Gym/Workout schedule

carlaringuette · June 2019

Changing up my gym schedule. Still looking for the right combo to keep the scale moving in the right direction and the tone to start showing up.

Have been at it since October. Have lost 10 pounds so far. Lost 7 inches overall. Looking to loose 70 pounds total and get toned (not bodybuilder just toned). I know this is going to be a long process and that once I get to that magic number the secret will be to master maintenance.

I also know that it's a combination of nutrition and workouts and I am working on the nutrition as well as you can see from other posts.

This post is about the gym/workout schedule part of the equation.

I started in Oct with gym visits 3 times a week 30 min cardio then alternate upper body machines one day and lower body the next with a full body routine on Saturday and Rest on Sunday.
Nov was still good. December the schedule at work and outside commitments blew up - had 1 workout the entire month of December. Jan/Feb got back to it with the classes HIIT/Zumba/Spin.

Then in March I got crazy and really pushed hard going every single day and if I did have to miss a day I'd double up the next day and do a workout before work and then one after. Naturally this is not sustainable so you can stop laughing now. I was exhausted and so no results.

Middle of May up to this past week really got discouraged. Took the advise to back off and have been doing Mon - HIIT, Tues - off, Wed Zumba, Thurs upper machines, Fri lower machines
Sat Full body - Sunday off Dropped Spin because it's at 5 a.m. and it just isn't happening no matter how hard I will it.

Then this week I switched it up again
Mon - HIIT class, Tues cardio for 45 min (3) different ways (rowing machine/bike with arm exercises and recumbent bike), Wed. HIIT workout off Pinterest at home with hubby, Thurs
Cardio, Fri - HIIT workout with hubby, weekend rest - easy bike ride or long walk or hike, rest Sunday

I am talking with one of the instructors about moving to the free weights section because that's where I hear you will get results in building muscle. But should I wait until I loose some more weight to start building muscle?

And where do you fit that in the schedule?

I have to be careful because I tend to push too hard and get hurt (see March). Still looking for the balance of really pushing but not getting hurt. Sometimes if I push too hard on Monday night HIIT class it is very hard to push it hard on cardio the next day. It's also hard to sleep when you are sore all over. When I did this before the soreness usually went away after 2 weeks. Not this time.

What's your plan look like? How often do you switch it up?

I am 57 in fairly good health. Working for good numbers at biometric screening and want to look toned for my son's wedding in January. Would also like to look a little better for our beach vacation coming up soon. But I'm in it for the long run and I'd say my main goal is to make this a lifestyle. To stick with it from here to eternity.

Doing that you'll definitely have to change it up from time to time. So the questions come -
how often, what do you switch, what does the schedule look like.....

Be kind and gentle ya'll!

quiksylver296 · June 2019

My workout will not be your workout, as you know, since I'm a competitive powerlifter and my workouts reflect that. But I want to address this question:

carlaringuette wrote: »

But should I wait until I loose some more weight to start building muscle?

NO! Don't wait. I've never seen anyone say they wished they had waited, and have seen tons of people say they wish they had started earlier.

Keladelphia · June 2019

I almost never switch my routine and do almost no cardio. I try to get in a run one day a week and walk for 20 minutes at lunch daily since I have a desk job but this is purely for cardiovascular health. I lift (full body compound barbell movements- squats, deadlifts and olympic lifts) 5 days a week (M-W, F-Sat) and do some self directed yoga afterwards to stretch. I always rest on Thursdays and Sundays.

I wouldn't over complicate your routine, whats most important at this point is that you find something sustainable so you don't burn yourself out. It sounds like at this point weight loss is your primary goal and that's 90% about what you put in your mouth.

If I were you I would try to get some kind of cardio conditioning in that you ENJOY one or two days a week such as the HITT you're already doing or the hiking, biking, rowing etc (to get a small additional calorie burn and for cardiovascular health) and I would do some kind of strength training two or three days a week either lifting free weights or using weight resistance machines. It's never too early in your weight loss journey to start lifting weights, I started at the very beginning of my journey when I weighed 235 pounds and I fully credit weightlifting with being happy with my body shape after I lost 100 pounds. I'd also focus on hitting a minimum protein goal to retain as much muscle mass as possible while you lose.

puffbrat · June 2019

I am not the most experienced with fitness and other posters may have more valuable input. I don't think you need to or even should wait to lose more weight before starting lifting.

