Newbie @ the gym

live2sing
live2sing Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey! I'm Emily.
I'm finally getting myself back on track after countless efforts at getting healthy.
At the gym i'd always use the elliptical. I finally took the plunge and hopped on the treadmill today. That may sound sooo dumb to a lot of you, but I was always afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up and just fall off the back and into the wall.
Today I did 28 minutes alternating between walking at 3 mph and running at 5. I felt awesome, but I'm wondering if there are any better treadmill workouts i can do to burn more. I don't want to be on there for an hour or even 40 minutes. I think 30 minutes of cardio and 15 of strength is a good balance. I get bored easily so I'd love some ideas to change it up.

ALSO, is there any way i can get over the self consciousness I feel whenever i think about doing strength at the gym. I've always warmed up and done my strength at home then hit the gym for a short cardio. I know no one else is watching or cares but there's this weird fear i have hah. I sound like an idiot.

Add me as a friend I'd love to meet people to help me stay motivated!

Replies

  • dr3wman
    dr3wman Posts: 205
    My favorite treadmill workout is a distance-based speed increase. You could do something like start at the 3MPH setting, and every quarter mile, increase the speed by .5MPH. So if you were to run a mile and a half, starting speed would be 3MPH, and you would end up at 5.5. As the run goes on, the quarter miles go by faster and faster because the speed is increasing. Keeps me entertained!
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Easiest way to get over people staring at you is to stick in headphones and zone out.

    As far as treadmill workouts to burn more, you could do HIIT or Tabata training. I don't have much experience in those, but you can google them.

    Also, please do more then 15 minutes of strength training. Thats a good place to start but look at strength training routines and start to incorporate them more.. and once you see the results, you'll be happy that you did!
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    You need to mix in more strength training. Cardio isn't the end-all, be-all of losing weight. That's the mentality I had when I started, until I talked to a trainer. I started out with light weights to build endurance, as well as running and doing zumba. I did that program for about four months, and in the last couple months, I've shrunk the cardio a bit since I'm in much better shape, and I'm hitting the weights hard to start adding some form to my body.

    As far as the self-consciousness... I'm one of the only females at the gym I go to- so I understand. I felt that at first, but the only way to get over it is to just go and work out. Everyone's there for the same reason.
    One thing that could help is if you scheduled a few sessions with a trainer so you can get more acquainted with the machinery and free weights. That way you can feel confident in your form and knowledge when you start doing it on your own. I've seen some people who just jump into strength training and have terrible form without even knowing it. They just think that since they're lifting, it has to be right.
    Also, meeting with a trainer could get you started on a good, balanced program from the start, rather than burning yourself out with cardio. That's a common mistake with people trying to lose weight at the start. They've been beat to death with the notion that it's cardio, cardio, cardio to lose weight. Not the case. It should be balanced with strength training. And a proper diet. Diet is the most important part.
  • mena_z
    mena_z Posts: 4 Member
    Do they have classes at your gym? If so, you may want to try some. Since I've been on MFP, I dropped 6 pounds but my grand total is 67 pounds. I attribute that to taking classes at the gym. Working out in a group really helped me. I've made a lot of great friends and I am now a certified spin instructor.
  • catshark209
    catshark209 Posts: 1,133 Member
    I'm still getting over the whole staring at me feeling I have. I also put in headphones and do my thing. I did nothing but cardio and lost all my muscle tone and I look like a boy. I'm trying to put muscle on currently.
    I watch videos on youtube and have printed out a few workouts from bodybuilding.com.

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