First steps - Setting the gym goal

Having taken the first steps towards a healthy way of living, you decide to enroll in the local gym. The first few days at the gym can be pretty intimidating. There are all kinds of equipment in front of you and you have no clue which one is for what. Everyone else seems as if they really know what they are doing, and in the best shape! The sight of well toned women and buff men, running tirelessly on the treadmill. Then there is the dude in the sleeveless shirt throwing caution to his newly gained muscles, hair thrown back with a bandana, the sighing and puffing at the bench press, ears firmly plugged into their music players. Add to that, all the jargon that gets thrown at you! Cut to chase.

The first few days at the gym are what decide whether you adopt it for keeps. Often, lack of information leads to a weaning interest and ultimately the gym gets thrown into the back burner. Also, not a lot of us have the luxury of a personal trainer!

Before hitting the gym, the most important thing to do is to be clear with what your gym goal is. Whether it is to lose fat, gain muscle or maintain yourself- that should be set out clearly.

To help you begin, I will list some of the goals that you may have.

- You are slightly on the heavier side and need to shed a few pounds
- You are on the thinner side and need to gain weight by adding some muscle
- You are happy with your frame and intend to maintain

 Ideally, when we talk about weight loss, it should not lead to muscle attrition. You only want to target the fat. Similarly, if you want to gain weight, you should be looking at gaining muscle, unaccompanied by any fat.

These are broadly some of the goals people usually have. Others could be getting washboard abs or dropping your body fat to athletic proportions. Remember to not be overly unrealistic with your goals. Do you have a goal set for yourself? Drop in with your set of goals :) Those of you who are already into gymming can tell us what your goals were and how successful you were!