My personal inclination for your routine:

Space your rest days semi-evenly spaced throughout the week rather than doing 5 days of exercise in a row
Drop the HIIT workouts to twice a week
Do cardio and weight lifting together the other 3 days

oceangirl99 · June 2019

I'm no expert but I'd say you are on the right track with variety and figuring out what you like to do! My advice is you do you! Burn calories, add some muscle, eat properly and when you are closer to goal, you will know what you want to do. Maybe you'll want to enter a running race, join a fun volleyball team, take up swimming, etc. You don't necessarily need to go to the gym or take classes either. Try hiking?

heybales · June 2019

Don't wait to lift - you want something to show up as you lose fat - or just more fat and flap?

You'll have to get more serious about it though - 1 full body routine a week won't cut it.
Major muscles groups 3 x weekly full body.
Lifts that use the minor muscles at the same time, but not a focus on them alone.
Like why waste time on tricep kickbacks when doing overhead press and bench press work the tri's too.
Or biceps when rows and lat pulldowns work them already.
Squats & deadlifts too.

Use a program, and indeed free weights will usually always show faster results if done right.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you#latest

The fat loss is from the deficit eating, and being reasonable with it. Too much and workouts suffer and body gets stressed.
Only thing workouts will help with in that regard is allowing you to eat more while keeping same deficit, because you are burning more overall.

But if you can manage to eat less, you can skip that cardio which can effect your energy doing a good strong lifting workout. If it's not good and strong and hard you don't really benefit from it.
Lifting doesn't burn as much. But log it and eat it back to keep deficit reasonable. Same with cardio actually done.

If you still want to be able to eat more because you'll adhere better - throw intense cardio on after the lifting.
Rest days between walk for recovery. Enjoyment stuff on weekends.

Oh - that HIIT is a fad term now applied to all manner of non-HIIT workouts that have an interval nature to them.
Whether that is the only way to do them or not, they'll call them HIIT.
It can be a great way to get an aerobic workout in for heart/lung/body cardio improvements, in short period of time.
It's also a great way to overload the muscles when they are trying to recover from a good lifting routine in the next 24-48 hrs - basically killing your recovery to some degree and potentially negating your workout.

For more calorie burn, just do the after lifting cardio as intense as you can - skip the intervals which really don't burn as much.
The next day recovery walk recovers from all of it.

For some things - switching up routines is great for cross training, recovery, enjoyment, ect.
For others things (think resistance training) - it's a great way to waste time getting back to a point where you are actually having a good strong workout.
Progress is by adding more weight/reps/sets - not changing what is done.

SueSueDio · June 2019

quiksylver296 wrote: »

My workout will not be your workout, as you know, since I'm a competitive powerlifter and my workouts reflect that. But I want to address this question:

carlaringuette wrote: »

But should I wait until I loose some more weight to start building muscle?

NO! Don't wait. I've never seen anyone say they wished they had waited, and have seen tons of people say they wish they had started earlier.

This, absolutely.

slbbw · June 2019

I have found huge success this go aroun finding something I can do that I enjoy Mon-Fri. Weekends used to be rest and family days, and I now do 1 long run in the morning on Saturday and then rest day on Sunday. Having done HITT and cardio mostly I found starting off with like 10 min of cardio followed by weights 3-4 days a week has been my sweet spot. Do not wait to start the weights. If you feel like you need to do 1 long day of cardio I really like a Mon Tues lifting wed cardio Thurs Friday lifting sat cardio if you want schedule aligns well with me. I aim for no more than 60 min a day except my Saturday long runs.

The above fits my goals for now. I might switch it up later, but it should give you somewhere to start. BTW adding weights and strength exercise was the single most thing that helped me get out of the poor health rut I was in.

cwolfman13 · June 2019

You shouldn't wait to get in the weight room. I'd recommend a structured full body program 3x per week...2x minimum.

