Lost at the gym-help!!

gassenav

Hey guys. So I just had a baby 3 months ago and am looking to shed the last 10 lbs as well as significantly tone my body. Losing weight actually doesn't matter to me as much if I were to gain muscle and lose inches.

Now, I've got a few questions though. I typically am going to the gym 5 days a week (mon-fri) and have been doing light cardio and lifting a little here and there.

What muscle groups should I be working on together?
Is it ok to work out abs every other day or at least more than once a week?
Should I do cardio before or after lifting weights?

AllanMisner

So, assuming you know how to get home from your gym (joke on being lost at the gym), I’ll address the muscle gain thing.

Gaining muscle (especially for women) take some work and a focus on good nutrition. For women, I recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women or stronglifts. Both are good programs that get results. They take the guesswork out of how much and what lifts to do when.

Beyond that, you’ll want to make sure you fuel your body to do the hard work of lifting weights and provide enough protein to rebuild after you lift.

Cardio is less important (since you aren’t too interested in losing fat), but you should be able to work in some cardio on the days you don’t lift. Just make sure you getting enough rest. Rest takes two forms: Sleep and Days Off. Make sure you’re getting 7 - 9 hours (varies for each of us) of sleep per night. This is when your body does it’s best rebuilding and hormone management. You can do cardio and active rest, but every once in a while, just take a break (it can be a day and/or a full deload week).

Enjoy!