Your first week: what to bring, how to book, who explains things

The first week decides whether you stay. Not because the training in it is hard, but because what exhausts a beginner is rarely the weight; it is the uncertainty. Where do I put my things, which machine do I start with, do I need to book, is it acceptable to ask. This page removes that uncertainty before you walk through the door, so your energy goes into the training rather than into guesswork.

Before day one: the induction

Do not start on your own. The induction is a short appointment with a coach who completes the physical readiness questionnaire with you, asks about previous injuries, medication and your goal, then takes your baseline measurements, walks you round the room and explains your first programme in the order you will perform it. Leave with a clear answer to three questions: what do I start with, how many repetitions and sets, and when do I increase. If you walk out without those answers, ask for them before you leave. That is your right, not a favour.

What goes in the bag

• Clean indoor training shoes rather than the pair you walked down the street in, with a firm sole that gives you stability.
• A small towel to lay on the equipment and wipe it down afterwards. On a gym floor that is manners, not fussiness.
• A water bottle filled before you begin; mild dehydration spoils your performance before you feel thirsty.
• A padlock for your locker if the lockers need one, and never leave a wallet or phone on the floor.
• Your membership code or something that proves your subscription at reception during your first visits.
• Your doctor's note if you have a cardiac or respiratory condition, a previous injury or a pregnancy, so your coach reads it before writing you a programme.

How to book a group class

Group classes and personal training are booked in advance because capacity is limited, and booking guarantees you a place instead of arriving to a full room. You choose the class and time from our timetable and book it, and a reminder reaches you twenty four hours before. If something comes up, cancellation is free with no deduction until twelve hours before the session. A late cancellation or a no show without notice counts as a used session from your pack, because the place was held in your name and denied to somebody else. That is not a punishment; it is fairness to the member who was waiting for a space.

Timing and lateness

Arrive ten minutes early: change, stow your things and catch the warm up from the start. Being more than fifteen minutes late may mean losing the place or rescheduling, particularly in a class whose warm up has begun, because joining a session already in progress without warming up is a risk we will not take on your behalf. Personal training runs from its scheduled time and is not extended, out of respect for the member booked after you.

How the coaches work

Our coaches are on the floor rather than in an office, and you are entitled to stop one and ask about a movement or the setting on a machine. That is part of the job, not an interruption to it. Each has a field they genuinely know: strength, general conditioning, group classes, or work with beginners, so ask reception who suits your goal if you want closer supervision. Be clear about the limit too. A coach is not a doctor or a clinical dietitian, and does not diagnose an injury, prescribe medication or adjust it. If you ever hear otherwise from anybody here, tell us.

A sensible first week

Do not start with five days. Start with two or three, with sessions shorter than you think you can manage, and with loads light enough that you master the movement before you add to it. Mild muscle soreness a day or two later is normal. Sharp joint pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness is not: stop at once and tell the nearest coach. The etiquette is simple as well. Put the weights back, wipe the machine down after you, respect somebody else's turn on it, and never film anyone without their permission.