Take a moment and think back to the first time you ever stepped foot in the gym. If you’re new to lifting, this might’ve been pretty recently. If you’re more experienced, you may have to go back many years to recall this moment. However long it’s been, though, one thing is certain – you probably felt a twinge of “what am I doing here?” 

We call that gym anxiety, and it’s a real thing. What causes gym anxiety differs from person to person, but one of the most common reasons for feeling this anxiousness is simply the unknown. Be it not knowing what to expect at the gym or not knowing what to do, it can be a completely overwhelming feeling. So overwhelming, in fact, that after going through this experience herself, trainer Emily Robinson realized there had to be a better way for beginners to find their love of fitness. 

From Beginner to Pro 

Robinson, a now-NASM-certified trainer, once was also a beginner – filled with questions, uncertainties, and mostly curiosities. 

“I grew up playing sports like soccer, softball, and basketball,” Robinson says of where her love for fitness began. “When I went to college, I wasn’t playing sports anymore. I was just chilling in my dorm room like, ‘What am I supposed to do with my life here?’

“I didn’t really ever go to the gym before that, but I started going for walks outside, and I really liked walking. What happened from there was I was living in New England, and it got to be winter, and I was not going to go outside,” Robinson laughs. “So I ended up going into the gym in the school, and then I would just walk in there. Eventually, after many months, I thought maybe I should test out some of this gym equipment here.” And so Robinson’s fitness journey began, similarly to so many of ours. 

“I didn’t know anything,” Robinson says about starting out. “I didn’t know what was going on but I’m a very curious person, and I wanted to figure out what all this stuff does, so I would research everything. Then I figured out that I really enjoy working out. From there, I decided I was going to get certified, and then it was just a whole spiral to where I am now, which is helping beginners because I never had a coach,” says Robinson, who now helps over 600,000 beginners across her social media platforms. 

“I never knew what I was doing, so it made the most sense for me to help those people in the same position because I feel like that was me,” says Robinson, who’s gone from 10,000 Instagram followers to over 537,000 since last April. 

After going through this journey herself and finding her confidence in the gym, here’s what Robinson recommends if you’re in a similar position. And if you’re an experienced lifter, this advice still rings true. 

Just Start 

As Robinson mentioned above, if you’re feeling nervous or wondering if weightlifting is for you, the best thing to do is just start. Resources like Robinson’s e-book, podcast, and Freshman Fitness app are great tools if you’re new to the weight room, or even if you’re a little more experienced. 

YouTube and the rest of the Internet also make for great tools. As Robinson mentioned above, she would “research everything” on the path to becoming an experienced lifter. Knowledge is power when it comes to the gym and combatting gym anxiety – the more you know, the more comfortable and confident you’ll be when you pick up those dumbbells. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help 

Comfort and confidence come from knowledge, and sometimes the best way to get that knowledge is to ask for help. 

“I was too awkward to ask for help,” Robinson says about her own journey, laughing. “I think most people are, but I kind of like to do things on my own. That's how I've always been, with most things in life, I kind of just figure it out myself. I would just go on Google and research, and read books and textbooks. But yeah, I don't really recommend doing it that way, to be honest. I didn’t know what I was doing.” 

Although Robinson embarked on this journey solo and wanted to teach herself everything, she says “If I had to go back and do everything again, I would’ve gotten a coach or a trainer to help me because it took me a lot longer to get results than it would’ve if I just knew what I was doing right away with help. It really took about three years to get good results when it could’ve taken me maybe a year.” 

Robinson says she “learned a lot more” by teaching herself everything, and feels that she wouldn’t be in the same place she is today had she not “put in the effort to learn everything.” However, if you want to skip that step and just reap the benefits of her years of knowledge, there’s no shame at all in shortcutting years of trial and error, and just getting to the good stuff. 

Do What Works for You 

“I definitely feel like I just have a lot of anxiety in general, mainly social anxiety,” Robinson says, talking about how she navigated the gym anxiety that so many beginners face. 

“I don't like when people are watching me. When you're in the gym and you're first starting, that's what you think – everyone is staring at you and you feel really awkward and out of place,” she continues. “I definitely experienced that a lot. What I would do is I would work out in the corner or just work out in one little section where no one really was just because I didn't want people to be near me, and that made me more comfortable,” she laughs. 

Although working out in the corner might sound silly, Robinson stresses that it’s important to do what makes you feel comfortable. It doesn’t matter if you’re working out in the middle of the gym, at home, in a dark corner, or at a park – what really matters is that you’re putting in the time and effort to better yourself. 

Robinson also notes that the clothes she wore to work out had a big impact on her confidence in the gym.

“I think a lot of people are trying to go with whatever’s trending or what people are wearing right now, and if you’re just starting, that’s maybe not something you’re comfortable with,” Robinson says, highlighting how wearing “a sports bra and shorts up your butt” might not be a comfortable choice for everyone, even if that’s what’s “trendy.” 

“I think a lot of people are trying to go with whatever’s trending or what people are wearing right now, and if you’re just starting, that’s maybe not something you’re comfortable with."

“Don’t worry if that’s not what you’re comfortable with yet because that’s just going to make you more uncomfortable when you’re already just trying to be somewhere where you’re not so uncomfortable,” she continues. “For me, I wore baggy t-shirts and baggy shorts. Even now, I still can’t wear those gym shorts that people wear up their butt – I tried, I really did,” Robinson laughs. 

“I was uncomfortable. I was like ‘Are people looking at me?’” Robinson says. She continues, sharing the importance of “making sure you’re the most comfortable you can be, even though you’re going to be uncomfortable.” 

Fitness is a journey, and there’s no easy way to say it: sometimes it’s just going to be uncomfortable. Whether you’re learning a new skill, working out in an unfamiliar environment, or trying a new class, it’s easy to feel like you have no idea what’s going on. 

But when you start to feel that anxiety creep in, just remember: we’ve all been there. Even experts like Emily Robinson once walked into the gym and had no clue what to do. Now, she’s coaching hundreds of thousands of new gym goers, an experience that never would’ve happened for her had she been too scared to take the plunge. So, arm yourself with knowledge, put on your favorite athletic gear, and get ready to crush your workout with confidence. 

Ready to get started? Get your hands on Emily’s highly reviewed e-book, check out her Freshman Fitness app, and give her a follow @emilyrobinson.fit to kick off your fitness journey.