The Gym wont help

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mish24canada
mish24canada Posts: 152 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone I just joined goodlife gym. Anyway I found out that they wont provide me a workout plan to get me started. The gym has said that isnt included in membership. I was told if I need to know what I should be doing for cardo and weights I need to pay extra for personal trainer which I cant afford. So I'm sure im not the only in this situation. I was just wondering how do you know what to do? Is there a book you read? My goal is to lose weight and tone. So right now all I have been doing is using treadmill because I dont know what else I should be doing. Sorry about any grammer mistakes never been a good writer. Thanks for any help
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Replies

  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 209 Member
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    The new rules of lifting for women is a good book you could read about lifting routines, stronglifts 5x5 has a free pdf book too as far as strength training is concerned. For cardio, I would recommend doing what you enjoy which can be the treadmill if that's what you like, circuit training, etc.
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
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    The elliptical machine always works well for me. That's pretty much all I used the first 6 months I was working on my weight loss and it worked great! Now, I switch between that, swimming, treadmill and a stationary bike.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
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    The new rules to weight lifting for women is a great start as noted in a previous post but you can also take a look at bodybuilding.com which has many already created routines that you can follow at the gym or you can take a look at their workouts one by one and build a routine of your own as well as they have great information included with each exercise to help you choose.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    The new rules of lifting for women is a good book you could read about lifting routines, stronglifts 5x5 has a free pdf book too as far as strength training is concerned. For cardio, I would recommend doing what you enjoy which can be the treadmill if that's what you like, circuit training, etc.

    This.

    Starting Strength is good, too, as are You Are Your Own Gym and Convict Conditioning (though the last two are bodyweight stuff, making the gym membership kind of redundant unless you really don't have any other space for the bodyweight stuff).
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
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    The new rules of lifting for women is a good book you could read about lifting routines, stronglifts 5x5 has a free pdf book too as far as strength training is concerned. For cardio, I would recommend doing what you enjoy which can be the treadmill if that's what you like, circuit training, etc.

    ^This.

    I love NROL4W. :) SL 5x5 is another popular program, but I do like the information put forth in the NROL4W book even if you do not follow the routine. There is also a book called Starting Strength that is great for beginners (it has a lot of good information).

    I would recommend really reading up/watching videos on form though. I also highly recommend getting a trainer for a few sessions just to make sure your form is proper (you don't need to keep them long term).
  • kippo033
    kippo033 Posts: 3
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    If the gym has any group fitness classes that are included with your membership that can be a great way to learn some new exercises. They typically have to be taught by certified instructors so you would be able to get tips on your form too. Good luck!
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    The new rules of lifting for women is a good book you could read about lifting routines, stronglifts 5x5 has a free pdf book too as far as strength training is concerned. For cardio, I would recommend doing what you enjoy which can be the treadmill if that's what you like, circuit training, etc.

    ^This.

    I love NROL4W. :) SL 5x5 is another popular program, but I do like the information put forth in the NROL4W book even if you do not follow the routine. There is also a book called Starting Strength that is great for beginners (it has a lot of good information).

    I would recommend really reading up/watching videos on form though. I also highly recommend getting a trainer for a few sessions just to make sure your form is proper (you don't need to keep them long term).

    All of this information is really all anyone needs. The quotes cover all of the bases. You can do cardio if you want, that's great, but the strength info / programs provided here are all anyone would ever need. Pick your preference and start picking up heavy things.
  • thetiniestgirl
    thetiniestgirl Posts: 49
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    I was given a free session when I joined my gym. I used it to walk through ALL the machines witha trainer at the gym and learn how to use each one properly. From there, I read a lot and was able to create my own routines.



