5 Ways To Feel Confident As a Gym Newbie
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Let’s say you’re not motivated to workout at home – but you feel too intimidated to workout at the gym. What are you going to do?
Welcome back to the Embrace Your Real podcast. In this episode, I'll share personal anecdotes and expert advice to help you overcome your fears and step into the weight room with confidence. Whether you're struggling with gym anxiety or simply seeking to enhance your workout experience, this episode offers practical guidance and encouragement to support you on your fitness journey.
Get ready to unleash your inner strength and transform your gym experience from daunting to empowering!
What I discuss:
1. Remember this: A lot of the gym bros don’t actually know what they are doing.
2. Hop on a treadmill to scope out the gym while you warm up.
3. Have an exercise plan going in!
4. Go inward.
5. Forget about what you look like.
If you loved this episode, be sure to tune in to…
Episode 275: 9 Ways to Beat Workout Boredom
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human you're listening to Embrace Your Real With Me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I get you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:26]
[00:00:26] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embracer podcast. I am so excited that you are here spending time with me today. This is going to be a jam packed episode that I think you'll find really helpful, especially if you find yourself feeling self-conscious at the gym. And I know that I'm all about home workouts. I talk about tempo workouts at home all the time, but that also I am am very aware that not everybody likes home workouts. Not everybody thrives in the home workout setting. And the great thing about my movement with Julie app is that you can do the workouts at home. You can do them at the gym, you can do a combination of both. And you know, we have about, I would say, about 20% of the women inside the Mount Wiggly community, which is thousands on a weekly basis. About 20% of them do them at the gym. And so I thought that I would just create a podcast that could be helpful for you. Five Ways to Feel Confident as a gym newbie. And I know that for many women, that gym is more than just a place to exercise. It's really a place to feel more inspired or motivated. You know? You can meet up with friends, you can work out together, you can feel like you're in a social setting. That's one of the biggest things that I hear from women who either maybe previously worked out at a, you know, at home and then they go back into the gym setting is that they just wanted to have more of a sense of community. [00:01:46][79.7]
[00:01:46] And so that's why they do it. That's why they decided to go workout at a gym. But I also understand that it can feel very overwhelming. It can feel very intimidating to workout at the gym. And so I just wanted to give you kind of some tips that I wish I would have known when I, you know, previously to quitting the gym and working out strictly with dumbbells at home, which was back in 2019. I worked out at the gym for a good seven, eight years and that, you know, you know, five, six days a week. It was my place. And so I feel like I've learned a lot, and I wanted to create an episode that I just wish that I would have known back when I first started. So that's exactly what I'm going to be talking about in today's episode. Before we dive in, though, I want to share this trivia comes from SPL Letty 389. She gave a five star review and said, the best. Love this podcast so much. I've been following Julie on Instagram for a while and finally gave the podcast a listen. It's so refreshing to hear her authentic advice. I look forward to each new episode. I'm so grateful that you are loving the podcast. Thanks for tuning into the podcast and following along on Instagram. It honestly means the world to me that you even took time out of your day to send in this review, so thank you in advance for doing that. You can scooch over to Apple Podcasts, leave a rating and review, and also, while you're there, make sure you subscribe so that you never miss an episode when they release on Monday and Thursdays. Again, just because working out at home maybe works amazingly well for me. [00:03:09][82.5]
[00:03:09] For many women inside my community, that doesn't mean that it's the right thing for you, right? If you're feeling unmotivated, you're feeling inconsistent. Maybe the right thing that you need to do in this season of life is go back to the gym. And so if that's you and you're feeling a little bit intimidated, you don't really know what to do. Maybe you've been in the home workout setting for a while and you're going to, you know, try the gym setting for a few months, but you're just a little bit intimidated. I hope that this podcast helps you. So let me dive into the five ways to feel confident as a gym newbie. Number one, remember this. This is so, so important. This is something that I wish I would have known when I first stepped foot into the gym. But a lot of the gym pros that you see there actually don't really know what they're doing. And I'm dead serious when I say this. Gym bros tend to be the most intimidating part of the gym because they walk around like they own the place. But here's the thing most of them are lifting way heavier than they should. They have completely wrong form. They're not understanding how to program effectively. And so a lot of times you'll see these guys never hitting their legs. They're constantly hitting their upper body. And you know, I think that once you learn and you start to understand correct form versus incorrect form, you'll notice instantly that they actually have no more experience at the gym than you, and maybe you even have more experience in lifting. It's really just all about confidence. And I think that this is important to learn. And this is why I have video demonstrations for every single movement inside the movement with Julie app, because I think it's important for you to see what a proper, you know, form looks like. [00:04:40][91.4]
