Is switching ruining my workout?

TheBauhausCure

Hey all! So I recently joined a Planet Fitness and LOVE IT! I used to get so bored on my elliptical at home.

My issue is that even with the television and my music, I tend to get bored of just one machine. What I've been doing is:

Elliptical: 35 minutes
Stationary bike: 20 minutes
Stair climber thing: 15 minutes.

and then I usually do some of the weight machines for three reps of ten each. I usually feel pretty good after each workout, and the machines CLAIM I burnt around 600-700 calories, but someone at the gym the other day told me that if I stick to one machine I'll get a better workout than if I go from machine to machine due to the breaks in between (it's never more than 2-5 minutes, depending on whether or not I need to refill my water bottle).

I've been going to the gym for only two weeks now, but I've already noticed a pretty big difference in my body build...any ideas?

tangledflower

ignore the person in the gym!!!

And I would increase your use on free weights/machines. You WILL NOT get bulky or big but you will build muscle and fire your metabolism, this will mean that you are burning more calories from the weight training for hours after your session is over.

Try compound movements like squats, check press, lunges, hammer curls, deadlifts, bent over rows, shoulder press, tricep dips. For stripping the fat do about 3-4 sets of 16 reps and use a weight that by the 4th set you most likely can not complete.
If you can talk during the set its not heavy enough. And if you finish the workout on the machines/free weights and have not got sweaty its not heavy enough. Have about 30 seconds rest between sets.
5 minutes between exercises is way too long, try for not more than a water break - couple of minutes max.

I say this as the wifey of a PT and hear his frustration when he hears people being told to do hours of CV and hardly touch the weights.

Hope that helps x

TheBauhausCure

Thank you for the advice! The issue mostly for me is time. I get out of work at 6pm, and by the time I'm done with my cardio it's already around 8:30ish (takes me around ten minutes to travel to the gym) and then I have a two hour commute home to eat dinner!

JNick77

Hey all! So I recently joined a Planet Fitness and LOVE IT! I used to get so bored on my elliptical at home.

My issue is that even with the television and my music, I tend to get bored of just one machine. What I've been doing is:

Elliptical: 35 minutes
Stationary bike: 20 minutes
Stair climber thing: 15 minutes.

and then I usually do some of the weight machines for three reps of ten each. I usually feel pretty good after each workout, and the machines CLAIM I burnt around 600-700 calories, but someone at the gym the other day told me that if I stick to one machine I'll get a better workout than if I go from machine to machine due to the breaks in between (it's never more than 2-5 minutes, depending on whether or not I need to refill my water bottle).

I've been going to the gym for only two weeks now, but I've already noticed a pretty big difference in my body build...any ideas?

I wouldn't worry about it but I might reverse the order on your cardio machines. Stairs 30-min, Elliptical 20-min, Bike 15-min. Basically it's just order of difficulty and the stairs should be the hardest. The bike can help you cooldown too.

leslisa

Um, anything that you enjoy and will stick with is better than something you don't enjoy that you will quit.