I Made It to the Gym. Now What?

Jennifer Pace is a retired ballerina and roller girl who has real-girl struggles to maintain her fitness and nutrition routine — even as she considers becoming a certified personal trainer. She has a B.S. in genetics from the University of Kansas and currently works as a research scientist in developmental biology. Jen enjoys travel, food and drink, reading and cuddling her numerous pets. This is the second time Jennifer is guest posting for us (check out her first post here) and today she’s sharing a few tips for all of us who have gotten to the gym and said to ourselves, “Now what the heck do I do?!” 

You remembered your gym bag — and even grabbed a hair tie on the way out this morning. You packed the perfect afternoon snack, a water bottle, your new workout top. You stride in to the gym, ready to sweat.

Pause.

Now what?

I usually work out at group fitness (bootcamp) classes. But every now and then, I meet a friend at the gym, or I need to work out at home. Full disclosure: I don’t love working out at regular gyms, especially if I’m on my own, so I want to get in and out of there in under an hour.

It’s super easy to fall in to the trap of just hopping on the elliptical or doing a circuit on the weight machines. But if this is how you’re going to work out on the regular, you’re not getting in the really high-intensity, calorie-torching session that you could. Sure, something is better than nothing, but wouldn’t you rather kill it for the time you’re there?

I’m no personal trainer (it’s on my to-do list!), but my friends are often very interested in how I’m able to come up with a routine that really works them for 30 to 45 minutes — no drill sergeant necessary. From where I’m standing, there are three basic hurdles when it comes to women and the gym: lack of confidence, lack of motivation and just not knowing what to do. One simple solution: preparation.

Forget about the machines; learn about where everything else is located in the gym — free weights, kettlebells, mats, slam balls — and know which weights work for you. If you’re not sure how much you should be lifting, do a few sets of tricep curls, bicep extensions, dead lifts, etc. If you can easily finish the set, you’re lifting too light. It should take some effort to do the last few counts of each set. Speaking of lifting, watch yourself in the mirror. Is your back flat and shoulder blades touching during rows? Is your booty down for that plank? Are you looking at the ceiling during crunches? If you’re working out on your own, make sure you’re executing each exercise correctly. Watch a YouTube video or hire a trainer for a session to make sure you have your form down.

Okay, so you know how to do it. Now what to do? I like to perform four sets of exercises four times each, for either a certain number of reps (say, 10 or 12) or a certain amount of time (45 seconds) for each exercise. You can choose all upper body, all lower body, or pick exercises that will work your entire beautiful self. I also intersperse a bit of cardio — as in, do three different weight-bearing exercises, then 10 burpees.

Now the fun part: choose your exercises! Pick a few of your favorites, but don’t forget to do a few things you hate! Why? Those are usually good for you, and you know it. Find inspiration online, choose a few of your favorites from your last group class, or actually use those tear sheets from your fitness magazines. Create several sets of four exercises to mix and match as you’d like, and write them down, either in a notebook or in your phone. This is important for my final rule of working out on your own in the gym: efficiency.

You’ll want to stay focused and keep your heart rate up. This means: no long breaks, no phone, no chatting, no slacking. Of course, rest for a second if it’s part of your Tabata routine, or you need some water, but keep it to less than a minute. Download a Tabata app on to your phone. Don’t use your phone except for music (and that timer app!), and have your playlist ready to go so you’re not wasting time. If you’re there with a friend (yay!), you should only have enough breath for quick encouragements — save any long conversation for the coffee shop after your workout. And finally, PUSH yourself. If you’re aiming for 10 reps, do all 10. Don’t let yourself stop at eight. If you’re planning on rowing for 45 seconds, give it 100 percent.

You’re ready to go kill it! Need a sample workout? Check out one that I do, below.

My Gym Workout

This entire routine should take around 30 to 45 minutes. Take 10 to 15 seconds between each exercise to switch to the next:

• 45 seconds sumo squats with kettlebell
• 45 seconds kettlebell swings
• 10 clean and press with kettlebells (or free weights)
• 10 burpees

Repeat these exercises four times total. Then …

• 20 jumping squats, holding weights
• 15 lunges forward or walking each leg, holding weights
• 10 Romanian dead lifts (legs straight)
• 45 seconds rowing machine or box jumps

Repeat these exercises four times total. Then …

• 12 arms, curl and press
• 10 lift arms straight out to the side
• 12 upright rows
• 12 tricep extensions
• 45 seconds jumping jacks

Repeat these exercises four times total. Then …

• 45 seconds bicycles
• 45 seconds toe touches with legs in air
• 45 seconds leg lifts
• 45 second plank

Repeat four times, then stretch and relax!

(And a special thanks to Sean and Kendra Van Horn at Freight House Fitness for teaching me so much!)

When you go to the gym, do you have a plan? I hope you will now! —Jennifer Pace