[00:04:41] Because it's one thing to say, okay, standing bicep curls. Okay, well, what does that actually look like? Or we're doing Romanian deadlifts okay. What does that look like. Or you're doing a sumo squat versus a suitcase squat. Those are things that you know, if you don't have a video demo, that's something that you can easily miss on your form. And when you have that incorrect form, not only are you not working your muscles effectively, you're also increasing your chances of, you know, being at a higher risk for injury. And so here's the thing. Kind of going back to the Jim Burrows is that although they might seem like they look like pros, a lot of them genuinely have no idea, no clue when it comes to fitness, I would say about 5%, maybe even less than that at the people, you know, that you're, you're seeing on a daily or weekly basis at the. A gem. About 5% of those people are either experts in the fitness industry or exercise science. They have, you know, maybe years under their belt. But the everyday person that you see, even if they look like a big gym bro, they likely don't know what they're doing. And so the next time that you're hitting the gym, look at those gym bro's with a grain of salt and remind yourself that, you know, a lot of them don't know what they're doing. And even if they know what they're doing, it's really all about confidence. So if you can go in with the mindset saying, I am worthy to be here, I am like, this is my place too. [00:05:57][76.3]
[00:05:58] Then I think that that will leave a lot more room for confidence and less room for that intimidation. Number two. Hop on a treadmill and kind of scope out the gym, especially if this is a new gym for you or you're just coming back to it after a while, while you warm up, kind of look around, see where the certain machines are, where the weights are. You know, that's one of the most intimidating things, especially if it's a new gym or a new environment, is you don't really know kind of where you are, you don't know where things are. And so it can feel, like you're not only wasting time, but also you can just feel totally a lack of confidence when you're walking around being like, okay, I don't know where the, you know, machines are. I don't know where the rack of weights are, the various workout areas that have mirrors, you know, little corners and spaces within the gym that you can kind of seclude yourself if you're doing, you know, a dumbbell set or whatever. But this trick has really helped me, especially when I would go to new gyms. I could confidently, you know, walk to the treadmill. And most of the time, the treadmill kind of overlooks at least certain parts of the gym. So you can kind of scope out the different parts that you think you're going to be using, especially which I will talk about next. But having a plan is super important because if you don't have a plan, you don't really know what machines are going to be using. You don't know what you know dumbbell racks are going to be using in terms of are you going to be primarily using light? Dumbbells are going to be using medium to heavy dumbbells, things like that. [00:07:17][79.7]
[00:07:18] And so I want this time for you, whether it's, you know, five minutes, ten minutes, 15 minutes on the treadmill, just kind of walking. You could walk it in incline, just kind of scope out, get your plan together. So that way you are able to feel confident. Once you're done with that and you're able to go into your workout. Number three, like I mentioned earlier, it's so, so important that you have an exercise plan going in. This will not only save you so much time, but it will also gain more confidence as you walk around because you know exactly what you're going to be doing. And I know for me, the times that I felt so insecure, in the times that I felt so intimidated, were the times I would go into the gym and have zero plan. Like, the worst thing that you can do is wait until you're standing there surrounded by all these machines, all these people. You're trying to figure out what you're doing next and you don't have a plan. So again, not only are you wasting time, you're also putting yourself in this compromised place where you can feel super intimidated. And oftentimes that just results in your lack of intensity. Or worse yet, you just resort to a cardio machine because you're like, oh, I don't even want to deal with this. There's so many people here, I don't know where the machines are. I don't know what I'm doing. So kind of, you know, go in having a plan. Is it leg day? Is it arm day? Is it full body day? Core day. How many sets, how many reps? What are you doing within the workout and kind of map it out that way. If you have all of those questions answered, then there's honestly zero reason for you to feel intimidated at all. [00:08:45][87.2]
