New to the gym

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Okay so I'm going into the gym near my house to register and do the orientation. They also offer free yoga and body flow classes, so I'm going to participate in those soon enough as well!

Basically, I'm wondering how often I should go. I'm looking to strengthen my legs, tone my bum and tummy, and lose a bit of flab on my arms; I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight but if I do, cool! Do I go 4 days a week, one day each for my legs/bum/tummy/arms, how does this work?

Thanks :)

Replies

  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    3-5 days a week, you're fine doing three. I recommend skipping the classes and instead, lift. Focus on heavy compounds, in your case Squats and deadlifts, as well as pull-ups, any other lifts you do is icing on the cake.

    Rigger
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    I usually do 3 workouts a week and 1 or 2 runs. If you're looking to strengthen your body, I would recommend looking into either New Rule of Lifting for Women or Starting Strength as they give good explanations of what to do and why. Consider checking out the Eat, Train, Progress group on here as well.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    There are different ways of getting in shape, but i would do a full-body strength workout on 3 non-consecutive days, and do some cardio or classes on 1 to 3 of the other days, depending on your schedule, energy, and goals. Those classes burn relatively few calories, so don't rely too much on them for getting in shape. NROLFW is a popular lifting program.

    Remember that you can't target fat loss.
  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
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    I loooove Bodyflow. I lift and do other stuff too, but I try to do Flow once a week to help with balance and flexibility.
  • linorang1
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    Starting strength of ICF 5x5 are good programs to start with. This is a link that displays the outline and specifics of ICF 5x5, http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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  • beaches222
    beaches222 Posts: 437 Member
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    bump
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
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    I love going 5-6 days a week. I participate in classes as well as do my own thing. Go at least 3 but more if you'd like! It gets way more fun when you become a regular. :)