Routine at the gym !?

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krystalc1986
krystalc1986 Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started working out at the gym a little over 3 weeks ago and I have had some success with what my "regular" exercise routine is but I am looking for ways to change it up. I normally do 70 minutes on the elliptical (burning about 910 calories), strength training which consist of chest fly (10 reps 5 sets), and leg presses (160lbs 10 reps 8 sets), then I do 70 minutes on the treadmill (burning about 835 calories). What seems to work best for you!? Any advice.
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  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
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    Nice work on getting to the gym and getting in some good workouts! Are you doing everything you described in one session? Because that's quite a bit. Or are those divided into days?

    Maybe a bit more information on the days/times you go to the gym? And what are your fitness goals (are you looking to lose a certain amount of weight, or are you just trying to get into shape, develop the habit of working out regularly, build lean muscle, train for an event, etc.)?

    I'd be interested in hearing more, but regarding the strength training ... you may want to consider adding a few more exercises so that you can hit more of the major muscle groups. A lat pull down or seated row machine will help work your back. An overhead press or lateral raise machine will help work your shoulders. And if there's a chest press machine to partner with your chest fly, then that would be advantageous as well. And of course those guns need work too! :)

    So tell us more about what you're doing and we can try to provide some more feedback! :)
  • lesliev523
    lesliev523 Posts: 368 Member
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    Yes, please post more regarding your workout as well. So are you doing 140 min cardio in one day?

    This is my routine...

    Day one: Back and bicep day - appx 30-40 min- rest for about 15-20 minutes and then finish with 45 min on the elliptical
    Day two: Chest and tricep day - just like above
    Day three: Leg and shoulder day - sometimes some elliptical, but usually go home and walk the dogs on an extra long walk
    Day four: rest (but usually a 3 mile walk or hike with my dogs)

    Then repeat the above...
  • krystalc1986
    krystalc1986 Posts: 35 Member
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    Yes that is all in one day. I go to the gym a minimum of 4 days a week and that is pretty much the workout "routine" that I do. Although sometimes I will switch up the strength training in between the cardio and instead of the chest fly and the leg presses I will do free weights and that's normally every other day that I go to the gym. I'm burning an average of 1,486 calories every workout and my intake a day is somewhere in between 1,700-1,900 calories.

    My main goals are to lose a substantial amount of weight (170 lbs) , build muscle, and really just getting in the habit of going to the gym on a regular basis.
  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
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    The concern I have is that it's a lot of working out. It's more common practice for someone to do strength training and (steady-state) cardio on separate days. Different types of workout (anaerobic vs. aerobic). If you experience any physiological setbacks/issues, then this would be an area to consider. For example, Day 1 - Cardio, Day 2 - Strength Training, Day 3 - Rest, Day 4 - Cardio, Day 5 - Strength Training. Cardio days 45-60 minutes and Strength days 45 minutes (maybe put in 10 minutes of HIIT Cardio at the end?). You could divide your strength training into upper or lower, or do full body twice a week.

    However, if you're comfortable with your current program, then the only thing I would add is to expand your strength training a bit. Adding in squats/lunges would be a great way to build muscle and burn bodyfat (lower body strength training really gets the heart rate up, and free weights tend to this a bit better than machines like leg presses). If someone at the gym can show you deadlifts, that would be another good one. And what I said about shoulders and chest above still stands.

    Good luck with your program. I hope you find success!
  • mimipattih
    mimipattih Posts: 1
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    great info. thank you:
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
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    I don't know how you have the time to do all that 4 days a week!

    Sunday: Swim for 30 (working on getting that higher)
    Monday: 5x5 strength training,and long stretching session http://www.lundswingtsun.se/pdfwce/stronglifts5x5.pdf
    Tuesday: Elliptical for 30
    Wednesday: 5x5 strength training,and long stretching session
    Thursday: Swim for 30
    Friday: 5x5 strength training,and long stretching session
    Saturday: Elliptical for 30.

    When I do the elliptical I try to follow HIIT. Swimming I'm trying to get my self across the pool steadily for the 30 mins. I am just starting to add weight to my 5x5.

    I feel more inclined to go to the gym every day knowing it will be different from the surrounding days.
  • paigemulroe
    paigemulroe Posts: 144 Member
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    I try to mix it up, so that I don't get bored. I always start with an hour running on the treadmill but switch between endurance runs (where I run for at least 80 min. then), speed intervals, and hill intervals. After that I do either 30 minutes on the elliptical or cross trainer and then 30 min. either on the stationary bike or the stair master. After all of that I do 60 minutes of strength training. I end it all with 45 minutes of yoga, but I do that at home. Otherwise, I sometimes try to take different classes too; they are so fun!! I hope to start swimming more too.
  • jim9097
    jim9097 Posts: 341 Member
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    Variety is the key to life. While all of the things you listed are great; I would encourage anyone to try new things. Specifically, instead of just running on a treadmil; do sprint training on it once or twice a week. Add some more exercises to the lifting routine. Add some body weight work; such as, pushups, pullups, yoga, etc. I would just do a search for workouts or body weight workouts on Youtube, you can get many ideas.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    Maybe try adding some HIIT into your cardio? Also, try biking or take some classes at your gym if they work with your schedule.

