A GYM can be a scary place, especially if you are new or returning to it after a while. The rise of the chain gym means more and more people have access to fitness facilities all over the country. However with more people training in gyms, these can still be scary and lonely places. Rows of treadmills and exercisers with headphones in their ears and "don’t talk to me" facial expressions, can be detrimental for your own motivation.

Environment plays a big role on the results you gain from the gym. After all, if you are comfortable in your surroundings you will put more effort into the task at hand.

Starting a gym programme and being left to your own devices can sometimes lead to complacency. Six months down the line you may find yourself doing the same exercises, the same time on machines and the same weights and reps.

This complacency will undoubtedly lead to a plateau in your results and what once brought progress, now brings no change. Constantly changing your stimulus, can be the linchpin in improving the results you see in the mirror.

When training there are so many factors that affect your fitness improvement that focusing on one means you lose out on the benefits of the others. Rob Macdonald of Gym Jones in Salt Lake City compares improving your fitness to knobs on a soundboard. Turning up the cardio knob, for instance, means you are missing out on strength and muscle building, which – if you are interested in fat loss – is key to increasing your metabolism.

Setting yourself challenges to work towards allows you to train with a purpose. For example, completing a 500m row in less than two minutes mins, or pulling a deadlift with the same weight on the bar as your bodyweight, or 100 burpees in less than five minutes ... whatever the challenge, it should never be easily achieved. Challenging yourself means that once you achieve your goal, you will be spurred on to achieving new ones.

To really get the best out of your time in the gym, try to incorporate a variety of weight training, cardiovascular conditioning, circuits, high intensity training and low-intensity Cardio work all combined with good recovery techniques which are constantly changing in terms of each session you complete.

The biggest factor when completing your gym sessions will always come down to the environment you train in.

Training together with like-minded people spurs you on to greater results both in the gym and in every aspect of your life. I have trained people one on one and in small groups and large groups, and the group training always delivers increased results. Having taught spin classes for the better part of eight years, there is something inherently magical about a group of 30 people all training together and sharing the pain together. They push harder than they would if training alone and they spur each other on even if they are complete strangers.

This is the key element that we incorporate at our gym, Everyday Athlete, in the heart of Glasgow whether it's in our large conditioning classes that we are known for, or our mother and baby bootcamp where the mums can all train together. Environment is key.

Ask yourself: is the environment in the place where I train setting me up for success? If the answer is no and you constantly turn up to the gym and do the same routine and are left to your own devices, it's definitely time for a change. Don’t fall into the trap of doing the same thing day after day and still expecting different results. Instead take action and challenge yourself in new ways.

Instead of training alone why not ask a friend to join you on your sessions. Try a class you have never done before. If you constantly work on the cardiovascular machines, why not try your hand at strength training or circuits to bust through that plateau?

Ultimately your time is precious and needs to be spent efficiently getting the best results for your training efforts. To spur you on to new goals, why not grab a couple of friends and try the challenge below.

Set a new challenge

Warm-up

Five minutes CV at a light pace

Then: set up a clock for 20 minutes and complete as many rounds of the following as you can within the 20-minute time frame:

Complete 10 reps of each exercise below to complete 1 round

Squats (bodyweight or weighted)

Pushups

Box jumps (choose a height of box you can jump but is challenging)

Inverted row (using TRX or suspension straps)

Sit-ups

Lunges (per leg)

Burpees

Take recovery when needed but aim to get as many rounds as possible within the 20 mins.

Record the no. of rounds you and your friends complete and over the course of four weeks aim to repeat this session and increase the number of rounds achieved

Rest five minutes before completing the cardiovascular finisher below.

Complete a 500m row for time. Set up the rower to a 500m distance, then row this as fast as you feel you are able to. Once complete, record the time taken and each week you complete this, aim to decrease the time taken to row 500m.

If you would like help breaking through your own training plateau or with any aspect of your fitness goals, why not get in touch at info@everydayathletegym.com or check out our Group classes at www.everydayathletegym.com.