EP26, Overcoming Gym Intimidation

This episode of 'Unstoppable By Design' dives into the common issue of gym intimidation. Matt and Anna Terry discuss their own experiences, including Anna's emotional struggle with joining a new gym. They offer practical advice on reducing fears, such as bringing a supportive buddy, choosing the right gym, and understanding the role of coaching. The episode also addresses various scenarios like not knowing how to use equipment, fear of judgment, and body image concerns. They emphasize the importance of finding a welcoming environment and take listeners through specific steps to overcome their gym-related anxieties.

00:00 Introduction to Unstoppable By Design
00:28 Overcoming Gym Intimidation: Anna's Story
03:56 Common Gym Intimidation Scenarios
17:45 Myth Busting: You Don't Need to Be Fit to Start
18:35 Unstoppable Challenge and Conclusion

Transcript

Matt: Let's go.

Welcome to Unstoppable By Design, where we talk all things fitness, mindset and what it means to truly be unstoppable inside and outside the gym. Hi, Matt. Today I'm joined by Anna Terry, my wife, and we're talking about gym intimidation and simple ways to shrink it. 

Anna: If walking in feels scary or normal, we're gonna give you a tiny plan that makes the first 10 minutes easy, and then the next visit even easier.

Matt: Boom. So why do people feel intimidated? What's one moment you remember feeling intimidated and what helped Anna? 

Anna: I'm just gonna share. My like OG story. I think I shared it in like one of our first episodes, but it's my first day going to Juggernaut. We came from another gym and at that time the perception of Juggernaut to us was like, they're this big, scary, competitive gym and like blah, blah, blah, blah.

And I was like, who am I? I am just some like new guy over here. And so I was like, I remember you trying to get me to go there for. A couple of weeks and like I was fighting you. I remember, I remember sitting at the, the table at my mom's house crying about having to go. I was so nervous. And then he brings me to the first class and I'm in the car crying in the parking lot.

Like this was weeks of crying guys. I was so scared. Like, if anybody understands gym intimidation, it's me. And now look where we're at. A 

Matt: hundred percent it's, 

Anna: but like, it's. So you, you ask what helped you. So like having a buddy who's not so scared is super helpful. But then I remember when I, when I walked in the door, they had music bumping and I was like, all right, like this was like a party, okay.

Like I was here for it. Keith at the time was the coach and he was right there. He greeted us and he is like, Hey, what's up? And like showed us where to go, made us feel at home. And then Jason. Was the first person to walk up to us and be like, what's up? And like, show us the ropes and talk to us and asking about us.

So like one, yeah, having a buddy helps. Two, going to the right place, like the right place isn't scary now. Trying something new is, I think always a little scary, but it's only because it's a fear of the unknown and, but like. That's, that's always gonna be present in something new. So I think a little bit of fear is, is normal and should be expected, but hopefully you're not like mean crying for a couple weeks before going to the gym.

It's a little 

embarrassing detail about myself, I guess. 

Matt: It is funny to look, look back at, um, because you knew what you were doing working out and like just a new environment, a new gym was so heavy. 

Anna: Yeah. And like. The perception that you hear from other people is not always the reality. Like you always gotta go figure it out on your own.

Yeah. Like try one class 'cause it's not gonna hurt you. Or try one hour, whatever, depending the gym that you're at. But like I knew within minutes of coming into the gym that those couple weeks of crying were a waste of my time because that place, our place is not a highly competitive, cutthroat gym that we thought it was based on what people had told us.

It's a very welcoming space. It's, it's truly like a second home. 

Yeah. 

Anna: You know, and I never would have found something that I've committed to almost as long as you 

Yeah. 

Anna: If I didn't, I didn't set outside of my comfort zone. And it has brought so much joy to my life. Yeah. Truly changed it. 

Matt: So, I guess Jim Intimidation will make this one, uh, a shorter episode, but we'll break it down into a couple different situations that are pretty common.

We hear from a lot of people. Who kind of walk into something like this? Uh, the first one being not knowing what to do. I mean, that itself can feel so intimidating if you've, if you've like never worked out or you've only ever worked out by, like running, for example. Yeah. Coming into a gym and seeing barbells and you know, kettlebells looking at kettlebells, you're like, what are those monstrous objects?

