Is there anything worse than being a die-hard gym “regular” showing up on a “regular” day for your “regular” workout only to realize the gym has been taken over by newbies, and there doesn’t seem to be one single machine available that you need? I know this can be frustrating, but try to remember these are people who are trying to make positive changes in their lives, and dealing with your obvious frustration isn’t making them feel any better about achieving their new fitness goals. Don’t you want to live in a world full of people who are healthier? For those of us who have been a gym rat for so long that we can’t even remember what it’s like to be one of those newbies starting out, trying to get on track with a healthier lifestyle… It is our job to be supportive and help motivate people to keep at it. But how do we keep up with our own goals when we only have one hour to work out and there aren’t any machines open!? I hear you. Here are three tips to help you survive the “resolutioners” until some of them drop out.

1. Free Weights: The use of free-weights is a great way to still get your complete workout done, without waiting for a half-hour at a time for people to get off the machine you need. You can work every muscle group you need to, and all you need is a couple dumbbells and a corner of the room big enough for you to lunge out in either direction. Don’t believe me? I’ve been doing total body workouts with free weights for years, and the longer I’ve been doing it, the more new and innovative ways I am able to come up with to work different muscle groups. Flys, presses, curls, squats, lunges, deadlifts, and the list goes on! If you want to get your heart rate up even more, try incorporating compound movements into your exercises. If your weight is heavy enough, you are able to get the same (and sometimes better) results than with machines.

2. Camp Out: No, I don’t mean sit down on a bench and sulk or stare down the person who jumped on your machine until they make eye contact and you can give them the, “That’s right I’m waiting” look. No need to be rude. What I mean by camping out is this: There are several machines at the gym where you can get a total body workout by using it in different ways. If you are patient and wait for these to open up, you can camp out on them until you have completed your entire workout. But be warned, you may have to deal with the same, “That’s right I’m waiting” looks from others. Here are two of my favorite examples:

A. The Cable Cross Machine: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this machine. You can use the cables to do chest pressses, bicep curls, tricep presses, lateral shoulder raises, cable squats, assisted one-legged squats, butt kickbacks, lunge step-outs, cable ab crunches, etc. There are even ways to do the same muscle group in various ways on this machine.

B. The Assisted Chin-Up Machine: Chin-ups in and of themselves work a variety of muscles. If you alternate your hand position, you are getting even more of a variety. On this machine, you can also do tricep dips, and work your legs and butt by doing push-downs. To work your abs, you can put the leg part down and turn around to do hanging crunches. Work all four of these into Supersets and you’ve got most of your workout done already.

These are only a couple examples, but you are a pro gym-rat by now right? Just think creatively and you can figure out how to use the machines in different ways than what the sticker shows.

3. Home Workouts: The last technique I will talk about when it comes to surviving the resolutioners appeals to some more than others. Home workouts are a fantastic way to fit an entire workout into a tight schedule without panicking because the gym is packed. If you’ve been working out for a while, you probably have a lot of what you need already. A pair of dumbbells, a resistance band, maybe a stability ball… If you don’t, these things are not expensive and can be found at WalMart. Not difficult to obtain. You know what you need to work on. You can achieve most of what you need to do by using these three items. If you’re not sure how, Google is your best friend, and YouTube is a close second. If you want a more tailored workout and need it quickly, that’s what I’m here for. You can contact me and we will figure out what you need together.

All things considered, the bottom line is that it’s already half-way through January and sadly, most of these people will drop off. Hang in there and you will have your gym back very soon.