The body you want in the time you have - opinions please

JAT74
JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been looking through my weight training books as I want to start a 3 x weekly weight training program today and come across this book from Men's Health. It seems like a great idea as you can pick the number of days you have available to train and the number of minutes per day too and it gives you a training schedule based on this info.

Has anyone used it and if so what do you think?

I was going to start by doing 3 days per week for 30 minutes per day or maybe the 45 minutes per day routine if I have the time. They have goal specific workouts ie. 'Lean' (lighter weights high reps) or 'Build' etc. but I was going to go for the 'Complete Body' workout. I've trained before but I really need something very structured to stay motivated and don't want to have to put something together myself and this way it's all worked out already in terms of exercises, reps, sets etc.

Another option is a book called Body Sculpting Bible for Women which also looks like it has some good workouts but I have no idea how long they'd take and the other book tells me exactly.

Other than that I got a copy of New Rules of Lifting for Women but to be honest I found the workouts in there VERY confusing so decided against following that program although I'm reading the books and it is a great book so far.

Replies

  • Amazing1985RSD
    Amazing1985RSD Posts: 280
    What book are you referring to? I train three times a week. But less time in the gym and the workout being very effective doesn't sound very feasible if you are weight training.

    Though if you are trying to lose weight it should be fine since all you would have to do is eat less.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    It's not quite that simple, my goals are a lot more than just to 'lose weight'. I want to lose body fat and retain muscle mass which is why I want to lift heavy.

    The book I am referring to is a book by Men's Health with the title ' The body you want in the time you have' and the other titles I have already mentioned in my post.

    The timed workouts ie. 30 mins and 45 mins tell you the number of reps/sets to do and each day the exercises you're doing change anyway so you don't always do the same thing. I don't see why ths wouldn't be effective and I'm also going to be doing it alongside Insanity too so I hope to see results.

    I just wondered if anyone has tried this book or any of the otehrs I've mentioned.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Try it. Let us know. But don't do Insanity as well because you won't know which was working and which was holding you back. :o)
  • twelfty
    twelfty Posts: 576 Member
    It's not quite that simple, my goals are a lot more than just to 'lose weight'. I want to lose body fat and retain muscle mass which is why I want to lift heavy.

    The book I am referring to is a book by Men's Health with the title ' The body you want in the time you have' and the other titles I have already mentioned in my post.

    The timed workouts ie. 30 mins and 45 mins tell you the number of reps/sets to do and each day the exercises you're doing change anyway so you don't always do the same thing. I don't see why ths wouldn't be effective and I'm also going to be doing it alongside Insanity too so I hope to see results.

    I just wondered if anyone has tried this book or any of the otehrs I've mentioned.

    i couldn't speak from a weight loss POV but training i do 30 min sessions and have been gaining muscle, though i usually do :-

    M - on
    T - on
    W - off
    T - off
    F - on
    S - on
    S - off

    this way i'm allowing two days recovery for each muscle group i've worked out mid week which believe it or not seems to boost my gains more than one day off and also i'm itching to get back to it by friday, though obviously i doubt you're going for big arms so your 3 days a week should be ideal
  • Amazing1985RSD
    Amazing1985RSD Posts: 280
    losing weight should always mean to lose fat. Who wants anyone to get weaker? I will always recommend barbell training. Even for women. Barbells are just more efficient. Squats for example will work your whole body.

    You're likely gonna here this elsewhere too: lose weight or get stronger don't try both at the same time.
  • thomas127
    thomas127 Posts: 32
    Really don't go much on men's health workouts. Basically someone in the office creates them half the time. If you have never lifted before you will gain just as much size on a good program Like Starting strength by mark ripple toe. Plus you will be able to lift some much heavier weights.

    If 5 reps is too heavy for you and you want some more volume or bodybuilding style workouts. I would recommend all pro's program.
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Ok, it sounds like the workout length will definitely be enough. I am not looking to gain muscle I just want preserve muscle while losing body fat and I'm eating at a deficit so I know I can't gain anyway but am planning on lifting heavy.

