Newbie at the gym

ShannonMpls

brightresolve wrote: »

That said, cardio burns calories and if getting your weight down is a priority, you might want to consider a higher mix of cardio for a while - just because weight down equals pressure off knees and more freedom to do certain strength exercises.

Just as an opposing viewpoint - I starting lifting weights when I weighed more than 300 pounds. I lifted religiously three hours a week, with cardio 90-120 minutes a week. If I skipped a session, it was cardio, never weights.

I lost weight crazy steadily and - bonus! - I kept a good deal of muscle.

Now, 130 pounds of excess weight gone, I'm 2.5 years into maintaining. I'm so so so glad I had a trainer at the beginning who steered me away from cardio and into weights. I got hooked on lifting, I really like how my body looks, I'm strong and confident, and I maintain with minimal effort.

Cardio definitely has a place when you have a lot of weight to lose, but don't underestimate the calorie-torching effect of heavy weight lifting.

LazyFoodie

I've gone to Bodypump with about 4 different instructors and while I think the class is a fun workout, I would not rely on it to teach good form. Maybe there are amazing instructors out there but the judging from the classes I went to, most are not going to correct you unless you do something crazy wrong. It's just not possible to look at everyone and have time to correct everybody in a 35 people class while you are leading a class. Plus lifting 20 lbs for 100 reps is just not the same as lifting 80 for 5. You will have to learn a lot more technique if you are lifting heavy.

4thDegreeKnight

This is how I approached it when I started doing the same thing - This was with the help of my trainer. It worked for me, take it with a grain of salt, and know I am no expert. I was like you, I am in my late 30's and considered obese.

When I do strength training, I work in groups.
Day 1 - Legs
Day 2 - Back, Biceps, and Abs
Day 3 - Chest, Shoulder and Triceps

When I just started, like day one, I did one exercise for each area. This means on Legs, I may have done only lunges. On Back, Biceps, and Abs I would do pulldowns, running curls, and crunches. I would do each group, one day a week, over a week (3 day commitment) after a 20 min cardio workout (like treadmill or elliptical).

If I did work in sets and reps it was a progression:
3 Sets of 10 reps, if I was comfortable move to ...
3 Sets of 12 reps, if I was comfortable move to ...
3 sets of 15 reps, if I was comfortable move to ..
4 sets of 10-15 reps or failure. If comfortable, bump weight and start at the beginning again.

If I had anything that used a straight olympic bar, I always started without plates. If I started with free-weights, I started at 8-10lbs. If I was sore the next day, I was at a good weight. If not, I bumped up slightly next time.

As I progressed, I would sometimes do two exercises per body part (so a total of six on some days). But even then, I may only do two exercises for chest (and area I want to improve) and one each of shoulders and triceps if I am in a time crunch.

A sample of my first workouts with no experience:
Legs:
3 sets of 10 - Lunges per Leg
3 Sets of 10 - Ball Squats (put a exercise between your back and a wall, and squat down)
3 sets of 10 - Calf Raises

Back, Biceps, Abs
3 sets of 10 - Wide Grip Pulldowns on a Machine
3 Sets of 10 - Running Curls
3 Sets of 10 - Crunches

Chest, Shoulder, and Triceps
3 sets of 10 - Push Ups at a 45 Degree Angle (like against a weight bench or table)
3 sets of 10 - Plate Rotations (grab a 10lb weight plate like a steering wheel, rotate your arms left, back behind you head as best as you can, and back around to starting position)
3 sets of 10 - Rope Pulldowns (on a machine).


Then you get creative. Find other exercises that do the same thing. You did ball squats last week, look at the machine that you sit and push out with your feet in a squatting position. Did push ups last week, try the chest press machine.

As for ideas on exercises - there are a ton of phone apps as well as websites. Just type "leg gym exercise" or something similar and watch a video. Now that you know what groups to work and to only do one exercise per body part - have fun interchanging the exercises.

My goal is to do 20 minutes of cardio with 30-40 minutes of strength training 3 times a week (M W F). Then I try to do a 45 min cardio day on T or Thu. But in the past I have done just the 3 days a week and had progress.

My trainer also told me that there is a law of diminishing returns after an hour. You do make progress, but it's not nearly as much, especially in cardio work.

Hopefully this will give you something to start with. Hope it helps. Feel free to ask if there is anything else I can do.

4thDegreeKnight

Oh, as a side note. If you do strength training. Try to increase your protein to help you recover. Even if this is eating two slices of lunchmeat when you snack on some fruit. Another good option is a protein mix that doesn't taste horrible. Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein tastes like a milkshake and you can buy a jug of it at wal-mart for 15-18.00. Drink 8-16 ounces of 2% milk (or almond milk) with 1-2 scoops. Your body will need the protein to repair itself. You get bonus points if you drink it within 20 minutes of your workout.

