Need a new routine! Looking for recommendations/plans

JAT74
JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi! I've been a member of MFP for a few years and have been training for the last 20 years more or less, but I usually train alone in my garage gym. Other than doing weight training using the equipment I have at home, a couple of days of Yoga, and cardio on the machines I have at home (treadmill, xtrainer, rower) I also occasionally attend a HIIT class but that's now been stopped due to Covid.

In the last 12 months I've managed to lose quite a lot of weight (I was 154lbs and 39% body fat this time last year) and am now 122lbs and 25% body fat but I want to lose another 7lbs ideally and get my body fat down to around 20%. I'm working on improving my diet further so I can get there, but at the same time I want to become fitter, stronger and look more toned etc.

I'm looking for a workout plan I can follow for some extra motivation in this area as my current routine of doing weights 3 x a week (all body parts), Yoga twice a week and cardio 5 x a week is getting quite boring, especially as I train on my own.

Any tips/ideas of a plan I can follow for the next few weeks? I have a gym at home in my garage which is fully equipped with free weights, a multi-gym machine, mat, some abs trainers and the cardio machines already mentioned.

Thanks!

Replies

  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
    Anyone 🙏🏽?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Weight training is meh IMO...it's just not something I'm all that into, but I like the aesthetic benefits as well as keeping functionally strong as I age for everyday life. I keep it somewhat interesting by doing variations of the primary compound lifts rather than always back squatting or always deadlifting, etc. It keeps me at least engaged, but I still find it pretty boring and I'm always glad when my training session is over.

    For cardio, I just do the things I enjoy doing that are active...mainly cycling, walking, and doing some hiking here and there (mostly during camping season). I like to ride and it is as much hobby and recreation as it is exercise and/or a workout. I am currently doing a structured cycling program to help me improve my FTP...it isn't as much fun as just going for a ride or meeting up at the bike in coffee shop with my cycling buddies, but it has benefits and I can see quantifiable improvement when I do these structured programs for whatever I'm training for. I don't run structured programs year around though...I need a break from the structure to just go ride...usually in the summer.

    Can't really help you with yoga...I've tried to get into it and I just find it mind numbingly boring. I do it very occasionally, but not something I'm really into.

    TL/DR...finding and doing things you enjoy that are active makes exercise infinitely more enjoyable...but sometimes there are necessary "evils"

  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,782 Member
    I weight lift almost every day, and I run Everyday, however, It is so cold out currently, Im unable to use my garage gym, so I pulled out some videos my Brother gave me a while back and decided on Body Beast from beach body, until the weather warms a bit. And I though I was fairly fit, but man I am so sore from the past 3 days of those. Definetly going to incorporate them into my routines.
  • Fit_Happens_2021
    Fit_Happens_2021 Posts: 303 Member
    edited February 2021
    Great job on your progress, especially with that fat % loss!!
    I imagine we are similar heights as we have very similar goals, I am 5'2.5 inches (I always count that half-inch LOL)

    I get absolutely bored of my workouts too, I have a weight set at home and a treadmill, but I am always in need of some motivation. I do go to the gym, they have been open here for a long time and even have classes, but I also find Youtube videos motivating at home.
    Here is one that I started following recently:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVmFNxwSBI0&ab_channel=LazuriaZaphet
  • susiemcmac
    susiemcmac Posts: 356 Member
    Look into Caroline Girvan's Epic 1 and Epic 2 challenges on YouTube. She is a personal trainer who created these and many other free videos during the pandemic. There are also community groups on Facebook that make it more like a fun group of people who are going through the challenges.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,974 Member
    Do you have any specific fitness goals, other than to be not-bored and lose body fat? Honestly, you haven't given us much to work with, regarding your current routine.

    You could pick a different style of strength training from these, to mix things up on the strength front:

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

    (Lots of discussion on the thread about pros/cons etc.)

    Beyond that, for cardio, it's hard to say anything sensible. You have lots of modes available, given your equipment.

    You could follow a specific performance improvement plan for one of those, then track performance benchmarks. (Example: The Pete Plan for rowing, https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/). Or, you could set a capability goal. For example, you could strive to increase endurance, or improve some metric from your fitness tracker if you have one (my Garmin has "Fitness Age" for example, which seems kinda iffy technically to me, but I presumably could still use it as a benchmark), or reduce resting or recovery heart rate metrics, or something.

    There are a bunch of online live or recorded classes, or apps you can use for scenery or workouts or group chat, or whatever, but it's hard to suggest anything when the only thing I can see as your objective is "be less bored, while losing fat", y'know what I mean?