[00:08:45] In the gym. You have the list, go through it, get it done and get in, get out, get on with your day. And I know that a lot of people, you know, they ask, well, where should I get a plan? There's so many different places to get a plan depending on what your your goals are, what your interests are. You guys know if you've been tuning in for any length of time. I do have a movement with Julie app. It is dumbbell workouts for women, and the beautiful thing about this is that I find that oftentimes people feel intimidated if they don't know, or if all the machines are taken, they don't really know that. You know, they look at the dumbbell rack and they're like, okay, that's really intimidating. I know what to do on this machine, but I don't really know what to do with these dumbbells because the dumbbells, you know, at least on the machine, you can kind of look at the pictures and say, okay, this machine is for this. And it will kind of give you an explanation of how to use it. But with dumbbells, they're just sitting there with no explanation. So that's why in my movement with Julie app, I programed demo workouts. I believe that they're so convenient. They are so versatile in the sense that you can do them at home. You can do them at the gym, you can do on while you're traveling. But within the app. I also do program regularly cable and band movements that mimic the cable machines at the gym. So, you know, I always write in the notes two things. Number one, if you're working out at home and you don't have access to cable or bands like resistance bands with removable handles, I always program a bodyweight or dumbbell alternate. [00:10:10][84.7]
[00:10:11] But number two, I always say, if you do have access to a cable machine, feel free to use that and just mimic what the cable resistance band movement is showing you in the app. And so it kind of goes both ways in in the sense of versatility. But inside the app, I. Program, you know, A32 to three minute warm up. Then you have the bulk of the workout, and then you have a 2 to 3 minute cooldown. And, you know, there's two different variations of every single workout. So you have a 30 minute or you have a 60 minute depending on your time constraints. I would say the 30 minute typically takes people around 25 to 32 minutes to complete, and then the 60 minute, typically, on average, people will complete it with anywhere between 45 minutes to 55, sometimes 60. Again, it just depends on your experience with not only working out, but also the movements in general. So great options and variations there. But like I said, there are so many gym programs. There are so many strength training programs that you can follow. I just want to encourage you to pick one that encourages you, inspires you, and teaches you so that you're able to follow through it. Because the biggest thing that's going to allow you to see results in any plan, whatever plan it is, is consistency. And if you're not staying consistent, there's oftentimes a reason why either it's not interesting to you, it's not aligning with your goals, and you know the goals that you have both in your body composition but also just in your life. Maybe the workouts that you're following are just way too long, or maybe they're too short. So whatever it is, find something that you can number one, be excited with. [00:11:41][90.5]
[00:11:41] And number two, stay consistent with. Number four is to go inward. This is so important to think of the gym time as you time right. This is 30 to 60 minutes of your day that is just for you notice actions just you just your workout. And I don't know about you, but I actually find my workouts relaxing because it it gives me a break from the outer world from the day to day, from the to do list that I have. And it is a set time where I'm able to kind of be selfish and focus on myself. You know, when you go to the gym, pop in your AirPods, your headphones, podcasts, audiobooks, some pop up music, and just kind of go inward and it's really all about understanding. While yes, you might seem like everyone's eyes are on you, the truth is, to many people, especially at the gym, there's so wrapped up in their own workouts and their own insecurities that they're not paying attention to. Even if you feel like people are paying attention, you just realize that, you know, everybody kind of has that self-conscious. They're kind of like, this person's looking at me, oh my gosh, you're thinking that about them. They're thinking that about you. And so just hopefully that can take some pressure off. And again, let me just repeat, no one is actually paying attention to you. There might be a person that looks at you, but you know, they're they're glancing at you. They're not just they're not studying every single thing. And if they are studying every single thing, I would take that as a compliment, because it's likely that your form's on point. You're looking great, and it can be a compliment that they're just inspired by you. [00:13:05][83.6]
[00:13:06] That to say, this is your time, this is your space, this is your opportunity to spend some time in yourself and with yourself. And again, I talk about this a lot in the podcast, but it is so, so important that we become our own best friend, right? Like we need to enjoy the time that we have with ourself. I mean, after all, this is the only body that we're going to be able to spend our life here on earth in. And so you might as well get to know it. You might as well become your own best friend and use this time, you know, working out as an opportunity for you to kind of create space in your mind and go anywhere. Daydream. Set goals. Problem solve. Allow yourself to either turn everything off or for some people, you know, there's there's two different types of people. And this could even be you on a weekly basis. Maybe one of the workouts is you completely turning everything off and just turn it on. Some pump up music and not thinking about anything. There's other workouts or other times of the week where maybe it is the the time that you feel so inspired, like you have a business idea. You have an idea that can be a breakthrough and your relationships are in your career, whatever it is. And so be keen to that, be aware of that. And that's again, going back to that self-awareness and allowing yourself to enjoy time with yourself and really self-reflect and visualize what it is and kind of set those intentions for your workout. And I think that that's another thing too, that's important is that you're setting these intentions. Maybe for a leg day, you have to just turn everything off and just go inward because it's super you want to push it. [00:14:39][93.2]
