WASHINGTON — It’s not January yet, but the January people are flooding area gyms again. Experts say if you’re one of them, be sure you know what you’re doing before you start working out.

“In January, you’ll definitely see an influx in traffic. Probably twice the usage,” says Josh Crane, general manager of Sport & Health in Frederick, Md.

He says people starting a new fitness regimen will get the most out of their workouts if they learn to use the equipment properly and if they learn the best way to achieve and measure their fitness goals.

“A lot of people use a scale to check their fitness goals, and it’s very possible to lose body fat percentage and maintain weight because you could actually gain 2 pounds of muscle and lose 2 pounds of fat and be the exact same weight,” Crane says.

If weight loss is your goal, Crane says many gym-goers have a common misconception.

“People think cardiovascular is the best way to lose weight, when in fact resistance training is actually the best way to lose weight,” he says.

He says one of his frustrations is when “someone comes in off the street who has fitness goals and doesn’t spend a lot of time using our programs as far as our fitness training and our group fitness exercise.”

Crane says 85 percent of Americans don’t exercise.

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