Good workouts at the gym

All the gear, no idea? MH guides your first trip to the weights room

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Are you a victim of gym-timidation? Don't worry, you're not alone. A massive 20% of British men state a fear of not knowing what they're doing as the major factor keeping them out of the gym. Being too shy to elbow past the bros and onto the bench press is nothing to be ashamed of. But arm yourself with our muscle-building manual below and you'll gain the confidence to take on any barbell – or bro. Read our pick of the best beginner's moves – plus a quick explanation of what makes each one uniquely useful – and use the exercises to create a bespoke workout that fits your nascent training goals. Good luck.

Seated barbell press

How to
Sit on the bench holding a barbell in front of your shoulders with an overhand grip. Press the weight up above your head until your arms are fully extended. Return slowly to the start position.

Why?
This exercise is a safer alternative for beginners to the military press behind your neck, which can lead to a painful injury called shoulder impingement syndrome. Sitting down also takes the strain of your lower back, making this one of the safest ways to build bigger shoulders.

Pull-ups

How to
Grab the handles of the pull-up station with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended. Your hands should be around shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, exhale and drive your elbows towards your hips to bring your chin above the bar. Lower under control back to the start position.

Why
Choosing to do the overhand pull-up and not the underhand chin-up is more difficult, but boosts strength and builds muscle more quickly. This is because it engages more of the major muscles – lattismus dorsi – and therefore stimulates more growth. Don’t be afraid to use the assisted pull-up machine to get the technique nailed first.

Inverted rows

How to
Set up a bar in a rack at waist height. Hold it at shoulder-width, with an underhand grip, and hang underneath. Position yourself with heels out in front of you and arms fully extended. Your body should be straight from shoulders to ankles. Flex at the elbows to pull your chest up to the bar. Lower yourself back to the start position under control.

Why?
When the cable machines and dumbbells are taken, or too intimidating, resort to using your body weight for gains to your back and biceps. Match every set of press-ups with a set of these to even out muscle imbalances and avoid the rounded shoulders sported by gym wannabes like Justin Bieber.

Seated row

How to
Sit in front of a pulley column and set your feet firmly at its base. Grab the handle and, with your arms extended, lean back until your torso is at a 90-degree angle from your legs. Now, keeping the torso stationary, pull the handles back towards your chest, squeezing your back muscles hard.

Why
By only allowing you to work in one plane of movement these fixed resistance machines are foolproof and removing the risk of hurting yourself. And, although primarily used for back and biceps, this exercise forces you to tense your core while maintaining a flat back for a side order of six-pack abs.

Cable flys

How to
Attach stirrup handles to the high pulleys of a cable crossover machine. Take one in each hand – your arms should be outstretched with a slight bend at the elbow. Place one foot slightly forward, brace you core, and pull the handles slightly downward and across your body until your hands meet, then slowly return to the start position.

Why
Before you go rushing into chest-and-shoulder builders like the inverted bench press, you need to strengthen your ligaments and tendons and create a platform from which to build without the risk of injury. Take advantage of the cables wide range of movement to focus on the little guys, not just your pecs.

Face pulls

How to
Stand opposite a high pulley column with the handle attached at eye level. Grab it and exhale as you pull the weight directly towards your face, focusing on bringing your shoulder blades together. For perfect form, ensure your upper arms are parallel to the ground.

Why
Pecs look good but the muscles you use in day-to-day life, and on the sports field, are in your back. This moves hit right down the middle can easily be modified with a wider grip handle to work your lats. Go heavy; ripping a light weight towards your face at full strength has bloody nose and bruised ego written all over it.

Bulgarian split squat

How to
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand facing away from a bench with one leg resting on it, laces down. Squat down with your standing leg until the knee of your trailing leg almost touches the floor. Push up through your front foot to return to the start position.

Why
Don’t be tricked into sitting on the leg press/curl machine. When it comes to working your lower body you want well-balanced strength and muscle gains. Huge quads and puny hamstrings will come back to haunt you with a nasty injury at your next 5-a-saide. This move works your whole leg through a huge range of motion hitting the maximum muscle fibres.

Weighted ab curl

How to
Attach a rope to a high pulley and kneel in front of it, with the handles held either side of your neck. Without moving your hips, contract your abs to bring your elbows to your thighs. Pause for a moment then slowly return to the starting position.