    I'm doing Insanity at the same time as I want to lose fat and for health reasons. I have lost weight by eating at a deficit and by doing a lot of cardio before and lost pounds but ended up with a high body fat % so I'm hoping weight training will help prevent that this time.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Thomas127 I don't want to gain size but don't feel I'm getting results by doing a DVD based strength program which basically just uses light weights and very high reps so this is why I'm now looking to change direction a little.

    I have the book to hand and the workouts look quite well laid out, easy to follow and I can fit them into the time I have. I plan on doing the workouts in this book initially for 4 weeks and then after that I may switch to a new routine so my body doesn't get too used to the exercises I'm doing.
  • Amazing1985RSD
    Amazing1985RSD Posts: 280
    One difference between strength training and doing cardio is that we hold on to our strength more persistently than our aerobic endurance. If you were to stop lifting weights and do cardio, you wouldn't lose muscle mass as quickly as you would lose endurance if you were to stop training cardio. Though doing cardio can contribute to muscle loss.
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
    I have both books that you were referring to. I didn't like the body sculpting book because the workouts really bothered my elbows and the information in it is very outdated. I like New Rules for Women, the information is awesome but the workouts do get somewhat complex and I gave up on it. Currently, I am working on Stronglifts 5x5 and I love this program. It takes me about 45 mintues Mon, Wed and Fri.

    You will see a definite difference with lifting heavy, inches will come off as you are building lean body mass. It's pretty amazing really. I stopped looking at the scale and now see how my clothes fit and I can tell you that I weight the highest I ever have but fit into smaller clothes.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Sorry but I don't see how that helps! I want to START doing weight training with heavier weights in order to preserve muscle and become stronger while still losing fat and I want the cardio for aerobic endurance and fat loss too which is why I want to do the 2 together.

    I don't feel that a 40-55 minutes cardio workout 6 days a week plus a 30 minute weight training routine 3 days a week on top if excessive and from other forums I've read the two go together very well and some people have seen great results.

    A lot of people on MFP seem to like the hybrid DVD workouts like Insanity/P90X but I don't feel that lifting lighter weights or doing more reps will help me and anyway I don't have time to do a lot of the long workouts in P90X so that's not an option.

    I am going to try doing the weight training on top of Insanity but if it gets too much I might replace 3 of my Insanity workouts with weights instead.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Hi Suzanne

    I had a look at stronglifts 5x5 but at the moment I think I'll start with a more general weight training program maybe for 4 weeks and see how it's going and then change after that. Don't you find it gets boring? The program I'm going to start today has about 9 exercises plus crunches which you do for 3 sets each (in the 30 mins per day workout) and the exercises you do change slightly on each of the 3 days you train. If I then progress to the 45 mins per day schedule I'd increase to doing 4 sets each for some of the exercises.
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    Stronglifts 5x5 would also fit in well for what you need.
  • Amazing1985RSD
    Amazing1985RSD Posts: 280
    OK, try this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jujGANt_YhU&list=UU0pzRU1ZIPp4gVjGUljUN_Q&index=2
  • twelfty
    twelfty Posts: 576 Member
    Sorry but I don't see how that helps! I want to START doing weight training with heavier weights in order to preserve muscle and become stronger while still losing fat and I want the cardio for aerobic endurance and fat loss too which is why I want to do the 2 together.

    I don't feel that a 40-55 minutes cardio workout 6 days a week plus a 30 minute weight training routine 3 days a week on top if excessive and from other forums I've read the two go together very well and some people have seen great results.

    A lot of people on MFP seem to like the hybrid DVD workouts like Insanity/P90X but I don't feel that lifting lighter weights or doing more reps will help me and anyway I don't have time to do a lot of the long workouts in P90X so that's not an option.

