Starting a new gym workout any ideas?

Kelsathebay

So far i have been exercising on my own walking etc, today i got myself a gym membership going to start tomorrow for my first session. Hopefully it the next step to boost my energy levels. Anyone have any suggestions on routines and motivations for gym sessions so it doesn't get boring.

Antonia2501

What gym is it? I have a membership at planet fitness and they have circuit training in a certain area and I like that. Or the elliptical is awesome as well. I focus on a different body part every day. Hope this helps good job for taking that step.

krm0789

Do they have classes or just machines?

When I was just using machines, I tried to use at least three machines a week to keep my mind & my body from getting bored. I tend to like the arc trainer, AMT machine, elliptical, & occasionally the bike-- but I don't know your preferences

However, what's *really* helped me stay motiviated is taking advantage of the classes. I Zumba 2x a week & do Pilates 1 day a week, & then try to do one day of machine cardio & one day of weights. That variation in routine is really keeping me motivated!

ilovegreg05

So far i have been exercising on my own walking etc, today i got myself a gym membership going to start tomorrow for my first session. Hopefully it the next step to boost my energy levels. Anyone have any suggestions on routines and motivations for gym sessions so it doesn't get boring.

Do starting strength. Google it. Add whatever needed cardio on top of it. Perfect routine for a beginner and to build lean muscle mass to "tone" you.

Feed_the_Bears

Hello,

It sounds like you're relatively new to exercise, and have recently made some improvements to your conditioning with walking. That's great . Now you're stating to stretch and callenge yourself by stepping into the gym, also great. While it's important to keep breaking that comfort zone, it's also important to take baby steps so you don't 1) discourage yourself 2) hurt yourself.

There are a lot of oppinions and advice about what is the absolute best perfect type of exercise out there there. But what I've discovered is most important is to just find ANYTHING you ENJOY so that you will actually do it and actually stick to it. If you can find a combination of cardio and strength training that would be ideal.

Classes can be great as a way to teach you moves and motivate you if you're a beginer. But if you have a busy schedule you may find it difficult to make the class and then just turn around and go home.

Getting on an eliptical or walking the treadmill would be easy and you may be able to watch TV wile you do it. Warm up with some cardio, then hit the weight room. Using weights is key to building muscle and burning fat, but it requires some background knowledge. The exercises must be done right to target the muscles and reduce chances of injury. If you start on machines you can learn what sort of motions work certain mucles. Read the instructons on the machine and pay attention to the form it tells you to take. Try to hit all your muscle groups throughout the week. Pick up a magazine like Oxygen or Fitness Px to learn about form and muscle groups. ... Simple weights like bicep curls everyone knows how to do :P.

Picking up those magazines will also give you workouts to follow. You can even ge them for free at the library.

It will take some time, don't get discouraged.

It's hard to give a detailed example workout because there is so much possibility with all of the different types of moves you can do. If you learn more and more moves, you can get creative putting them together to hit all of your muscle grous.

Here's an example work out.
30 min on cardio (pick a method). Followed by an hour of strength training. You may want to start with 30 min of strength training.
One day I'll do squats, quadricep curls, hamstring curls. Between those I'll do rear delt (shoulder) flies, or upper back cable pulls. Then I'll do some sit ups, cable crunches (google it), and planks.
The next day I'll do chest presses or pec flies, lat pull downs or rows for my back, bicep curls and tricep presses.
Another day I'll do oblique twists in sit up possition, wood choppers with the cable, back extensions, and should presses.

There are such varieties of exercises you really have to do some reading and try some out. Check out Oxygen's website .

Wow this message was long.
Good luck.

pandafoo

I think the best motivator is something that's fun to the point it doesn't feel like exercise. That's why I love Zumba - it's all Latin and hip hop dancing! My previous gym had lots of awesome classes, making me want to hurry over there after work every day.

Incorporating a routine that includes both aerobic exercise and strength training is important. You can try focusing one day on arms and back, the other day on legs and abs. Using a balance ball and taking classes in yoga and pilates will be great for stretching and strengthening your core muscles. It also really helps to find a friend to work out with - provides accountability and motivation for sure! In any case, as long as you find something that you truly enjoy and can stick with, you'll be good to go!

Kelsathebay

thanks for all your responses I did go this morning and did 30 hour cardio on the elliptical and then some strength training. I do like the elliptical trainer seems to work me the hardest but will try to mix it up for variation. It is only a small gym so there isn't any class to take just machines.

ffture

There is one site which provides fitness educational DVD’S for adults as well as for children. They offers Children’s & adults MOVBands & Maths Learning DVDs covering areas of Maths like Times Tables, Counting, Adding and Subtracting, along with Fitness for Kids of Primary and Secondary Schools.