scheduling the most effective workout :)

themrsbriggs

hey guys!!! i am wondering how to set up a workout routine that wont get boring and that will allow me to do various exercises. i have an elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, free weights, and a circuit center at my fitness center and i have a park closeby (i have a dog) and 30day shred dvd. i would LOVE some advice on how to plan a routine to help me with my weight loss. THANKS!!!!

yanicka

Google HIIT. (High Intensity Interval Training) You get the most bang for your time. I feel like puking after and it take just 20-25 minutes

ArroganceInStep

How much time can you dedicate to working out and how many times a week will you be doing it?

runpiggyrun

Hi
I get bored really quickly so I generally go week by week with spontanious changes depending on my moods. I run and swim and go mountain biking. I also do weights at home and when I have time I do the spin class and zumba. I used to belong to the gym but I got bored. I need variety and I love running outside because the scenery can be changed.

I would alternate your workouts so your not doing the same thing everyday:)

ambermichon

maybe one day in the gym doing circuits (weights mixed with cardio) and the next day go outside for a run. I like to be outside but dont have any parks near me. You can get some ideas online for some fun circuits

angiemartin78

You gotta find stuff that you like and alternate it to keep yourself happy. It's all about what works for you Good luck!

themrsbriggs

thanks guys!!!! i am a school teacher so this is a really busy time for me. my plan is to work out from 5:30-6:30am m-f and just do fun stuff on the weekends (i.e. park, mall,etc)

Melmade

Anything you'll stick with. For me I have to at least walk 30 min to an hour a day--outside, carrying my infant son on my back and with my dog. We live in a fairly multicultural neighborhood so I vary the routes, including an iced coffee or a talk with someone in a park, or have friends walk with me... or I would get bored. All other stuff is extra. I try to do the "extra" at least 3 days a week.

ArroganceInStep

You have a pretty similar schedule to me, though I do have a bit more time at the gym than you do. Rather than make a suggestion for what you should do I'll tell you what I do and you can take from it or not as you see fit.

Right now I do cardio every day, I shoot for an hour (you'd modify this for the time you have available) each day. I've been doing the elliptical recently to get my cardio up to snuff, but starting on the first I'll alter that slightly. I basically plan to do giant sets for one muscle group every day (suggested to me by ninerbuff). The muscle I select I'll pick 3 or 4 workouts for, I do one set of each work out back to back and then take a short break. I'll then do 3 to 4 sets of that entire routine to finish out the workout. It's pretty intense, but it's VERY fast, which is what I need with a strength workout. I'm hoping to get my lifting down to about 15 minutes total so I can spend the rest of my time focusing on cardio. If you want some actual exercise suggestions for this type of workout let me know.

After strength I plan to go straight into cardio, I'm shooting for an hour straight, yours would be a little less given the time you have. I too get tremendously bored, but have come up with a couple things that help me pass the time. First is with music, I'll put on a playlist of maybe 20 songs and shuffle them. Of the 20, anywhere from 5 to 10 will be 'on' songs. I pick them because they have fast beats and generally even faster chorus paces. For those songs if I'm going at 60% intensity initially, I'll try to up it to 75%-80% for the song and 95%-100% for the choruses. It forces me to pay attention, and the points when you get two or more 'on' songs back to back absolutely kill. Additionally I have an iPad that I take with me to the gym sometimes. I load it up with movies and TV shows. I watched episode 1 of Game of Thrones on the bike this morning and the time flew by. Only problem is it's hard to push yourself as hard when you're paying attention to a show (also I didn't realize how much nudity was in that show...kind of awkward in a gym full of people...oh well). Someone suggested HIIT, it's really very good if you can stick with it.

Last piece is stretching/calisthenics. Gary6030 is running a September challenge and I'm on one of the groups. I'll do my daily challenge at this point and if I still have time leftover do a little stretching to close out the workout.

I don't have shred, but I do have P90X and Insanity. I generally do those with my fiance when she's up for them. I try not to count those as part of my workout because I like to think of active things that I do with others not as a workout but just as a part of my life, it encourages me to be more active in general and doesn't let me skip workouts with excuses like 'I'm doing something this evening'.