Anna: Yeah. Butterflies, butter. Not the animal, by the way. Butter. Yeah. I mean, even going into. The gym knowing what I was doing. I was a coach. I still lost it. So like, it makes sense if you feel like you don't know what you're doing to have fear. But I think in our situation, that's what our coaches are literally there for, is to help you.

Matt: Yeah. For, for our environment, we're super lucky that you don't need to know what to do to start here. Um, you just gotta walk in the door. 

Anna: Yeah. And you know, if you're going to a different gym, 'cause you're maybe not a group class person, don't forget we have personal training. I'm putting plugs in, sorry.

And we also have remote programming. So if, if you not knowing what to do is one of your biggest pieces, like finding somebody who's educated, uh, to give you programming is super helpful. And especially if they provide videos, right? So that's like, you may not have a coach with you, but if you want to go on your own time, we can guide you.

So you're using the best. Of your time, and we provide video so you know what to do. We can solve all those problems. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Anna: Yep. 

Matt: All right. Situation number two could be fear of judgment. This is a, this is a pretty common one, I would say. Yeah. Um, is, you know, somebody walking in and, and then being like, well, I, one, I don't know what I'm doing, so then therefore I'm going to be judged.

And I would say nothing further from the truth. Like, you'll, uh, you know what, actually I backed that up a little bit. You will be a little judged in the right way, like the coach will come up and watch your movement and help you move safely. 

Truth. 

Matt: And so yeah, you, you almost want to be judged in that sense.

'cause if you're doing a squat wrong as bad for your knees and you're gonna wear out your knees before you're 35. Yeah. I hope somebody cares enough to tell you. 

Anna: Yeah, we're gonna call that coaching, not judging. Yeah, 

Matt: yeah, yeah. 

Anna: But like I see, like I get what you're saying, you know? 'cause ultimately that's what it is.

Like someone who comes to our space who has never been coached being coached feels like you're being judged. Yeah. Like it's really uncomfortable to receive that feedback sometimes because Exactly. Essentially, we're telling you. You're not doing it right. In a different, in a different way. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Anna: And that can be really hard to receive sometimes, but that's literally what our job is, to make sure that you are safe and you are able to move for as long into life as possible.

And you get results. 

Matt: Yeah. Yeah. Because we're not just, you know, a conductor of a class. We're not just like, alright guys, now that it's the 15 minute mark, you're gonna do wall balls. For the next five minutes. It's not like that, like the coach is gonna come in and, and help you move better. I think the biggest disservice a coach could do is to not coach you and to not find those flaws.

Correct. Um, 

Anna: that puts you at so much risk. 

Matt: Yeah, 

Anna: and I think, uh, I'll add this piece to probably every single, uh, situation we talk about today, but at the end of the day, it really comes down to the environment because guess what? Gym intimidation exists because places. KA gyms have created that based on their culture and their environment.

So you can go somewhere and you can get very judged. Yeah. I'm just here to plug again that we don't do that. Those of you who, uh, obviously can't see us matches, world's eyes on me. But yeah, we, um, I dunno everybody, we see all walks of life, all fitness levels, all ages, all experience levels. We've had people who have come in and they may have been collegiate athletes and they're rock stars.

Mm-hmm. 

Anna: And they're still so much new, like we teach things very differently or we have different standards than what they're used to. And it's like starting all over again. So regardless of how experienced or inexperienced you think you are, you're probably starting from the same space. And every single person that you see in one of, in our gym period, coach athlete.

Has felt exactly how you are and we know what it feels like and we can help you get through it. 

Matt: Yep. 

Anna: Just remember I cry for two weeks. I gets you anywhere I cry for two weeks. 

Matt: All right. Third situation, something we run into commonly, uh, could be equipment confusion. Uh, so coming in and being like, what is that Skier?

The handles look like Shrek ears. 

They do. 

Matt: What the heck am I supposed to do with that? Pull 

it. Yeah. You 

know, or you walk in and, and you see a rope and you're like, how do I climb that thing? Why are you asking me to, um, just confusion around equipment and how to use it. 

Anna: Well, again, I ask what we're here for.

As coaches, we're here to teach you that. And just because you see every piece of equipment, like if you walk in our gym, it can be overwhelming because there's some funky things that you see and you're like, what the heck am I gonna do with that today? Nothing. Maybe in six months you will. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Anna: But we start you off at a space where you can do this because we want you to feel like you're winning and that you're successful.

