Women Workout Routine

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PNGmeri2000
PNGmeri2000 Posts: 37 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all!
I have recently realized I have no idea what I am doing in the gym. I've just been doing the things that I have always heard but am finding out that might not be the right way to go. I am 22 years old. When I go to the gym, I've been doing
3 sets, 15 reps of each of the following machines:
Leg Press
Hip Abductor/adductor
Ab Machine
Seated Row
Lat Pulldown

I try to vary the weights and/or reps. If I up the weight, I keep the reps the same or lower them. if I up the reps, I keep the weight the same. But, I've been doing a lot of reps and I think maybe I should be doing heavier weights and lower reps to build muscle? I also think I should be doing free weight machines and dumbbells but I am still learning the right form and I feel like the machines are helping teach me the right machine.

I follow my weight training with at least a half hour of elliptical and/or stair stepping that leaves me sweaty and panting.

Anyways - what does everyone else do for workouts? I just want to maximize my workouts and make sure I am working my body as hard as I can without overdoing it. I want to tone everything up and build some muscle. I used to always be afraid that if I did any weight training that I would bulk up (something my husband is terrified of happening now!) but the more I read, the more it seems that female bodies just aren't made that way and as long as I don't take supplements and such, I won't bulk up that way. Anyways, I would love to hear what everyone else does and what your recommendations are regarding my workouts.

Replies

  • MelClaire2000
    MelClaire2000 Posts: 64
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    Two tips: Find what you love doing, and pay a personal trainer to at least coach you a couple times on form. Find a gym that is supportive. My gym has trainers in there all the time and they will correct form and give tips even to people who aren't their clients because its part of their overall job as gym staff.

    Personally I do kettlebells. I can do 20 minutes or I can do an hour depending on what kind of time I have. I love kettlebells, the workouts I do are FUN, and love how its all over body conditioning, strength, stability, flexibility, cardio etc.

    You might want to take some classes to find out what you love. Is it classic weight training, is it kettlebells, is it metafit, is it kickboxing or muay thai, etc?

    And no, you won't bulk up
  • PNGmeri2000
    PNGmeri2000 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    Two tips: Find what you love doing, and pay a personal trainer to at least coach you a couple times on form. Find a gym that is supportive. My gym has trainers in there all the time and they will correct form and give tips even to people who aren't their clients because its part of their overall job as gym staff.

    Personally I do kettlebells. I can do 20 minutes or I can do an hour depending on what kind of time I have. I love kettlebells, the workouts I do are FUN, and love how its all over body conditioning, strength, stability, flexibility, cardio etc.

    You might want to take some classes to find out what you love. Is it classic weight training, is it kettlebells, is it metafit, is it kickboxing or muay thai, etc?

    And no, you won't bulk up

    Thanks! I would love to hire a personal trainer, but we just can't afford it right now. I have been dong all my research online and watching you tube videos to get form right. I will work on asking the trainers who are there more often. They make themselves available to answer questions but I am always embarassed and self consious to ask them because I don't really have any idea what to do and feel silly asking them. But, that's what they are for, right?!

    I'll have to look up some videos on kettlebells. I've heard great things about them, but always just ignored using them. But, I will change that! Thanks!!
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Options
    Hello all!
    I have recently realized I have no idea what I am doing in the gym. I've just been doing the things that I have always heard but am finding out that might not be the right way to go. I am 22 years old. When I go to the gym, I've been doing
    3 sets, 15 reps of each of the following machines:
    Leg Press
    Hip Abductor/adductor
    Ab Machine
    Seated Row
    Lat Pulldown

    I try to vary the weights and/or reps. If I up the weight, I keep the reps the same or lower them. if I up the reps, I keep the weight the same. But, I've been doing a lot of reps and I think maybe I should be doing heavier weights and lower reps to build muscle? I also think I should be doing free weight machines and dumbbells but I am still learning the right form and I feel like the machines are helping teach me the right machine.

    I follow my weight training with at least a half hour of elliptical and/or stair stepping that leaves me sweaty and panting.

    Anyways - what does everyone else do for workouts? I just want to maximize my workouts and make sure I am working my body as hard as I can without overdoing it. I want to tone everything up and build some muscle. I used to always be afraid that if I did any weight training that I would bulk up (something my husband is terrified of happening now!) but the more I read, the more it seems that female bodies just aren't made that way and as long as I don't take supplements and such, I won't bulk up that way. Anyways, I would love to hear what everyone else does and what your recommendations are regarding my workouts.

    Pretty much. Bulking is a function of three things more or less, training volume, excessive calories (I do mean excessive), and adequate testosterone which in general most women don't naturally produce.

    Training like a woman versus training like a man: What essentially makes men and women different are our hormone levels which affects how we develop. However, our muscles are the same. A female's triceps function the same as a male's biceps, as do the hamstrings, quads, pecs, lats, etc. Training like a woman is mostly marketing to benefit off of women's fears about bulking up (i.e. Pilates). Read something like Starting Strength, StrongLifts 5x5, or New Rules of Lifting to get a good handle on how to begin training. For a beginner that has little experience looking for information on how to start their own training those three books are a great start and very easy to begin.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
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    I train like a man, I guess. There is no specific program for men or women, if something is being advertised as such it's garbage.

    JNick has a very good post.
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
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    try bodypump, the instructor will run through what you'll be doing and posture before class if you let him/her know you're new. and you can see how he/she stands during the class and you just copy them. if you do do it and you've never done it before, stay to the smallest weights on the bar DO NOT CHANGE weight!!! at all!!! it might feel easy but as you're learning the posture it's quite intense and you WILL be sore later ;) Once you know what your limits are from the first class you can change your weight accordingly for the next class.

    once you get the gist you can drop the class if you don't like it (i personally love bodypump, just wish i could afford it!) and you'll have the proper form for most moves on free weights.

    And as someone else pointed out, if you're part of a gym they may have a free programme that they will design for you, they will show you how to do each move and every 10 weeks or so will change it so you don't get bored (your body also gets used to what you're doing quite quickly so it's always good to change things).

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