Gym Tips For Women Who Want To Train Smarter

You’ve taken the first step - signing up for the gym. But now what?

At Oner Active, we know those first steps can be daunting. But the key is persevering and building confidence and ability, gradually and consistently. Plus, taking advantage of all the fitness technology and expertise on offer at the gym can reap amazing benefits for your body and mind. And you won’t be the only one feeling trepidation - the gym is a great place to meet like-minded people and build a community.

To support you on your journey, we’ve curated our favorite gym tips into one easy guide. We’ll help you transition smoothly into the gym as a beginner - as well as build structure and confidence around a routine. From how to look after yourself and others in the gym, to the best fitness habits to support consistent progress, we’ve got you covered.

Looking for the perfect hybrid workout outfit for your first gym session? Take a look at Oner Active’s comprehensive collection here.

Why These Gym Tips Are Important

These tips are designed to help you maintain momentum, motivation and go from strength to strength. They’ll also:

• Keep you safe: Gyms are shared spaces, so it’s important to look after both your own well-being and those around you. Our tips about proper form, warm-ups, and how to correctly use equipment will help you avoid injuring yourself and other gym members.
• Speed up your routine: Fitting a gym workout into a busy schedule can end up feeling like a chore. Following our gym tips will help you use equipment more efficiently and confidently, setting you on a path for success from the start.
• Avoid common mishaps: We’ll help you avoid the risk of overtraining or performing exercises incorrectly, giving you the best chance of progressing.

Gym Tips For Beginners

New to the gym? Kickstart your journey with our top 5 workout tips for women.

Establish a Clear and Concise Program

Your time is valuable. Effective advanced planning will lead to a more productive and suitable workout, so before you start, put a little time into researching beginner workout plans to find one that best suits your goals. ChatGPT can even create one in seconds - just include your targets in the prompt and it can tailor a plan to your needs.

Ensure You Warm Up and Cool Down

Every trainer, program and seasoned gym-goer relies on one universal truth: warming up and cooling down matter. Warm-ups boost blood flow, prime muscles, and reduce your risk of injury. Cooling down helps to maintain flexibility and speeds up recovery, so you can stay consistent with your program and reduce the rest periods in-between.

Wear The Right Workout Gear

Wearing the right activewear for the exercise you want to complete at the gym is key, enabling you to move your body in a way that is most effective - and safe - for progression. Just as importantly, when you feel good in what you wear, your confidence grows. That boost can enhance how you perform, helping you to push further, lift stronger, and move with more control.

Key items include low or high coverage sports bras, performance stretch gym leggings, and workout T-shirts and tops - these can be loose or tight-fitting depending on exercise type and comfort level.

Don’t Rush Progress

It’s understandable to want results - and quick. But rushing your progress can be detrimental to success when working out, not to mention increasing your risk of injury. The biggest and best results come from showing up regularly, being consistent with your workouts, increasing your load gently, and resting where you can to aid recovery. Think of it more like a marathon than a sprint - small, steady, incremental steps that lead to solid, long-term success.

Be Mindful of Others

Gyms are effectively small communities, with hundreds of members visiting and using their favorite equipment each day. Treat your workout space the way you would like others to treat yours: respect the equipment and wait your turn. Always clean and sanitize your space or equipment after use - especially if things get sweaty. And make sure you put your weights away after using them, to avoid you - or others - from tripping over.

Workout Tips

Now you’ve got the prep sorted, let’s take a look at some general workout tips you can follow in your next gym session.

Focus on Compound Exercises

Compound exercises - or those that work multiple muscle groups and joints simultaneously - are the most impactful for building strength. Exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses and pull-ups are especially useful for working major muscle groups at once, so your workouts become even more effective.

Increase Intensity Over Time

When you work out consistently over time, your body changes and adapts to the progress you’re making. Support progression in your routine by adding weight, increasing reps, and reducing rest periods. All of these work in conjunction to enhance both strength and muscle growth, so you can achieve the results you want sooner.

Prioritize Strength and Cardio

The best training programs combine both strength and cardio exercises. Strength training helps to improve endurance, boost your metabolism and build muscle. Cardio (short for cardiovascular) workouts help improve heart health, lower blood pressure, and increase metabolism. Making both a feature in your workout routine will support your long-term health and fitness goals.

