This Beginner Workout Will Help You Get the Most Out of Your Gym

Did you recently decide that it’s time to start (or re-start) your fitness journey? Congratulations! Sometimes that can be the hardest part. But progress doesn’t happen overnight, regardless of how hard we wish. The first step—after acceptance and eagerness to change—is understanding what tools you have at your disposal. With so many different fad diets, workout plans, apps, and fitness articles circulating out there, it can be hard to know where to start. So that’s where we come in!

Each Anytime Fitness club is decked out with all of the gym equipment and machines you’ll need and many offer coaching and tools that will benefit your workout program and help you see (and feel) the results. But as a beginner or gym-newbie (for both men and women), it can be intimidating to walk into a gym for the first time and have no idea where anything is. So lucky for you, we’ve put together this beginner workout that will “tour” the gym and help you learn where a lot of common equipment and machines are located.

Remember: tools alone do not dictate your success. So while you’ll have access to all the equipment you might need, learning how to use them effectively is key.

When you join Anytime Fitness, you’re joining more than a gym. You’re joining a community of people (owners, coaches, staff, and members) who want to help you have your own success story! So if you need help, just ask. If you don’t know what your goals should be yet—we can help with that, too! Whether your goals are to lose a few pounds of fat and get in shape, or increase PRs on lifts like the squat and bench press, our coaches will give you suggestions for workout routines, nutrition and diet tips, and ways to track your progress each week. For more information or to know what to expect at your complimentary fitness consultation, talk to a coach, club manager, or check out this article to get answers to all of your questions.

Let’s get to it!

First-Time Workout

Fitness level: Beginner

Major muscle groups: Upper body, lower body, & core

Time: less than an hour

If it’s your first time in a gym, chances are that you’re likely going to resort to a workout routine that you’re comfortable with, like a cardio session and not a quick HIIT workout. Why? One of the reasons is likely that you know exactly where the treadmills are and how to use them. Sound about right?

While that’s OK and even understandable in the beginning, you’ll eventually need to venture outside of your comfort zone in order to reach your goal. Plus, could you imagine spending multiple straight days—or even weeks or months—on only the treadmill? We can’t.

This full-body workout will help you navigate the different training areas of your gym, all while giving you a great workout! We’ve combined different cardio machines, as well as strength training movements, to familiarize yourself with all kinds of equipment. You’ll complete a quick warm-up, three different supersets to work each muscle group of your entire body, and a finisher. If you’re not sure how to complete a movement, be sure to read our step-by-step how-to! It’s important to complete all movements with proper form for maximum results. Lastly, remember to go at your own pace! Keep your fitness ability in mind. If you’re just starting out, use light weights and take ample rest time (60 seconds to 90 seconds) to avoid fatigue-related injuries. The goal of this workout isn’t to see how fast you can finish, but to perform each movement and repetition with confidence and strength.

Our tour of the gym will start with the cardio space to get your heart rate up, move to the strength machines, get some free weights in, and even try some of that “functional” stuff that the cool kids have been talking about. Are you ready? Grab your water bottle, turn up the volume of your fav playlist, and let’s get to this full-body workout!