Gym - am I doing this right?

ChocFiend

So i usually do cardio for about 40mins, then I do situps, lunges with weights, arm toning with kettlebells, tricep dips, push ups, squats etc.

I want to lose fat but also build muscle, I want a sculpted not a 'soft' look.

just want to know if im approaching it right

when i do my cardio im doing like 2mins high intensity then one min low on repeat to keep switching up my heart rate

today for example i did

15min on treadmill
20min on bike
20 min on xtrainer
10 min on rower
(I burnt about 700 cal only usually do 400 - is 400 enough????)

I do all my situps whilst holding akettlebell or dumbell I do normal sit ups, for the side, and what I call 'bum ups' (think reverse crunch is right name?) for the bottom bit.

I do squats with a dumbell press - usually about 15

lunges with dumbells 15 each side

then i tend to do 10 mins with dumbell focusing on arms


any tips much appreciated.........btw i am seeing a change in the tone in my arms but not so much with the legs what can i do other than squats and lunges?

thanks

BehindBlueEyes988

That's exactly what I'm doing and it seems to be working for me. If you can see a difference you are going at it the right way. But leg toning has always taken longer for me to see as well. If you think it's not enough, try uping your weights for lunges a bit. Also try the leg press as well. I do the free weight version and that does more than anything else

mfpcopine

I've always been told to do the weight work first with my full strength, followed by cardio.

ChocFiend

thanks, how do you do the free weight leg press? x

Polly758

I'm not sure you have to do quite so much cardio, unless of course you're eating your face off on a daily basis If the point is to lose weight, then you need to create a calorie deficit, and that much exercise may create too much of a deficit. But again as long as you eat to compensate you'll be fine.

As for your legs, lunges and sqauts are it. You will have to increase weight when it gets easy.

Also consider adding deadlifts, and increase weight over time there, also. Your "bum ups" are similar but there's nothing like a deadlift for the ENTIRE back of your body, especially your legs. If you don't have the setup for deadlifts then you can hold weight across your chest for the bum ups (I don't know what they're called either haha) Oh! I think they are back extensions.

Remember lifting weights puts stress on the muscles, and your body will become stronger to compensate. So you have to keep adding resistance for your body to get stronger (more toned, as you call it).

mmapags

There is nothing in your current routine that would build muscle. (as in cause hypertrophy) Is that what you really want or do you want the muscles you have to develop and be stronger? If it's the latter, what you are doing is fine. If it's the former, you won't get that from your current routine. Is it larger muscles you want?

ETA: Why so much cardio. And why not do one type of cardio one day and another the next?

ChocFiend

hi polly758,

i'll explain my 'bum up' as i think its different from a back extension.

lie on back and instead of with a sit up raising your chest off the floor to the ceiling, I have my legs out straight, i then pull them in so my kness form a 90 degree angle, then use my lower stomach muscles to bring my kness back towards my chest which lifts my bum off the floor. I either keep bent at the kness and 'pulse' or I do slower ones where i fully extend my legs out straight (without touching floor) before bringing them bent again

---

do you know what i mean??

BehindBlueEyes988

thanks, how do you do the free weight leg press? x

The one at my gym is machine-like, but it's not quite. Looks similar to this



Pretty much start with a lighter weight to get use to it and work up. It gets your legs, glutes and thighs better than anything! I love it!

ChocFiend

Sat 11/03/12 06:32 PM

There is nothing in your current routine that would build muscle. (as in cause hypertrophy) Is that what you really want or do you want the muscles you have to develop and be stronger? If it's the latter, what you are doing is fine. If it's the former, you won't get that from your current routine. Is it larger muscles you want?

ETA: Why so much cardio. And why not do one type of cardio one day and another the next?


hi mmapags.
why so much cardio??? I dont know is what i am doing a lot????????????? im trying to get a feel what how much I should/shouldn't be doing. the trainer at the gym said 40mins?

re muscles - i dont want to get all bodybuilder NNNOOO but I do want that fitness model 'sculpted' look like the girls who are on the cover of health and fitness mag. so im guessing i dont need to do the hypertrophy thing??

ChocFiend

thanks, how do you do the free weight leg press? x

The one at my gym is machine-like, but it's not quite. Looks similar to this



Pretty much start with a lighter weight to get use to it and work up. It gets your legs, glutes and thighs better than anything! I love it!

thankyou!!! there is one of those but its at the 'scary' end of the gym lol where all the weightlifting men are and it scares me lol i will go one it on days when its not too busy in there

BehindBlueEyes988

thanks, how do you do the free weight leg press? x

The one at my gym is machine-like, but it's not quite. Looks similar to this



Pretty much start with a lighter weight to get use to it and work up. It gets your legs, glutes and thighs better than anything! I love it!

thankyou!!! there is one of those but its at the 'scary' end of the gym lol where all the weightlifting men are and it scares me lol i will go one it on days when its not too busy in there

Yeup! That's usually where it is. It is a bit intimating since any female walking in that section tend to get plenty of stares. I have my fiance come with me for support. Doesn't stop it, but does help a little

mmapags

Sat 11/03/12 06:32 PM

There is nothing in your current routine that would build muscle. (as in cause hypertrophy) Is that what you really want or do you want the muscles you have to develop and be stronger? If it's the latter, what you are doing is fine. If it's the former, you won't get that from your current routine. Is it larger muscles you want?

