Gym workout and rest days? HELP

phattothin
phattothin Posts: 27
in Fitness and Exercise
hi everyone, ok so i need advise. I started at the gym on Saturday this is what i did for the past few days:

Sat: 25 Mins tredmill various speeds and incline
25 Mins elliptical various speeds and incline
weights

Sun: Same as Saturday

Mon: 30 Mins on tredmill
weights

Tues: rest day

Wed: 40 Mins Tredmill Various speeds and a higher incline
20 Mins elliptical Incline 11 resistance 15
Weights

Thurs: Rest Day?

Fri: Same as Wed

So my question is if i took Tuesdays and Thursdays as rest days and did this type of schedule would that be ok? is it a good workout? how many rest days should i have? oh and im looking to lose 7lbs a month.

Replies

  • phattothin
    phattothin Posts: 27
    i am doing to the following weights which are all using the machines, no free weights:

    Leg Press - 3 sets, 10 reps, 95lbs
    Chest Press - 3 sets, 8 reps, 30 lbs
    Tricep Extention - 3 sets, 10 reps, 50lbs
    Machine Fly - 3 sets, 8 reps, 30lbs
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    In RE to the resistance work/weight training, you do not want to be working the same muscles or muscle groups on consecutive days. I would further advise looking into an actual program that will lay out exactly what you're supposed to be doing, how much you're supposed to be doing, how often you should be doing it, and when to progress. You will reap the most benefits from following and actual tried and true routine. You're missing all kinds of muscles with what you're doing.

    I would also ditch the machines for free weights...much more beneficial and you can easily get in a full body workout in 30-45 minutes 3x weekly. Your program should progressively load your body...meaning you will be regularly increasing the weight your are pushing and pulling in order for your body to continue to have a training response.

    Beyond giving your muscles proper recovery time, actual rest days will be up to you and you'll need to listen to your body. Also, a rest day doesn't mean you have to do nothing...right now I have two rest days per week, Monday and Friday. On Mondays I usually go for a 45-60 minute walk at lunch and I do restorative yoga in the evening. On Fridays I also do a 45 - 60 minute walk at lunch...and when I get off work I take the family out for pizza and we watch movies when we get home.
  • phattothin
    phattothin Posts: 27
    The one thing i did not want to do or become is one of those people who are like ok its leg days, its arm days...im more like ok its a full body day 5 days a week. Im not good with pain and if i get sore i will not go back to the gym. My brother who goes to the gym and is a weight meat head told me this is a good start to slightly build a bit of muscle then switch to free weights. i mostly go to the gym for cardio not for weights. So for me weights are an after thought, because its as i go to change to go home and then i go ok lets do a few things, now i like my routine. i will maybe add in a few other exersices with weights and see how it goes.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The one thing i did not want to do or become is one of those people who are like ok its leg days, its arm days...im more like ok its a full body day 5 days a week. Im not good with pain and if i get sore i will not go back to the gym. My brother who goes to the gym and is a weight meat head told me this is a good start to slightly build a bit of muscle then switch to free weights. i mostly go to the gym for cardio not for weights. So for me weights are an after thought, because its as i go to change to go home and then i go ok lets do a few things, now i like my routine. i will maybe add in a few other exersices with weights and see how it goes.

    why even ask the question if you don't like the critique...do it your way, I'm just telling you how to maximize your time and energy here to get the optimal results. Anybody who knows anything about weight lifting would never suggest to do a full body routine on consecutive days.
  • phattothin
    phattothin Posts: 27
    i was not asking for advice on weight lifting but advise on my routine and rest days...i was asking if thats what normal people do for rest days,,,ie, 2 rest days a week, 1 rest day a week, no rest days. thats what i was asking. i did not want advice on weight lifting. What im doing for weights is working for me now. i feel my muscles growing so i will continue to do what i want to do and what is working for me like i said i DO NOT want to be one of those people who have arm days and legs days as i would quit the gym after 1 day because i would be in pain for 2-3 days after. I know lots of body builders who do what you are suggesting i do and im not a body builder, my body builder friends and my brother all said what im doing is fine for what im trying to accomplish!
  • hilts1969
    hilts1969 Posts: 465 Member
    I think i know where you are coming from, what i do and my goals are fitness with a bit of body composition is this

    monday pull day with treadmill and one leg exercise
    tuesday push day with treadmill and one leg exercise
    wed rest
    thursday pull day with treadmill and one leg exercise
    friday push day with treadmill and one leg exercise

    sat rest
    sun rest

    works for me so far and is easy to follow

    4 pull exercises and 4 push exercises and enough rest, hour to hour and half per session

    simple effective depending on what you want

    i would reconsider the altering the machines you use, i started similar to you and messed up tbh

    i have progressed more in two months than the previous six after i put more thought into it, you can achieve what you want on machines though
  • 125KC
    125KC Posts: 71 Member
    ok then what in fact is the real question? If your body builder friends, who are experienced, say you are doing ok - then keep doing it. Bottom line - if it's working for you then keep working! I think what was being suggested to you is that you need to give your body a chance to heal and recover and doing total body workouts back to back do not give those muscles a chance to recover, which is why "those people" have leg days, and back days, etc.

    I do cardio and weights, and I mix it up with either an upper body focus, or a lower body focus, or a push/pull focus - whatever program I am following, i make sure to give my muscles a day of recovery - if you don't you might find you're not getting the results you are wanting.

    Now as for total body workouts - yes, i do those too every now and then to mix things up, but for the most part focus on different parts on different days.

    As for rest days - well above is the reason we have rest days. So really, the choice is yours. I only take one rest day a week, but on the 6th day it's usually stretching or yoga or something like that.

    Good luck on your journey :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    i was not asking for advice on weight lifting but advise on my routine and rest days...i was asking if thats what normal people do for rest days,,,ie, 2 rest days a week, 1 rest day a week, no rest days. thats what i was asking. i did not want advice on weight lifting. What im doing for weights is working for me now. i feel my muscles growing so i will continue to do what i want to do and what is working for me like i said i DO NOT want to be one of those people who have arm days and legs days as i would quit the gym after 1 day because i would be in pain for 2-3 days after. I know lots of body builders who do what you are suggesting i do and im not a body builder, my body builder friends and my brother all said what im doing is fine for what im trying to accomplish!

    where exactly did I mention splits..I explicitly talked about full body routines, not splits (i.e. leg days, arm days, etc)? Who said anything about body building? I'm not a body builder. Have fun though...good luck...you sound like you have it all figured out and under control then...
  • rubix08
    rubix08 Posts: 33 Member
    I've done a bit of weightlifting throughout the previous months and I know from experience trying to do a full body workout will most likely leave you in pain everywhere at the beginning because you've strained every party of your body. That being said though, it also depends on how intense you are doing the weightlifting workout. Over time I found that just doing some light lifting was ok and didn't leave me too sore and I was able to do a full body workout a few days in a week (I usually take 2 rest days a week depending on my work schedule) but do cardio on opposite days. I was also able to increase the weights without too much trouble and I would just repeat my routine a few times a session (start with arms/shoulders, chest, move down to thighs/legs, calves then start from the top again). If you plan to do heavy lifting though you may find that in order to properly recover you may need to just work on one area each workout session then focus on another area a different day.
  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
    You don't lift because you don't want to be sore???????
  • hilts1969
    hilts1969 Posts: 465 Member
    I lift 4 times a week and i am never sore, doesn,t make any sense to me, i must be doing something wrong

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