Gym advice

Justpeachy02
Justpeachy02 Posts: 11,817 Member
edited December 1 in Fitness and Exercise

I've recently joined a gym. I'm working out 4-5 days a week. I'm trying to lose in my abdominal area and back area. I typically do the treadmill for 20-30 mins and then machines 30-40 minutes. Need advice on the best machines to be using. Also should I be resting days in between more. I'm so new at this. Typically in the past I've just walked for exercise.

Replies

  • Jams009
    Jams009 Posts: 345 Member
    edited May 2016
    Unfortuntely you can't choose where the fat comes off; fat storage is determined genetically. All you can do is lose it everywhere and hope for the best / work with what you've got.

    Best bet would be to split up your workouts so that you cover your whole body over the week, but give each body part time to recover between workouts. I currently do a 4 day split that looks like this:

    Mon: legs
    Tues: arms/shoulders
    Weds: chest
    Thurs: back

    I hope that helps.

    Edit: you could also add in a day of cardio if you want. I go running on a saturday sometimes.
  • Justpeachy02
    Justpeachy02 Posts: 11,817 Member
    Thanks @Jams009 very helpful
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Unless you have very specific targets and have already progressed, splits are not usually a good idea. Aiming for a few exercises that involve large muscle groups and doing full body workouts is as a rule a better idea, especially when beginning.
    Can you talk to someone at the gym and ask for a sample program? Most gyms will offer some basic programs for free.
    If not, google a bit to figure out something that works for you. You want one exercise per big muscle group per day: legs, back, abs, chest, shoulders.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
    Jams009 wrote: »
    Unfortuntely you can't choose where the fat comes off; fat storage is determined genetically. All you can do is lose it everywhere and hope for the best / work with what you've got.

    Best bet would be to split up your workouts so that you cover your whole body over the week, but give each body part time to recover between workouts. I currently do a 4 day split that looks like this:

    Mon: legs
    Tues: arms/shoulders
    Weds: chest
    Thurs: back

    I hope that helps.

    Edit: you could also add in a day of cardio if you want. I go running on a saturday sometimes.

    Id split your shoulder/arms day from the chest day, put a day between as they use many of the same
    Muscles.
  • Jams009
    Jams009 Posts: 345 Member
    Shawshankcan wrote: »

    Id split your shoulder/arms day from the chest day, put a day between as they use many of the same
    Muscles.

    Thanks, yeah, I've been playing with it for a couple of months now, but I'm happy with how it is working out at the moment. I try to have legs as far as possible from back because squats affect my deads, and arms really shouldn't be next to back or chest. I might consider a rest day on Wednesday to split it up, but everything seems to be working OK for me at the moment, so I'm sticking with it for the time being.
  • RachNRoll
    RachNRoll Posts: 192 Member
    I will strongly recommend deadlifts to tighten your back. In my case, by eating clean (not even counting calories at that point) in just 2 weeks I could see a major difference on my back, the fat rolls almost gone Strength training is the best, squats and deadlifts ;)
    Just make sure that you’re doing them with proper form!
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Read the sticky post in this forum.

    I agree about not starting with a split workout, and also about ignoring where your fat is located. That doesn't change the workout. :+1:
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Do the machines 3 x weekly, cardio on the other days. Gives decent time for both.

    Do the machines in an order (may not be their order) that emphasis the biggest muscles first.
    Like how bad it would be to do a tricep machine first, wear those out, and then you can't do the chest push machine with enough weight for the actual pecs to benefit much if at all. Or shoulder press same effect.
    Also, circuit the machines - so like 1 set 15 reps heavy for you, next machine, then repeat the circuit 3-4 times. That's why for time's sake, do the cardio on other days.
    That type of workout would be logged as Circuit training in the exercise database. Paper and pencil to record the weight you should be using and order to go in.

    Since new, split-day workout is probably worst idea - it's become a fad now for some reason. You end up not doing enough volume for maximum changes. Now, first few workouts you may need to rest more than 1 day before you go again.

    Great job choosing to spend time on workouts that will transform the body - not just burn calories.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
    edited May 2016
    heybales wrote: »
    Do the machines 3 x weekly, cardio on the other days. Gives decent time for both.

    Do the machines in an order (may not be their order) that emphasis the biggest muscles first.
    Like how bad it would be to do a tricep machine first, wear those out, and then you can't do the chest push machine with enough weight for the actual pecs to benefit much if at all. Or shoulder press same effect.
    Also, circuit the machines - so like 1 set 15 reps heavy for you, next machine, then repeat the circuit 3-4 times. That's why for time's sake, do the cardio on other days.
    That type of workout would be logged as Circuit training in the exercise database. Paper and pencil to record the weight you should be using and order to go in.

    Since new, split-day workout is probably worst idea - it's become a fad now for some reason. You end up not doing enough volume for maximum changes. Now, first few workouts you may need to rest more than 1 day before you go again.

    Great job choosing to spend time on workouts that will transform the body - not just burn calories.

    I don't where you get the idea that splits are not enough volume. By the way, splits are nothing new.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Splits for experienced lifters is nothing new, indeed.

    Splits being done by newbies that will benefit more by frequency and volume is a relatively new fad.

    And 1 day doing chest a week? How much volume you going to get in there? Anywhere near the 90 reps you could get by 3 x weekly, simple 3 x 10 program for starters?
  • kirstinethornburg
    kirstinethornburg Posts: 300 Member
    I combine my cardio and strength training. Mondays and Thursdays is the Elipitical seated bike 33 minutes am currentely on level 7 started working out last october chest, press seated row, tricep, bicep, butterfly, shoulder press, abdominal crunch and lowwr back extension on Mondays and Thursdays. Tuesdays and fridays are cardio and legs. Leg machine I use are outter thigh, leg press, leg curls, leg extension and the chest press using my legs instead of my arms. I lift 65 pound weight on the ,machines and do 3 sets of 10 reps per set. When I started with the weight machine I started with 25 pound weight
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