ETA: Why so much cardio. And why not do one type of cardio one day and another the next?


hi mmapags.
why so much cardio??? I dont know is what i am doing a lot????????????? im trying to get a feel what how much I should/shouldn't be doing. the trainer at the gym said 40mins?

re muscles - i dont want to get all bodybuilder NNNOOO but I do want that fitness model 'sculpted' look like the girls who are on the cover of health and fitness mag. so im guessing i dont need to do the hypertrophy thing??

40 minutes of cardio is probably fine. What you show above is 65 minutes of 4 differerent cardio things. I would cut that to 1 per workout for 30 to 40 minutes. To spread it between 4 you don't really do any one long enough to maximize the benefit of that particular exercise. Unless you are training cardio for a specific sport, 30 to 40 minutes gives you benefit and beyond that is a rate of diminishing returns.

As a woman, it would be very hard but not impossible for you to get "all bodybuilder" lol!! But that's why I asked. To get the look you are describing, the best way would be to start with a 10 minute cardio warm up and then a free weight program like Starting Strength or New Rules of Lifting for Women. You can then do another 30 minutes of cardio or do the cardio on alternate days. That will get you there the quickest and most efficiently with compound full body exercises. You won't get bulky as you are eating in a deficit and are a woman without the benefit of testosterone to aid in anabolic muscle growth.

I have been training my wife on the Starting Strength program for about 3 months. The link has a picture of her now. I wish I had taken a begining picture. She had very little muscle development and was just kind of mushy, for lack of a better term.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/781087-my-heavy-lifting-wife-progress

mmapags

thanks, how do you do the free weight leg press? x

The one at my gym is machine-like, but it's not quite. Looks similar to this



Pretty much start with a lighter weight to get use to it and work up. It gets your legs, glutes and thighs better than anything! I love it!

thankyou!!! there is one of those but its at the 'scary' end of the gym lol where all the weightlifting men are and it scares me lol i will go one it on days when its not too busy in there

Yeup! That's usually where it is. It is a bit intimating since any female walking in that section tend to get plenty of stares. I have my fiance come with me for support. Doesn't stop it, but does help a little

There's no need to be afraid of that "end of the gym". I can't speak for your gym but in any one I've worked out in in recent years, there are no "stares" There are many woman doing weight training these days and it is not seen as unsual. If you are a newbie there, just ask the guys for some help. Most are more than willing. My wife walks right in either with me or by herself. Sets the power rack, loads up her weights and goes to it! The guys don't think anything of it except maybe admiration!!

ChocFiend

Sat 11/03/12 06:32 PM

There is nothing in your current routine that would build muscle. (as in cause hypertrophy) Is that what you really want or do you want the muscles you have to develop and be stronger? If it's the latter, what you are doing is fine. If it's the former, you won't get that from your current routine. Is it larger muscles you want?

ETA: Why so much cardio. And why not do one type of cardio one day and another the next?


hi mmapags.
why so much cardio??? I dont know is what i am doing a lot????????????? im trying to get a feel what how much I should/shouldn't be doing. the trainer at the gym said 40mins?

re muscles - i dont want to get all bodybuilder NNNOOO but I do want that fitness model 'sculpted' look like the girls who are on the cover of health and fitness mag. so im guessing i dont need to do the hypertrophy thing??

40 minutes of cardio is probably fine. What you show above is 65 minutes of 4 differerent cardio things. I would cut that to 1 per workout for 30 to 40 minutes. To spread it between 4 you don't really do any one long enough to maximize the benefit of that particular exercise. Unless you are training cardio for a specific sport, 30 to 40 minutes gives you benefit and beyond that is a rate of diminishing returns.

As a woman, it would be very hard but not impossible for you to get "all bodybuilder" lol!! But that's why I asked. To get the look you are describing, the best way would be to start with a 10 minute cardio warm up and then a free weight program like Starting Strength or New Rules of Lifting for Women. You can then do another 30 minutes of cardio or do the cardio on alternate days. That will get you there the quickest and most efficiently with compound full body exercises. You won't get bulky as you are eating in a deficit and are a woman without the benefit of testosterone to aid in anabolic muscle growth.

I have been training my wife on the Starting Strength program for about 3 months. The link has a picture of her now. I wish I had taken a begining picture. She had very little muscle development and was just kind of mushy, for lack of a better term.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/781087-my-heavy-lifting-wife-progress

thankyou so much for this. I will check out starting strength and new rules of lifting for women. ...and the thread of your wifes progress.

so 40 mins ok, so I wasn't too far out. the reason I swap about it because i get bored SO bored, even 15mins seems to take forever. i'll just have to be bored and get on with it!

thanks again i'm glad what ive been doing hasn't been way off, ----i saw a programme today on freeview and the guy was aiming to burn 3500 calories a day! yeah 3500 not 350, so i though oh am i not doing enough. im guessing the guy on tv was definately going overboard!

jen10st

This sounds like a great workout to me. I don't know a lot about increasing weights and things others have mentioned but for me I see an almost immediate difference in my legs when I increase my walking/running distances. I've been running 4-5k three times a week for about a month and am already seeing a noticeable improvement in the tone without having done any weights on them.
I'm sure if you keep at it and steadily increase the weight training you'll start to get the results you want, good luck xx