the gym has some common sense rules that you wouldn’t think about if ya didn’t know. I’ll run it down for you!
- DO ask for advice on your form if you don’t know if you’re doing it right
- DO ask how to use equipment if you’re hesitant
- Don’t grunt loudly
- Don’t work out too hard if you have no buddy
- Don’t bring a bag inside
- Clean what you use after you’re done
- Check that weights are placed correctly
- Don’t drop weights. Put’em down slowly
How to work out 📚
So there’s a regimen to follow. First, you do 4 sets of 10. Basically, what this means is after doing 10 repetitions of an exercise, take an at-minimum 1 minute break. Then do your next set. 4 sets of 10 is pretty standard.
Adjusting the weight is also a major part. You know the weight is just right when it’s not too easy but not too hard that you’ll collapse. The sweet spot is that when you’re on the 10th repetition, you’re getting tired. The weights I put in are beginner friendly and if they’re still too heavy, don’t even worry. Remove them and start somewhere comfortable. No one is going to shame you for trying your best!
Now for the juicy part. What exercises do ya do? If you’re going to the gym twice per week, do a lower body and upper body day with chest exercises in each one. If you’re going once, take your time to do a full body workout.
These are the lower body exercises that I follow
| Name of Exercise | Amount | Weight in Pounds(lbs) | Advice or Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squats | 4 sets of 10 | 5 | Move your shoulders back and put the pole on your shoulders. Not your neck. Your ring finger on the smooth rings on the pole. Make sure the weights are balanced. Straight back and legs shoulders width apart |
| Calf Raises | 4 sets of 10 | 100 | There’s actually a machine for this. It’s located near the middle of the fitness room between the jogging machines and lifting equipment. Have a straight back. Lift your heels off the ground repeatedly |
| Deadlifts | 4 sets of 10 | 5 | Straight back. Don’t drop it on the ground very hard |
| Hip Abductors | 4 sets of 10 | 50 |
Abs Exercises
| Name of Exercise | Amount | Weight in Pounds(lbs) | Advice or Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest Press | 4 sets of 10 | Move your shoulders back and put the pole on your shoulders. Not your neck. Your ring finger on the smooth rings on the pole. Make sure the weights are balanced. Straight back and legs shoulders width apart | |
| Abdominal | 4 sets of 10 | 60 | For this one, just make sure you don’t put your weight on top of it and make gravity o the work |
And here are the upper body exercises that I follow
| Name of Exercise | Amount | Weight in Pounds(lbs) | Advice or Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 4 sets of 10 | Start with no weight | Bench Presses are pretty hard. In general, just make sure you don’t put too much weight. If you feel like you’re about to collapse, put it back and call it a day. |
| Bicep Curls | 4 sets of 10 | 5 | |
| Shoulder Press | 4 sets of 10 | 5 | |
| Back | 4 sets of 10 | 40 |
Stretching 🧘
I’m not gonna lie. You might not notice but there’s a huge difference between stretching vs not-stretching in the long run. I’ll skip the part about possibly pulling a muscle if you don’t stretch. You’ll feel less sore in 2 days because jeez, you’re gonna feel sore in 2 days. And that’s not a bad thing. I’m still sore and I’ve been going to the gym for a month.
There’s no specific stretches but just remember to stretch the following:
- Arms
- Biceps
- Belly/Abs area(upward dog stretch)
- Thighs(touch your toes while standing up or sit down and try to reach them)
- Butterfly!
- Calves
Closing Thoughts 💬 This workout isn’t to get jacked. This is just to stay healthy. No one gets abs in a day. And I mean it when I say everyone at the gym is a sweetheart. Ask and you shall receive. Just don’t be a prick.
The last part is probably the hardest for people to understand but it takes commitment. You can’t just skip days when other stuff comes up. This is a priority.
Want to add something? Are we missing something you would recommend to other students? Submit a pull request here!