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Autism and the gym

Billy87

I am currently training to be a personal trainer and it has really occured to me that when I start up I want to work with other autistic people like me, some of whom might by reluctant or overwhelmed about going to the gym and other similar places. 
Personally, I have always struggled with the gym, I can find it an intimidating place, loud music (usually painfully bad RnB, not like it's anything decent like a bit of punk rock), posers, guys with way better bodies than mine etc. It's often put me off getting fit. 
Fortunatley, now I have found a gym I am comfortable in and really enjoy going to but its taken me many years. 

I just wanted to know other people's experiences of gyms and fitness in general so I can have an idea how I can help other autistic people like me when I'm qualified 

  • I love this post !! I’m an autistic person who finds the gym to be an amazing coping mechanism. However, this hasn’t always been the case and it was a struggle to incorporate it into my routine and I still struggle to be consistent with it especially since I moved areas and consequently to a new gym. 

    What made me more comfortable with accessing the gym and growing to love it was making sure I adapated it to suit my needs. For me this looked like: using noise cancelling headphones, going at quieter times and planning  my workouts in advance. These things made the gym less overwhelming for me. So, I guess what I would recommend is just asking the individual if they have any worries about the gym and thinking of things to put in place to get around these obstacles. 

    I hope this little bit of advice was useful. The gym has genuinely had such a positive impact on my life and mental health. I find it a great way to process my emotions and regulate myself after an overwhelming day. However, I do struggle to go consistently when I feel down so I think it’s great that you’re interested in how you can support autistic people with accessing the gym.

    All the best :) 

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