    Good luck!
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
    angmarie28 wrote: »
    I weight lift almost every day, and I run Everyday, however, It is so cold out currently, Im unable to use my garage gym, so I pulled out some videos my Brother gave me a while back and decided on Body Beast from beach body, until the weather warms a bit. And I though I was fairly fit, but man I am so sore from the past 3 days of those. Definetly going to incorporate them into my routines.

    Sounds tough! Is it ones of those workout programmes with loads of jumping and cardio (like Insanity)? I tried that once but my knees couldn't take it lol. I did do some of these kind of workout programmes a few times a few years back but haven't tried recently. Do you need any equipment to do them?
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Do you have any specific fitness goals, other than to be not-bored and lose body fat? Honestly, you haven't given us much to work with, regarding your current routine.

    You could pick a different style of strength training from these, to mix things up on the strength front:

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

    (Lots of discussion on the thread about pros/cons etc.)

    Beyond that, for cardio, it's hard to say anything sensible. You have lots of modes available, given your equipment.

    You could follow a specific performance improvement plan for one of those, then track performance benchmarks. (Example: The Pete Plan for rowing, https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/). Or, you could set a capability goal. For example, you could strive to increase endurance, or improve some metric from your fitness tracker if you have one (my Garmin has "Fitness Age" for example, which seems kinda iffy technically to me, but I presumably could still use it as a benchmark), or reduce resting or recovery heart rate metrics, or something.

    There are a bunch of online live or recorded classes, or apps you can use for scenery or workouts or group chat, or whatever, but it's hard to suggest anything when the only thing I can see as your objective is "be less bored, while losing fat", y'know what I mean?

    Good luck!

    Thanks, will have a look at the options via the link for strength training as that's what I'm most bored with! Re. cardio, I find that ok I guess but always good to improve. I use a Fitbit and a Tanita scale and the scale gives me my biological age. I was shocked to find that before I lost weight my age was 50 (I was 45 at the time!) but now it's always between 24 and 25!!! My resting heart rate was down to about 62 but I had a few weeks off in December/January as my partner had a big operation and needed a lot of help and now I'm struggling to get it back down. It's currently around 69 so I have a lot more work to do to get my fitness back so perhaps that will be a good goal.

    Great tips so thanks. I just feel like I'm stuck in a rut with my routine a bit that's ll. It's nice to have a set plan to follow rather than just doing random cardio each day or the same weights exercises etc.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
    Fit_Happens_2021 wrote: »
    Great job on your progress, especially with that fat % loss!!
    I imagine we are similar heights as we have very similar goals, I am 5'2.5 inches (I always count that half-inch LOL)

    I get absolutely bored of my workouts too, I have a weight set at home and a treadmill, but I am always in need of some motivation. I do go to the gym, they have been open here for a long time and even have classes, but I also find Youtube videos motivating at home.
    Here is one that I started following recently:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVmFNxwSBI0&ab_channel=LazuriaZaphet

    Yes. not far off! I'm 5'4". What's your goal weight/body fat? I'll have a look at what you suggested so thanks for the tip. I use You Tube for my Yoga workouts and love them but not for anything else as there's information overload so it can be hard to choose the right programme.
  • barefootbridgey
    barefootbridgey Posts: 81 Member
    I feel like I say the same thing in everything that I post, but the thing that has been really sort of a game changer for me is Les Mills On Demand. I "like" to run (sort of), but it's cold here. I used to go to a high intensity Zumba class periodically, but that's been off since covid. I did youtube workouts (Popsugar) or awhile, and that kept me going for a bit, but then I found the free Les Mills workouts on you tube - they have like, "samples". I had previously done Body Pump in person, and started doing Body Combat on Youtube and then ultimately bought the subscription and I really could not say enough good things about it. Other subscriptions have felt sort of coachy and off putting or something...or like, too programmed (looking at you, Beachbody on Demand). And this is not. Up until recently I was only doing Body Combat (my favorite) and Body Attack (for variety), and the occasional CX Work and Body Pump. I like the former three because they require little to no equipment, and Body Pump was easy to get some basic equipment to use. I have since started lifting "for real" so I havent done Body Pump in a long time, but I might do it in the future on a day I don't life, almost as more of a cardio day with light weights.

    Most recently I bought a cheap spin bike and have been doing 2 different bike programs (they have 3) and I LOVE them. If you ave access to a bike and youre bored with other cardio, I'd strongly recommend giving The Trip a google and seeing if it seems like something you'd be interested in. Its a good workout, it kicks my *kitten*, but i don't get bored.

