Gyms provide a wide range of equipment designed to help you shed unwanted pounds. No matter your age or fitness level, you'll find something at your local gym to help you lose weight. The best gyms provide everything from swimming pools to running tracks, personal trainers, weight machines and recumbent bikes. The secret to dropping pounds at a gym is to find the equipment that lets you take on the exercises with which you are the most comfortable.
Get Your Heart Pumping
Aerobic exercises are an effective way to lose weight and pump more oxygen into your blood, according to MayoClinic.com. That's because when you're tackling aerobic exercises, you move the largest muscles in your body repeatedly. This helps you burn calories at a rapid rate. Most gyms offer a wide range of aerobic exercise opportunities. Try a recumbent bike, a low-stress exercise that you can perform while reading a book, listening to music or watching a TV. For a more intense workout, try a stair-step machine. This works your leg muscles and gets your heart pumping. Your local gym may also have a swimming pool. Swimming is gentle on your body and provides a strenuous workout. Many gyms even offer synchronized swimming and other pool-based exercise classes. Don't ignore your gym's track, either. A long run is one of the most effective ways to burn calories and strengthen your muscles.
Strength Training
You might think that lifting weights or working on weight machines is strictly the realm of bodybuilders or other jocks; however, strength training is an essential part of any exercise routine. MayoClinic.com reports that strength training can help you build muscle mass, burn calories, increase your stamina and build up your balance. The majority of gyms offer a wide selection of strength-training options. Most beginners feel most comfortable working on the many weight machines that most gyms boast. Different machines work on different muscle groups: Some machines might focus on your arm muscles, while others will work your legs. Some are designed to help flatten your abdomen, while others will strengthen the muscles in your back. Free weights are also a good option. The size of the weight isn't as important as performing several repetitions. Work up to larger weights after you can perform more repetitions with lighter weights.
Circuit Training
Circuit training blends aerobics and strength training in a way that provides short periods of rest between every exercise. Circuit training is a series of exercises designed to work the various muscle groups in your body. A session might last 20 minutes, or it could last an hour. Circuit training will often involve a mix of exercises that includes basic calisthenics -- such as jumping jacks, sit-ups and push-ups -- with light free-weight exercises such as bicep curls, hammer curls and bench presses. You'll take a brief break between each exercise, typically just a few seconds, before tackling your next exercise. Your gym will have most of the equipment you'll need to complete your circuit training.
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