Workout Routine at the gym...HELP

I have been trying to loose weight for a couple of years. Last year I went from 236 to 194. Yeah!! Not really, I am back up to 213. I joined a gym and was doing good for awhile, but got discouraged. I do not know what equipment to use and how many reps to do. I have asked the people who work at the gym, but am told I need to pay for their physical training session. I cannot afford this. I do alternate between the treadmill and cycle on workout days. Any help on what machines will be helpful in helping me loose, and firm up, would be greatly appreciate it. This is going to me my year to suceed in getting healthy and trimming down.

Replies

  • amybg1
    amybg1 Posts: 631 Member
    Lose the machines and hit the free weights I would also suggest doing cardio on your non-gym days or if you really have to do both then do it after the weights. Good starting points would be New Rules of Lifting, Starting Strength and that sort of thing
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    edited December 2014
    Yes, follow a good program, because there's too much to explain in a post. For your age group, i suggest New Rules of Lifting for Life. If you can't afford that, there's a program in my profile. Try to video yourself doing the exercises, so you can check for mistakes. If you're still unsure, post the videos here.

    Good luck.. and by the way, it's "lose", not "loose". :)

    Cheers..
  • relyt22
    relyt22 Posts: 3 Member
    StrongLifts 5X5
  • relyt22
    relyt22 Posts: 3 Member
    I love it
  • Thanks to all of you who have replied. All of you have agreed that I should not worry about the machines- go free weights and a good program. I am taking your advice. Thank you all for the help. Now to start working on the new me.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited December 2014
    Start with the basics.

    #1 - get your eating/intake dialed in
    #2 - get your eating/intake dialed in
    #3 - get your eating/intake dialed in
    #4 - get some exercise, ideally a nice mix of strength training (lower reps, higher weight based on what you can manage safely) and cardio (whatever you like)
    #5 - patience, patience, consistency, patience, and more consistency.
  • tinahohner
    tinahohner Posts: 1 Member
    Diet, Cardio and if you want to build..go to Muscle Fitness Hers. They have routines for women and pics that show you how. Good site!
  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,974 Member
    I'd also vote for StrongLifts 5x5 -- you can find videos online to show how to do the exercises and in my case I have several times had other gym members point out what I was doing wrong and help coach me to do it correctly -- but I did have a trainer for just one time when I first joined the gym just to show me some of the machines for cardio, etc.
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    beabea02 wrote: »
    Thanks to all of you who have replied. All of you have agreed that I should not worry about the machines- go free weights and a good program. I am taking your advice. Thank you all for the help. Now to start working on the new me.
    Holy smokes. This may be one of the best things I've ever read.
  • estud003
    estud003 Posts: 27 Member
    Free weights YES! Here is another vote for The New Rules series. I did the New Rules of Lifting for Women and it totally changed my life +my view on working out. New Rules of Lifting for Life may be a good choice for you as someone mentioned above.
  • I lost 10 kg (from 82 to 72) with diet and a training routine based on:
    Running (cardio)
    Power yoga (cardio and flexibility)
    Free weight (just a couple of dumbbell up to 10kg each, trained at home)
    Pushup, ABS, squat

    It worked well! Not only I burned fat, and built up muscle mass while keeping flexibility... I also learned to listen to my body, avoiding injuries, and above all I understood that training makes you feel better!

    No need to rush, focusing just on your goal. Do what you want, when you want, where you want. Respect your body and enjoy the time you are spending for your own happyness.
    The only rules you MUST follow are "at least 3 training sessions every week", "you are doing this for yourself, so no cheat" and "listen to your body, to avoid injuries"

    Good luck with your training!!!
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    Go to bodybuilding.com. An account is free, and there are workouts targeted to every skill level that you can view to learn technique, then print out and take to the gym with you.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    OP - you can not out train a bad diet, meaning that you can crush it in the gym for two hours a day with perfect form and follow a program to the "T" and if your eating in a calorie surplus you will not lose weight, and will gain.

    here is what I suggest.

    calculate your maintenance level calories and deduct 500 calories from it and eat to that number.
    get a food scale and weigh/log/measure everything.
    log all your food.
    if you want to lift, I would suggest free weights. Look into starting strength, strong lifts, 5x5 etc. Make sure that you learn proper form before starting, you can watch you tube videos on proper form.
    repeat until you reach desired goals….
  • Im 190 lbs. I juat loat 30. You can add me and send me a pm. Ill let you know what I do in the gym
  • o2ritson71
    o2ritson71 Posts: 17 Member
    for workout routines take a look at bodybuilding.com every thing from biginner to advanced routines