Starting a new gym workout any ideas?

Do they have classes or just machines?

When I was just using machines, I tried to use at least three machines a week to keep my mind & my body from getting bored. I tend to like the arc trainer, AMT machine, elliptical, & occasionally the bike-- but I don't know your preferences

However, what's *really* helped me stay motiviated is taking advantage of the classes. I Zumba 2x a week & do Pilates 1 day a week, & then try to do one day of machine cardio & one day of weights. That variation in routine is really keeping me motivated!

Hello,

It sounds like you're relatively new to exercise, and have recently made some improvements to your conditioning with walking. That's great . Now you're stating to stretch and callenge yourself by stepping into the gym, also great. While it's important to keep breaking that comfort zone, it's also important to take baby steps so you don't 1) discourage yourself 2) hurt yourself.

There are a lot of oppinions and advice about what is the absolute best perfect type of exercise out there there. But what I've discovered is most important is to just find ANYTHING you ENJOY so that you will actually do it and actually stick to it. If you can find a combination of cardio and strength training that would be ideal.

Classes can be great as a way to teach you moves and motivate you if you're a beginer. But if you have a busy schedule you may find it difficult to make the class and then just turn around and go home.

Getting on an eliptical or walking the treadmill would be easy and you may be able to watch TV wile you do it. Warm up with some cardio, then hit the weight room. Using weights is key to building muscle and burning fat, but it requires some background knowledge. The exercises must be done right to target the muscles and reduce chances of injury. If you start on machines you can learn what sort of motions work certain mucles. Read the instructons on the machine and pay attention to the form it tells you to take. Try to hit all your muscle groups throughout the week. Pick up a magazine like Oxygen or Fitness Px to learn about form and muscle groups. ... Simple weights like bicep curls everyone knows how to do :P.

Picking up those magazines will also give you workouts to follow. You can even ge them for free at the library.

It will take some time, don't get discouraged.

It's hard to give a detailed example workout because there is so much possibility with all of the different types of moves you can do. If you learn more and more moves, you can get creative putting them together to hit all of your muscle grous.

Here's an example work out.
30 min on cardio (pick a method). Followed by an hour of strength training. You may want to start with 30 min of strength training.
One day I'll do squats, quadricep curls, hamstring curls. Between those I'll do rear delt (shoulder) flies, or upper back cable pulls. Then I'll do some sit ups, cable crunches (google it), and planks.
The next day I'll do chest presses or pec flies, lat pull downs or rows for my back, bicep curls and tricep presses.
Another day I'll do oblique twists in sit up possition, wood choppers with the cable, back extensions, and should presses.

There are such varieties of exercises you really have to do some reading and try some out. Check out Oxygen's website .

Wow this message was long.
Good luck.