Have you already signed up, or are you just thinking about it?

Here are some tips if you haven't already signed up:

1) Go check out the gym during the time(s) you are most likely to be there, if you like to go after 5 pm on the weekdays (when a lot of people go) you want to make sure that you won't have to wait for a half-hour before you can use your equipment.

2) Check out the cleanliness and condition of the equipment. Are there a lot of "out of order" signs? Are there enough free weights for everyone in a wide range of sizes?

3) Location - is it going to be a pain in the neck to get there? Can you walk from home/work? How about sufficient parking? For many people, if it's too much trouble to go, that is all they need as an excuse NOT to go to the gym.

4) Amenities - is there an adequate locker room/showers? If not, are you willing to go home before cleaning up/changing? If you have children, is there day care on the premises - and if so, is it open at the times you would be there?

5) Staff - you already said there was no personal trainer on the premises. Will they permit you to have an outside trainer come in to work with you? Are there classes (step, Spinning, yoga, kickbox, etc) offered?

Now, as far as a beginner's program, it really depends on the equipment that's available to you. I wholeheartedly recommend the book "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips (you should be able to find it at your local library or pick it up at Barnes & Noble for around $15). Now, I know there are a few BFL "bashers" on this site that say basically it's all a marketing gimmick for EAS. I want to quote a guy on the www.leanandstrong.com forum named George - I couldn't have said this better:

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Nobody was a bigger skeptic than I. The first time I logged onto the BFL site and saw the transformations, I said out loud, "There's no way those people did that in 12 weeks!"

What you come to realize is that those are the champions out of thousands of entries. After 8 months, I still don't look like a transformation champion, but I have transformed myself for the better, and I continue to push forward, and that's what the program's really about.

There's no denying that the book serves as an incredible marketing vehicle for EAS. But there's also no denying that it's still a very good book. Don't make the mistake of confusing all the sales bull with the validity of the program.

By the way, I don't use any EAS products as a rule, but the ones I've tried (primarily the Myoplex shakes and various bars) I thought were pretty good. In fact, I think there are a lot of good products on the market by various companies.

Is this the right program for you? I'm convinced anyone--anyone--could get great results with it.
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Anyway, hope your gym works out! Take care.

Here is a link that might be useful: MrsJim's Homepage

get to the gym, and do cardio and weight training. trade off every other day if you have to. you should do cardio everyday, for a minimum of 45 minutes. jogging, running, biking, swimming, tae-bo, whatever, just do it. do weight training every other day, do not do every day. when your muscles "heal" from the workout is when they strengthen and get bigger. so there you have it. there are a thousand cardio and weight programs out there if you want, but if you belong to a gym they have cardio/weight classes there, generally for free. and remember to keep it up. they say if you do something for a month it becomes habit, so remember that!!!