Need help on Workout plan

adelinue
adelinue Posts: 98 Member
edited December 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I need some help for a workout plan.
First, little background on me. I'm a 24 year old student, and I began my weight loss journey over three years ago at 205lbs for 5'9". I simply followed a balanced diet and did some beachbody programs.

I managed to keep the weight off for over two years. But lately, some personal and family problems made it so I had less and less time to workout. Bad eating habits began to creep back in to my diet (that I kept relatively healthy) and the weight slowly, but surely, returned. Right now, I'm at almost 185lbs, so still 20lbs away from my original weight, but I'm overweight and I know that if this continues, the weight will continue pilling up.

As for working out, I don't have the same at home space and atmosphere as before. Meaning that although I tried, I simply cannot find the motivation to keep up with (at home) Beachbody programs. Some days it's simply not possible to do them because I have people over (unexpectedly), and I get frustrated and drop it all together.

Which brought me to check out Gyms for working out. I would like to mix up Cardio and Weight lifting. Past experiences taught me that I stick to programs better if it's regular (everyday, or nearly) and challenging for me.

The program I thought about was this: 6 day a week Cardio in the morning; 3 days of which are C25K on the treadmill (roughly 30minutes), and 3 days alternating between the elliptical and rowing machine (for a 30minute workout). Unfortunately, 30-40 minutes is all I can spare in the morning since I have to get to work at 8am; So I thought about weight lifting in the afternoon for 30-40min 4days/week. So probably split Upper body on day 1, Lower Body on day 2, then rest 2 days (Gym is closed for the week end), then the same thing over again followed by one rest day .

I simply need some input on this. Do you think it's too much to do cardio everyday, even though it's just 30minutes? (Health wise, this is not about the motivation to stick to it). I'm open to suggestions as i'm simply shooting in the dark!

(For the diet; this post isn't about that but mainly I'm going to be on a small caloric deficit; with an emphasis on protein intake and the carbs mostly coming from Oatmeal shakes as pre-workout drinks. I'm shooting for a small, sustainable weekly fat loss trying to keep as much lean mass as possible).

Excuse my english, as it is not my first, or even second language.
Thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to help!
Del.

Replies

  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    30 minutes cardio per day is fine, especially if your changing it up between running and the other stuff. Weight lifting plan also looks good. You can also adjust if something isn't working. What matters most is finding what you can stick with!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    jenncornelsen wrote: »
    30 minutes cardio per day is fine, especially if your changing it up between running and the other stuff. Weight lifting plan also looks good. You can also adjust if something isn't working. What matters most is finding what you can stick with!

    This.

    Experience will help you figure out what you can do and then from there you nudge towards what you should do.
  • adelinue
    adelinue Posts: 98 Member
    jenncornelsen wrote: »
    30 minutes cardio per day is fine, especially if your changing it up between running and the other stuff. Weight lifting plan also looks good. You can also adjust if something isn't working. What matters most is finding what you can stick with!
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Experience will help you figure out what you can do and then from there you nudge towards what you should do.

    Thank you both! I'll go ahead with it then and adjust as I go ♥
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    It's not completely clear to me how long it's been since you've been able to work out regularly and routinely.

    If it's been months, I'd consider gradually phasing in the routine you describe, starting with more recovery days, and managing the cardio intensity carefully.

    That's a fairly ambitious exercise schedule. It's not at all excessive for a well-conditioned person, but could be over-fatiguing or even injury-prone if not so well-conditioned. It could be useful to start a little slower, and increase frequency/intensity/duration as fitness increases.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    It sounds fine. I would suggest the rowing for lower lifting days, though.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,147 Member
    Sounds good to me! I do cardio and some form of weights/strength training every day. I agree about easing into it if you're new. I'm always trying to break my record, like flights of stairs climbed on the stair treadmill, speed on the elliptical, upping weights, or resistance on the bike. The only tip is to do weights first so you're not worn out, though I usually do cardio first to get it out of the way.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Generally speaking, no...30 minutes of cardio 6 days per week isn't too much...not even close. 30 minutes 5x per week just meets the AHA's standard of 150 active minutes per week, and that's pretty much a bare minimum...6x per week is 180 minutes or 3 hours per week. When I was doing a lot of endurance cycling events and whatnot, I easily spent 8+ hours per week cycling.

    That said, you should consider your current level of fitness as well. If it's been awhile and you're out of shape, it's probably a good idea to ease into things a bit.
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