12 Tips to Feel more Confident at the Gym
If you haven’t already read my blog about my personal confidence journey, go read it (click here)! It’s a deep dive into my recent obsession of personal growth and self-confidence since Covid hit, 4 years ago. There are important nuggets of information that you can apply when you hit the gym.
…but if you’re like “Nah bruh, just give me the deets for gym confidence”, then fine, keep reading!
These will be particularly useful to you if you’re NEW to the gym, and struggle with low self-esteem and/or anxiety (specifically social anxiety, like me!!)
12 tips to overcome gym-timidation:
Go with a friend
It’s easier to start something new, or be in an unfamiliar environment, when you’re with someone you know. That could be a friend, family member, co-worker, significant other – their familiarity will help you get comfy in a new environment, to the point where eventually you’ll gain some confidence to go alone
Set small, realistic goals for yourself
Maybe the first day you step into the gym, the goal is to spend just 15 minutes there. Maybe you walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes, it doesn’t fucking matter, what matters is that you were there for 15 minutes. A couple days later, go back, but challenge yourself to stay for 20 minutes this time, and maybe you do 10 minutes on the treadmill then 10 minutes in the weight area, or whatever you can mentally manage that day, then go home. Repeat. See where I’m getting at? Bit by bit, you’re slowly getting more comfortable in an environment that was once very scary and uncomfortable. If you’re doing this on your own, the goal isn’t to jump right into perfect workouts, the goal is to get more comfortable in a new, intimidating environment.
Make friends
Now this is a real big scary one, especially if you’re socially anxious like me, but a good starting point is to just start being friendly with the staff. Force yourself to make eye contact, smile and say hello. That’s it! You don’t have to instantly be BFF with them or chat their ear off. As someone who’s very socially anxious, this is all I’ve ever done when entering a place that’s unfamiliar. Eventually if you keep showing up, you’ll keep seeing the same people, and they’ll turn into familiar faces, and that’s something that becomes comforting in the long run. *Disclaimer; not all gym staff are friendly, and if they aren’t just know that it’s not you, it’s them. Maybe they’re going through some shit, maybe they hate their job, or maybe they are also just painfully shy. Don’t let that get in your head and discourage you, or bring you down.
Follow a plan
Think about it, a speaker steps up on stage to make a big presentation, what’s going to help them feel more confident? A PLAN (for most people at least, some are good at “winging it” but if you’re struggling with confidence at the gym, we don’t recommend this approach). You can have a “loose” plan or something really specific written by a coach. It’s going to depend on your goals, what you want, and where you’re currently at.
Wear something you feel comfortable in!
This is so simple but often overlooked, but it’s true! Go out and buy some gym clothes that you feel absolutely amazing in. Trust me, it makes a world of a difference.
Set up a wicked playlist for yourself
If you’re going to listen to music while you lift, curate a playlist that makes you feel alive, pumped up and ready to go. This was a hack I started experimenting with last year before stepping onto the mats to compete in jiujitsu tournaments. It really helped me get my head in the zone to fight with confidence! (I have a playlist on Spotify for this, ask me for it and I’ll share it with you! …sorry dudes, it’s a little girly)
Journal
This one is a biggie! It can make a HUGE difference in how you feel. Journal to yourself once a day, it takes 5 minutes. Write down 5 things you are grateful for that day, 3 things that made you proud of yourself, and 1 thing you can improve for next time.
Speak to yourself like you would a friend
How you speak to yourself (your internal dialogue) and how you view yourself significantly impacts how you feel. If you’re intimidated by the gym, it’s easy to hyper-focus on all of the negative things that could go wrong. You need to become aware of these thoughts. Instead of getting sucked into negativity, you need to work on re-framing your thoughts and focus on thoughts and feelings that are positive and productive. For example, “Ugh, when I get to the gym, everyone’s going to be looking at me and judging me when I squat. I’m going to be so flustered and awkward, and my face is going to turn red. I don’t want to go.” Turns into “It’s okay if people look at me, I can’t control them and what they do or think, but what I can control is my own mind. If somebody want’s to judge me on my technique, that’s their problem, not mine. The important thing is that I am here to improve myself physically, and mentally. By showing up even when I’m uncomfortable, I’m taking steps in the right direction”. The more confident you are in something, the less influenced (and potentially hurt) you will feel by somebody else’s actions or words. Our goal is to get you feeling SO confident (and educated) that you’ll have absolutely NO doubt in your mind that the things you are doing are correct, and that you’re a total gym bad-ass rockstar … but it takes time to get there, so be patient with yourself.
Go when it’s quiet
If you have the luxury to do so, go during the off-times when there are less people at the gym. Less people = less intimidation.
Remember to breathe!
Whenever you’re feeling super mega anxious (racing heart, sweaty palms, red face) take a time out, bring you ALL YOUR ATTENTION to your breathing. Go sit by yourself in a bathroom stall, go outside, go sit in your car, it doesn’t matter, but focus on your breathing. Take BIG BELLY breaths in through your nose, and then exhale either out your mouth or your nose. Do this for a couple minutes or until you start to feel more calm and collected. Breathing is a great tool to manipulate how you feel. It’s amazing because we all do it, it’s free, and it really affects how you feel! You just gotta bring your attention to it for a few moments.
Start at home
Watch good videos that can educate you on proper movement and build confidence in your technique and movement patterns at home. We’re not fans of at-home workouts in the long run though (unless you’re willing to seriously invest in tons of great gym equipment). At-home gym workouts with minimal to no gym equipment do not produce long lasting results. They may work work for you initially, but the results are very limited once you’ve progressed to a certain point.
Work with a trainer
If you’re REALLY struggling, hire a pro - a GOOD one - and let them know that your goal is to become more confident in the gym. It might be out of your budget to hire them long-term, but buying a few sessions may be your ticket to really kick start you feeling confident in the gym.
Living with confidence is much more enjoyable than living with none
If you’re ready to live a life of confidence, we’re here for you, and we want to help. Our coaching program was created to help you develop deep, long-lasting confidence not only in the gym, but in yourself.
Confidence built through lifting is a beautiful thing. We’ve seen it, and experienced it first hand.