    I really love the rower for core training too...and try to vary the strength training so I'm hitting different muscle groups each time and not just the same ones over and over. It sounds like you could cut back your cardio time by adding HIIT and try to branch out to some different machines for your strength...
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    strstd.com
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
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    That is a ton of cardio. I would go with heavy weights.

    You are probably much stronger than you realize and the addition of muscle will help you reach your goal faster.

    I did zero rest for 6 weeks and felt so strong and awesome. I really don't know why I changed back to a standard weight lifting routine of chest, back, shoulder, and 2 leg days on their days. I feel weaker because of it.

    I love weighted step ups for legs.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/zero-rest/

    You can find workouts at www.cutandjacked.com and www.bodybuilding.com

    I love www.urbanenergie.com for a break down of all the exercises (with instructions) for the different body parts.
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
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    Instead of looking for ways to "spice-up" your workout, or adding exercises to your weight training, the more sensible approach would be to pursue active progression.

    The fact that you mention you have a "regular" workout signals that it will become a "stagnant" workout at some point down the line. So, what I would advise is to start writing down your reps, sets, poundages, and increasing them over time. Ideally, every workout should result in an extra rep, an extra set, or increased weight...though the longer you've been working out the less realistic that will be. For someone just starting out, one good habit to establish is not doing the same 5 sets for 10 reps at the same weight every workout. Try 10 sets of 6 or 7 for total of 70 reps (20 more than 50, but over a longer time) or try to increase your working poundages.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    I benefited greatly from working with a trainer in the beginning. It got me doing things I had not though of.

    I start every weight session with core. Without a strong core nothing else works.
    I use mostly free weights. Only a couple machines and of those I use mostly cabled rather than fixed pivot.

    My hard core core routine is 35 or more sets total. I want to have solid rock hard abs to reveal when my BFP gets low enough :bigsmile:
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    I wouldn't do so much cardio each time.
  • WarriorReady
    WarriorReady Posts: 571 Member
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    Let me start off with saying awesome commitment! You are on the right track for a healthier you for sure! With that being said, I do believe you should cut back on some of that cardio. If you don't want to cut back on the cardio please consider eating more and make sure you get enough protein. My concern is that even though you are able to lose significantly now, it would be hard to maintain. If you could incorporate maybe a class and more strength training and less cardio I think you would be very happy with the results. Here is a sample of what I do each week:

    M - Body Combat (60 mins) + 30 mins Lower Body strength training
    T- Strength training (60-70 mins) Chest and back
    W - Body Combat (60 mins)
    Th - Lower Body Strength training (60-70 mins)
    F - Chest and back again (60-70 mins)

    Best of luck on your journey and congrats on making the decision for a healthier you!!! :happy: :drinker:
  • rick_po
    rick_po Posts: 449 Member
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    If it's working and you can do it, go for it. Like several other people have mentioned, that's a whole lotta exercise for one day.

    It is possible to over-train - I've done it myself. Do a little research on over-training to make sure you know the symptoms. If at some point you feel yourself getting weaker instead of stronger, you might want to scale back on the amount of exercise you're doing.

    One thing that will really benefit you is progressively increasing the intensity of your workouts over time. Harder cardio, heavier weights, longer on-times in your HIIT. Have a progression plan as part of your program. Something like: move up a level on the elliptical every 2 weeks; add 5 pounds to my leg press every week; add one second to my on-time and subtract one second from my off-time of my HIIT every week. You won't be able to progress like that forever, so you'll need to adjust eventually, but you don't want to reach a point of stasis..

    The progression will make your workouts harder. You'll still make good progress on your weight goals spending less time in the gym, so there's no shame in needing to cut back 30 minutes, or even more. Just keep the intensity up!

    Good luck and most of all, have fun!
  • akaivyleaf
    akaivyleaf Posts: 6
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    Right now my work out consists of lap swimming (I'm working on going from a half mile to a mile) and hitting the track/street for a 3 mile walk/run. I do that 4 out of 7 days a week. I want to get back to my weight lifting/cardio routine where I did 2 days of lifting (legs one day, chest,back, upper body another day) and 2 days of Elliptical/Arc Trainer/Stair master. The crunch machine was a constant (need one of those at home)!
  • krystalc1986
    krystalc1986 Posts: 35 Member
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    Thanks so much for all the input !!
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    I wouldn't waste so much time on that much cardio honestly. You really can get in a very decent workout in 1 hour.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Right now my work out consists of lap swimming (I'm working on going from a half mile to a mile)

    You'll be there in no time. Once you get to 1 mile, the second is even easier. I was "stuck" at 1 mile for years until I decided to push myself. In less than a month I went from 1 mile (36 laps) to 5km (110). Now the minimum I swim is 90 laps. My longest single swim is 6km (132 laps)
    Best part of swimming is i don't feel myself sweating. :bigsmile:

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