New to the gym? Don't match the pace of the person next to you

In a video on the Powerexplosive YouTube channel (March 2019) about the best routine for gym beginners, Spanish strength coach David Marchante, a sports science graduate, spends a minute on something that has little to do with sets or exercises. In that video, Marchante tells beginners:

"tienes que tener mucho cuidado con quién entrenas en el gimnasio"

(Our translation: "you have to be very careful who you train with at the gym.")

David Marchante, Powerexplosive, 2019

The video opens with a promotion for the channel's paid subscription; nothing here depends on it.

Why the person next to you matters

Marchante's reasoning is simple. When you're new, it's natural to stick close to someone with far more experience. That can help, as long as the person knows what they're doing, because you pick up some things right. The risk is that they hand you more exercises and more load than you're ready for. And so as not to fall behind, Marchante says, beginners try to do as much as possible, or to keep up with the other person's pace. The coach's alternative: fit the session to how you are that day and to the experience you actually have.

This is a quieter version of a common way new routines end. The plan was sized for someone else, the sessions hurt more than they needed to, and the next one gets put off.

What the guidance says

US guidance explains why matching someone else's level is a poor bet. The risk of injury to bones, muscles and joints is directly related to the gap between your usual level of activity and a new one, and when two people do the same activity, the less fit one is more likely to be injured (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). The person beside you has already closed a gap you're just starting on.

The simplest guard is a measure that belongs to you. At a moderate pace you can still talk, but not sing (NHS, 2024). It moves as you get fitter, and it says nothing about what anyone else is lifting.

Soreness isn't a better guide. Being sore the next day mostly means your muscles aren't used to the work yet, and it doesn't tell you the session counted (Langan-Evans, Clark and Erskine, 2022).

How this fits the Build an exercise routine program

In the 1h Protocol to Build an Exercise Routine, feeling out of place or unsure what to do at the gym is its own pattern, the Wrong Room. It starts with writing exactly what you'll do and doing it where you're at ease, then offers ideas such as learning a few moves at home first, going with someone, or going at a quieter hour. The talk test in the chapter on what counts is your own scale, so it moves with you, not with anyone else. Four one-tap check-ins follow by email on days 1, 7, 14 and 30, if you're signed in. The first chapter is free.

Source: Powerexplosive, La mejor rutina para principiantes, 11 Mar 2019, at 3:06 Research: US Department of Health and Human Services, 2018 · NHS, 2024 · Langan-Evans, Clark and Erskine, 2022