My life vs. The gym?

rebuhhh · February 2014

Hi everyone...

Today i was thinking about going to the gym but then realized that my life if so hectic it would be until saturday that id be able to go again.. Is going to the gym twice a week going to do anything for me if i am eating right? I could always use my dumbbells at home too.. Just not sure if the gym would be effective since its not a constant routine..

FromHereOnOut · February 2014

something > nothing

loubidy · February 2014

So long as you're doing proper weight training you'll benefit for up to two days after as opposed to cardio which caloriesa re only burnt at the time.

rebuhhh · February 2014

I go to planet fitness, I'm not exactly sure how to weight train but i do my best and do the 30 minute workout portion but only use the machines and do arms one day and legs a different day.. If i do this followed by cardio, thats ok, twice a week?

MeanderingMammal · February 2014

I guess it depends on what your objectives are and how you can fit in your activities to be sustainable. If you try to force in a third session at the gym and it's not sustainable then it's not going to work.

Given that you've got nothing in your profile around your objectives I'm going to make the assumption that you're complementing your diet with some exercise for general health, rather than specific exercise goals. So that's probably a mix of cardio exercise and resistance training. You probably want to be doing 3-4 sessions per week, but if you can only get to the gym twice then think about what you can do from home, or work/ uni.

To provide some context around my own experience, I've been running for about 10 months now, due to my job I travel a lot so end up in hotels three or four nights per week. I opt for hotels that have either decent running routes in the vicinity, or a decent length pool. I don't do cardio in the gym if I can possibly avoid it.

Monday - Recovery run
Tuesday - Interval run
Wednesday - Bodyweight resistance session and/ or swim if possible
Thursday - Generally an off day due to travel restrictions or a swim sometimes subject to where I am
Friday - Tempo run
Saturday - Long slow run
Sunday - Recovery run and bodyweight resistance session

geebusuk · February 2014

Two days a week should still offer decent benefits.

I would suggest a routine doing big compound moves - starting strength or strong lifts are both excellent examples that can be done quickly.

Cardio both 'buys' you calories so you can eat more and done properly, improves your cardiovascular abilities too.

Do you have space for a rack and barbell at home?
You can pick stuff up pretty cheaply second-hand.

lorislosingit · February 2014

I agree that something is better than nothing. If you can get to the gym 2x this week, then you can work on getting there 3x next week until you are where you want to be. Don't make it all or nothing. Also, make an appt. with the Planet Fitness trainers. It's free, and they will create a routine with you. And, they'll work with how many days you can get to the gym. My trainer gave me a leg workout I can do at home. My Planet Fitness also has free sessions to work different areas of your body, sign up for some of those too, you'll learn some new exercises to keep you challenged.

MeanderingMammal · February 2014

So long as you're doing proper weight training you'll benefit for up to two days after as opposed to cardio which caloriesa re only burnt at the time.

The purpose of resistance training isn't calorie consumption, I read a couple of articles recently that indicated that the calorie differential for post exercise additional burn between resistance and CV work is insignificant, 4-5%, and then only really for experienced trainers.

The purpose of CV work is to increase cardiovascular capacity, the benefit of burning calories is that it gives one a much broader range of eating opportunities.

The whole "still having an effect two days later" narrative is fictional

RunMyOregonBunsOff · February 2014

So long as you're doing proper weight training you'll benefit for up to two days after as opposed to cardio which caloriesa re only burnt at the time.

That isn't strictly true. Yes, adding lean muscle will help your body to burn more but many types of cardio will give you a slight added burn for hours after as long as your workout is intense enough.

JoRocka · February 2014

So long as you're doing proper weight training you'll benefit for up to two days after as opposed to cardio which caloriesa re only burnt at the time.

That isn't strictly true. Yes, adding lean muscle will help your body to burn more but many types of cardio will give you a slight added burn for hours after as long as your workout is intense enough.

except muscle requires more calories- so your maintenance increases with more muscle mass.

doing 2 whole body workouts 2x a week is fair enough- as long as they are complete and you really work them. I think 3 is moar better- but 2 is better than 0 no questions asked.

I'd be more worried about getting a decent work out in like that at PF though- but you gotta work with what you have!

geebusuk · February 2014

except muscle requires more calories- so your maintenance increases with more muscle mass.

About 6 calories a day per pound.

As a rough idea, this bloke would burn about 426 calories more than the bloke below.

Ok, that's a good chunk, but reality is that most for your average person who's bicepts are bigger than most people's thighs, you're talking a pretty insignificant number.

FromHereOnOut · February 2014

fwiw, I originally planned 2x/wk schedule, b/c my life is filled with distractions and I didn't want to set myself up for failure by intending 3x, but missing the mark. Well, once I started going, I got addicted both to the activity and to the results. So, I discovered that the gym is open & relatively empty on weekends (where I live, things are often closed weekends, esp. Sunday sometimes by law), and also I became quite demanding that DH find a way to look after the kids so that I could go more consistently. Basically, I got creative and began prioritizing my time at the gym higher and now go 4x/wk, plus run 1x/wk and still get 2 recovery days. Just do it and see where life takes you.

vanguardfitness · February 2014

I workout twice a week. But my workouts are about 2 hours long

RunMyOregonBunsOff · February 2014

So long as you're doing proper weight training you'll benefit for up to two days after as opposed to cardio which caloriesa re only burnt at the time.

That isn't strictly true. Yes, adding lean muscle will help your body to burn more but many types of cardio will give you a slight added burn for hours after as long as your workout is intense enough.

except muscle requires more calories- so your maintenance increases with more muscle mass.

doing 2 whole body workouts 2x a week is fair enough- as long as they are complete and you really work them. I think 3 is moar better- but 2 is better than 0 no questions asked.

I'd be more worried about getting a decent work out in like that at PF though- but you gotta work with what you have!

I just meant that while you will get more after burn from strength, intense cardio can provide some as well and the way it was organically stated didn't reflect that.

Bottom line however, is that you will get benefit from two gym workouts a week regardless of what type of workout you do. Personally, I would split gym time between strength and cardio and then supplement at home with the dumbbells that she has (assuming they aren't 1 or 3 lb weights) and other body weight strength workout.

My life vs. The gym?

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