Your first gym session: what to expect

The first ten minutes: arriving and the questions you will be asked

Aim to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early. That gives you time to find the changing area, use the toilet and meet whoever is looking after you without feeling rushed. In a good gym, a coach or member of staff will introduce themselves and ask a few questions before you touch any equipment.

Expect questions about previous training, current injuries, medical conditions, medication and what you want to get out of it. Be honest. A knee that sometimes clicks, a back that aches after long drives, high blood pressure or a pregnancy all change what a sensible first session looks like, and a coach can only adjust for what they know about.

Some gyms run a more formal fitness assessment. That often covers how you move through a squat, a hinge and a push, a simple check of balance or mobility, and a chat about your week. It is not a pass or fail exam. It gives you a starting point, so your progress is measured against you rather than against the person on the next rack.

The warm-up: more useful than it looks

Almost every well-run session starts with 5 to 15 minutes of warming up. Typically that means something to raise your heart rate gently, such as a rower, bike or brisk walk, followed by movements that take your joints through the range they are about to use: squats to a box, hip hinges, arm circles, lunges and perhaps some light band work.

For a beginner, the warm-up is also a hidden lesson. It is where you practise the shapes you will load later, at a pace slow enough to think about them. Treat it as part of the session rather than something to rush. If you want the reasoning behind it, see our guide to warm-ups and cool-downs.

The main part: learning movements, not chasing a sweat

The heart of a first session is usually a handful of basic movement patterns: a squat, a hinge (bending at the hips, as in a deadlift), a push, a pull and possibly a carry. You might use a kettlebell, dumbbells, a box, a band or just your body weight. A barbell is fine if the coach thinks you are ready, but there is no rush.

Effort should be moderate. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the hardest thing you could possibly do, aim for about 6. You should be breathing harder and feeling the muscles working, but still able to talk in short sentences and keep your technique tidy. If the weight is changing how you move, it is too heavy for now.

Expect to be coached. Good cues are short and specific: push the floor away, chest up, slow on the way down. If a cue does not make sense to you, say so. Coaches have several ways of explaining the same idea and would much rather try another than watch you guess.

Stop and tell someone straight away if you feel any of these:

• Chest pain, tightness or pressure
• Dizziness, faintness or blurred vision
• Sharp or stabbing pain in a joint, rather than the dull burn of a working muscle
• Breathlessness that does not settle after a minute or two of rest

Finishing up and the next 72 hours

Most sessions end with a short cool-down: easy movement to bring your breathing back down and perhaps a few stretches. Use the time to ask questions. Which exercises should you practise? How often should you come in? What weight should you start with next time? Jot the answers in your phone before you leave.

Over the next day or two you will probably feel some stiffness, most often in the thighs, glutes and the backs of the arms. This delayed onset muscle soreness usually peaks 24 to 72 hours after a new type of exercise and eases on its own. Gentle walking helps more than lying still. Our guide on being sore after your first workout explains what is normal and what is not.

Then book the second session before momentum fades. The second visit is where things start to feel familiar: you know where the water is, you recognise a face or two, and the exercises make more sense the second time round.

If you are nervous, you are in good company

Nearly everyone feels self-conscious on day one, including people who now train five days a week. The people around you are far more focused on their own sets than on you. If the nerves feel bigger than that, our guide to gym anxiety has practical ways to make the first few weeks easier.

At Lycan Strength, the 7-day free trial includes a complimentary fitness assessment, unlimited class access and use of the full gym facilities with no credit card required, so your first session can be one of several rather than a single big decision.