Help with plan

FilterTube
FilterTube Posts: 4 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello!

I am relatively new to exercise. I have been on and off for years (I completed P90X, did my own routine for awhile, etc.) but I tend to get discouraged because I do not see appropriate results given my effort (maybe diet based problems??) or I get bored with the routine.

So! I picked up a few books (haven't completed them yet) but I was wondering if this sounds good (I don't really understand rest time; I know it is critical but I'm not sure how to space it out):

Monday: Ab/core work
Tuesday: Legs/Glutes
Wednesday: Chest/Arms
Thursday: Ab/core
Friday: Legs/Glutes
Saturday: Ab/core
Sunday: Rest/Stretch
(My exercise routine lasts about 20-40 minutes depending. Is that enough? It's basically until I can't do anything else.)

Is this an appropriate amount of rest time? I'm not overly concerned about my arms/chest (I tend to pick up muscle here easily), that's why I only have 1 day for that. My primary focus is on my stomach/butt.

A little background info (not sure if its relevant): I'm in my early 20s, 118lbs, 5'4, female. I can't say that I eat clean, but I do watch my calories (I could be better with this, I typically eat 1,200-1,600 just depending, but I have bad days where I eat so many I have no idea what the calories are, and then days where I try to make up for the disaster where I eat way less). At the moment I'm recovering from an over-eating week, so I'm holding some water weight. Usually my weight is about 115.

Also, I'm not sure about this but should I be looking to lose a few lbs to expose the muscle or gain weight so that my body has something to turn into muscle? I carry most of my weight in my thighs (my stomach/upper body is pretty much "average" with some muscle showing in both areas).

Thank you so much for any help!

ETA: I know I'm lacking cardio - is it needed? When should I throw that in? FWIW I get insanely out of breath with squats and my heart rate goes way up (but not as much as it did with P90X, nor do I sweat as much as I did with P90X cardio. Should I incorporate one of those DVDs into my plan? If so, how many days/wk and when? Thanks!

Replies

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Everyone has an opinion and weightlifters are the most opinionated of the bunch. Watch them pick on some of my advice:

    If you're a beginner wanting to do strength training the absolute best thing is to pay for some individual or group training sessions. No point in getting injured, eh? Most trainers will run you through your whole body in an hour or less using "combination lifts" (which work several muscles at the same time). You can learn a routine and do it yourself for much cheaper. If you do a whole-body weights workout even as little as twice a week you will see big results. Isolation training of individual muscle groups is very effective, but takes even more training to do properly and safely. Not nearly as good--but cheaper-- is to do a full-body weights workout based on a video (there are soooooo many choices). I think books are harder to follow (but very helpful once you've gotten the hang of things).

    On other days, you can do what you like, focusing on building cardio capacity. (Run, ride, swim, hike, jazzercise, dance, cardio machine). I note that you can do core more often than some other muscles.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    What are your actual goals?
  • FilterTube
    FilterTube Posts: 4 Member
    edited August 2017
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    What are your actual goals?

    More stomach definition (I have some; but a more chiseled looking stomach would be awesome, who doesn't want that?!)

    and:

    1ff5799ca176bb40af3e0428aec226fe--fitness-tips-health-fitness.jpg

    I just did a quick image search, she is probably taller than me, way different genetics, etc., so I know I will never be 100% that girl. I do, however, like how her back curves into her behind and her behind is round (I don't know what its called, but if you look at her left cheek there is an indent, I assume that comes from muscle. I love that!)

    Again, I totally get that there is a chance I could do everything right and never obtain that body style. But if I could go in that direction I can only imagine I'd like the results my body is capable of. And, heck, exercise and dreams never hurt, right? :-)

    For reference, this is the closest looking image I can find to how my behind looks. Note: This is NOT me. I don't have any butt photos, lol. I have been exercising for quite some time and I had cellulite (now gone) and my butt is almost 100% the same as the one in the photo below, is that the maximum ability for my (and maybe her) body style? If so, no biggie, I'll just keep pushing to keep my butt where its at! :P I'm not massively disappointed in the way that I look, I just feel it could be improved. The grass is always greener, huh? :P

    200344603-001.jpg

    ETA: I know angles, lighting and clothing cuts effect the way the behind looks, but I'd venture to guess that the girl in the first photo is in better physical shape overall than the girl in the second photo.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Choose a decent lifting programme - strong curves is probably a good one - and eat at maintenance or slightly above
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Do you not have a back? Why aren't you working it? How about your shoulders? Do your arms just stick straight out of the sides of your torso?

    Get on an established lifting program. If you want one with a lower body focus, pick Strong Curves. Don't mess around making up your own program when you don't know anything about programming. In addition, eat at maintenance or above. At your stats you have little to no muscle to expose and cutting calories is a complete waste of time.
  • FilterTube
    FilterTube Posts: 4 Member
    Just to confirm, Strong Curves is a book, right? Not a DVD set?
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Do you not have a back? Why aren't you working it? How about your shoulders? Do your arms just stick straight out of the sides of your torso?

    Get on an established lifting program. If you want one with a lower body focus, pick Strong Curves. Don't mess around making up your own program when you don't know anything about programming. In addition, eat at maintenance or above. At your stats you have little to no muscle to expose and cutting calories is a complete waste of time.

    this!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    http://www.strongcurves.com/ Maybe that's it.
  • ArvinSloane
    ArvinSloane Posts: 80 Member
    edited August 2017
    FilterTube wrote: »
    Just to confirm, Strong Curves is a book, right? Not a DVD set?

    Yes, it's a book and it's absolutely worth the investment (or picking up at the library). The program is perfect for your goals, plus the text really gives a lot of info that will help you know WHY you're doing what you're doing. This knowledge becomes super-valuable as you move beyond the beginner stage and want to make decisions about what to do next based on your goals.
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