What to do at the gym?

be_patient

So I did join a gym a while back but it's been 4 months or so and I have no idea what I'm doing still.
Would anyone be willing to write me up some things? I'm looking to primarily lose 10 kilos (slowly if necessary) and then secondarily reduce body fat.

I’m really wanting to change my workouts to early morning but half the time I don’t even go to gym because I don’t know what to do. My workouts have no structure and my staples are currently usually Bodypump once a week and a cardio group class 2 x a week. I know I need to get more weights in, and I’d really like to, except I don’t know what to.

Should I do workouts as total body resistance training and cardio or should I split into legs/back/chest/cardio? If it’s the latter I’d really appreciate if you could detail me a complete gym workout, specifically reps sets and weights. I know weights are personal but I’d like to get a basic idea. I’m under the impression I should build muscle in legs back and chest because they’re the biggest muscle groups and hence burn more body fat but correct me if I’m wrong.

I’m also more interested in hiit training for cardio so if you’ve got a good hiit (treadmill speeds appreciated! I max 17 kph but I don’t know if that’s enough and simultaneously I don’t want to fall on my face, which could hurt)

I have an intermediate fitness level if that helps…I’m quite “skinny fat” as of now but would definitely love to lift more.

I would totally appreciate complete weight lifting workouts to lose the weight/fat, and if you could tell me if I should separate into total body/cardio or legs/chest/back.

Sorry, long post but looking forward to getting some insight..

gotolam

Get the New Rules of Lifting for Women. That should get you started.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess-ebook/dp/B004IE9RGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397564220&sr=8-1&keywords=new+rule+of+lifting+for+women

It's well written, funny, and a good way to get started.

A couple other things:

1) Get to the gym. Your gym probably has trainers. Sign up with one of them for a few weeks and learn the basics. It may be expensive, but will be worth it to have someone show you how to do things correctly without hurting yourself.

2) Get to the gym. Don't use ignorance as a reason not to go. Ask folks that are lifting at your fitness level and I'm sure they'll be happy to discuss what they are doing with you. Don't be shy. Gym can be intimidating but that's all in your head. No one is going to make fun of you for wanting to start a program.

3) Get to the gym. Go to the circuit of machines and try them at very low weight settings. They're very simple to operate and usually have instructions posted. Don't hurt yourself but don't be a pansy about it either. You're looking for a weight setting that you can do repeatedly for 10-15 times at first. (This changes after you've gotten a weight program down, but for now, the repeated motion will help you. Also the light weight setting will ensure you don't hurt yourself).

Circuit machines aren't optimal, but good enough to get started. Start going through the circuit. Alternate between ones that do legs and ones that do upper body. Don't worry so much about optimizing your exercises. Doing this for a couple weeks will get you used to going and make you feel better about being there. Also, there's no shame in asking someone what they are doing and why (just don't do it while they're lifting).

4) Get to the gym. Don't worry about splits, supersets, reps, etc. Just start doing it and stop wandering around.

annieu613

I would recommend trying NRL4W if you want to start lifting. It's a great intro, and will give you a program to get you started. My favorite exercises are deadlifts, squats, pushups, planks, bicycle crunches, lunges, and lat pulldowns.

When I do intervals, I typically run for 1 minute at a speed where I get winded, and then recover for 1 minutes at a slow jog, but at an incline of 5 or so. I'll alternate between them for 15-20 minutes, and then jog with no incline for a few minutes to cool down. There are a bunch of interval workouts online, and they're all pretty similar. Basically kill yourself for 1-2 minutes and then recover for 1-2 minutes.

Also, if you do start lifting don't expect to lose weight. You're pretty thin now, and if you're adding muscle you will probably either stay the same weight or gain a little, even if you're losing fat. Don't get too caught up in watching the scale.

SezxyStef

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary


As for HIIT just google HIIT for treadmill.

asdowe13

Pick up heavy things, put down heavy things, repeat!

FoxyLifter

Pick up heavy things, put down heavy things, repeat!

Yes! Lift, lift lift!