Going Alone: The First Ninety Seconds, and How to Get Through Them
Going to the gym alone for the first time comes down to ninety seconds between the door and your first movement. Here they are, second by second, with a plan.
Tag
First-Session
Your Gym Induction, Step by Step: What They Ask and What They Show You
What happens at a gym induction: how long it takes, the health questions, the tour, the machine demonstrations, and the sales conversation at the end.
Your First Swim: The Lane, the Changing Room, and the Bit Everyone Dreads
Lane swimming etiquette for beginners: how to pick a lane, how to join it, how to let someone past, and how to get from the changing room to the water.
The Gym Floor: Etiquette Nobody Tells You, in the Order You'll Need It
Gym etiquette for beginners, in the order you meet it: the machine you want is taken, the wipe-down, putting things back, and what counts as staring.
How to Leave a Session Early Without It Being a Defeat
How long should a first gym session be? Twenty to thirty minutes — and nine still counts. How to leave a machine, a class or a pool early, and why that is fine.
Where to Stand in a Beginner Class, and What the First Ten Minutes Contain
What to expect in your first fitness class: when to arrive, where to stand, what the first ten minutes contain, and how to scale a move down unnoticed.
Your First Session, Minute by Minute: What Actually Happens
What to expect on your first day at the gym, in order: the desk, the changing room, the forty seconds of standing still, the session, and how you leave.
The Gear You Do Not Need, and the Two Things You Do
What do I need to start going to the gym? Two things, and you probably own both. The kit list that is required, and what the rest is for.