And we wanna help you reduce that gym intimidation by giving you things that you feel confident in doing. And over time we build you up and you'll get to learn what all that equipment is. Um, and thankfully, like again, if you're not in our space and you go to like a Planet Fitness or something like that, they have instructions on the machines.

Right. So that helps you learn what it is. 

Matt: Yeah. Hey, I mean, I mean, fitness journey is finished journey. If that's. What it takes. I mean, in our place, yeah, we have, we have a coach to help you, which is great. So if you're waiting to become a professional on every piece of equipment before you start your fitness journey, like coaching becomes such a boring job.

I'd rather want to teach somebody how to use equipment. So 

Anna: yeah, we love teaching. 

Matt: Yeah, that fear and if you're holding off to become proficient or an expert on the skier before you walk in the door. Don't, please don't. It's gonna make for a very boring class for me. 

Anna: Yeah. And like expert by whose standards.

Yeah. You know, like if you're YouTubing things, like there are some pages that you can trust, but there's a lot out there that you cannot trust. And do you know, if you're not an expert in the field, do you know who you can and cannot trust? Right. So like, it's there, there's just, there's risk everywhere.

But again, like we, like Matt said, we love coaching. Please don't. Please don't make things boring for us. Come on in. Mess up. We love it. We actually get hyped up 'cause we're like, Ooh, you, you failed this. That means we're getting close. Like we're figuring out, like you can now identify like where things went wrong and we can, we can get you there faster now.

So we actually feel like failing and doing things wrong is the best way to learn in our space. 

Matt: Oh yeah, yeah. Within, within limitations like safety, safety side. 

Anna: Yeah, of course. Yeah. 

Matt: Alright. Fourth situation is group class nerves. Uh, this is, this is very common. Um, somebody comes in and they're like, Hey, I'm just starting my fitness journey, but I don't want to be on display in front of a, a room full of people.

Totally get that. 

Anna: Yeah. 

Matt: Um, I think that shouldn't stop you from coming into a gym because there's different paths. There's different avenues that we can start with to help like an on-ramp or starting with personal training to feel comfortable. Around the different movements. Feel comfortable in the gym environment, get used to the fist pumps after you crush something like 

Anna: the Let's go.

Yeah. Yeah. 

Matt: And then, and then you can look around. You can see that not very rarely is a gym just full of like Greek statues of people. That just doesn't exist. That's not normal. Yeah. Um, so I think the coming in there and then getting the hang of things and maybe starting off with a different path, if you're afraid of group classes or.

Just trusting the community. Yeah. Um, there's, there's a ton of ways around that fear. 

Anna: I also think too, like some, at least from my experience and feedback from others, is that people think group classes are like the, the old school YMCA where there's the big mirror in the front and you're copying the instructor and you can just see everybody and you're all doing the same exact thing.

So it's very obvious if you mess up or it's very obvious if you can't keep up. Ours aren't like that. Like you come and you watch from our loft and you see every single person in that room is doing something different. Mm-hmm. You have the same general workout, but every person is doing their own variation of it.

Like if we have box jumps, you got some people jumping up on a 30 inch box, you got some people jumping up on a two inch plate. You got people stepping up, you got people. Just doing high knees marching in place, like everybody is doing something different that fits their journey and their goals. 

Matt: Mm-hmm.

Anna: And quite frankly, they're so focused on that and trying to breathe that they don't see you, we don't got no big mirror. Like they're, they're just trying to survive their own workout. 

Matt: Yeah. So usually, um, I think a lot of intimidation comes from like, how others could perceive you or. How you perceive others perceiving you.

Yeah. And, uh, I think that oftentimes people are, are there to better themselves. And so they're really focused on what they're doing. They're just doing it alongside other people. Um, 

Anna: other like-minded people. Yeah. Which I, 

Matt: that's a supportive place to be. Yeah. 

Anna: Yeah. And which I think again, it credits back to the space, the environment.

Mm-hmm. Because again, you're gonna go to some places where the group class is not comfortable. You know, and it's like you gotta do your research on the gym and, and figure out does this look like the place that allows you to be you and allows you to fail and allows you to try new things and not be nervous about it.

Like, I just think that's such a probably an underrated thing that we underrated blessing I guess, that we have where it's like I watch people in our space fail and someone is there cheering them on and clapping for them. Nowhere else in my life can I fail and get that kind of support. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Yep. 

Anna: So the group class has like some really cool energy in our space and it's quite opposite of what most people think it is when they join.