    Do they offer any type of free orientation? Or perhaps you pay for just one session.
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
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    Most gyms don't provide workout programs for free. I'm a personal trainer and it takes a lot of work to put together a personalized workout program for each person. I wouldn't trust them if they had every person do the exact same routine. Fitness is individualized and every person has different goals, different starting points, different injuries/fitness levels. That being said, there are tons of fitness programs available through the internet and bookstores. I would do some research to find modifications if they're not provided and you find that you cannot complete the exercise as it's set up. some good books are:

    The New Rules of Lifting (they have one for women and one for men, and other ones for more specific goals)
    Push by Chalene Johnson
    Bring It by Tony Horton
    Jillian Michaels (all of her books have exercises and nutrition information in them)

    Some helpful websites:
    www.bodybuilding.com
    www.runnersworld.com
    www.oxygenmag.com
    www.fitnessmagazine.com

    You can also check out fitness magazines- I find Women's Health, Oxygen, and Runners World to be the most helpful. If you're totally new to exercise I would highly reccommend looking into a trainer, a lot of gyms have a starter package for a couple training sessions. They can really help you make sure that you're using the equipment properly and that your using proper form.
  • icyeyes317
    icyeyes317 Posts: 226 Member
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    Nerdfitness.com. check out stacey.
  • dancinmama
    dancinmama Posts: 47 Member
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    You probably should have joined Curves to start out...
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    You probably should have joined Curves to start out...
    lolwut? why?
  • Frank_Just_Frank
    Frank_Just_Frank Posts: 454 Member
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    The Complete Guide To Strength Training by Anita Bean is very good for starting out. It gives you all the programming from getting off the couch to specialized training in a nice sequential manner. Highly recommend it.
  • hydrochickie
    hydrochickie Posts: 12
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    I am in a similar situation to you... joined the gym, no training and was a bit lost. First month or two I stuck to the treadmill, but it was boring and took forever to burn calories! I started on the stationary bike and I loved it! You can burn calories so quickly and you can speed up and slow down at your own pace. I made a bike playlist with songs of different paces so I race through the fast ones and slow it down on the slow ones.... I can burn 250 calories in 20 minutes, without too much effort. For me, it was way more bang for my buck than the treadmill.

    Everyone's gym experience is different, but this is mine!

    Good luck!
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
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    The new rules of lifting for women is a good book you could read about lifting routines, stronglifts 5x5 has a free pdf book too as far as strength training is concerned. For cardio, I would recommend doing what you enjoy which can be the treadmill if that's what you like, circuit training, etc.

    This.

    Starting Strength is good, too, as are You Are Your Own Gym and Convict Conditioning (though the last two are bodyweight stuff, making the gym membership kind of redundant unless you really don't have any other space for the bodyweight stuff).

    THIS

    Also strong lifts
  • sanndandi
    sanndandi Posts: 300 Member
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    bumping for the links
  • minijuggernaut
    minijuggernaut Posts: 98 Member
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    Try bodybuilding.com.

    Jamie Eason's LiveFit plan would be good for a beginner.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" is an excellent book. I especially enjoyed the nutrition section. I did the program for a bit, but found it complicated. Now I do "Strong Lifts 5x5" which can be found in PDF form on the internet. It's geared more towards men, but there is a group here for women. Here are a few links that you might find helpful.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w

    Also, before starting any program, it's a good idea to watch videos for good form. The first group I listed above has some links to good videos. I recommend joining ALL three groups and seeing what works best for you. You'll get much better advice in a group than you will from the general forums regardless of what program you follow.

    Keep in mind, these are weight training groups, although the first one is good for general weight loss/gain advice as well. Should you decide weight training isn't your "thing" there are many other groups doing lot's of other things that can offer suggestions as well. I, personally, prefer weight training.

    Best of luck to you on whatever you choose and congrats on taking the first steps towards a better you.
  • climbamnt
    climbamnt Posts: 190 Member
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    Interested in reading the responses for later. Thanks!
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    You probably should have joined Curves to start out...

    I foolishly did that several years ago. I got nothing from it other than camaraderie from fellow members.

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