What's your gym routine??

So I have been going to the gym now for 4 months and its time to change it up...I usually do cardio for 30 min + weights for 60 3x a week and cardio on Arc trainer for 60 min 2 - 3x a week. I was thinking of switching up my cardio to HIIT on the Arc machine and doing weights... Should I do HIIT every day on cardio or just a few times a week? Any suggestions would be great!

Replies

  • Carlyannabelle
    Carlyannabelle Posts: 621 Member
    I usually do a quick mile as a warm up on my lift days and have cardio days in between. I have been thinking about adding HIIT into my routine for a little while now, but not quite sure how to work it in.
  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
    6 day hypertrophy split: 4 weeks
    6 day strength split : 2 weeks
    6 day de-load split: 1 week
    repeat.

    day 1: Chest + Calves
    day 2: Back + Forearms
    day 3: Shoulders + Traps
    day 4: Biceps + Triceps
    day 5: Quads + Calves + Abdominals
    day 6: Hamstrings + Forearms

    currently trying to design a new split where I hit every body part twice a week.

    IMO resistance training and HIIT work well together to increase cardiovascular strength. However resistance training and HIIT both use the same source of energy (glycogen) so doing HIIT everyday after/before resistance training will leave you drained and possibly unable to complete or have a good workout. Personally I think you're crazy if you're doing HIIT
    at the same time as resistance training. I suggest splitting the HIIT from the resistance days. E.g. Resistance train 3x per week, HIIT 3x per week on days you're not resistance training, 1x day rest. 3x days HIIT is plenty.
  • AllNewMelanie
    AllNewMelanie Posts: 47 Member
    I was wondering about that... so on my resistance days do I do any type of cardio??
  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
    I was wondering about that... so on my resistance days do I do any type of cardio??

    It's really up to you if you do or not. I like to split my cardio sessions away from resistance training sessions (doing cardio on another day or doing it at another time in the day). But I really cannot tell you what works best for you, because I don't know your body as well as you do. Vince del Monte (WBFF Pro Fitness Model) recommends what I suggested in the previous post.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Strength training 3-4x/week (each session should take 45-60 minutes or so).

    Throw in a little cardio on the non-lifting days; around 30 minutes once or twice a week.
  • slowbubblecar
    slowbubblecar Posts: 91 Member
    I do 30 minutes of high intensity interval cardio daily and try to lift every other day. My lifting generally doesn't change much but consists of:

    squats, bench press, dumbbell rows, butterfly, bicept curls, ab crunch, row, lat pulldown and assisted dips.

    Not sure if it is a good routine or not since I am still pretty new to lifting.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    6 days a week, ...5 days of 15 min warmup, 40 - 50 min of weights, then another 15 - 20 min of cardio, 1 day just straight 50 min of cardio, 1 rest day :bigsmile:
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    I drive by a gym on the way home - does that count? :happy:
  • KBGirts
    KBGirts Posts: 882 Member
    I do a 10-15 minute treadmill run to warm-up then I lift. I do this 3 times a week. One day is legs, one day is arms/shoulders/back. I do basic abs and lower back exercises on these days. The 3rd day I do hard-core core. Lots of circuit training that is core specific. On this day I will do some other random exercises that I feel like I need to work on.

    This is just what I do. I don't know if it's the best approach or not. My goals are to drop some weight and gain some strength.... nothing major or competitive in nature. I am curious to see what others do.

    On days I don't lift, I do other cardio. Mostly running, but I am a triathlete, so during the season that also includes cycling and swimming. I play soccer two seasons a year and also sprinkle in some mountain biking here and there.
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
    Sunday: Deadlifts (strength) + Lower Body Hypertrophy (Glute/Hamstring Dominant)
    Monday: Rest/Cardio (HIIT)
    Tuesday: Standing Overhead Press (strength) + Upper Body Hypertrophy
    Wednesday: Rest
    Thursday: Squat (strength) + Lower Body Hypertrophy (Quad Dominant)
    Friday: Barbell Bench (strength) + Upper Body Hypertrophy
    Saturday: Rest

    Flexibility + joint mobility training everyday.
  • jeremyw1977
    jeremyw1977 Posts: 505 Member
    I like to mix up the cardio and strength training.
    Typically, I work 3 days a week on just strength, focusing on a specific region (i.e., chest, arms, legs, etc.)
    On 3 days, I will then do cardio like the treadmill or elliptical.

    Sometimes I'll substitute in a boot camp like workout, which combines the cardio and strength
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    My current routine is

    Monday: 5min row ergometer as warmup -then full body routine (mix of bodyweight / free weight / machines) - and end with either 10min row and 20 min easy run, or 30 min easy run, depending on my mood.
    Tuesday: moderate run 30-40min (slightly faster than monday's post strength workout but not winning any medals)
    Wednesday: HIIT (well maybe not extreme intensity..., but fast something like fast minute intervals (130-140% of what was easy pace - with super easy jog breaks 25-30min (lie 90% of easy pace) , or I try to run a fast 5K. ( i.e. continuous relatively hard pace)
    Thursday: : easy run as tuesday
    Friday: Copy of Monday
    Saturday: Total Rest
    Sunday: a long run 1hour or more at a easy-moderate pace.

    Its been working well for me so far.