Work Out Plan advice needed

Iwanttobetheoldme
Iwanttobetheoldme Posts: 53 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’m trying to put together a plan to stick to (and arrange childcare). I was thinking 3-4 workouts per week?

I can get to the gym on a Mon, Weds or Thurs morning and do a weights class/lifting session/resistance type trainings.

But I would also like to run (eg no more than 5k) twice per week. Preferably evening due to child care.

How would be best to break this up so that 1. I recover and 2. I don’t overdo it & end up creating a bigger appetite

Would it be better to do 1 x weights and 2 x cardio.

Or 2 x weights, 2 x cardio

Or 2 x weights & 1 x cardio

I’m a female, 5ft, mid thirties. Needing to lose 14lb. I’d like to be fitter but my primary aim is to aid fat loss (mum belly!)

Replies

  • Iwanttobetheoldme
    Iwanttobetheoldme Posts: 53 Member
    Anyone??!!

    What days would you recommend for which?
  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,022 Member
    Do whatever exercise it is that you enjoy. There's proper lifting programmes in the exercise forums, I'd recommend taking a look at those. Losing that last 14lbs will come down to being in a calorie deficit.
  • unstableunicorn
    unstableunicorn Posts: 216 Member
    If I based a schedule for myself on your goals it would probably look like this:

    Sun: Rest
    Mon: Weights
    Tues: Interval jog/run
    Wed: Rest
    Thurs: Weight
    Fri: Jog/run
    Sat: Unstructured activity (kitchen dance party, park, etc)

    Ultimately you have to decide what you enjoy and need most, and how much time you can practically devote to activity. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    two days of resistance training is pretty much the minimum...one day is kind of a waste of time. I'd do 2 days of lifting with a good full body program and 2 days of cardio on non lifting days.

    How old are your kids? My wife is a runner and when the kids were little, she just put them in a jogging stroller and went for a run and I'd put them in the bike trailer and take them on rides with me...no child care needed.
  • Iwanttobetheoldme
    Iwanttobetheoldme Posts: 53 Member
    Thanks. It’s not practical to take them unfortunately where I live.

    It is easier for me to run the weekend as my partner is home.

    Is is okay to run say Sat & Sun? Or should there be a day in between?
  • Iwanttobetheoldme
    Iwanttobetheoldme Posts: 53 Member
    So 1 day of weights wouldn’t be worth even doing?

    I can run Sat & Sun much more easily. Is this okay to run consecutively. I only do 5k.

    I’ve got the last 14lbs to lose now & am finding it so hard.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited October 2019
    You can run two days in a row. Just make sure you're running slow to start and not pushing beyond your capabilities. In the scheme of working out, it's still a good, but very light/beginner type of schedule. Calories will make you lose weight more than working out will, especially a program like you're following -- don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic start, but it's minimal calories burned.

    Workout programs start with just doing SOMETHING consistently. I literally started at the gym just to walk off a few calories so I could eat a bit more by gaining net calories. After a year, those workouts weren't as hard. Then, I started running trail races. Along the way, I found I liked Spinning. I got back into some decent weightlifting. Now, I mostly do Indoor Rowing (I row around 40 miles to 50 miles a week). Years ago, I would have never imagined being this active.

    In my humble opinion, people make too much out of weightlifting. Unless you're really looking for power, you don't need a gym. Yes, it helps, but 100 pushups (broken up into sets), 100 or so squats, some planks and overhead presses (maybe some bridges for your glutes) works most of your body. Add in some rows maybe. You can do sets during commercials while watching TV. Spend more time working up to running more. If you're talking more calories burned (which seems to be your goal), use your limited gym time for cardio. Also, there are great free resources on strength like Fitness Blender. They have a huge library on YouTube for home strength workouts.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,213 Member
    edited October 2019
    Another option you have on the strength training front, as a beginner especially, is bodyweight exercises. They require little/no equipment, can be done at home, and a routine could be split into smaller segments to fit into your day. There's a thread here about lots of kinds of good strength training options, and it includes info about some bodyweight programs (despite its title implying otherwise):

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    One day a week of weights would be better than zero days, if you want to build strength or "tone" (I put that in quotes because it's kind of an ill-defined term). You'll certainly have much slower progress at one day a week, and probably have more problems with recurrent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

    Whatever you do, I suggest that you phase in a program gradually, keeping it manageable (schedule-wise), enjoyable, (not miserable) and energizing (not fatiguing/exhausting). You can then increase any of frequency, intensity, or duration over a period of time to keep challenging yourself so you progress in fitness, but don't burn out or over-stress yourself.

    Those last pounds can be pretty frustrating, because the most health-promoting way to lose them is sloooowwwllllly. With only 14 to go, 0.5 pounds a week would be ideal, and it will be easier to see that happening if you get yourself a weight-trending app (Happy Scale for iOS, Libra for Android, Trendweight, Weightgrapher, etc.) and get a few weeks of daily weigh-ins accumulated in it.

    Hang in there, you'll reach your goals: Maybe try to think of it as working on a happy daily eating/exercise strategy that will help you stay at your preferred weight long-term, not just losing it quickly one time (only to regain).

    Best wishes!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Iwanttobetheoldme wrote: »
    So 1 day of weights wouldn’t be worth even doing?

    I can run Sat & Sun much more easily. Is this okay to run consecutively. I only do 5k.

    I’ve got the last 14lbs to lose now & am finding it so hard.

    One day of resistance training is better than none days of resistance training. Most health bodies like the AHA and such recommend two days per week of resistance training as the minimum to maintain muscle mass and bone density and build strength. I've experimented with one, two, and three days of training and found that 3 days per week full body is optimal for building strength...2x per week is basically maintenance with some small and slow gains...1x per week I saw no gains and even lost some strength on some of my lifts. That said, if you're new, you're going to have some gains and benefits from even 1x per week...they will just be short lived.

    It also kind of depends on what you're after. My wife is a runner and she lifts 1x per week to cross train...her trainer gives her pretty sport specific exercises to perform, so it's not really body building stuff or power/heavy stuff...it's not enough volume to do much for her physique wise (ie "toning"), but it is enough to keep her strong and help prevent injury and maintain the muscle mass she has. She had her best aesthetic results when she lifted 3-4x per week, but ultimately that took away from her passion.

    In regards to running on back to back days...this really just depends on where you're at fitness wise and if you can recover from your runs. Like I mentioned, my wife is a runner...she typically runs 6 days per week and doesn't have any issues. They are varied though...some shorter, some longer, some at higher tempos, some at lower tempos, some on the trails, some on the pavement.

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