The other benefit? As you add muscle, you burn more calories by just sitting there. Its a win/win.

Also feel free to friend me, and you can see my food diary. That may help as well. (if you ignore the odd cheat day or two).

mishelnkiki1

ShannonMpls wrote: »

Does your gym have classes? If so, see if they have Body Pump on the schedule. It's not a class I personally take, but it will teach you tons of lifts (with good form, if you have a good instructor) using barbells. Then you can use those skills as a basis for moving onto the barbells in the weight room with a program like Starting Strength or Stronglifts.

A lot of people really like New Rules of Lifting for Women too.

Body pump is an AMAZING class! And u can start out very light or no weight the first few times until u get a feel for it. If your gym offers it, I highly recommend trying it!

stevesgirl824

4thDegreeKnight wrote: »

This is how I approached it when I started doing the same thing - This was with the help of my trainer. It worked for me, take it with a grain of salt, and know I am no expert. I was like you, I am in my late 30's and considered obese.

When I do strength training, I work in groups.
Day 1 - Legs
Day 2 - Back, Biceps, and Abs
Day 3 - Chest, Shoulder and Triceps

When I just started, like day one, I did one exercise for each area. This means on Legs, I may have done only lunges. On Back, Biceps, and Abs I would do pulldowns, running curls, and crunches. I would do each group, one day a week, over a week (3 day commitment) after a 20 min cardio workout (like treadmill or elliptical).

If I did work in sets and reps it was a progression:
3 Sets of 10 reps, if I was comfortable move to ...
3 Sets of 12 reps, if I was comfortable move to ...
3 sets of 15 reps, if I was comfortable move to ..
4 sets of 10-15 reps or failure. If comfortable, bump weight and start at the beginning again.

If I had anything that used a straight olympic bar, I always started without plates. If I started with free-weights, I started at 8-10lbs. If I was sore the next day, I was at a good weight. If not, I bumped up slightly next time.

As I progressed, I would sometimes do two exercises per body part (so a total of six on some days). But even then, I may only do two exercises for chest (and area I want to improve) and one each of shoulders and triceps if I am in a time crunch.

A sample of my first workouts with no experience:
Legs:
3 sets of 10 - Lunges per Leg
3 Sets of 10 - Ball Squats (put a exercise between your back and a wall, and squat down)
3 sets of 10 - Calf Raises

Back, Biceps, Abs
3 sets of 10 - Wide Grip Pulldowns on a Machine
3 Sets of 10 - Running Curls
3 Sets of 10 - Crunches

Chest, Shoulder, and Triceps
3 sets of 10 - Push Ups at a 45 Degree Angle (like against a weight bench or table)
3 sets of 10 - Plate Rotations (grab a 10lb weight plate like a steering wheel, rotate your arms left, back behind you head as best as you can, and back around to starting position)
3 sets of 10 - Rope Pulldowns (on a machine).


Then you get creative. Find other exercises that do the same thing. You did ball squats last week, look at the machine that you sit and push out with your feet in a squatting position. Did push ups last week, try the chest press machine.

As for ideas on exercises - there are a ton of phone apps as well as websites. Just type "leg gym exercise" or something similar and watch a video. Now that you know what groups to work and to only do one exercise per body part - have fun interchanging the exercises.

My goal is to do 20 minutes of cardio with 30-40 minutes of strength training 3 times a week (M W F). Then I try to do a 45 min cardio day on T or Thu. But in the past I have done just the 3 days a week and had progress.

My trainer also told me that there is a law of diminishing returns after an hour. You do make progress, but it's not nearly as much, especially in cardio work.

Hopefully this will give you something to start with. Hope it helps. Feel free to ask if there is anything else I can do.

Oh my goodness! Your little sample workouts were just what I needed. Thank you for the advice!

stevesgirl824

mishelnkiki1 wrote: »

ShannonMpls wrote: »

Does your gym have classes? If so, see if they have Body Pump on the schedule. It's not a class I personally take, but it will teach you tons of lifts (with good form, if you have a good instructor) using barbells. Then you can use those skills as a basis for moving onto the barbells in the weight room with a program like Starting Strength or Stronglifts.

A lot of people really like New Rules of Lifting for Women too.

Body pump is an AMAZING class! And u can start out very light or no weight the first few times until u get a feel for it. If your gym offers it, I highly recommend trying it!

I think it does! I may give it a shot.

stevesgirl824

Thank you, everyone for the book and website recommendations. I will do some research and have a better plan.