Mainly for women in the gym

ckay220

I was wondering, what is your gym routine? I try to incorporate HiiT cardio training, Strength training and abs..but I just wanted to know what's been working for you so I can try and tailor my routine & make it even better.

JoRocka

try starting strength
strong lifts
new rules of lifting for women
strong curves

program is a program,pick one that fits your goals
What is good for a man is good for a woman if their goals are the same.

Edit- I'm doing a Russian power lifting program- but I wouldn't recommend it.

But... I do recommend barbell training- see above.

tihi18

Since I finally starting lift I am seeing great results.

I do cardio twice a week(3 mile)
I lift 3 times a week, increasingly heavier and I do quick fast run for a mile twice a week after I lift.
I do abs twice a week.

AlliSteff

I've recently switched up my routine

Monday: kickboxing
Tuesday: Strong lifts follwoed by HIIT
Thursday: kickboxing
Friday: Strong lifts
Sunday: Strong lifts followed by Spin

aylajane

I do 2-3 days a week with a trainer doing all the heavy stuff. The other days I do on my own are mostly accessory work and cardio. I always incorporate these (but every day is a different variation of each):

pushups (sometimes with feet on bosu, or alternating hands on step, or on barbells, or part of burpees, etc.)
pullups (or chinups, or the middle one etc)
lunges or squats (lots of variety here, keep it vaguely light since i work legs on heavy days)
ab/core work (different every time, tucks on stab ball, weighted crunches, hanging crunches, bicycle, various planks etc).

Usually I make a little circuit - do 6-7 individual activities including all of the above plus shoulders or whatever the accessory is that day, then run 0.25 miles on the treadmill (2-3 minutes), then repeat the whole thing like 4-5 times. The running gets my heart up and it stays there pretty well through the other activities, plus i like sweating

Its actually kind of fun coming up with a new way to do each of the items above.

Galatea_Stone

I lift weights in the gym. I do everything else out of the gym. If I have to cardio, I do it outside. Abs are easy enough to do in my living room or wherever.

ckay220

How much do you lift? The only weights I've been doing (I don't even know if these count) are the shoulder press machines (30 lbs) and the hip abduction (60/70 lbs)

lilRicki

I do New Rules of Lifting for Women 2 days a week, cardio 3-4 days a week, and yoga twice a week. My cardio consists of hiking, walking and elliptical

Aliciaaah

I lift every day.

I do lower body 3 times a week
Upper body 2 times a week
cardio/abs focus once a week

^^ Those are rough averages, I try to take off one day a week or so, sometimes I don't.. I prefer an upper/lower split because I get longer workouts which is what I go for, and you have more freedom to choose and switch between lifts.

In addition to the lifting I do at least 20 minutes of mid-high intensity cardio work on the treadmill or stairs or something. A lot of days I'll do 20 minutes before and after if I have it in me. I've seen great results since I started incorporating slightly more cardio.

leannems

I recently started New rules of Lifting for women, and really love it. I don't have access to a squat rack, so I use dumbbells for everything. The dumbbell weight varies on the exercise (everything from one 15 to two 30's).

greentart

I use the Nerd Fitness workout, and I'm currently doing Bodyweight Level 3. I've also included working on my bench press and dumbbells, along with doing the C210K program.

I'm going to add in either yoga or Pilates as well.

janatarnhem

Just restarting out after an illness:-
Cardio x 30 mins - 10 x treadmill, 10 x Xtrainer, 10 x sitting bike
Weights - 10 x 3 chest press - 21 kg
10 x 2 flys - 10 kg
12 x 3 tricep "v rope" - 10 kg
10 x 3 lat pulldowns -15.5 kg
10 x 3 reverse lat pulldowns - 15.5 kg
10 x 2 leg extensions - 15.5 kg

Then go for a swim 20 - 30 mins.

Aim to try to do this 3 - 4 times week, hopefully building up the weights.


(Not wishing to hijack this thread, but anyone out there with any tips on my regime?
I have changed to a gym with a pool as when ill, with joint issues! There is no personal trainer and the gym is tiny, with different equipment and I have had to adapt the regime from the old gym!
Advice from the experienced, gratefully received!!)

jemhh

Sun - run
Mon - pilates + bodyweight strength
Tues - run (sometimes HIIT sometimes a regular run)
Wed - pilates + bodyweight strength
Thurs - run
Fri - rest
Sat - pilates + bodyweight strength

My bodyweight routine is based on Start Bodyweight (http://www.startbodyweight.com/p/start-bodyweight-basic-routine.html.) I've added glute bridges, wall sits, one arm dumbbell rows, and (dumbbell) overhead presses.

