How do you use all these plates? The first day at the gym there are many things to learn. PHOTO: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels.
She will be at WeLife Festival 2026 on October 24
Feeling like a stranger on the first day among resistance machines and dumbbells is normal. But you have to get over it.
By Ana Serrano
23 OCTOBER 2026 / 11:24
Perhaps you have been there (or you still are): you are in that age bracket of over 40, you have enrolled in a gym and you are eager to start because you know it benefits you on every level. But you don’t quite feel comfortable in the weight room. You sense it as a hostile place.
Women (and even more so those who are approaching or already in full perimenopause) have led a true fitness revolution in the last decade, but they are still associated with group classes, yoga, Pilates or running. And yet in sports like Hyrox the presence of women is already around 50%.
But the first day is tough. It’s easy to feel like a freak. Paula Butragueño, known on social media as @pau_inspirafit, is one of the most recognized sports communicators in our country and will participate in the 6th edition of WeLife Festival. With her we’ve talked about that odd feeling that the first days at the gym give us. And that we must overcome.
A Terrain to Conquer (and Get to Know)
It’s the great paradox of the gym: on one hand, you know you have to improve strength work with machines and dumbbells because it’s the best lever for metabolic control and even for improving the microbiota. But you feel that territory is too big for you. The weight room in gyms can intimidate many beginners in strength training. “I myself also thought it wasn’t my place,” acknowledges Pau Inspirafit.
“I felt the looks when I was there in my top and my leggings”, aware of that feeling of ‘what am I doing here?’ If she, who today works professionally in sport and to inspire others, also felt that, she is undoubtedly the most suitable to give us some keys that will lead us to smooth that path toward the dreaded weight room.
Why Do We Feel Like Weirdos?
To begin, that feeling that we don’t fit in has a lot to do with the fact that “the gym has limitations that haven’t been explained to us. There is a lack of information that would make us feel more comfortable and less small there.” It refers to a reality too common in gyms: there are not enough in-gym trainers to accompany, supervise, and teach how to use the equipment correctly. Something as simple as not knowing how to load plates onto the bar can make the first day at the gym the last. Not due to injury, but due to embarrassment.
“A few well-informed women with everything at their disposal would be an essential first step to feeling at ease there,” the expert recommends. Feeling strange in an unfamiliar place full of people who look nothing like you and without knowing how anything works is, without a doubt, the perfect breeding ground for your fitness will to crumble.
The Fear of Being ‘The New One’
Paula Butragueño advocates removing fears when asking the staff professionals of the gym about all questions that arise. A staff that, by the way, should be trained to work with all age ranges.
“Something that would give a lot of security to that newly arrived woman is to book, before diving into the void, a session with a gym trainer to do the first circuits with him/her,” she recommends. Nothing makes you feel more secure than knowing what to do and how to do it.
Letting Go of Prejudices
One of the big beginner mistakes is to believe that the rest of the users are watching, judging, and laughing at your inexperience. The reality is quite the opposite. “First of all, you must be clear that everyone is focused on their own thing. When it comes down to it, they are not there to notice whether we do it right or wrong, our appearance, or our age,” she reminds us.
“You feel intimidated by that guy who is lifting what to you seems like a ton of weight while you’re barely taking your first steps, but the reality is that he just wants to meet his goals and run his routines,” she explains.
Asking for Help Shouldn’t Be Embarrassing
Asking how to use a piece of equipment usually gets a friendly response from almost all users. In fact, it’s normal for them to say that they also went through that beastly feeling of being a fish out of water. And it is at that moment that you discover the gym isn’t as hostile as they painted it.
And here happens what you wouldn’t have imagined: after finishing your session you’re already craving to come back.