    Usually i lift 5 days a week (alternating A/B workouts) for about 25 minutes and follow up with 35-45 minutes of cardio (I go back and forth between Combat and bike stuff), there's a 6th day of Combat followed by Les Mills Core (about an hour total) and I take Wednesdys off. I've been doing this for about 2 months and I'm not bored yet!!!

    They have other things too - Grit if you like more hardcore athletic HIIT stuff, a few dance based workouts (I don't like either of them), a barre based workout (I'm not flexible or strong enough for it), a les mills version of yoga and probably some other things that I'm missing. There are some more guided programs that pull from all of the programs (like, a differnt thing each day)They also have a small library of hybrid workouts that I really like (and wish they would expand on) - so a 45 minute workout might be 20 minutes of combat, 13 minutes of body pump and finish up with the yoga/stretch tracks. I don't find the insructors as cheesy and annoying as they sometimes can be, and even when they are cheesy, theyre sort of endearing in a weird way. the down side is that it doesnt work on my LG smart tv, so I have to access it via a firestick if I want to use it on a tv.

    I think they do a 7 day free trial if you wanted to give it a shot - I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I do and was skeptical that I'd get my moneys worth out of it, and I've been really happy. I know this sounds really fan-girly and I promise I'm not getting any money for this, I've just been surprisingly happy with it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,889 Member
    JAT74 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Do you have any specific fitness goals, other than to be not-bored and lose body fat? Honestly, you haven't given us much to work with, regarding your current routine.

    You could pick a different style of strength training from these, to mix things up on the strength front:

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

    (Lots of discussion on the thread about pros/cons etc.)

    Beyond that, for cardio, it's hard to say anything sensible. You have lots of modes available, given your equipment.

    You could follow a specific performance improvement plan for one of those, then track performance benchmarks. (Example: The Pete Plan for rowing, https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/). Or, you could set a capability goal. For example, you could strive to increase endurance, or improve some metric from your fitness tracker if you have one (my Garmin has "Fitness Age" for example, which seems kinda iffy technically to me, but I presumably could still use it as a benchmark), or reduce resting or recovery heart rate metrics, or something.

    There are a bunch of online live or recorded classes, or apps you can use for scenery or workouts or group chat, or whatever, but it's hard to suggest anything when the only thing I can see as your objective is "be less bored, while losing fat", y'know what I mean?

    Good luck!

    Thanks, will have a look at the options via the link for strength training as that's what I'm most bored with! Re. cardio, I find that ok I guess but always good to improve. I use a Fitbit and a Tanita scale and the scale gives me my biological age. I was shocked to find that before I lost weight my age was 50 (I was 45 at the time!) but now it's always between 24 and 25!!! My resting heart rate was down to about 62 but I had a few weeks off in December/January as my partner had a big operation and needed a lot of help and now I'm struggling to get it back down. It's currently around 69 so I have a lot more work to do to get my fitness back so perhaps that will be a good goal.

    Great tips so thanks. I just feel like I'm stuck in a rut with my routine a bit that's ll. It's nice to have a set plan to follow rather than just doing random cardio each day or the same weights exercises etc.

    What exactly do you do for strength training? If you do high reps/low weights, I found that boring as well. I switched to low reps/high weights some years back and find that ever so much more enjoyable.

    While strength training, I either listen to my awesome playlists or (after getting the routine down) watch a binge worthy TV series. (TV has pros and cons - it can help motivate me to exercise, but I feel like I get a better workout if I'm just listening to music and thus able to focus more on my breath and body.)
  • michellemcnamara55
    michellemcnamara55 Posts: 4 Member
    I starting using Apple fitness. I put it on the TV and I do a HIIT workout followed by a strength workout followed by a Core workout. I’ll sometimes do a second core workout as they are only 10 minutes and I feel that’s not enough. That’s my routine at home and then in the evening I go for a fast paced 3/4 mile walk to get some fresh air. I had a baby almost 4 months ago and trying to get back in shape.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
    barefootbridgey wrote: »
    I feel like I say the same thing in everything that I post, but the thing that has been really sort of a game changer for me is Les Mills On Demand. I "like" to run (sort of), but it's cold here. I used to go to a high intensity Zumba class periodically, but that's been off since covid. I did youtube workouts (Popsugar) or awhile, and that kept me going for a bit, but then I found the free Les Mills workouts on you tube - they have like, "samples". I had previously done Body Pump in person, and started doing Body Combat on Youtube and then ultimately bought the subscription and I really could not say enough good things about it. Other subscriptions have felt sort of coachy and off putting or something...or like, too programmed (looking at you, Beachbody on Demand). And this is not. Up until recently I was only doing Body Combat (my favorite) and Body Attack (for variety), and the occasional CX Work and Body Pump. I like the former three because they require little to no equipment, and Body Pump was easy to get some basic equipment to use. I have since started lifting "for real" so I havent done Body Pump in a long time, but I might do it in the future on a day I don't life, almost as more of a cardio day with light weights.