My schedule:

Monday - weight room full body workout
Tuesday - lap swim at the aquatic center near my office
Wednesday - 10-12 mile bike ride
Thursday - weight room full body workout
Friday - get off work and go chill in my pool with a couple beers
Saturday - 15-20 mile ride
Sunday - 15-20 mile ride

I don't really "switch it up" other than working in a variety of rep ranges and doing variations of the same lift and/or adding or taking away some accessory movement or another.

carlaringuette · June 2019

Thanks everyone. Appreciate your insights.

I'm still at the beginning stages. Will definitely take in your suggestions.

Grimmerdhore · June 2019

I'm in a wheelchair and just starting to establish a serious routine, but here is what works for me. I have no lower body mobility, so when you do lower body training, I simply do another upper body training. I'm taking it very slow on the free weights because I'm paraplegic and cannot afford to suffer in my arms because of excessive workout or stiffness or injury. I'm just wanting to be toned, so I'm starting slow and will move up as I can handle the weight, and will plataeu the weight at some point to go into maintenance. This schedule works for me because it's always consistent, and I get up early enough to get everything done before I start my day.

Monday - 90 minutes cardio
Tuesday - Free weights (low - impact, starting with 5 pounds)
Wednesday - 90 minutes cardio
Thursday - Free weights (low - impact, starting with 5 pounds)
Friday - 90 minutes cardio

Saturday & Sunday are rest days (partly because these are the busiest days for me).

I hope you too can find a rhythm for your exercise routine. It sure takes the stress out of it when you can plan your time to stick to the routine.

Unknown · July 2019

This content has been removed.

oocdc2 · July 2019

SueSueDio wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

My workout will not be your workout, as you know, since I'm a competitive powerlifter and my workouts reflect that. But I want to address this question:

carlaringuette wrote: »

But should I wait until I loose some more weight to start building muscle?

NO! Don't wait. I've never seen anyone say they wished they had waited, and have seen tons of people say they wish they had started earlier.

This, absolutely.

Get ready, because here's one person.

For me, I needed to get the "losing weight" pattern down before I could start seriously exercising. Even three years into maintenance, it is a constant, sometimes frustrating balancing act between ensuring I get the calories my body needs to replenish and eating too much and having my weight creep up. If I had tried to do this initially, I could have very well gotten frustrated and rage-quit.

Also, I was significantly overweight when I started, to the point that I damaged my joints just being sedentary. I'm glad I lost the weight before I started anything, because it was less weight to haul around, and I wonder how much I would have further damaged my joints.

Everyone's weight loss journey will differ, and I support anyone who chooses to lose weight while working an exercise routine, but waging one war at a time worked for me.

mnpaulk11 · July 2019

I'm new here as well. I'm a little different I guess because I have some health issues that has affected my metabolism. My doctor prescribed Phentermine to help give me a boost. I had previously lost about 25 pounds on my own. As I started having health problems, the weight loss just stopped no matter what I did.

The phentermine has helped tremendously! I'm lucky because I've had no side effects from it except dry mouth, which is okay because it forces me to drink more water.

I try to get in atleast 4 workouts a week depending on how I'm feeling.

I usually do about 2 total body workouts a week with cardio. The other two days are cardio only.

I've become addicted to watching you-tube for workout ideas, so I change my workouts all the time to keep from getting bored.

I just joined this community because I'm not that great at calorie counting. I do eat pretty clean and this site has made it even better.

I'm excited to absorb any advice I can get here.

I've lost another 15 pounds since I started the phentermine in June.

So far, so good.

StatChicBayes · July 2019

Definitely start the weight training!!!! When I started in Feb I had 77 pounds to lose; the first month in I did almost all cardio and some light free weight strength training, but since then I have incorporated heavier weights using machines (plan to switch to heavier dumbbells/barbells soon). I try to have 30 minutes or more of cardio 6-7 times a week. I find the cardio helps most with weight loss by creating calorie deficits, but I do split upper body/lower body with weight machines 4 times a week max depending on how heavy the routine has been. The advantage is that as the fat has come off, muscle has been building up so I look more toned and fit even though I am still in the overweight category (still quite a bit of fat in the hips, thighs and lower belly to go). I do think it has also helped with some of the cardio classes like spin.

Gym/Workout schedule

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