Help a total autist go to the gym

>>39875431
>Do it however you want to do it.
I just go there in workout gear but if you're coming off work, sure.
>whatever you want
May seem autistic but use an app or a notebook to write down your PRs
>yes, don't use the same towel to wipe yourself and wipe the equipment that is gross
>i dunno
>i go do something else, but you can ask to work in.
>dunno

>>39875900
Thanks for being the only one to reply so far

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>>39875431
another turbo autist here
except being delicate flower about germs

a)i find it easier to go in my workout shit, throw hoodie on top if its cold, do whatever you want no one will care as long oyu dont lift in fucking winter jacket
b)you dont need either to be honest BUT, all of mentioned is nice. use music that pumps you up to squeeze some extra reps
c)thats overkill, germs, dead skin, chalk are everywhere, even right on top of your skin at this very second. you might want to consult this with someone for serious, you might get strange looks if you get awkward about it, BUT cleaning your sweat afterwards from benches and shit is good
d)no people literally wont care. But for own comfort and performance you might want to avoid running shoes for exercises like deadlift or squat, youtube it for why
e)come up and ask in calm manner if they have many sets left, most of times people wont sit on piece of equipment for longer than 10-15 min in total unless its a squat rack doing heavy squats, so just wait or do something else in between, order of exercises isnt CRITICAL
f)if you want to use free weights the form is most important thing. Youtube is your friend. just search "how to (insert exercise name or muscle group here). Form is CRITICAL on heavy exercises like deadlift, squats etc. acting like a retard WILL send you to snapcity.
Biggest and shortest advice ? Dont rush things, take your time, control your movements.

g)normies wont care about you if you dont bother them, eventually some might ask you something, just dont sperg out, no one is going to hurt you.

Good luck anon, i was trying to get my ass to gym for 2 months and now im lifting for 4 months with fantastic progress. Lifting is great for autists like us.

>Do I arrive at the gym in my regular clothes and change to my gym clothes in the locker room?

Your choice, i get home from work and get my gym chlothes on and go like that, i have change in my back if i need to.

> Now I'm in the gym. Do I bring a water bottle, personal towel, and maybe some music? Anything else?

if you think you will need them take them with you, worst case you let them in the locker. i usually take towel and music, during summer water and during winter a hoodie if the gym is cold.

> I'm a bit of a germaphobe. Should I bring a 2nd towel for the sole purpose of wiping down sweat before and after I use something?

usually gyms have paper/cleaning product to clean machine.

> All I have is regular gym shoes. Will I get laughed out of the gym?

no

> What do I say if someone is using a machine or weight I want to use?

how many set do you have left?

> I'm very inexperienced with free weights. What are some NO-NO's I should know before trying to use them?

no ego lift maybe?

> Any other advice for an autist to know before venturing out into scary normie territory?

don't be scared everyone have started somewhere.

> Do I arrive at the gym in my regular clothes and change to my gym clothes in the locker room?

I usually just go in my workout clothes, but I also don't care a huge amount about my car's upholstery.

>Now I'm in the gym. Do I bring a water bottle, personal towel, and maybe some music? Anything else?

All of those things listed sound good, and I can't think of anything else to add.

>I'm a bit of a germaphobe. Should I bring a 2nd towel for the sole purpose of wiping down sweat before and after I use something?

Sure, just try to remember which towel is which.

>All I have is regular gym shoes. Will I get laughed out of the gym?

No one in the real world cares what you wear to the gym, so you'll be fine.

>What do I say if someone is using a machine or weight I want to use?

"Hey, how many more sets you got?"

>I'm very inexperienced with free weights. What are some NO-NO's I should know before trying to use them?

Before you do a lift for the first time, watch someone else do it. If it's something like deadlifting, don't do it unless someone shows you the correct form.

>Any other advice for an autist to know before venturing out into scary normie territory?

Don't overthink things. No one actually cares what you're doing at the gym. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

1. Do what you want. If you're just going from home and back it would seem easier to just go in your work out gear. as the other anon said.

2. Your list was pretty good. Water, personal towel, and music of some description (I prefer podcasts as music fucks with my rhythm when doing something).

3. Extra towel; this one kind of depends on the gym. First time yes, but you might find the gym provides paper towels and cleaning sprays for wiping down equipment. Take a towel but you might not need it.

4. No. Shoe snobs tend to be runners, or people who care about fashion over function. Wear something comfortable that's appropriate (i.e. your gym shoes are probably fine). I'm a fan of Feiyues personally. People will not give a shit what's on your feet (unless it's a combination of socks and sandals, or crocs).

5. Like other anon said, go do something else, if you're confident enough you can ask to work in, but I usually just go to my next exercise and then come back later.

