A little over a year ago, I got a membership to 24 Hour Fitness. I’ve long had a routine of working out at home, so I had no intention of using the gym for exercise. I got the membership because it was the easiest way to gain access to a hot tub.
But I’m a big believer in little experiments, so about a year ago, I decided to try a gym workout. To my surprise, I really liked it, despite the inconvenience of having to drive there compared to just using my home gym. So I kept going. And I’m going to keep going.
Here are five things I’ve learned from one year at the gym:
1. You’ll naturally do more at the gym than you’ll do at home.
Unless you’re a billionaire, there’s no way your home gym setup has more equipment options than a full gym like 24 Hour Fitness. The wide variety of exercise equipment, all easily accessible in one space, caused me to do longer workouts with a greater diversity of exercises. I liken this to eating at home vs. eating at a buffet. You’ll eat more at a buffet because the variety of options helps to overcome feeling full. Likewise, at the gym, the variety of options helps to overcome feeling tired or bored.
But even if you have a really nice home gym setup, you’d still exercise more at the gym because of the other people. Humans naturally do what the people around them are doing. If you’re exercising alone at home, there’s no one influencing your behavior. If you’re at the gym, surrounded by other people working out, you’ll naturally exercise more. Humans are tribal. We do what the group is doing.
Lastly, the inconvenience of driving to the gym serves as a form of commitment. If I spend 15 minutes in my car getting to the gym, doing a short workout feels silly. I feel a need to make the drive “worth it” by getting in a good workout. So the main downside of going to the gym turned out to be an upside.
2. The fittest people are there pretty much every day.
One thing I noticed right away was that I’d see many of the same people at the gym every time I went. And these people are super fit.
I was only using the gym two days a week at first, but regardless of which two days I showed up, I’d see these regulars. It occurred to me that they’re probably there every day, and they’ve probably been doing that for years. And it shows.
3. You can learn a lot from other people at the gym.
Going into this, I already knew a lot about how to exercise. I’ve done loads of physical therapy, and I’ve been working out on my own for decades. But by simply observing others at the gym, I learned a ton.
I saw people doing all of the regular exercises, of course, but I also saw people doing weird things – things I’d never seen before. Often, I would then copy what they were doing and discover a powerful new technique.
4. Run your own race.
The downside of paying attention to the super-fit gym veterans is my tendency to compare myself to them. People with huge muscles. People with 3% body fat. People who can sprint on the treadmill for longer than I can jog. This comparison is unhelpful, so I frequently have to remind myself to stop it.
Everyone at the gym is doing their own thing. It’s not a competition. If you’re just starting out, you’ll feel “behind,” but you’re not. You’re running your own race. Don’t judge yourself for not lifting as much or looking as good as other people at the gym.
Be proud of yourself for showing up and putting in the effort. Keep your eyes on the process of exercising, and the results will take care of themselves.
5. Be patient.
The results you want will come if you keep going to the gym, but they’re going to take longer than you want. Becoming super fit takes years of dedication.
Visible benefits will be long in coming, so it’s far better to motivate yourself by focusing on the cognitive benefits of exercise. Working out leads to improved focus and greater happiness today, and that immediate gratification is a powerful motivator.
Also, if you push yourself too hard, too fast, you’ll get injured. As I write this, I’m nursing a wrist injury caused by doing exactly that. I increased the weight I was lifting too quickly, and my wrist couldn’t handle it. The pain was minimal at first, so I ignored it and pushed through. Huge mistake. Now I can’t lift at all while I let it heal, which could take a few months. So, by trying to go fast, I’ve actually slowed myself down.
I need to keep in mind that my weight-lifting goal is not to be super strong by summer; it’s long-term functional strength. Going to the gym isn’t a short-term sprint; it’s a lifelong habit.
Chris Loper has been writing about self-improvement and helping busy adults with habit formation since 2017.
He also writes an education blog for parents and students for Northwest Educational Services.
Along with Greg Smith, Chris is the cocreator of Parenting for Academic Success, a series of transformative classes that create empowered parents, confident students, and harmonious families.
His most recent endeavor combines his academic and habit-formation expertise to help students thrive in college. Visit SmartCollegeHabits.com to learn more.
In 2021, Chris published a humorous memoir titled Wood Floats and Other Brilliant Observations, a book that blends crazy stories with practical life lessons.
He lives in Issaquah, WA where he is the owner of South Cove Tutoring.