    I am going to try doing the weight training on top of Insanity but if it gets too much I might replace 3 of my Insanity workouts with weights instead.

    sounds like you've got your head screwed on, what sort of lifting will you do? will you have a focus area?
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
    Hi Suzanne

    I had a look at stronglifts 5x5 but at the moment I think I'll start with a more general weight training program maybe for 4 weeks and see how it's going and then change after that. Don't you find it gets boring? The program I'm going to start today has about 9 exercises plus crunches which you do for 3 sets each (in the 30 mins per day workout) and the exercises you do change slightly on each of the 3 days you train. If I then progress to the 45 mins per day schedule I'd increase to doing 4 sets each for some of the exercises.

    I don't find it gets boring, so far I really enjoy seeing how much strength I have. I look forward to pushing myself to higher weights. I when Tuesday and Thursday comes around I find I am craving lifting instead of cardio..lol. I think at some point I will switch up my workout to maybe splits later when I can't gain anymore on stronglifts. Good luck on your program! Does it consist of any compoud moves?
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    Hi Suzanne

    I had a look at stronglifts 5x5 but at the moment I think I'll start with a more general weight training program maybe for 4 weeks and see how it's going and then change after that. Don't you find it gets boring? The program I'm going to start today has about 9 exercises plus crunches which you do for 3 sets each (in the 30 mins per day workout) and the exercises you do change slightly on each of the 3 days you train. If I then progress to the 45 mins per day schedule I'd increase to doing 4 sets each for some of the exercises.

    It doesn't get boring at all for me. The first couple weeks the weights are light to work on form, but it gets intense as the weights get heavy. And that happens pretty quickly.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Where can I find all the info I need to start doing stronglifts? Is it possible to do it for just 2 days per week or does it have to be 3 days of 45 mins each? It might be a bit too long if it is for me at the moment.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Bump
  • Amazing1985RSD
    Amazing1985RSD Posts: 280
    Where can I find all the info I need to start doing stronglifts? Is it possible to do it for just 2 days per week or does it have to be 3 days of 45 mins each? It might be a bit too long if it is for me at the moment.

    http://stronglifts.com/free-stronglifts-5x5-report/
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Thanks, has someone got a summarised version of the 200 page report? Not got the time to read through all of that at the moment.
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
    Thanks, has someone got a summarised version of the 200 page report? Not got the time to read through all of that at the moment.

    There is a stronglifts women's group on here and they have a really excellent summary of the program. I don't have the link but it should be easy enough to find.
  • Amazing1985RSD
    Amazing1985RSD Posts: 280
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    Thanks!
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    You can do 2 days. You just won't progress as fast. Which really isnt a big deal once the weight gets heavy. You'll welcome the extra time off.
  • Nikstergirl
    Nikstergirl Posts: 1,549 Member
    I know that the P90X program won't fit into your schedule, but have you tried ChaLEAN Extreme? It's a DVD program also, but the workouts are shorter, there are three lifting days and 2 cardio days, and she has you lift very heavy. I'm on month 3 of this program and I've done 2 rounds of P90X and while that program totally rocks, this one is really perfect for a busy working mom like me. I'm seeing changes and building muscles and losing weight all at the same time.

    Just an option. Sounds like you have a good basis of what you want, but I like the videos to keep me on track and focused since I workout at 5am most of the time.

    Good luck!
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Hi Nikstergirl

    I had thought of that but having done 7 weeks of Jillian Michaels I decided to stay away from the DVD weight training workouts. I agree it's nice to have someone to follow for motivation but sometimes when you need to change weight etc. it's good to be able to go at your own pace. I don't have a lot of time to train but I have a fully equipped home gym so think I'll stick to Insanity for cardio 'cos I enjoy DVD workouts but for weights I want to make good use of my gym at home.

    Still do decide whether or not to do Stronglifts or what I was planning with the workout in my book though. Need to try and read up on Stronglifts during my lunch break I think! Is it really so much better than other weight training programs?
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    My 3 month progress on strong lifts here. Youre at work so I'll warn you the pics are shirtless. I also am a guy so the results may or may not be the same for women dunno.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/906502-3-months-stronglifts-5x5

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