Rose6300

I started with kettlebell (video) every other day and a kickboxing video on the intervening days, occasionally taking a day off entirely but not every week. After 13 weeks, I'd lost 13 pounds. I then bought a barbell and bench and started Stronglifts 5x5, which I did MWF for 12 weeks (still using kickboxing video intervening days). I lost 17 more pounds. I then switched my heavy lifting to Strong Curves, and dropped kickboxing as I had only 7 pounds till goal exercising every day was beginning to feel like a grind. I still ride my bike, garden, etc. on some off days, but I don't do formal exercise. Now I'm at goal and am going to stick to Strong Curves MWF and start inching up my calories. I'd like to lose 5 more pounds so that should do it.

alska

Thank you for asking this. I always wondered what others did.

I just go to the YMCA and either do the treadmill, one of the elliptical machines or one of the bikes ... theres so many different ones to choose from at mine .. so whichever I feel like doing lol .. I go for 35 mins ... 5 of which is a cool down ... sometimes I'll do another machine for another 35 mins or I'll go play with the weight machines (12 to 15 reps, 3 sets each) instead of an extra 30 mins on another. When I don't feel like going ... I walk 4 miles at a mod pace.

I was doing the bikini body mommy challenge but I think I am going to stop and just make up my own esp after todays workout (day 8 if anyone knows) ... it just seemed too much but a waste at the same time, plus I just don't like the feeling that i "have to" instead of want to like I felt before I started that

Does the weight machines count as lifting weights? The never really say how much I am lifting ... its just numbers but not numbers of lbs .. at least i don't think.

Amitysk

My current schedule is:

Monday: cardio (3 mile walk)
Tuesday: bootcamp, yoga
Wednesday: cardio (intervals- about 3 miles)
Thursday: bootcamp, kickboxing
Friday: cardio (3 mile walk)

Additionally I usually go on a 6+ mile bike ride around the lake with my hunnie. On the weekends we are trying to incorporate more stuff together like more bike rides, running together (working up to that one! Lol). The bootcamps alternate weekly between being strength or cardio based. I need to incorporate more strength training into my routine.

Leadfoot_Lewis

Lift 4-5x/week
Cardio 1-2x/week

ibach08

I recently started Ashley Conrad's "Clutch Cut" program (available for free at bodybuilding.com) and I really like it.
So a week goes like this:
Lift
Cardio
Break
Lift
Cardio
Break
Lift

On lifting days you do a quick "warmup" with HIIT circuits and then a full body circuit lifting circuit.
On cardio days you to HIIT circuits + some steady state cardio.
I like alternating a being able to focus on one or the other and you can challenge yourself by adding more weight and/or taking shorter breaks between exercises.

sistrsprkl

Thank you OP for asking, this thread is helpful. Right now this is what I do although I'm still figuring it out so thanks for asking!
At the gym, I do yoga + short HIIT twice a week and longer HIIT with weights 2-3 times a week. I supplement with running with my kids in double stroller, long walks, bodyweight exercises at playground

ckay220

Awesome ideas guys! For those who lift, is this with dumbells and the like? In my gym, we only have the machines (shoulder press, lateral pulldown, etc)

Rose6300

Awesome ideas guys! For those who lift, is this with dumbells and the like? In my gym, we only have the machines (shoulder press, lateral pulldown, etc)

The machines are better than nothing, and if that's what you have, just use them for now. You could always invest in some dumbbells (if you're short on space) or a barbell and bench (if you have more space) and do them at home. The advantage of lifting free weights is that you work many more muscles with each lift, as you're using muscles to stabilize the rest of your body as you lift. It's much more efficient.

k_nicole87

I don't really have a set routine. My husband does. So if it's a day when I am not called in for my second job...I will just ask what his workout of the day is.

But as a rule, I workout 3-4 times a week. I always do 30 minutes on the ARC trainer, train legs 2x a week, and just rotate other weight training. I do what weight I can handle and work my way up.

magdavarillas

I lift 4X a week, HIIT sprinting 2X, 1 day yoga. I wonder for all of you that exercise very heavy, how much do you eat? I just can't reduce my body fat % no matter if my diet is super clean and I cheat once in a month or less.

I've been told that I should probably eat more, currently i am eating no more than 1800 calories and probably once a week i will go over 2500 but still clean food not junk at all.

What about you girls? how much do you eat to keep losing inches?

Dragonwolf

Awesome ideas guys! For those who lift, is this with dumbells and the like? In my gym, we only have the machines (shoulder press, lateral pulldown, etc)

The machines are better than nothing, and if that's what you have, just use them for now. You could always invest in some dumbbells (if you're short on space) or a barbell and bench (if you have more space) and do them at home. The advantage of lifting free weights is that you work many more muscles with each lift, as you're using muscles to stabilize the rest of your body as you lift. It's much more efficient.