[00:14:39] Legs are hard for you and you don't want to waste any moment, you know, dreaming or thinking about life things. Whereas maybe a cardio and core day, or maybe a shoulder and glutes day for you. You enjoy that workout. It's not as difficult or as like time consuming within your mind. And so that is a that's a workout for you to feel inspired to maybe throw on a business podcast or life hack podcast that's giving you encouragement, that will maybe give you a breakthrough in a relationship or a career. So again, just really setting those intentions and being self-aware. And lastly, number five, forget about what you look like. I mean, honestly, who cares what you look like? And this can feel like such a stressor in so many people, you know. When you're going to the gym, you want to feel like your outfit is on point. And you. I don't know, there's some people that work out and makeup and other people that don't. And I just want to remind you that the gym is a place to work out, to build the body that you want. It's not a fashion contest, and I know it might feel that way, especially depending on what gym you're going to, but you don't have to participate in that if you don't want to. Some people love it. Some people, you know, they say, this the only time I'm getting out of the house, so I might as well, like, dress up for the occasion if that's you. And it doesn't cause stress. Totally cool. But if it's something that is causing stress and anxiety, like, I want you to just remember that you're at the gym to work on yourself, and this might be the only thing that you're doing all day or all week. [00:16:07][87.5]
[00:16:07] That is your alone time. And so what you look like, that's completely irrelevant, right? And again, I've been there, I get it. I know that it can be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in the gym. So I just want to again, just remind you that literally nobody is scrutinizing you as much as you think that they are. And most people are so caught up in their own workouts in what they're looking like or not looking like, to even pay attention to what you're wearing or how you look. So instead of fixating on kind of your reflection or worrying about how you appear to others, shift your focus inward. Pay attention to how your body feels, the strength that you're building with each rep, each set, and the progress that you're making towards your fitness goals. Forget the people around you and just do your dang thing. All right, so those are the five ways to feel confident as a gym newbie. I also did want to share a bonus with you. And this is something that I did. Man, I would say back in 2015 is when I can't remember where I heard it from, but this is something that I used to do all the time when I used to work out at the gym, and it felt really silly at first because I'm like, well, I kind of feel like conceited doing this, but I want to encourage you if you're feeling like super self-conscious, this is just my sisterly effort to just encourage you to do something that feels a little out of the box, and that's strike a pose. Yes, you heard me right. Strike a power pose. So I know that power posing might seem like a little bit out there, but there's actually some serious science to back this up. [00:17:38][90.7]
[00:17:38] And when I say power pose, I'm talking. You are standing tall. Your shoulders are pulled back, your chest is out, your arms are confidently placed on your hips. Again. It might feel silly at first, but studies have shown that when you adopt kind of these confident poses, it can actually send a powerful message to your brain. And when you strike a power pose, you're not just standing there looking confident. Although that's definitely a bonus. You're sending signals to your brain saying like, hey, I'm in charge here. These poses trigger like a surge of hormones, like testosterone that is linked to feelings of dominance and confidence while kind of reducing those levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. So by simply standing there like Wonder Woman or Superwoman for a few moments before hitting the gym, or maybe in between sets, it's going to boost your confidence. And I'm telling you this as someone who when I first heard this, I was like, this is kind of crazy. This is a little bit out there. And to be honest, I would say for the first few weeks at least, if not the first, like few months, I would. It was typically when I was in like an exercise room, you know, the rooms that have the mirrors that are a little bit more private. I would take some dumbbells in there, do a dumbbell set, and then I would strike a power pose in between. And it felt silly for the first few times that I did it, but the more that I did it, it's actually true. Like you just feel confident, you feel empowered, and you feel like, yes, I'm worthy to be here. And it's something that I just want to encourage you to try. [00:19:01][83.3]
