Feeling comfortable in the weight room

Let's be honest... going into the weight room of any gym can be scary. Especially when everyone in there is some meathead looking guy or you are the only girl. I used to always worry that I would look completely ridiculous while working out and that people would laugh at me. But I overcame that by doing the tips below. Hopefully they help you out!

1. Have a plan: The key to navigating the weight room without feeling lost is to have a plan before you get there. Which muscles will you be working on? Do you need a bench? It helps to take a walk around the weight room and familiarize yourself with the equipment. You don't want to be that person who wanders around aimlessly, does a set of something on a machine that is completely purposeless and then quickly runs back to those trusty cardio machines. So PLAN :) ... this should be easy because I'm giving you my plan each week. So just follow it.
2. Be familiar with the proper form. I always feel comfortable when I know what a move is supposed to look like. I really suggest looking at videos online. Bodybuilding.com has a ton of them for every move that you can possibly imagine.
3. Wear something that you feel confident in. Confidence is really important in the weight room. If you look confident, no one will bug you and what you wear really plays into this. Make sure your outfit is covering enough that you aren't going to feel self conscious in it and it fits well enough that you don't have to make frequent adjustments to it. But other than that wear whatever you like. I personally like to see the muscles I'm working out so I usually wear a tank. And on leg days I always wear looser fitting bottoms or shorts. 
4. Find a workout buddy. Walking into a weight room won't seem nearly as intimidating if you've got a friend with you because you'll have someone to talk to and rely on. A buddy helps hold you accountable because if you know your friend is meeting you at the gym it's much harder for you to find an excuse to cancel. Plus, your buddy can help spot any form issues or teach you new exercises.
5. Plan B: Tune everyone out. This is what I do because most of the time I don't have a buddy with me. So put those head phones on and jam out to something that makes you feel bad ass. This helps you focus on your work out and play less attention to everyone else. You'll notice that the majority of people in the weight room do this because well ... most people don't really care what you are doing in there and are focused on themselves.