Advice for a busy women in need of some gainz

CJ_Holmes

Look at your morning and evening routines and cut out most of the time you spend on social media or TV. You can do a lot in 3 good sessions per week- use a structured program so you aren't wasting time. Put time in your schedule right before or after class or work, don't waste your time with extra trips back and forth. Treat it like another class you can't miss rather than waiting for time to show up in your schedule. Focus on the big compound lifts- again, follow a program if you want results. Unless I'm in a very taxing session, I do something else during the rest, like planks or bicep curls. I don't know if this is advisable but it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing more in a short time. You probably don't need to shower after lifting- this is a real tip. Baby wipes and dry shampoo, heyo!

ritzvin

You can get a full basic workout down to less than 45 minutes with decent rest times if you can be at the gym at a non-busy time (allowing you to superset whatever you can and not have to wait for anything) and adjust the programming a bit. I follow similar to this: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/ (which is similar to Stronglifts- replaces a vertical pull for the extra squats), and add in some extra glute & hamstring work. Substituting in dumbbells for the arm work makes it a bit faster to run through as well (because of larger jumps in weight, you may have to adjust rep numbers rather than just weight); and doing 3 or 4 sets instead of 5.

This morning for me, for instance, was:

Set1: Squats (BB) / Rows (bent over, DBs)(4 sets of 6 - will up reps to 8 then 10 before upping weight again) / Abs (various)
Set2: Bench Press (dumbbells)(also 4 sets of 6 at new weight) / Leg curls (machine) or RDL / Back extensions
Set3: Machine Triceps Press (2 sets) / Hip abd, add machine (1 set)

Switching down to only 3 sets rather than 4, eliminating some of the extra stuff I added for glutes, hamstrings, abs, along with the 3rd superset of accessory stuff can get the time down further (especially at the beginning when you don't need as long a rest time between lifts).

and ditto what was said above about not wasting time on showering - it's weight-lifting in what is usually a climate controlled room.. not a half marathon in the hot sun.

geekyjock76

als1121 wrote: »

I’ll keep that in mind. So high intensity, lower reps, roughly 5 sets and more weight is the gist of it? How long should I rest between sets? Also what should my macro ratio be looking like daily? Should my protein intake be over 100g a day?

Programs like Stronglifts will tell you how many sets and reps to do as well as recommended load. Regardless of which program you pick, it doesn't take lots of volume - or hours - to achieve significant gains in muscle hypertrophy. Stronglifts is a testament to that.

Hypertrophy studies are aplenty and results have been consistent over the years. These are the general guidelines from research reviews:

*Exercise each muscle group 2-3 x a week (2 for beginners; 3 for experienced).
*Rep ranges from 6-12, or 8-10, to failure or near failure (aim between 75%-80% of your 1 rep max).
*Total reps of 30-60 per muscle group per session.
*Set progression from 1-2 for beginners; 3-6 for experienced lifters.
*Rest between sets: 1-3 minutes (closer to 1 minute if doing more reps/less % of your 1RM; closer to 3 minutes the less reps/greater % of your 1RM).
*Velocity between 1-2 seconds for each contraction phase (concentric and eccentric).

deputy_randolph

I got up at 530am to get to the gym by 615...lifted for an hour. Sometimes, that's just what you have to do to make it work. I find it a lot easier to lift at 630am instead of 430pm.

LiftHeavyThings27105

So,as you can see, lots of suggestions for you. Ultimately, find something that works for you.

Adherence is key, so find something that works for you and something that will continue to work for you.

Ultumately, it is your life and your health.... So whatever you decide to do then own it.

Since you do have access to a gym, consider Strong Lifts 5x5. The app for your Smart Phone makes it stupid simple to use.....just saying!

Three times a week would do you well. I have modified it a bit and do it four times a week but that is me!

Taje your time looking at the different programs and let one speak to you.

Do you have the link from mfp that has all the programs?

ijsantos2005

Get rid of all your friends and stop doing fun things. That frees up a lot of time! Worked for me.

Chieflrg

als1121 wrote: »

I’ll keep that in mind. So high intensity, lower reps, roughly 5 sets and more weight is the gist of it? How long should I rest between sets? Also what should my macro ratio be looking like daily? Should my protein intake be over 100g a day?

Three sets of five is more than enough stimulas if you are new to lifting and you will get you stronger faster than five sets of five if that is a goal. Once your lifts begin to stall then added sets would be reasonable.

Time needed to rest is dependant on your intensity relative to your experience as well as your conditioning to recover. Generally speaking squats/deads take longer to recover than bench or rows. Take the time you need to complete the next set. Knowing how long that is comes from experience.

If your protien source comes from meat and you being female, I would set your grams of protien relative to your body weight or just a tad over.

Fat about .4 × bw.

Carbs filler.

LiftHeavyThings27105

I see that someone has a sense of humor! I dont have any friends so I would have no problem doing that! But, we aren't talking about me. But, that might explain why I have the time for the gym! LOL!

And, yes - three sets will indeed help "more" in the beginning. As stated, when you start to stall in progress then move up to four / five sets.

Assuming that you are doing something like Strong Lifts 5x5 (or anything, really) you will find that the squats and dead lifts do indeed require a little more time for recovery than bench / ohp. And, not only talking about minutes between sets, but also between days. I find, even early in the program, that squats feel great and dead lifts (my most favorite lift of all time) do take a little bit out of me. But that is just me....a 50yo dude! The OP aint 50! Or a dude!