[00:19:02] And I really think that it will help send those signals again, if you are feeling lacking confidence, if you are feeling insecure again, just kind of this like fake it til you make it type of posture that will help you actually feel confident. The more you do it, and the more you do it, the more you'll get comfortable with it. So that is my bonus for you. Just as a sister saying, hey, try something out of your out of your comfort zone, try something out of the box and just see how you feel. I also know that sweaty selfies are something that some people love, some people hate, but I do think that they help so much not only keep you accountable, but they also give you that confidence. Because I don't know about you, but just kind of looking back at my camera when I see like, dang, I took a sweaty selfie. Like, you know, 20 days out of the 30 days of the month. That's so encouraging to me. Again, just going back to that consistency over perfection mindset and just having that documentation, if you don't do it for anybody else but yourself, like you're just taking the sweaty selfie for yourself and you're sticking it in that camera roll, you're not posting on social media. I will say that the movement with Julie community is so encouraging when it comes to sweaty selfie posts, I mean, that's something that I've just done forever, and I feel like the community has really taken on it's it's own man personality, and I love it. Like, I love just scrolling through the moment with Joy community or the. On my Instagram and just seeing all these sweaty selfies that are, you know, done and dusted. [00:20:30][87.7]
[00:20:30] Got it done. I don't know, on the days and I'm not feeling it. I will just scroll through, you know, 1 to 3 minutes and I'll be like, okay, I'm ready to get it done. There's all these women here that are behind me that also maybe didn't want to do it, and they got it done. So if they can do it, then I can do it. So let me quickly recap how to feel more confident in the gym. Number one, remember this a lot of the gym pros that you see don't actually know what they're doing. Number two hop on a treadmill. Try to scope out the gym while you warm up. Kind of see where the machines are, where the free weights are, where the little areas of, you know, corner of a gym, maybe with a mirror that you can kind of scooch there and get a set or two done. Number three, have a plan going in. This is probably one of the most important things that I will encourage you with, just because it will give you so much more confidence and it will also save you so much time. Number four go inward. Number five, forget about what you look like. Again, going back to if this is something that motivates you and you love picking out your gym workout, more power to you. I love that for you. I love, I love when people say, you know, I love getting ready for the gym and actually like gives me motivation. Motivation. It gives me encouragement. If that's you, awesome. If it stresses you out, forget about what you look like again. Go inward. This is about you time. And lastly, my bonus kind of getting you out of the comfort zone is to strike that power pose. [00:21:48][77.6]
[00:21:48] Start with, you know, even if it's in a bathroom stall, it's in the bathroom. You're doing it. And also take that sweaty selfie. You're going to be thankful that you do. You're going to look back and be so grateful for that consistency and just that growth. I don't know how about you, but I remember just kind of looking back at my photos, my videos that I used to take at the gym and just seeing my confidence gain more and more over the months and years is just it's really, really cool to see. And it's something that you don't realize in the moment because it's your day to day, right? It's something that you don't see from the outside. But man, looking back, you're going to be so grateful that you documented as much as you did. And the last thing that I want to mention, which I mentioned earlier, is I do have the app. So if you are struggling with a plan, these are dumbbell workouts for women. And there's five brand new workouts every single week. So the workouts don't repeat I mean from from week to week and month to month, you'll see similar movements, whether it's a variation and from month to month you'll definitely see, you know, similar movement. So it's not completely brand new movements every single time. I mean, there's much benefit to doing similar movements and and same movement patterns to get you stronger to implement a progressive overload, just gain more confidence. But also, I recognize that doing the same exact workout week in and week out, that's what leads to burnout for many women, and that's why they're inconsistent. And when you're inconsistent, you're not going to see the results that you want. So if you want to learn more about that, you can go to sale. [00:23:11][82.3]
[00:23:11] That's Sally dot movement julie.com. You click on that actual website. You will get 50% off your first month as a brand new subscriber if you sign up for a monthly. And we still do have a sale going on for annual where you get a few free months off. So definitely check that out by going to sell. It's sally.com. I will link that in the show notes below. And if you love this episode, I know you'll also love episode 275. If you haven't tuned into that, it's nine ways to beat Workout boredom. So if you're feeling burnt out or just bored in your workouts, I think that that will really give you some encouragement and inspire you to continue on or to kind of figure out a new path in terms of your workout. So I will link that as well in the show notes, but that is all that I have for today's episode. I hope that you found this helpful. I hope that you could take some or all of these tips and go into the gym. If that is the season of life that you were in. If you if the gym is your place, that's your jam. I want you to feel as confident as you can. So if you have a friend, a coworker, or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link, send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story. I love you so dang much. I mean it, I'll talk to you in the next one. [00:24:29]
[00:24:29] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace it real because you're worth it. [00:25:36][0.0]