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My body has never known physical activity or healthy eating habits, until recently. I've lost 5 lbs in one week and I did it the healthy way, I ate and exercised. I think it's just because my body isn't used to this new lifestyle. Can anyone give me a good work out routine for the gym? We have an arm machine, elliptical, treadmill, weight machines, pretty much everything. I know that doing the same workout routine everyday causes muscle to form instead of burning fat, so if you could tell me two different routines to do that are about 1 and a half hrs long that'd be great. I'm aiming to lose 40lbs+ within the next 5-9 months. I'm 18F/219 lbs. THANKYOU!

Hey there.

This got a bit long, so I gave it headings :)


Some Background Info:

First off this line...

"I know that doing the same workout routine everyday causes muscle to form instead of burning fat"

... is not correct. Doing the same routine every day prevents muscles from forming. Recuperation time is key for muscle growth.

As for burning fat, well thats a matter that is largely defined by your calorie balance.

Before I give you a routine, let me explain a little about how things work during weight loss. For the most part, if one keeps a regular calorie deficit (i.e. without calorie zig-zags), the body will only be able to lose weight. This means that putting on muscle will be extremely difficult/ impossible no matter what one does.

Beginners (i.e. in first few months) can see gains even during weight loss, leading to the illusion that they can do both- weight loss and muscle gain- at once. This is temporary and is partially caused by the body adapting to weight lifting rather than actual muscle gains.

Weight lifting during weight loss is very important for muscle preservation. The important part here is to realise that weight loss is not about the numbers, its about what those numbers represent. E.g. if person A loses 3 pounds and person B loses 2 pounds, but person A's weight loss is 50% muscle, while person B's is 10%, then person B has done a lot better. Person A's metabolism will eventually do down the toilet :)


The Routine:

Now, a combination of weight lifting and cardio is an excellent way to lose weight and stay in great shape. Below I will give you two different workouts for weights. You can do them on subsequent days, but give yourself at least 2 days break between same workouts (e.g. Day1: Monday, Day2: Tuesday, Day1: Thursday...)

I will explain the reasoning for my choices below.

Day 1:

Barbell squat or Barbell/Dumbbell lunges (Quads)
Lying or seated leg curls (Hamstrings)
Wide Grip Lat pulldown (Lats)
Seated Cable Rows (Middle back)
Hyperextensions (Lower back)

All exercises except hyperextensions do 3 sets of 10- 12. Hyperextensions do 2 or 3 sets of 15- 20.


Day 2:

Barbell/ Dumbell bench press (Chest)
Barbell/ Dumbell shoulder press (Delts)
Barbell/ Dumbell curl (biceps)
Cable tricep extension- any variant (triceps)
Crunches- any variant (abs)
Knee/ hip raise (abs- lower)

You can find all of these here:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Both presses do 3 sets of 10-12. Biceps and triceps do 2 sets of 10-12. Abs do 2 or 3 sets of 20- 25 (or aim for that if you are not fit enough yet).

On each day, follow your weights with steady pace cardio that lasts at least 20 minutes. When you feel fitter, raise this to over 30. The best machine you can use is the stair machine. Because it is a weight bearing exercise, it will positively affect your lower body (muscles, tendons, etc) in a way the others do not. As long as it is an independent action stepper (i.e. when you push one foot down, the other does not automatically get pushed up), it is also very light on your joints- about one third less pressure than the treadmill.

However they are all good, so the best one is actually the one you can stick to regularly. You can also alternate or do different machines on each day. I sometimes do 20 on the stair and 20 on the eliptical for variation.

Cardio can be done any day, just make sure to leave at least one full rest day per week.

Remember also that you should eat shortly after your weight workout to prevent muscle loss. Protein shakes are good too for supplmenetation.


Explanation:

Now, you will notice a few things about my routine. 1. There are almost no machines 2. They are based around compound (multiple joint) freeweight exercises.

The reason for this is that machines are never as good. They do not train your supporting muscles which is both less practical and a bit dangerous; they easily overtrain the muscle which risks injury; and you have to do so many more exercises just to begin to get close to what freeweight, compound exercises achieve. Most people in the gym (particularly girls I am sorry to say) train wrong, plain and simple.

The only justification for using a machine is for specific isolation by fairly advanced users and/ or substituting an exercise that for some reason one has a problem doing (e.g. an injury).

The routine I gave you covers all the major muscle groups and supporting muscles. It is effective and should not take you much more than 30 minutes.


Ok, thats pretty much it. Remember its your diet that will make or break your efforts, but it seems that you are well on your way. Good for you. Aim for a steady 2 pound/ week weight loss rate and you will be just fine.

Good luck.

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