General workout help

smallforlife

Hello everyone,

Ive recently started going to the gym with the aim of losing at least 25 kg (I am currently 83 kg, and 157 cm). I am a vegan, and my diet is already very healthy, and i´m trying to limit my portions because I know I eat too much for each meal.

I choose not to stick with a specific program for each workout, because from lessons from the past I always seem to fail when I have a program to follow, which is why I need some general pointers to individualise my workout.

Some specific questions I have:

* If my muscles are sore from the workout the day before, should I focus on muscle groups that are not sore until the soreness is gone? I have read a lot of different information, some saying that if you workout the sore muscles you are not allowing the muscles to build, but rather continuing to break them down. If this is correct, does this also apply when my muscles are not sore after cardio warm-up?

* Is 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength training a good idea for each workout? Or should I do each every other day?

* I did very hard workouts for the past two days and today my body completely shut down by sleeping excessively during the day even with sufficient sleep the night before. Is this when I should listen to my body and take a day off to let it recover, or is this when I should push myself and do exercise?

* For strength training, should I do several exercises on each muscle group or just one and than move on to next?

Any general pointers will be very much appreciated!! I really need to increase my knowledge of how to train effectively, and I only get confused reading online which is why I am asking questions that applies to me.

Thank you so much for your time, and have a great day! (Or night?)

GauchoMark

the reason you are so confused is because, for every question you asked, the answer contains "it depends".

First of all, if you aren't going to stick with a "program", you at least need to make sure you are balancing your workout. Otherwise, we tend to work out the body parts that we LIKE to work out and we end neglecting the others.

* Sore muscles - I have found that I recover quickest if I work the sore muscles lightly. In other words, active rest. If your legs are sore from a heavy squat day, go for a long walk or jog. Whether your muscles get sore or not, they need time to recover from stress, be it weights or cardio. Also, make sure you are eating plenty of sodium and potassium to help prevent soreness.

* Cardio & Strength - Highly preferential and depends on your goals. I typically do both. My typical workout is 45 minutes of med-high intensity elliptical then a 1.5 hour full body weights routine about 3-4x a week. I find that the cardio gets me warmed up, plus my fitness goals are to be very balanced, healthy, & athletic, not to be a bodybuilder. If I wanted to bulk up, I'd cut back the cardio.

* Naps - If you are sleeping excessively, you probably need a break. Hit it hard the next day.

* Strength training - depends on the exercises. The rule of thumb is to do your big compound exercises first, work big muscles first, then move to smaller muscles and isolation exercises. However, once your muscle fails, working it further isn't going to result you much plus it increases your chances of hurting yourself. You might be able to change angles to work a different PART of the muscle, but working the same section of the muscle won't buy you much.

smallforlife

Thank you very much for your feedback! You are right, I need to make sure I am balancing my workout, which is also why I feel I need to know these little things so I know how to do exactly that.

What is you opinion of my goal of doing 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength? For strength I´ve been doing different kettle bell exercises (like the kettle bell swing, various arm exercises), lounges and squats, back exercises, a few different ab exercises to try to work out every section of the stomach and leg press. Does this sound sufficient in your view?

Another question, after doing 30 minutes of cardio, how important is it to have a high intensity when doing the strength workout? It is ok to "take more time" between the different exercises, or is it preferable to move to one thing to another quickly for best progress?

I appreciate your time

GauchoMark

I think 30 minutes for a strength routine sounds rushed. However, that is just my opinion, but I would have a hard time doing a couple of proper warm up sets then 2-3 higher intensity sets and still be able to get through more than maybe 2 exercises.

Kettle bells are great for certain things, but if you are using them for your entire workout, you may not be lifting heavy enough to really get good results. Also, they tend to be used for higher intensity movements and if your technique isn't perfect you end up using momentum to lift instead of your muscle throughout the range of motion.

This is solely my opinion, but here's what I would do if I were you - I would split your workouts into 2 types.

Type 1 - If you want to do kettle bells, make that your cardio workout using circuit training. It will be high intensity, short recovery intervals moving from one thing to another and hit your full body. You will be drenched in sweat if you do it right. This will give you a strength AND cardio session at the same time. Be sure you warm up and stretch a little before hand - maybe 10 minutes of low intensity on an ellitpical using arms.

Type 2 - On days you want to do a big steady state cardio session (aka 30-40 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical, etc.), ditch the kettle bells and do a traditional strength routine. Something like 5x5 would be perfect. Don't rush through it, rest between sets and focus on proper lifting technique.

Just alternate between then 2 types of routines and you should wind up very balanced.

esjones12

Mark definitely gave you great advice. It definitely depends on what your goals are. Make sure you are allowing your body to rest, and that you are eating enough to fuel the exercising you are doing. That could also be part of your napping issue.

We are the same gender and about the same age. My goals are very athletic based with workouts (I play soccer, do mud runs, etc). My workout routine include two days of free weight lifting which take at least an hour and I usually throw in a little cardio afterwards to help loosen up the muscles and prevent soreness the next day. Then I do cardio 3-4 days a week from an intense 30min to 60min for endurance. Rowing, cycling, treadmill, soccer games, a trail run. Sometimes I'll go to a yoga class or a "boot camp" style class. I find keeping it mixed up like this and having friends at the gym keeps me going and prevents boredom. I also work towards events like Spartan Races or triathlons to give me a goal.

I am also a fan of person trainers. They can be extremely helpful, will teach you proper form and workout habits. You can also get a personalized plan to help you reach your individual goals. I keep going to my PT because he shows me crazy exercises I wouldn't think I could do (but I can!) and pushes me past my limits. There are tons of videos and tutorials and workout plans online though too that you can browse.

galprincess

I would highly recommend 30 day shred as a beginner programme it balances and focuses on whole body and increases strength and stamina