Ey up,
January gyms are an absolute carnage.
PureGym especially, so if you go to one my thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time 🙏
🥲 Every machine taken.
🙃 Three lads “working in” on one bench but somehow still taking 20 minutes each.
😵💫 People supersetting six exercises like they’ve got the whole place booked out.
If we’re honest, most of these people won’t still be in the gym come mid-feb.
This cycle happens every year.
I’m all for people prioritising their health and fitness goals, after all, January is one of the busiest times for me to meet new clients.
BUT I would be lying if I said that the chaos of gyms in January isn’t a LOT.
Whether you’re already well into your fitness journey or just starting out (hello to all the new newsletter subscribers, great to have you here 👋), one thing is true:
People don’t fail their New Year goals because they’re lazy.
They fail because they refuse to ADAPT to the environment.
So if you are put off going to the gym this month because of how busy it is, here’s advice I give to all my clients (and now to you for free 👀):
1. If you can train in the morning, do it
This one’s boring. It’s also undefeated.
✅ AM gyms are efficient.
❌ PM gyms are feral.
If work allows, even one or two morning sessions a week will:
cut waiting time
reduce stress
make your sessions tighter
Everyone who is in the gym in the morning has the same goal:
Get in. Get done. Get out.
They’ve got work to get to, so they’re not wasting time socialising or doom-scrolling between sets.
2. Stop bouncing round the gym like a lost toddler
Busy gyms punish poor structure.
If you’ve got:
2 dumbbell exercises
2 barbell lifts
some machines
Group 👏 them 👏 together 👏
Don’t:
DB press → leg curl → squat → cables → back to DBs 🫠
That’s how you spend half your workout walking, waiting, and getting pissed off.
Group things. Create flow. Move with intent.
3. Have substitutions ready BEFORE you need them
Standing there staring at a busy gym thinking “erm… what now?” is how momentum dies.
You should already know:
If the leg press is taken → what’s next?
If cables are rammed → what’s your swap?
If all racks are full → what still gets the job done?
All my clients have substitution lists for every exercise.
Not because I encourage changing your session up every week (I don’t), but because busy gyms don’t reward winging it.
4. Ask to work in. Seriously.
This is always the funniest one.
People would rather:
skip an exercise
change their whole session
or actually leave
…than ask “how many sets you got left?”
Most people are sound.
Nobody thinks you’re rude.
And if someone is a bellend 🤷♂ fine, move on.
But don’t let social awkwardness ruin your session.
5. Shorter sessions. Less scrolling. More intent
If your session is taking two hours in January, something’s wrong.
Get in.
Train properly.
Get out.
Busy gyms don’t suit:
endless phone scrolling
chatting between sets
aimless workouts
They suit people who know what they’re doing. So stop scrolling instagram between every set.
January gyms aren’t the problem.
Expecting your usual routine to work in a completely different environment is.
Adapt for a few weeks.
Lower friction.
Be pragmatic.
Do that, and you’ll still be training in February while half the gym disappears 🤝
Cheers,
Sheep 🐏
P.S. This is exactly the stuff coaching fixes straight away: planning, substitutions, structure, expectations. Busy gym or not, you still progress. Book a free consultation call with me here