# Your first week on gym machines: a simple plan

> New to the gym? Machines are the friendliest place to start. Here's a week.

[Guides](https://nomae.com.au/guides) · 6 min read

Machines guide the movement for you, so you can learn to push and pull with control before you worry about balancing a barbell. Here's a simple first week.

## The plan

Two or three sessions, with at least a day between them. Each one is the same full-body routine:

MachineSetsRepsLeg press210 to 12Seated row210 to 12Chest press210 to 12Leg curl210 to 12Lat pulldown210 to 12Shoulder press1 to 210 to 12

Rest about two minutes between sets. The whole session takes 40 to 50 minutes.

## Picking the weight

Start light enough that 12 reps feel smooth. Stop the set when you think you have two or three good reps left. Next session, if all your sets felt easy, move the pin down one plate. Write down every weight so you know where you were.

## How each rep should feel

- About a second or two to lift, about two seconds to lower.
- Full range you can control, no bouncing at the bottom.
- Breathe out on the effort, in on the way back.
- Sore the next day is normal. Sharp pain isn't; stop and get it checked.

## Gym manners

Wipe the machine down after you. If someone's waiting, offer to swap sets with them. Put the pin back at a light weight. Nobody is watching you as closely as you think.

## After week one

Keep the same routine for a month. Try to add a rep or a plate each week on each machine. When it feels routine, read [progressive overload on machines](https://nomae.com.au/guides/progressive-overload-on-machines).

Where NOMAE fits

The NOMAE app helps plan and log training. On compatible weight stacks, the tracker sends movement data to the app for live rep counting.

[Order · A$199 to 4 November](https://nomae.com.au/tracker#launch)

[Will it fit my machines?](https://nomae.com.au/fit)

General information about training, not medical or personalised advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, check with a doctor or physiotherapist first.

## More guides

[**What is NOMAE? The gym machine rep tracker explained**: What the NOMAE gym tracker does, which machines it fits, the free iPhone app, prices and availability in Australia. · 3 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/what-is-nomae-gym-tracker)

[**Progressive overload on gym machines: a simple system**: Machines make getting stronger easy to measure, if you know what to change and when. · 5 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/progressive-overload-on-machines)

[**Rep speed: why the same weight moving faster means you're stronger**: Before the weight goes up, the speed does. Here's how to read it. · 5 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/rep-speed-and-strength)

[**How to set up a gym machine, and remember it next time**: Seat height and pad positions change every lift. Get them right once, then keep them. · 6 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/set-up-gym-machines)

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Source: https://nomae.com.au/guides/first-week-on-gym-machines
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Contact: hello@nomae.com.au