6. Ask someone who works at the gym for a run down. You'll see a lot of people on /fit/ call the gym staff retards (and they're often not wrong), but they will be qualified enough to make sure you don't hospitalise yourself. Good general advice for a newbie is start with a weight you can comfortably use. Don't be a retard and try and be tough by using something stupidly heavy. Start light, if you can do it fine, make a note of it for next time and up the weight by whatever increment you can (usually something like 2.5 kilos - you convert it, I can't be fucked).

7. Wipe down equipment; if you're done, make it clear by cleaning up and moving away from the equipment. Don't worry about other people, concentrate on what you're doing, don't think about "oh no I look so conspicuous, shit, he's looking at me like I'm retarded" and so on. Don't stare at the cardio bunnies. Have a goal in mind that you can work towards and describe to someone when forming a workout plan. Stretch afterwards.

OP here - thank you all

another question

How do you deal with unwanted attention at the gym - people staring, people trying to "help" you, people being shitty to you, and things like that?

>>39876349
I dont think youll ever have a problem with any of these things.
But if you want ro make sure, just plug in headphones.

>>39876349
Smile and nod but then don't do what they say until you ask /fit/. If people stare at you keep lifting or doing whatever you are doing already.

Notes aside

Dont avoid heavy exercises like squat and deadlift. Its actually easier to harm yourself on benchpress by throwing too much weight and having no spotter.
YOU CAN learn them on your own with help of youtube, it will take much longer than with coach / experienced person and you have to be VERY CRITICAL of your own form. Its not enough that it feels decent, it has to be perfect and tight.

Key component that normies OFTEN fuck up and then complain about back problems with squat and diddly (and many other exercises like overheadpress, benching, even fucking heavier curls) - incorrect bracing of the core.

Video that taught me how to brace and squat properly:
https://youtu.be/ibH_B0ZGvrU (bracing in the beginning, practice in front of mirror or just right now sitting by pc, hell you can pracitce it any time of the day)

Fuck, all videos with chris duffin are super educational.
Thing with lifting is that people react differently to different cues, so not every video will help you like for other person. You can also look up alan thrall videos, ed coan with supertraining, scotthermanfitness, athleanx.
Its a huge deal of knowledge to learn, but i enjoy it. Be a student of the game like Ed Coan said.

>How do you deal with unwanted attention at the gym
People will observe you from time to time, but not one does it just to make you feel uncomfortable.
If people are trying to help you, often times they might have VALUABLE cue, so fucking listen. You arent the smartest guy / girl on the universe. People wont approach you with small tips, only when you do something terribly/outright wrong, this is the time when you should listen.

TIP
some cues can be wrong, usually its better to consult it with youtube etc.

People wont be shitty to you. This isnt fucking highschool, they want to have good atmosphere themselves. Be nice and smile, even if you dont feel like it. Stay focused.

Make them lookk at you because you do shit right, with proper form. Watch me, dont spot me.

why would you bring towel to the gym? i used to go to the gym a bit and never had towel with me

>>39876501
>What is sweat?

>>39876501
some people sweat a lot, some less

you wont need towel to wipe off sweat after your set of curls,

but you might need it after you go for deadlift PR

>>39876349
This never happens. I've been going daily for a year at three different gyms and only three people have spoken to me. They asked me to spot them on bench. I said sure, then stood behind the bench while they lifted and then helped them on the last rep. Oh and one or two guys asked how sets I had left and I said one set, did one set, and then went to a new machine. Very simple. The gym is not a social space. Everyone has their mind on their workout.


That's it bro. I wear headphones and no one speaks to you ever.

>>39875431
>Do I arrive at the gym in my regular clothes and change to my gym clothes in the locker room?

I belong to Anytime Fitness, so unless I'm going straight from work, I try to wear my workout clothes there. They have private bathrooms, which is great, but I have gotten showerfag pwned before where I had to wait 20 minutes just to use the bathroom to change.

>Now I'm in the gym. Do I bring a water bottle, personal towel, and maybe some music? Anything else?

Yes, bring all that stuff your first time. Some gyms will provide towels or sell water.

>I'm a bit of a germaphobe. Should I bring a 2nd towel for the sole purpose of wiping down sweat before and after I use something?

Gym should provide that and most gyms require that you do it anyway.

>All I have is regular gym shoes. Will I get laughed out of the gym?

Nobody cares, but when you start lifting heavy, use flat footed shoes like Chuck Taylors.

>What do I say if someone is using a machine or weight I want to use?

You wait. If you're annoying, you can ask them if you can work in and then take turns.

>I'm very inexperienced with free weights. What are some NO-NO's I should know before trying to use them?

Learn form first and use light weights until you get it down. Grunting is ok when you're lifting heavy, but don't scream like a maniac. If people can hear you across the gym with their headphones on, you're being a dick.

>Any other advice for an autist to know before venturing out into scary normie territory?

Don't circuit train unless gym is empty. Don't superset unless gym is empty or you're using equipment that's not likely to be missed (like using a plate to do side bends or something).