Tip #6: Expect Setbacks

The only thing worse than something going wrong is something going wrong and catching you off-guard. The surprise makes it so much more painful.

With this in mind, expect things to go wrong and expect things to go wrong in a precise way. Define the worst-case scenario and ask yourself: “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Get out a pen and paper and write down your scariest, gym-based nightmares. Do you make a fool of yourself? Do you hurt yourself? Write it all down.

When these fears are sitting right in front of you, two things happen:

*The most extreme ones start appearing at least a little silly.
*The less extreme ones become more real but easier to deal with.
If, for instance, you make a fool of yourself in front of other people, leave the gym. Or move to a different section. You’ll feel awkward for a moment but it’s not hard to plan an escape route.

And if you’re worried about hurting yourself, spend more time studying how to train before stepping into a gym. So many injuries come from simple ignorance rather that the method of training actually being dangerous.