Matt: Yeah. Yep. Um, all right, next situation. Uh, it could be your own body image, like how you perceive yourself or coming back from an injury, uh, could be intimidation to, to start because. I mean, you know, coming back from an injury, you're, you're starting over at zero. Yeah, yeah. Or, or much at, at a much different place than where you might have been.

And that is okay, that's important for your body. Um, but I can see that being intimidating for some people to walk in the door and be like, ah, man. Honestly, maybe, maybe not so much intimidating, but more of like an an ego blow. 

Anna: 1000%. And I can relate to this so heavily right now. 

Matt: Uh, yeah, take a look like, 

Anna: I mean, I, sorry, I feel like I'm taking away most of this stuff.

No, no. 

But 

um, it is definitely an ego blow. Like right now, still working my way back from an injury. Mike prescribes me something at a 20 pound dumbbell and I'm like, this is gonna be so easy. I'm like, three reps in and I'm like, oh my God. Like, and I'm so frustrated inside, right? Like. I have moments where I'm like, thank goodness I'm by myself and I'm not in a group class.

Like I definitely go through those moments and they're purely ego driven because in a class, nobody knows what I can or can't do. Mm-hmm. Like nobody knows what I used to do pre-injury. There might be some people, right? Some people know what I used to do, but those people also know that I'm injured, you know?

Or if you're a new person coming to a new gym, we have literally no idea. Of what you used to be able to do. To do. So you're coming in completely able to reinvent yourself and do things right. In most cases we get injured 'cause we're not doing things right. Yes, me. Hi, I'm the problem. I did not listen. So, you know, don't like, don't let ego win because the price that you have to pay for that is so much more.

Matt: Yeah. 

Anna: Um. I think even too, like the body image, right? Like they go hand in hand. Like my composition has completely tanked through this injury. And that's another like, really challenging thing to deal with. Um, but it's also like nature of the beast, right? Your movement goes down, your intensity goes down, like naturally your body's gonna shift with that.

Mm-hmm. Both having a baby, like 

Matt: Yep. 

Anna: You have a totally different body that you're coming back with. At the end of the day, it comes down to the environment. Oh my God, did you know that? Um, because like we are here to give you lifespan and health span in achieving both of those means that we work with you through every season of life.

We're gonna see you come through with every shape your body goes through. We're gonna see you when you've lost a family member and you had to take six months off, and you were just literally trying to survive and you're gonna come back. A version of yourself that you've never seen before. 

Matt: Mm-hmm. 

Anna: That's okay.

'cause we've seen it handfuls of time and we are literally here to help you get back. We don't, we don't care what you used to be able to do. We care that you're here and you're still showing up. 

Matt: Yep. You're committed. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Myth bust in time. We're gonna use one myth. This myth is you must be fit to start.

False. Yeah. 

Anna: You start to get fit. 

Matt: Ow. No, but for real though. I mean, yeah. You, you don't just, just like born fit or I guess I should explain that a little bit more, but you don't just like 

Anna: wake up and can deadlift 500 pounds. 

Matt: Yes. Yeah. You don't like, you don't have to start off knowing how to do everything. 

Anna: Yeah. And again, if you do, we're, it's just boring for us. So, 

Matt: yeah. I like, I like teaching people new things and I like showing them how to unlock movement and, and which means health for them.

Yeah. So, yeah, as long as if I could teach people stuff, it'd be awesome. 

Anna: I, oh, you're doing it every day. Nice job. Oh, 

Matt: all right. Unstoppable challenge. Think about these, uh, fears or situations, uh, that prevent gym intimidation. And if something like that is affecting you, think of ways to overcome that. Maybe it's something we've shared.

Maybe it just takes a little bit of extra thought on your end, but think about past the success and then implement it. I wanna see you implement one step in the next week. What do you think, Anna? 

Anna: I think that should be calling Matt for an intro plug number seven. 

Matt: Yeah. Um, if you are a listener and you're not part of Juggernaut Fitness yet, uh, get started with us.

Go to the website, schedule a Get to Know You session. It's completely free. You can book it and any availability listed there. We'll meet, we'll talk about the gym, uh, talk about maybe some factors that are maybe slowing you down with gym intimidation. And ways we can work around, uh, beating that to help you get fit and get started on your fitness journey.

Uh, but next week we got another episode dropping. It's every Tuesday. Uh, next week we're gonna be talking about setting up daily routines and why consistency matters. But until then be well. Be unstoppable