Beginner gym guides

Short, honest guides for your first months of lifting.

First week at the gymA calm, step-by-step plan for your first week at the gym: what to do on day one, how many days to go, and how to avoid the common beginner mistakes.
Gym bag checklistA simple gym bag checklist for beginners: water, towel, shoes, a spare shirt and the other small things that make a gym session easier.
Sets, reps and restWhat sets, reps and rest time mean, and the numbers that work for beginners: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps with 60 to 90 seconds of rest.
How much weight to liftA simple way to choose your starting weight at the gym: pick a load you can lift for 10 to 12 clean reps, then add small amounts as it gets easy.
Safe weight loss paceHow many kg a week is a realistic pace for fat loss, how that links to calories, and how to check your own target date.
Fitbit Air and Health ConnectHow a Fitbit Air or other Fitbit syncs to the Google Health app, how Health Connect passes the data to other Android apps, and how to control permissions.
Sleep, recovery and strainWhat resting heart rate, HRV, sleep stages, recovery and strain mean, and how to use them to decide whether to push or rest.
Is a gym membership worth it?How to decide between a gym membership and day passes: the break-even visit count and how to pick a plan you will really use.

Want exact numbers? Try the calculators.

Track it in Lift Log

Log your sets, keep a weekly streak and see your progress in one place. Lift Log is a private gym log that works offline and syncs to your phone.