This. And I'd like to note that a squat rack and barbell don't require as much space as a lot of people think.

Mine's set up in a room that has about 6 feet by 9 feet of usable floor space and a slightly less than 7 foot ceiling. For those keeping track, that leaves about a foot on the ends of my 7ft Olympic barbell, about a foot in front of and behind my rack. It's a bit of a tight fit, but it works well and I can do most of the usual lifts (snatches and clean & jerks are the only questionable ones, but I don't do those right now, anyway).

Regarding some of the other questions, particularly about how much I lift -- the Olympic barbell is 45lb. Due to a back injury that put me out for about 8 months and some ongoing hip pain, I'm back down to that for squats, but I'll be working on increasing that. My bench press is at about 85lb for a 5x5 routine. I haven't deadlifted in a while, but last time I did, I was up to 200lb. I'd venture to guess that that'll be down to 135lb or so when I do it again.

My routine lately, while I dealt with the back injury, has been at least 2 days of boxing/kickboxing, which consists of a 15 minute cardio/calisthenics warmup (jogging/sprinting, high knees, butt kickers, side-shuffles, etc), 30 minutes bag time (generally split into 3-5 minute "fight" round cycles with 1-3 minute "active rest" periods consisting of things like burpees, squats, or pushups), and 15 minute cooldown/core work.

I've started adding back in a day of weight lifting, now that my back is doing better. Right now, it's just squats and bench presses (arguably my favorite lifts), but I'll probably add in deadlifts occasionally, as well as rows, good mornings, and overhead presses. Once I get the logistics worked out for decent recovery periods, I'd like to add in at least one more day of lifting (because lifting is awesome).

Dragonwolf

I lift 4X a week, HIIT sprinting 2X, 1 day yoga. I wonder for all of you that exercise very heavy, how much do you eat? I just can't reduce my body fat % no matter if my diet is super clean and I cheat once in a month or less.

I've been told that I should probably eat more, currently i am eating no more than 1800 calories and probably once a week i will go over 2500 but still clean food not junk at all.

What about you girls? how much do you eat to keep losing inches?

Without actually seeing what you're eating, it's kind of hard telling, but you are very likely not eating enough. You need to be able to fuel what you're doing. Some girls here can lose weight eating nearly 3000 calories, because of how much they're doing. Also, make sure you're getting sufficient protein to maintain lean mass (about 1g/lb of lean body mass) and sufficient fat to maintain proper hormone functioning and nutrient absorption (at least .35g/lb of total bodyweight). From there, fill in with carbs and fat as you see fit, but don't be afraid to play around with how much of either, as some do best on lower amounts of one or the other.

Additionally, make sure you're getting rest days. CrossFit uses the guideline of "3 on, 1 off," which I think is a good rule of thumb. Rest days are just as important as work days, because it's on the rest days that your body is actually making progress.

Also, check this out for some more info -- http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

soccerkon26

I try to work out 4 days a week...every day I involve cardio (3 miles on the treadmill, or 2 miles on treadmill and 2 miles on a stationary bike). I then do an ab workout after on 2 of those days, a butt workout on another day, and a leg workout on another day. Boring, but I love cardio. (Well I don't love it, but I'm loving my results from it)

AlliSteff

I use dumbells and the Olympic bar with plates

The_Godwin_72

Hi- I CrossFit Monday/Wed/Friday
I HIIT Tuesday & Thursday
I speed walk the dog 2 miles every other day
Friend me if you like

ckay220

Thanks everyone!
Currently I do HiiT 2.5 miles on the stationary bike, HiiT 1.5-2 miles on the elliptical, 75 shoulder presses with 30 lbs each, a 30 mins ab workout, and 50 reps on the hip abduction machine at 70 lbs. I think those are pretty good for me..I just started back up this week so I don't have many results. I hope I see some soon!

JoRocka

Thanks everyone!
Currently I do HiiT 2.5 miles on the stationary bike, HiiT 1.5-2 miles on the elliptical, 75 shoulder presses with 30 lbs each, a 30 mins ab workout, and 50 reps on the hip abduction machine at 70 lbs. I think those are pretty good for me..I just started back up this week so I don't have many results. I hope I see some soon!

wait. you do 75 reps with 30 pounds- and that's just shoulder presses?

k_nicole87

Thanks everyone!
Currently I do HiiT 2.5 miles on the stationary bike, HiiT 1.5-2 miles on the elliptical, 75 shoulder presses with 30 lbs each, a 30 mins ab workout, and 50 reps on the hip abduction machine at 70 lbs. I think those are pretty good for me..I just started back up this week so I don't have many results. I hope I see some soon!

wait. you do 75 reps with 30 pounds- and that's just shoulder presses?

Right? Call me a wimp but I stick to 5 sets of 5. I wouldn't be able to move for days.