    Most recently I bought a cheap spin bike and have been doing 2 different bike programs (they have 3) and I LOVE them. If you ave access to a bike and youre bored with other cardio, I'd strongly recommend giving The Trip a google and seeing if it seems like something you'd be interested in. Its a good workout, it kicks my *kitten*, but i don't get bored.

    Usually i lift 5 days a week (alternating A/B workouts) for about 25 minutes and follow up with 35-45 minutes of cardio (I go back and forth between Combat and bike stuff), there's a 6th day of Combat followed by Les Mills Core (about an hour total) and I take Wednesdys off. I've been doing this for about 2 months and I'm not bored yet!!!

    They have other things too - Grit if you like more hardcore athletic HIIT stuff, a few dance based workouts (I don't like either of them), a barre based workout (I'm not flexible or strong enough for it), a les mills version of yoga and probably some other things that I'm missing. There are some more guided programs that pull from all of the programs (like, a differnt thing each day)They also have a small library of hybrid workouts that I really like (and wish they would expand on) - so a 45 minute workout might be 20 minutes of combat, 13 minutes of body pump and finish up with the yoga/stretch tracks. I don't find the insructors as cheesy and annoying as they sometimes can be, and even when they are cheesy, theyre sort of endearing in a weird way. the down side is that it doesnt work on my LG smart tv, so I have to access it via a firestick if I want to use it on a tv.

    I think they do a 7 day free trial if you wanted to give it a shot - I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I do and was skeptical that I'd get my moneys worth out of it, and I've been really happy. I know this sounds really fan-girly and I promise I'm not getting any money for this, I've just been surprisingly happy with it.

    I only just saw this and signed up for a free trial on a site I saw on a FB ad called Ali moves. So far I like it, they have loads of trainers with series of workouts, some with weights, some Yoga or Pilates etc. And the series videos can be done for 7 days, 28 days etc. Ive liked Les Mills classes I've done before though so might have a look at that too because my free trial of the other website doesn't end just yet.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    JAT74 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Do you have any specific fitness goals, other than to be not-bored and lose body fat? Honestly, you haven't given us much to work with, regarding your current routine.

    You could pick a different style of strength training from these, to mix things up on the strength front:

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

    (Lots of discussion on the thread about pros/cons etc.)

    Beyond that, for cardio, it's hard to say anything sensible. You have lots of modes available, given your equipment.

    You could follow a specific performance improvement plan for one of those, then track performance benchmarks. (Example: The Pete Plan for rowing, https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/). Or, you could set a capability goal. For example, you could strive to increase endurance, or improve some metric from your fitness tracker if you have one (my Garmin has "Fitness Age" for example, which seems kinda iffy technically to me, but I presumably could still use it as a benchmark), or reduce resting or recovery heart rate metrics, or something.

    There are a bunch of online live or recorded classes, or apps you can use for scenery or workouts or group chat, or whatever, but it's hard to suggest anything when the only thing I can see as your objective is "be less bored, while losing fat", y'know what I mean?

    Good luck!

    Thanks, will have a look at the options via the link for strength training as that's what I'm most bored with! Re. cardio, I find that ok I guess but always good to improve. I use a Fitbit and a Tanita scale and the scale gives me my biological age. I was shocked to find that before I lost weight my age was 50 (I was 45 at the time!) but now it's always between 24 and 25!!! My resting heart rate was down to about 62 but I had a few weeks off in December/January as my partner had a big operation and needed a lot of help and now I'm struggling to get it back down. It's currently around 69 so I have a lot more work to do to get my fitness back so perhaps that will be a good goal.

    Great tips so thanks. I just feel like I'm stuck in a rut with my routine a bit that's ll. It's nice to have a set plan to follow rather than just doing random cardio each day or the same weights exercises etc.

    What exactly do you do for strength training? If you do high reps/low weights, I found that boring as well. I switched to low reps/high weights some years back and find that ever so much more enjoyable.

    While strength training, I either listen to my awesome playlists or (after getting the routine down) watch a binge worthy TV series. (TV has pros and cons - it can help motivate me to exercise, but I feel like I get a better workout if I'm just listening to music and thus able to focus more on my breath and body.)

    I've always done low reps higher weights and I'm finding it boring. I guess I prefer guided workouts because if not I feel like I'm always doing the same moves. I find that I'm using other muscles when I follow a guided programme especially one with a series of videos. Plus I'm more motivated to do it when someone is on a screen in front of me telling me what to do!

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