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How to work out?
I go to the gym about 3x a week for an hour each time. I do about 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical, and roam around for 30 minutes doing 20reps on random machines at random weights. Does anyone have any actual gym routines that have helped them tone up? (I don't want to pay for a trainer, I don't have that kind of money.)
I've recently cut out sodas and fast food, so I'm hoping for some results in the future. But I feel like I get no where whenever I go to the gym. Any advice is welcome. 17, female, 130lbs.
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Hey there.
First of all, you need to define your goals just a little bit better. "Tone" is a word that I personally (as a personal trainer) absolutely detest, because it incorporates two separate entities: gaining muscle and losing fat.
The strategies for those two things are totally different. Moreover, girls are often under the impression that they have to train lightly or they will "bulk up". So you see a lot of wrong stuff. 1. you see a lot of high rep training (like you are doing), and 2. you see questionable advice like the one below (note how it mentions arms and lower body, but not any other areas- there is no logic behind that workout plan).
Fact is that girls have such a hard time gaining muscle that it takes serious work, and a great diet to put on even just a few pounds of lean weight. Not to mention that you wont wake up suddenly and be too large :)... you can see it coming.
Ok. So, to some real advice. Choose weight loss or muscle gain as your primary target. Since you are talking about cutting sodas and stuff, I will assume you will go for the former.
First off, start with weight lifting and then do cardio. This is really quite important. Of course you should warm up- but limit this to a few minutes.
You can take a protein shake after your weight training routine or after your cardio. Don't neglect your protein intake very soon after weight training or your body will happily break down your muscles.
Second, focus on a few free-weight, compound exercises. Free-weights mean dumbbells (DB) and barbells (BB). Machines are generally not as good for many reasons. Compound refers to multiple joint exercises e.g. presses, pulls etc (the opposite of compound is isolation). You can throw in a little isolation, but it should be secondary.
Then, lower your rep range to about 10- 12, which implies increasing the weight accordingly. Don't train to failure, stop when you can still do one or two reps.
Probably the best thing for you if you are new and dieting would be a full body routine (although splits are also ok). I would suggest two sets of exercises that hit all muscle groups (but with a different emphasis). We can call them Day 1 and Day 2. Then you alternate between them, leaving at least 1- 2 day's rest between weight lifting sessions- you can however do cardio more frequently.
Here is a sample routine. Unless otherwise noted below, for the compound exercises do 3 sets of 10- 12 and for the isolation do 2 sets of 10- 12 (I marked out which is which).
Day 1:
Squat (compound)
Incline DB press (compound)
Cable or BB or DB rows (compound)
Lying leg curl (isolation)
Tricep pushdowns (isolation)
BB curl or DB curl (isolation)
Sit-ups/ crunches 2 sets of about 20
Day 2
Lunges (compound)
Flat DB press (compound)
Shoulder press (DB or BB) (compound)
Cable pull down (compound)
Triceps pushdowns (isolation)
BB curl or DB curl (isolation)
Hyperextensions 2 sets of about 20
The routine is pretty balanced and hits all muscle groups. It is also fairly light.
Breaks between sets should be about 1 to 1.5 minutes.
Remember alternate between the two days, leaving at least one rest day in between. Mon- Wed- Fri is one common option, but do listen to your body if you have not recovered.
Pay special attention to your form and your breathing (exhale through the exertion phase- e.g. when you push in a bench press). Check the exercises online or ask for help, and be particularly careful with the form in your squats and lunges.
Here is a site where you can see all the exercises (googling the names also works of course):
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Remember, you cannot target fat loss to an area of your body, so don't add tons of superfluous isolation exercises. I say this just in case because most women at the gym tend to do this, and you see a lot of irrelevant arm work for example.
If you are losing weight, make sure you have a daily calorie deficit. However, intake good protein sources with each meal to preserve your lean weight. Protein shakes are great as post workout supplements and also before bed. You can do it with just food, but they do make life a lot easier.
Do this routine for 2 months or so and then re-assess where you are in regards to your goals.
Good luck.
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Well working out for girls is always a little tricky. All of our body types are different and depending on the results you want to get there are different strategies. First, it would be a good idea to build a weekly schedule that allows your muscles time to rest. For example work out your arms on Monday, Cardio Tuesday, Lower Body Wednesday...and rotate that 5 days a week. You must, must, must give your body at least one day to rest with no working out. If you want a sporty look & tone I would suggest reading "Fitness for Life Women", this has a great workout routine in it that really works well and doesn't bulk you up, just tones. If you want more of a dancers body kind of tone, then try adding in some pilates or dance classes. Pilates is excellent for toning and strengthening and a home DVD works great. Hope this helps!
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