Take Time to Rest and Recover

We get it - motivation comes and goes. If you’re enjoying a period where going to the gym feels like a pleasure and not a chore, you might want to hit it every day. But your body needs time to rest and recover from each workout. Rest days shouldn’t be considered wasted days - they’re there to help your muscles repair and grow. Ensure you plan for at least two rest days a week and get a healthy amount of sleep to support this recovery.

Monitor Your Progress

It’s hard to accurately gauge the progress you’re making at the gym if you don’t monitor it. Keeping a log of your exercises and workouts enables you to understand where you’ve improved and how you can hold yourself accountable. You can use a notepad, the notes app on your phone, or a fitness app to keep track of your exercises, weights, and reps.

Gym Safety Tips

Safety should be the number-one priority in any activity or exercise you undertake - especially at the gym. Explore our top 4 gym safety tips below to help avoid injury during your first session:

Work Out With Others

One way to stay safe in the gym is to work out with other people. Having another set of eyes to watch your form and ensure you’re performing exercises correctly is a simple and effective way to avoid injury. It’s especially helpful to have someone spot you when lifting heavy weights.

Sanitize Equipment Before and After

Sanitize the gym equipment before and after use to avoid being exposed to potentially harmful bacteria. It’s always advisable to presume the previous user hasn’t had time to clean the equipment, and ensure you sanitize all equipment after use to ensure it’s clean for the next person.

Listen to Your Body

Make sure you take time to listen to how your body reacts to exercise. This could be during training, shortly afterwards, or even in the days that follow. Understanding when muscle pain is apparent and recognizing when you need time to rest and recover is all part of using the gym safely and responsibly. Recovery is an important step in ensuring your muscles repair after hard work, so you can resume your progress as soon as possible.

Tips For Staying Motivated

To help you commit to a routine and maintain consistency, discover our top 3 gym motivation tips:

Don’t Worry About What Others Think

Comparing yourself to others makes it harder for you to recognize how far you’ve come and understand that your fitness journey is unique. When you’re at the gym, focus on yourself and celebrate the small victories.

Set Realistic Goals

It’s easy to walk into the gym, identify a woman’s physique you want to match, and think to yourself, ‘I want to look exactly like that by next week. ’ Sadly, there isn’t a quick fix - progress comes from consistency and commitment to a long-term plan. Set goals for yourself that are achievable, and once you achieve them, you can create more challenging ones. It’s all part of the process to ensure long-term success for your fitness.

Train With a Friend

Sticking to a workout routine on your own can be difficult - which is why training with a friend can make all the difference. Not only can you help each other at the gym, but you can also ensure you stay focused on your routine and pick each other up when motivation is low.

Common Gym Mistakes

Check out our top 3 most common mistakes that you should avoid making before your next workout.

Poor Breathing Technique

Breathing properly is an essential part of any workout. It may sound simple, but many people struggle with it - especially resisting the urge to hold your breath during lifts. This can often happen without even realising it. Holding your breath under tension can cause problems, such as a spike in blood pressure, dizziness, and feeling faint. Inhale during the easier phase of the movement and exhale during the harder part when you are exerting yourself. This will help deliver more oxygen to your muscles while also helping you maintain stability and core engagement.

Neglecting Certain Muscle Groups

As a beginner, it can be tempting to only work on certain muscles that are the most visible - such as your chest, back and arms. But doing so could lead to uneven body strength and bad posture. Keep your workouts well-rounded with compound exercises, and include all the muscle groups - even if that means focusing on different ones on different days.

Forgetting About Nutrition

You could do all the exercises in the world, but if you have a poor diet, you’ll struggle to see a difference in your progress. Ensure you fuel your body with a balanced diet and drink plenty of water. Equally, don’t skip meals or seriously limit your calorie intake as your body won’t have the necessary fuel to work out safely and effectively, and you’ll run an increased risk of injury.

Final Thoughts…

We know the gym can feel like a scary place, especially when you’ve never set foot in one. But once you begin, you can quickly feel part of a gym community that supports you on your fitness journey and inspires you to keep going. Alongside that, you’ll enjoy access to state-of-the-art equipment that is difficult to replicate at home. With a steady plan to get you started, a determination to stay consistent, and a passion for the exercise you’re doing, you’ll start to see positive and encouraging results in no time - for your body and your mind.

Stay up to date with the latest and greatest gym tips from Oner Active and check out our blog.

Feel more confident hitting the gym with our comprehensive range of stylish and effective US gymwear. We’ve got a variety of fits, styles and shades to suit any and every body, so take your first step on your gym journey with our expert fitness collection today.