Gym anxiety: how to walk in knowing what you'll do

Gym anxiety is the uneasy, watched feeling some people get in a gym, and much of it comes from not knowing what to do next with people around. To ease it, write down exactly what you'll do before you go, practice the moves at home, choose a quieter hour or bring someone, and keep the plan the same for a few weeks while the place becomes familiar.

Filips described the old routine in a 2023 video, Why you always quit the gym (10:47 to 11:37). A bit of cardio that Filips hated. No weights, for fear that poor form would show and be embarrassing. Standing around awkwardly when someone was on the wanted machine, trying little things here and there, then going home. Then comes the one thing the video most wants to get across: "this is the magic of structured variety" (11:39). The more you know before you arrive, the better the workout, Filips says: "do not go to the gym not knowing what you're going to do" (11:39 to 12:07). The video is sponsored by an online coaching app, and the plan Filips followed came from it. A notebook does the same job.

The steps below add Andy Galpin, an exercise physiologist, on Huberman Lab Essentials, and a 2026 review paper on gym intimidation (Quinn, 2026). By the end you'll be able to write a first session that needs no decisions once you're through the door, and choose where, when and with whom you start. The eight-step grouping is ours.

Why the room feels harder than the workout

1. Name the feeling for what it is

Quinn's paper starts from a plain observation: many gym users feel fine, and some "feel anxious and intimidated there in the presence of other users." The paper calls it "an understandable response among some users to the power differentials of the gym environment." In everyday terms: when the people around you seem fitter, younger, more confident and sure of every machine, feeling exposed makes sense. The paper notes the feeling is more likely when you see yourself as unlike the group that seems to own the room.

It also keeps some people from starting. In a 2015 survey of Australian adults aged 25 to 54, 198 said they did little or no physical activity. Half of them named a lack of time, and 20.7%, about one in five, named a lack of confidence (Hoare et al., 2017). It was one survey in one country, with people picking from a list.

2. Notice what the feeling does to the next session

The feeling costs more than one uncomfortable hour. Summing up earlier studies, Quinn writes that "exercisers who felt more intimidated reported reduced duration, exertion, frequency, and adherence." The paper also points to theory on how we decide whether to exercise again: the gut forecast of how it will feel is built mostly from past sessions. An awkward visit makes the next one look worse before you've left the house. Our guide to enjoying exercise covers that forecast in more depth.

The hopeful part is in the same paper. Any theory of gym anxiety, Quinn writes, has to explain how "some people at first feel anxious in gym settings but less anxious with experience." Over time people learn the room, and learn that the people in it are unlikely to judge them. The steps below are ways to get through those first visits with less to feel unsure about.

Walk in knowing what you'll do

3. Write the session before you go

Filips compares going without a plan to shopping for a family of eight whose tastes you don't know: you don't know where to start, and it's draining (12:07 to 12:22). A written plan removes the moment of standing there deciding, which is the moment that feels most exposed.

Here's what that looks like in practice. One note on your phone, four lines:

1. Ten minutes on a bike or treadmill at a pace where you can talk but not sing.
2. Five slow sit-to-stands from a bench.
3. Five to ten wall press-ups.
4. A few minutes of gentle stretching on a mat. Then home.

The talking pace is the NHS's test for moderate effort: you "can still talk, but not sing" (NHS). The sit-to-stand and wall press-up come from the NHS's free strength exercises, which suggest building up slowly. Stop if anything hurts or you feel unwell.

If you're starting from very little, some people should talk to a doctor first: anyone with chest pain, pressure or fainting when active; a pounding, skipping or racing heart, dizziness or unusual breathlessness when active; a heart, kidney or metabolic condition; another long-term condition or symptoms you're unsure about; a doctor's advice to limit activity; or recent surgery, a heart event, an injury or illness. Check with a doctor first, then come back to your plan. If you're pregnant or recently gave birth, agree your choices with your midwife or doctor.

4. Keep the same moves for a few weeks

New moves mean new decisions and new chances to feel watched. Galpin's advice, from a conversation about strength training, is to hold your exercises steady: "a major mistake folks do make is they change your exercises entirely way too often" (16:12). Galpin suggests leaving them alone for about six weeks before changing anything. The reason given is about making progress you can measure. For a nervous starter there's a side effect: by the third visit, the list is familiar.

Keeping the moves the same for a few weeks is expert practice, not a tested rule. Galpin's episode is about building strength and muscle, so its sets and volumes go well beyond what a first-week plan needs. For a gentle start, see our guide to strength training for beginners.

5. Learn the moves at home first

Practicing at home means your first time doing a move isn't in front of strangers. The NHS has free home workout videos that work anywhere: ten-minute cardio and strengthening workouts and a warm-down, plus a longer nine-week plan. Its strength exercises use a solid chair and are written for people who haven't done much for a while.

Quinn's paper suggests gyms make learning easy and free: videos, wall posters, sessions with an instructor at no extra charge. If your gym offers something like that, it's worth using once you've tried the moves at home.

Change who's around, or where you go

6. Go with someone, or with a group at your level

Company changes the room. Quinn suggests exercising with a friend or a small group, or a partner at a similar level, so you're less outnumbered by the people who seem to own the place. A friend also makes you expected, so the slot is easier to keep.

