Walking into a gym for the first time can feel like stumbling onto another planet. You’re surrounded by barbells gleaming under fluorescent lights, rows of ominous-looking machines, and sweaty people who all appear to know exactly what they’re doing. It’s intimidating and exciting, all at once. Whether you’re there to lose weight, build muscle, or simply stop feeling winded whenever you climb a flight of stairs, the same fundamental truths apply: you need a plan, you need discipline, and you need a dash of humor to keep you sane.

If there’s one rule that stands above all else, it’s the 80/20 Rule of Fitness—that success is 80% diet, 20% exercise. You can throw around dumbbells like a superhero, but if you’re downing fast food every night, you’ll see minimal progress. Your nutrition fuels everything you do: eat well, and your muscles repair themselves more efficiently; eat poorly, and you might as well be driving a sports car on fumes.

Then there’s the Code of Gym Etiquette, which, if you violate it, will turn you into that person everyone quietly avoids. Re-rack your weights, wipe down the bench after you drench it, and never—never—curl in the squat rack (unless you want to face the silently judging eyes of every veteran lifter). Above all, remember that most people are too focused on their own workout to care about yours. So focus on you—master the big compound lifts, warm up like you’re about to perform onstage, and track your progress so you can celebrate every PR. Because at the end of the day, it’s you vs. you. And once you learn to enjoy that challenge, the gym becomes more than a place to sweat; it becomes your personal proving ground.