New to the gym ....

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Autti_Does_JiuJitsu
Autti_Does_JiuJitsu Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
I have only done a 30 minute circuit and cardio like a bike or the elliptical so I apologize for not knowing any of this ...

What does a person usually do for "arm day" and "leg day" and for how long.

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  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Isolation exercsing esp for a newbie is not the best route to take.

    Start off with a program- such as

    Starting strength
    New Rules of lifting(for men or women)
    Strong curves

    Start researching compound lifts- it's likes shopping at wal-mart- the most bang for your buck- isolation exercising is pretty much like going ONLY to the farmers market for fruit/veggies- then driving across down to go to the buctcher for meat- then going to the school supply store for your kids- then going to macy's for clothes.

    You can get a lot more stuff done if you take one trip- compound moves are that "one trip" you hit in a few basic movements the biggest mass of muscles you can- so biggest bang for your buck.

    Compound movements would be
    Squats
    Dead lifts
    Over head press
    and Bench

    throw in some pull up or pendlay row's and you have pretty much the whole body covered with just 5 lifts. easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  • jblackjr
    jblackjr Posts: 89 Member
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    Personally I followed the workouts on the Fitness buddy app and have had some decent success so far. Also bodybuilding.com is a great source if you are interested in weight lifting.
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
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    Personally I do a whole-body day (I'm no expert!), and I've been using Stronglifts 5x5. You'll also see some people starting with New Rules of Lifting for Women. Great book, but personally I found SL5x5 to be simpler starting out. My schedule is normally:

    Mon 30 min lifting/30 min cardio (running, swimming, elliptical--I rotate days)
    Tuesday: 30 min lifting/30 min cardio
    Wed: 30 min cardio
    Thurs: off
    Friday: 30 min lifting/ 30 min cardio
    Sat: whatever--I'll either go for a 4-mile walk w/ husband, go for a 4-5 mile run, do a fitness DVD, or just walk the mall for an hour.
    Sun: off

    Does that answer your question? Nobody knows what they're doing starting out--I found youtube videos to be really helpful to sort out which strength training stuff I wanted to try.
  • Autti_Does_JiuJitsu
    Autti_Does_JiuJitsu Posts: 10
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    Thank you for all of the advice. I had a few people tell me I was doing it wrong and had to "isolate" to be doing it right so I was worried! I have had results with what I have been doing (down 6 lbs in less than a month) so I will continue to work on what I have been until I am ready for that. :)
  • 50racinggirl
    50racinggirl Posts: 96 Member
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    Google It. There are TONS and TONS of exercises to do for arms and legs.
  • Autti_Does_JiuJitsu
    Autti_Does_JiuJitsu Posts: 10
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    I have googled it, but I guess I wanted to personally talk to people to see incase I had questions it's easier than asking a question in a thread that ended 4 years ago.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Isolation exercsing esp for a newbie is not the best route to take.

    Start off with a program- such as

    Starting strength
    New Rules of lifting(for men or women)
    Strong curves

    Start researching compound lifts- it's likes shopping at wal-mart- the most bang for your buck- isolation exercising is pretty much like going ONLY to the farmers market for fruit/veggies- then driving across down to go to the buctcher for meat- then going to the school supply store for your kids- then going to macy's for clothes.

    You can get a lot more stuff done if you take one trip- compound moves are that "one trip" you hit in a few basic movements the biggest mass of muscles you can- so biggest bang for your buck.

    Compound movements would be
    Squats
    Dead lifts
    Over head press
    and Bench

    throw in some pull up or pendlay row's and you have pretty much the whole body covered with just 5 lifts. easy peasy lemon squeezy.

    /thread
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Just do Stronglifts 5x5, great beginner program for women and men. Aside from that, if you want to learn about lifting for women, and how to do the lifts safely, you should really consider reading "New Rules of Lifting for Women". I cannot recommend this enough, it's a great book to get your started, and easy to access.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    And strong lifts- yes that too. :) I tend to want to not recommend it as a beginner beginner program only because the name sounds off putting to a new lifter vs the Starting Strenght.

    But both are great programs!!!
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
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    Another vote for Stronglifts 5x5.

    Mehdi can be a little annoying, but he certainly gets results.
  • tricksee
    tricksee Posts: 835 Member
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    Workout A
    Squat 5 x5
    Bench Press 5 x5
    Barbell Row 5 x5
    Incline Curl 3x8
    Dips 3x 8

    Workout B
    Overhead Press 5 x5
    Close Grip Bench Press 5 x5
    Deadlift 1 x5
    Skullcrusher 3 x 8
    Chin Ups 3 x 8

    Alternate the two routines on Mon/Tues (Rest Weds) then alternate Thurs/Fri with a weight you can complete 5 x 5.

    Either up the weight by 5lbs each successful session or add a rep until you reach 10 reps then re-evaluate your weights and start over at 5x 5

    Do this for a few years and you'll be a monster,

    and I do mean MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!

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