What to do once i get to the gym

mommyofX2

So far I am doing zumba at home and I am enjoying it but I will not do it on the weekends when my bf is home. (Hes a joker and he will say something not intending to hurt me but it will) i am doing 1 hour Monday, Wednesday, Friday and 40 minutes Tuesday,Thursday. On the weekend I wanna try and go to the gym as well. Im wondering if cardio would just be okay or what else should I do. I do wanna start doing a kettle bell work out but I havent decided if Im just going to buy one yet or do it at the gym. thanks

6spdeg

some type of weight program is primary over cardio any day.

supermodelchic

Start with weighlifting, the best body sculpting thing a woman can do for herself, muscle is sexy!!

ellew70

So far I am doing zumba at home and I am enjoying it but I will not do it on the weekends when my bf is home. (Hes a joker and he will say something not intending to hurt me but it will) i am doing 1 hour Monday, Wednesday, Friday and 40 minutes Tuesday,Thursday. On the weekend I wanna try and go to the gym as well. Im wondering if cardio would just be okay or what else should I do. I do wanna start doing a kettle bell work out but I havent decided if Im just going to buy one yet or do it at the gym. thanks

Are you new to your gym? A lot of times you can schedule a free tour or intro with the gym and they can introduce you to the weight equipment if you are new to it.

Kettlebells are fun but they require proper form to do correctly - I actually helped my personal trainer as he went through certification. I personally wouldn't start doing it without taking a class or having some instruction, but once you have that, its great! One warning though, kettlebells can be rough of you have carpal tunnel or other problems with your wrists.

mommyofX2

its just a rec center gym, i dont want to start a membership unless i am going to go more then 2 times a week. I am going to look into the kettle bell thing a lot more be I purchase my own. I am afraid of using the machines but I guess I have to start some where=) thanks everyone

ChrisLindsay9

Does your rec center offer kettlebell classes? And if so, can you take a class without having to get a membership? If you have the budget, a kettlebell class or trainer, would be money well worth invested. And there's a kettlebell group here that might be able to provide some support. Whatever you decide, hope you find something fun that helps you reach your fitness goals!

Briargrey

I would suggest starting with what will make YOU successful and wanting to keep doing it. For me, I knew that was with cardio only. I did 5 weeks going 3x/week and only doing the treadmill. Then I started making myself do the elliptical sometimes too so I could switch it up. I also added in days until I was up to 5-6 days/week (the Y here is closed on Sundays until October or else I'd go Sunday too). I set my goal at 3x/week, 30m/session, and everything else is gravy, so if I have a bad week, I still meet my minimum goal. I switch up what I'm doing on the machines (one day super easy, one day fast, one day a blend of all things, one day with major 'hills', etc and so on) and I adapt depending on how I am feeling too. Last week I skipped a day because I had driven 500 miles, had 10 hours worth of meetings, and when I got back to the hotel, I couldn't bring myself to work out. I was mentally exhausted. Because I'd hit my goal, I didn't browbeat myself about skipping a day.

I do feel that strength training is an integral part of all this, but for me, I knew starting with cardio was what would work best for my goals. Now, I'm 3 months in, going 5-6 days per week, I can walk around my airports without getting winded, and I've lost 33 pounds with a crapton more to go. Today, I started adding in strength machines, and I formulated my plan for that. At some point, I'm sure I'll switch to free weights. But I know me -- if I did that right now, I would just get self-conscious and stop doing it. So I'm going to get used to doing weights again by using the machines for awhile. If I hit plateaus, I plan on shaking it up with 30-day shred or something like that, just to switch it up. My kids also convinced me to do a zombie run in August, so I need to start adding in some running/walking off the treadmill too. Variety and moving. Just getting started is the hardest. You can do it!

Honestly, while you can argue which is best -- I think it still comes down to what will get you moving and keep you moving, and that is a very personal decision. The moving is the most important! If you do start with kettlebell or weights, etc, and if you aren't used to doing them, please find someone to help show you the right moves and positions. Some exercises can really mess with you if done wrong!

mommyofX2

I would suggest starting with what will make YOU successful and wanting to keep doing it. For me, I knew that was with cardio only. I did 5 weeks going 3x/week and only doing the treadmill. Then I started making myself do the elliptical sometimes too so I could switch it up. I also added in days until I was up to 5-6 days/week (the Y here is closed on Sundays until October or else I'd go Sunday too). I set my goal at 3x/week, 30m/session, and everything else is gravy, so if I have a bad week, I still meet my minimum goal. I switch up what I'm doing on the machines (one day super easy, one day fast, one day a blend of all things, one day with major 'hills', etc and so on) and I adapt depending on how I am feeling too. Last week I skipped a day because I had driven 500 miles, had 10 hours worth of meetings, and when I got back to the hotel, I couldn't bring myself to work out. I was mentally exhausted. Because I'd hit my goal, I didn't browbeat myself about skipping a day.

I do feel that strength training is an integral part of all this, but for me, I knew starting with cardio was what would work best for my goals. Now, I'm 3 months in, going 5-6 days per week, I can walk around my airports without getting winded, and I've lost 33 pounds with a crapton more to go. Today, I started adding in strength machines, and I formulated my plan for that. At some point, I'm sure I'll switch to free weights. But I know me -- if I did that right now, I would just get self-conscious and stop doing it. So I'm going to get used to doing weights again by using the machines for awhile. If I hit plateaus, I plan on shaking it up with 30-day shred or something like that, just to switch it up. My kids also convinced me to do a zombie run in August, so I need to start adding in some running/walking off the treadmill too. Variety and moving. Just getting started is the hardest. You can do it!

Honestly, while you can argue which is best -- I think it still comes down to what will get you moving and keep you moving, and that is a very personal decision. The moving is the most important! If you do start with kettlebell or weights, etc, and if you aren't used to doing them, please find someone to help show you the right moves and positions. Some exercises can really mess with you if done wrong!

thank you for that, it makes me feel a lot better i was worried about going to the gym and just doing cardio but i think just to get me started and comfortable going thats what I am going to do. I am going to write down my goals today for what my week should look like. Thanks again