In a Norwegian study of 250 novice members of 25 fitness clubs, about half were going regularly (at least twice a week) at three months, and just over a third at a year. Those who enjoyed exercise more, felt surer they'd stick to it, and had more support from friends and family were more likely to be going regularly (Gjestvang et al., 2021). That's an association in one study, and enjoyment came first.

Groups work outside the gym too. A review of 19 studies with 4,572 people found that walking groups helped people be more active, and groups led by volunteers did as well as those led by professionals. The weaker studies showed bigger effects, so the true effect is likely smaller than the headline (Kassavou et al., 2013).

7. Pick a quieter hour, and a place in the room

Fewer people means fewer eyes, and the place gets familiar while it's calm. If your gym is quiet mid-morning or late evening and that fits your week, start there; our guide to the best time to work out helps you pick a slot you'll keep. Begin in the corner that feels easiest, often the stretching mats or the machines you already know.

Quinn also lists smaller things people use: headphones, to shut out what's going on around you, and choosing a gym where you feel less out of place. In one study the paper describes, young women found a women-only section of a mixed gym gave them comfort and confidence, though it also limited where they felt they could train.

8. Or start somewhere you're at ease

A session at home or outdoors counts the same as one anywhere else: brisk walking, riding a bike and dancing are all on the NHS list of moderate activities. Treat home as practice for the room if you want to go back to it, or as your routine if you don't.

Plan for the crowded day too. You arrive, it's full, and the old feeling is back before you've started. Do the first thing on your list, then the next. If the room really is too much that day, a short version at home still counts. Our pillar guide on how to make exercise a habit shows how to set one up.

Back to the first session

Filips describes panicking a little at the first structured exercise list, never having done anything so organized, and then having the best session yet (12:22 to 12:37). With the list in hand, there was nothing left to decide once inside. Write your four lines tonight. As Filips put it: "this is the magic of structured variety."

To build this around your own week, try the 1h Protocol to Build an Exercise Routine, a program of practical education. Its free first chapter starts with a quick check, finds the pattern your last try followed, and gives you one first step. One of those patterns is the Wrong Room, for anyone who felt out of place or unsure what to do, and its first step is to write exactly what you'll do and do it where you're at ease. The full program takes about an hour: why your last try stopped, what counts (including a short version for bad days), one session planned from your slot to the next, a plan for the slot after a miss, and your week. You leave with a page of your changes, a log that counts the week with planned skips, and reviews on days 7, 14 and 30 in your calendar. Four one-tap check-ins follow by email on days 1, 7, 14 and 30, if you're signed in. Start free

Frequently asked questions

Is gym anxiety normal, and does it go away?

Feeling uneasy around other gym users is an understandable response to the setting, a 2026 review paper argues, and for many people it eases with experience as the place and its people become familiar (Quinn, 2026). There's no reliable figure for how many people feel it. Planning what you'll do and going at a quieter hour help the familiar part come sooner.

What should I do on my first day at the gym?

Arrive with a written list: one warm-up at a talking pace, two or three moves you've practiced, a few minutes of stretching, then leave. Stop if anything hurts or you feel unwell. The NHS suggests speaking to your GP first if you haven't exercised for a while. WHO and US guidance say that for light to moderate activity, like brisk walking, that's generally not needed. If checking would put your mind at rest, do.

How do I know what exercises to do?

Start with moves you already know or can learn from a free video, such as the NHS strength exercises: sit-to-stands, wall press-ups and calf raises. Write them in order with how many of each, and keep the list the same for a few weeks. If your gym offers a free session with an instructor, use it to check your form.

Can I build the habit at home first?

Yes. A session at home counts, and the habit you're building is starting at your slot, wherever that happens. Free NHS home workout videos can be the whole session. Move to the gym later if you want to, with moves you already know.

Does going with someone help?

It can. In a study of 250 novice gym members in Norway, support from friends and family went with going regularly, after enjoyment and confidence (Gjestvang et al., 2021), and walking groups helped people be more active in a review of 19 studies (Kassavou et al., 2013). A friend also leaves you less outnumbered in the room.

Sources

This article draws on Elizabeth Filips's video on quitting the gym, Andy Galpin's interview on Huberman Lab Essentials, and the research and guidance listed below.

• Elizabeth Filips, Why you always quit the gym (YouTube video, 2023; sponsored by an online coaching app)
• Optimal protocols to build strength and grow muscles, with Dr Andy Galpin (podcast episode, Huberman Lab Essentials, 2026)
• Quinn, Understanding social gym intimidation and anxiety using the power-threat-meaning framework (theory and review paper, 2026)
• Hoare et al, Exploring motivation and barriers to physical activity among active and inactive Australian adults (cross-sectional survey, 894 Australians aged 25 to 54, 198 of them inactive, 2017)
• Gjestvang et al, What makes individuals stick to their exercise regime? (cohort study, 250 novice members of 25 Norwegian fitness clubs, one year, 2021)
• Kassavou, Turner & French, Do interventions to promote walking in groups increase physical activity? (meta-analysis, 19 studies, 4,572 people, 2013)
• NHS Better Health, Home workout videos (free videos, 2026)
• NHS, Strength exercises (free routine, 2024)
• NHS, Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64 (public health guidance, 2024)
• WHO, Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (guideline, 2020)
• US Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition (guideline, 2018)