​NOT EVERY WORKOUT NEEDS TO BE A PERSONAL BEST
Although I wish this statement could be true and every time you go to the gym or a class it’s the best performance you’ve ever given in a workout, it’s just not true.
Realising this is the best way to take the pressure off your workouts.
This doesn’t mean that your workout is pointless and you should just skip it because you don’t feel 100%. I love the saying

“It doesn’t matter how slow you are moving you are lapping everyone sitting on the couch.”

Sometimes that’s a great way to look at a workout, I don’t feel great but I’ll get more out of turning up and getting through it than just sitting on the couch.

In my experience the workouts I haven’t wanted to do have turned into my most memorable. Even if it hasn’t been the best numbers wise just getting through it has left me with a bigger feeling of accomplishment than on days where I was 100% ready to go.

Even when you don’t think you are going to have a great workout and you turn up, you can find that being in the environment and getting through those first few exercises, sets, reps you actually find your groove and your attitude changes from being one of negative self-talk to positive.

That mindset change due to turning up and getting it done can change your whole day around!

Just turning up and getting through the workout getting that small win for the day can not only change how you feel physically but help you clear your head and put you in a positive head space.

If you are looking to start lapping people on the couch, let us know and get in touch at izzy@jonesbrothersgym.com.au We'd love to have you.

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​‘I need to get fit before I go to the gym’ - You have to get fit to go to the place that helps get unfit people fit? It’s like saying I need to fix my car before I take it to the mechanics to get it fixed

This comment has a few moving parts to it. Some of us who work in a gym should/can sympathise with elements of the statement, while other interpretations can render it simply confusing and annoying.

I can sympathise with people who say ‘I need to get fit before I go to the gym’ because it shows that deep down this person wants to make a change for the better. They are showing an awareness that getting fit is a great place to start with helping them feel better and improving their self-esteem. People just getting started may feel like they won’t be accepted by people at the gym or that they’ll be judged by the other gym goers, which makes them nervous about going into a new environment. Think about the last time you tried something for the first time. I’m sure it was a little daunting, not being sure what was going to happen or who you were going to meet.

These reasons are why I can see why people are scared to START their fitness journeys. As a trainer I sympathise with these legitimate reasons and as part of my job is to help people transition from uncomfortable to comfortable in the gym environment.

BUT this sentence also annoys me! ‘I need to get fit before I go to the gym’ drives me nuts because it’s also used as an excuse to NEVER! Start their fitness journey. People say this so much they convince themselves that they actually can’t get fit till they get themselves fit and they aren’t fit because they haven’t been able to motivate themselves or know how to actually get fit. It turns the trainer from someone who they thought could help them, to a big scary monster that only want to train people who are already ‘fit’.

When ‘I need to get fit before I go to the gym’ goes from being a genuine concern about the unknown to an excuse to never start, it drives me crazy! And you know when it has turned into an excuse when they have done NOTHING!! To change what they are currently doing and every time you bring up how or where to start, refer trainers/gyms/dietitians, offer support to getting them started and they don’t take any of that on board and continue doing the same thing they always have but continue to say ‘I need to get fit before I go to the gym’

How can we help people that say ‘I need to get fit before I go to the gym’? As a trainer I can say is great trainers don’t care if you’re unfit!!! We are here to help teach you what you should and shouldn’t be doing. Trainers are here to help you with your goals not hinder you from achieving them.

Trainers see people of all shapes, sizes, back grounds and fitness levels. If you are nervous about starting, and want to get a bit fitter before joining a group session, we not only understand, but we encourage it at Jones Brothers Gym. Come in for a one-on-one, to get your confidence up in the gym and then when you are ready, jump into a class and have a blast improving your fitness with the other legends on the lake!