Moving your workout from your home to a gym has many benefits. Gyms often provide multiple pieces of workout equipment for a variety of types of exercises, as well as professionally certified trainers to demonstrate proper use of equipment or lead interactive classes. The right gym exercises for you depend on your fitness goals and your current level of fitness. Before embarking on a gym routine, consult a doctor or trainer to get the most out of your workout while preventing injury.
Aerobic Exercises
An aerobic exercise is any exercise that increases your heart rate into its target zone for at least 20 sustained minutes. The American Heart Association also advises that accumulating a total of 30 minutes in three 10-minute sessions or two 15-minute sessions also results in cardiovascular benefits. Aerobic activity supports heart health and promotes weight loss. Gyms offer a variety of aerobic activity machines for cardiovascular workouts. Treadmills are straightforward machines that simulate jogging or running on a conveyor belt. Use the digital display to track your speed, distance, incline and calories burned. If you have knee or joint pain, consider an elliptical trainer or stationary bicycle as an alternative to a treadmill that doesn't place undue strain on your lower body. If you want a more free-form workout, opt for jumping rope, running on an indoor track or swimming laps in an indoor pool for a whole-body cardiovascular workout. For the most accurate records of your heart rate and caloric expenditure, purchase a heart rate monitor.
Upper Body Strength Training
Strength training for your upper body builds the lean muscle mass in your chest, arms, shoulders and upper back. Gyms provide strength-training machines as well as free weights and resistance bands for free-form weight lifting. If you opt for strength-training machines, consult a trainer to demonstrate proper form and safety measures. Standard exercises for a gym workout for your upper body include bench presses that target the muscles in your upper arms, shoulders and chest. For toning of your upper back, perform several repetitions on a lateral pull-down machine, which enables you to perform the motion in a forward or backward sitting position for versatility. If you would rather skip the machines, use free weights or resistance bands to perform bicep curls. Push-ups are also standard moves that build chest and shoulder strength.
Lower-body Strength Training
Though some aerobic machines like elliptical and stationary bicycles offer resistance settings for building leg strength, many gyms provide equipment that specifically targets lower-body muscle groups. Leg-lift machines permit the user to lift weights using quadriceps, hamstrings or calves for a comprehensive leg workout. Squat repetitions with a squat rack build your abdominals, thighs and glutes. Combine squats with a press to engage your upper body as well. Hip abduction machines may be either seated or standing version, but each type allows you to engage the muscles in your hips, inner and outer thighs and glutes to tighten and tone your hip, thighs and abdomen.
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