wanna weigh in on my weights & cardio setup?

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andiroot
andiroot Posts: 43
in Fitness and Exercise
So what, I like bad jokes and puns. Thanks in advance for checking out my post....

I just wanted to get some input/feedback on my weekly routine, from someone other than my boyfriend.

I'd like to loose a few extra pounds, which is why I have been eating healthier, meats & veggies, nothing processed, but am mainly concerned with getting tone to counteract the softness that I've managed to damn my body with over the years. I'm still convinced being Pale makes it all show so much more than a glowing Tan, but I just am not capable of tanning. haha


Aiming for eating 1500 - 1800 Calories each Day and 60-80oz of Water

Monday - Legs & Booty and 30 mins Cardio
Tuesday - Back & Biceps and 30 mins Cardio
Wednesday - Chest & Triceps and 30 mins Cardio
Thursday - Legs & Booty and 30 mins Cardio
Friday - Shoulders & Abs and 30 mins Cardio
Saturday - Rest Day
Sunday - Rest Day


Weights usually take 30-45 minutes, each day has 8-10 exercises and i do 4 sets of 12 reps
I'm never very sore the next day, but definitly push myself till I'm making that awful/awesome gym face haha

my Cardio is usually 4mph on Treadmil


Age 31

5' 7.5"

SW: 153 lbs
CW: 140 lbs
GW: 125 lbs

I'm one of those people that was always "blessed" with a thin frame and high metabolism
my soft shape owes a big Thanks to a lack of mandatory PE classes and Beer

Replies

  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
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    "Legs and booty"
    So we talking free weight or fixed weight?
    Heavy as you can lift for low rep, low weight high rep or pyramid sets?
    Is the weight increasing progressively?

    What's your goal?
    Why so much cardio?
  • andiroot
    andiroot Posts: 43
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    "Legs and booty"
    So we talking free weight or fixed weight?
    Heavy as you can lift for low rep, low weight high rep or pyramid sets?
    Is the weight increasing progressively?

    What's your goal?
    Why so much cardio?

    mostly fixed weight machines, the ladies area at Golds Gym
    4 sets of 12, heavy as i can push and still complete
    weight increasing in small increments, i added the 4th set when i realized i felt fine after 3 sets

    goals is to firm up the softness that is my current body. haha i've just become so lazy with a desk job.

    cardio each day just because its not hard and the gym has a cardio cinema and its good for my weak heart (see profile)
    since i can target areas for muscle growth but not fat loss, i feel like its the easiest way to keep my body burning fat
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    i don't like the asymetrical nature of it. i'm a major fan of legs and booty but why do they get hit twice while shoulders, back and chest see action but once per week?

    i'm also thinking you could do soooooo much better if you leave the machines alone and use the free weights. 300% better workout and you can do it in half the time. it's a win all around.

    love the tats
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    personally I'd split the cardio on separate days than weights. Second everything that Davpul said, free weights!
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
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    I like your tats:). You probably look awesome already.
    I guess I'm wondering if this is a routine you are already doing and you like it, and if it is, keep it up.
    I tend to prefer doing less and being as simple as possible, but I might be more of a beginner than you:)
  • kaiteboo
    kaiteboo Posts: 141 Member
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    Looks pretty good to me, although you may want to reconsider 4 sets of 12 reps. If you don't feel sore the next day chances are you can go heavier! Try doing 4 sets of 8 reps and see if you feel it more the next day. Or start doing drop sets using a heavy weight to start off, and then drop to a lighter weight immediately after that. :)
  • Joyride81
    Joyride81 Posts: 22 Member
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    Weight: The split look ok to me but use free weight if possible.
    Cardio: Switch it up. Do different kinds of cardio, different durations and if possible different intensitys
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
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    i don't like the asymetrical nature of it. i'm a major fan of legs and booty but why do they get hit twice while shoulders, back and chest see action but once per week?

