One of the most common questions I get is, “how do I deal with gym intimidation?”. The feeling you have is a lot more common than you think. That feeling of gym intimidation is the same feeling Joe across the room has, Suzy over by the dumbbells feels, or Larry on the treadmill is thinking. Everyone experiences their own beliefs regarding what others are thinking.

• “Do I smell bad?”

• ”Are they gawking at me? Am I doing this right? What if I’m not?”

• ”Oh, hey. She looks like she knows what she is doing. I’ll just watch her and come up with some new ideas.”

• “I should have lost more weight and got fitter before I joined the gym.”

• ”Finally, somebody is using that machine. Now, I can figure out how to use it.”

• "I hope I’m doing this right. Maybe I can pull up YouTube real quick? Maybe I should just go back to the cardio machine. That would probably be easier and I’ll figure this out later.”

• ”Why didn’t anybody tell me I had food in my teeth? I wonder if anyone else noticed.”

• ”I don’t want to be here. Why am I here again? Oh, right, New Year, New You.”

• ”I’ve got 90 emails left to finish. I’ve got to pick up some stuff for dinner, walk the dogs, and cook dinner before Game of Thrones comes on. Hopefully, the traffic isn’t too bad when I leave. Maybe I should leave sooner. Eh, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do? Okay, last set, best set, and we are leaving.”

You see, people in the gym could care less about what you are doing. I’m not being mean here. What I am saying is we are human and we are too busy thinking about ourselves. One of the greatest stoics, Marcus Aurelius, once said:

It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.

I literally just got out of the gym here in Bangkok and the entire time I was thinking, “Do I smell as bad as I think I do? Should I add more detergent next time? Maybe I didn’t use the washer right? Maybe I should not buy the Thai detergent and get a different brand next time? Hmm. Yup, this shirt definitely smells. I feel bad for this guy to be even 5 feet away from me right now. I really hope he doesn’t smell me.”

I’ve been in the training game for a long time. I still have these thoughts about what others think about me. And you know what? That’s okay because you and I are both humans. It’s a natural instinct to have some anxiety, fear, and concern over what others think.

Want to know the solution to gym intimidation?

I think we primarily need to acknowledge that we all have some worries about what others are thinking and understand that it’s normal. But, we can’t let these fears hold us back from our intentions and our truest potential. You see, not only are we concerned about ourselves but we are all at the gym to work on our own personal mission — to be the best version of ourselves.

Some solutions that I have found that have helped many:

1) Find a time that is least crowded.

2) Invite a buddy whom you feel confident around to work out with.

3) Ask for an orientation of the facility so that you know where everything is.

4) Hire a personal trainer so that you have a better understanding of what to do and how to do it.

5) Practice and be consistent in the gym.

6) Acknowledge what I’ve stated above and that at the end of the day if someone is staring at you, wave to them and smile. 👋😉 I’d bet they are not actually staring at you but instead, daydreaming and you just so happened to be in their line of vision. But, hey, if they are staring, know that they are probably trying to figure out what to do and you look like a pro — even if you don’t know what you are doing.

Remember, at the end of the day, just smile because, in 5-weeks or 10 years, the last thing you are going to be concerned about is what that one person was thinking about.

Over time and as you get more comfortable in the gym, don’t forget how you once felt. Make others feel comfortable and welcome, offer advice if they ask or if you can tell they are trying to figure something out (don’t be rude about it as there is a right way and a wrong way to help someone else at the gym), and remember to always be kind to others.

I hope this helps. Please don’t hesitate to email me with any fitness and nutrition questions at Joshuareed@reedswellnessandfitnesstraining.com as my goal is to help improve your life even if it is by .01%.

If you need something to get you started, feel free to grab my “20+ Unconventional Workouts You Can Do At The Gym”. It will help you eliminate the excuse of not knowing what to do and will provide you with detailed information and instructional exercise videos so that you have confidence in what you are doing at the gym.