    i'm also thinking you could do soooooo much better if you leave the machines alone and use the free weights. 300% better workout and you can do it in half the time. it's a win all around.

    love the tats

    I agree with this. Skip the machines and look into a free weight program such as Stronglifts, Starting Strength or New Rules of Lifting for Women for your strength work. You can continue to do cardio as you have planned as well.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    Up the weight instead of the sets.
  • bidwell69
    bidwell69 Posts: 10 Member
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    your workout split is fine.
    when you weight train you could alternate your weeks
    for stamina and strength.
    stamina would lightweight/3 sets/15 reps medium to fast pace.
    strength would be light/1 set/15 reps then medium/1 set/10 reps
    then heavy/1 set/5 reps.
    if your doing cardio after weights then you won't really get sore
    as the extra blood flow stimulates muscle repair.
  • andiroot
    andiroot Posts: 43
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    i don't like the asymetrical nature of it. i'm a major fan of legs and booty but why do they get hit twice while shoulders, back and chest see action but once per week?

    i'm also thinking you could do soooooo much better if you leave the machines alone and use the free weights. 300% better workout and you can do it in half the time. it's a win all around.

    love the tats

    legs & booty are my "problem area" hence the double hit.

    i'm just getting started and to be honest, half of it is I don't know my way around free weights and the other half is my forearms & wrists aren't strong enough to just hold onto weights for the duration of my workout. after back & biceps my wrists kill me cause that whole day is dumbbell stuff.
  • andiroot
    andiroot Posts: 43
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    your workout split is fine.
    when you weight train you could alternate your weeks
    for stamina and strength.
    stamina would lightweight/3 sets/15 reps medium to fast pace.
    strength would be light/1 set/15 reps then medium/1 set/10 reps
    then heavy/1 set/5 reps.
    if your doing cardio after weights then you won't really get sore
    as the extra blood flow stimulates muscle repair.

    I think my slight ocd keeps me in the habit of the same number of reps, but I do try to add weight on a set if I think I can make it. I will try to change it up a bit. also good to know about the blood flow in regards to being sore. I used to worry I just wasn't "doing any good"
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Why not rearrange your workout so that everything gets hit twice? Make your problem areas good and make your good areas awesome. That's what I would do. And your grip strength will only improve if you challenge it.
  • SaraBrown12
    SaraBrown12 Posts: 277 Member
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    Your routine looks good, However from my personal experiences i would suggest cardio before weights. I found i was not sore on the same level after i switched them around, tho i still could feel i had worked out. This Will get you nice and warm before you start weight lifting plus if you do weights last you will get more benefit from the after burn :) I can also recommend the new rules of weight lifting for women book. Its full of loads of good info about form, diet and all manner of things even if you don't follow it all to the letter, the instructions/ pictures of doing the exercises properly as a god send.

    Also keep an eye on your body fat %. I stopped looking at the LB and started using the tape measure instead. When i started weights my weight dropped a few LB in a 1 month period but my body fat dropped drastically and my muscle mass increased. Apparently now my BF% is too low, Dosen't sound like a bad thing to me however i am told i need to watch it and try to add a lil fat back on (CRINGE).

    Good luck xxx
  • andiroot
    andiroot Posts: 43
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    Your routine looks good, However from my personal experiences i would suggest cardio before weights. I found i was not sore on the same level after i switched them around, tho i still could feel i had worked out. This Will get you nice and warm before you start weight lifting plus if you do weights last you will get more benefit from the after burn :) I can also recommend the new rules of weight lifting for women book. Its full of loads of good info about form, diet and all manner of things even if you don't follow it all to the letter, the instructions/ pictures of doing the exercises properly as a god send.

    Also keep an eye on your body fat %. I stopped looking at the LB and started using the tape measure instead. When i started weights my weight dropped a few LB in a 1 month period but my body fat dropped drastically and my muscle mass increased. Apparently now my BF% is too low, Dosen't sound like a bad thing to me however i am told i need to watch it and try to add a lil fat back on (CRINGE).

    Good luck xxx

    I was actually told to do Cardio after Weights so i'm exerting my energy on the weights rather than already being tired. I will check out the book, always good to get pointers! and we've got a ridiculously fancy scale that tracks body fat, bmi and hydration so I am keeping an eye on it. i'm not so concerned with my lbs, just more on how soft vs strong I feel my body becoming. i'm one of those people that only knows how each pair of pants fits, rather than how the scale is judging me hahaha
  • deenabrunson
    deenabrunson Posts: 1
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    Not sure what your schedule looks like but I recently started doing CrossFit in the morning and 30 to 60 min of cardio later. There are a few websites you can check out some workouts on. Just adjust them to realistic goals. I find I push myself harder because its fast and over quick lol. I have also felt that slight soreness much more, which tells me I am doing something right. If your a member of a gym they may have classes that can help etc. Good luck! I am right with you on wanting to firm up. I have lost weight but feel soft.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    Options
    your workout split is fine.
    when you weight train you could alternate your weeks
    for stamina and strength.
    stamina would lightweight/3 sets/15 reps medium to fast pace.
    strength would be light/1 set/15 reps then medium/1 set/10 reps
    then heavy/1 set/5 reps.
    if your doing cardio after weights then you won't really get sore
    as the extra blood flow stimulates muscle repair.

    I think my slight ocd keeps me in the habit of the same number of reps, but I do try to add weight on a set if I think I can make it. I will try to change it up a bit. also good to know about the blood flow in regards to being sore. I used to worry I just wasn't "doing any good"

    What they said.

    +1 for pyramid sets
    +1 for increasing weight not the number of sets
    +1 for free weight over fixed machines
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Options
    your workout split is fine.
    when you weight train you could alternate your weeks
    for stamina and strength.
    stamina would lightweight/3 sets/15 reps medium to fast pace.
    strength would be light/1 set/15 reps then medium/1 set/10 reps
    then heavy/1 set/5 reps.
    if your doing cardio after weights then you won't really get sore
    as the extra blood flow stimulates muscle repair.

    I think my slight ocd keeps me in the habit of the same number of reps, but I do try to add weight on a set if I think I can make it. I will try to change it up a bit. also good to know about the blood flow in regards to being sore. I used to worry I just wasn't "doing any good"

    What they said.

    +1 for pyramid sets
    +1 for increasing weight not the number of sets
    +1 for free weight over fixed machines

    Pyramid sets aren't bad as long as you don't make the reps too broad. Some people go from like 12 reps down to 1 and then back. I would say something more like 8 to 2 and then back up to 8. However, I would only use that on the main compound lift of the set, Legs = Squat / Deadlift, Chest = Bench Press, Shoulder = Standing/Sitting Military Press, Back = Barbell Row. For other exercises like Leg Curls, Tricep Extensions etc, just stick to straights sets or possibly drop sets.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Options
    i don't like the asymetrical nature of it. i'm a major fan of legs and booty but why do they get hit twice while shoulders, back and chest see action but once per week?

    i'm also thinking you could do soooooo much better if you leave the machines alone and use the free weights. 300% better workout and you can do it in half the time. it's a win all around.

    love the tats

    He does make a good point as well in regards to frequency. You may checkout something like 5/3/1 which would turn the week into more of a 2 upper body and 2 lower body sessions. Although one of the upper body session's main lifts is the standing overhead press, it's typically a good idea to throw in some dips or DB bench press (flat, incline, decline, or floor) as well. Also, you can go to T-Nation.com and do an Article search for the author Christian Thibadeau. He wrote a program called something like Star Complexes which are a lot of fun and very challenging at the same time. Although they can be difficult if your gym is very busy.

    Some machines aren't the end of the world but free weights are generally the best for you.

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