Gym newbie needing help

lexilex

I've posted this elsewhere in the online world but not got much help and could do with some advice

Last week I joined the gym, and I've been for the second time today but I really have not got a clue what I should be doing. It's a no frills gym, all decent equipment but no sauna etc. The last gym I was at (a while ago now) made me up a workout routine when I first joined, but I have to pay for something like this at the new place.

Today I did 40 minutes of cardio, and then just fiddled about with the other machines because I didn't have a clue what I should be doing.
I want to lose about a stone, and just tone up my thighs arms and stomach. My BMI is about 22 if that makes any difference. I'm going on holiday in 9 weeks, and whilst I'm not expecting miracles I am hoping for some improvement.

Can anyone tell me me what the hell I should be doing, and how many of them. I have googled and googled but cannot find anything suitable.

Always_Harassed

What I did when I started the gym was to do about half an hour of cardio and then once I got used to that started using the weights machines. If you are unsure how things work just watch others. If you start on a weight machine put the weight down low and see how you can handle if and gradually increase it until you need to put some effort into it. You should do 2 sets of 10. Keep the same weight until you find it too easy and increase by 1. There are plenty of books in the library or you often get them in charity shops. Also talk to other gym users.

jaggyjim

please be careful when using the free weights and weight machines as you can do yourself an injury if you don't know the right technique. Have a look on youtube as the videos on there will show the correct technique to maximise the effectiveness of your workout.
For the weights, work your upper and lower body on alternate days and do your ab exercises on with one or the other. You dont mention how often you are going ?? exactly what type of cardio are you doing?? eg the treadmill will engage your abs as well, the cross trainer will work your arms as well as your legs etc.
Good luck - sounds like a very achievable target for the time you have.

lexilex

jaggyjim wrote: »

please be careful when using the free weights and weight machines as you can do yourself an injury if you don't know the right technique. Have a look on youtube as the videos on there will show the correct technique to maximise the effectiveness of your workout.
For the weights, work your upper and lower body on alternate days and do your ab exercises on with one or the other. You dont mention how often you are going ?? exactly what type of cardio are you doing?? eg the treadmill will engage your abs as well, the cross trainer will work your arms as well as your legs etc.
Good luck - sounds like a very achievable target for the time you have.

I'm hoping to go a minimum of three times a week, hopefully four.

Today I did 20 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes treadmill, 10 cross trainer. I was trying not to overdo it after fainting the first time I went, but was absolutely fine today and made sure I drank plenty of water, felt a million times better.

Just need to get a routine into my head so I don't faff about again tomorrow.

yummymummy79

I know what I want to tell you, but I would imagine that like a large percentage of girls, the thought of going in the free weights area and lifting anything over 5kg fills you with dread! It depends what you want to achieve basically.

If you just want a smaller version of what you have got now with no change in shape or muscle tone, then just stick with cardio. Something called HIIT (high intensity interval training) lets you get maximum results in the most effective use of your time. It basically means alternating higher and lower intensity on a machine, so for example walk for 2 mins, jog for 2 mins, run fast for 1 min and keep repeating that.

If you are looking for a discernable change in shape, then you need to add weights in too, but they need to be heavy enough to present a challenge so step away from the pink dumbells! Things that engage a lot of muscles such as squats, lunges, bench (chest) press, standing shoulder presses etc are the best bet for general effectiveness as they will aid in improving core strength as well as the muscles you are working.

I really wish girls would stop being scared of proper heavy weights, you will not turn into Arnie overnight, and to think you can is a bit of an insult to girls who work soooo hard and intensely trying to build muscle but find it is a slow process (like me!).

So basically, I'd say HIIT cardio, a bit of other cardio on other machines, and heavy enough weights to present a challenge to your biggest muscle groups would be the way to go. If possible alternate upper/lower body and remember to give yourself adequate rest time. The machines will be OK for starters as they guide you in getting correct form, but moving onto free weights would be a useful progression.

Just seen that you mentioned thighs, arms and stomach. The main thing to say is you can't spot-reduce fat, it comes off from each person in an unchangeable predetermined way, so doing millions of sit ups is not going to make your stomach flatter, you'll have better muscles underneath but won't see them if your body fat isn't low enough (my eternal struggle!). So basically the cardio should shift a percentage of the fat, general weight training will help shift a bit more due to increased metabolism, and then weights can help build muscle in certain areas.

I would suggest squats for thighs and core (unlikely you'll have a suitable machine for this so will need a barbell across your shoulders), shoulder press for shoulders (strangely!), chest press good for chest and triceps, lat pulldown with a close underhand grip for back and biceps, and then situps/crunches for abs, not with those stupid rolling machine things though!

As you may have guessed, this is one of my 'things' so feel free to ask for any more info.

jenniewb

I'd agree with the above, great advice, but there is a difference between "interval training" and HIIT ("High Intensity Interval Training") I have a link here to another forum which has advice on training.

Interval or HIIT training are similar, each have you working hard (as hard as you can possibly go) for a short time, then going slower to catch your breath or to have your heart rate drop (depending on what type your doing) then repeat. Each repitition can take anything from 1 min to 5 mins depending on if your doing HIIT or Inteval Training. Thats one of the differences.

Basicly with HIIT you push it so hard and so fast you cannot actually do more then 20-40 seconds- you have to stop and catch your breath (but not for too long, say 60 seconds?) then go again. The whole thing wont last more then 20 mins or so, if your able to do more, you haven't reached a high enough threshold on your 20-40 seconds.

The HIIT is actually quite hard to do- you need to have a certain level of fitness to really do it properly which is why most of us do Interval Training instead.

Interval Training works on a slightly lower principal. You go hard for about 40 seconds to 1 min- more if you can handle it (you shouldn't really be able to do more then about 1.5 mins if your working hard enough) then you slow down for a similar amount.
If you have a heart rate monitor (don't use the gym machines they do not work very well!) you can monitor your heart rate, what your looking for is for it to reach about 80% of your max (rough rule of thumb: your max is 210- your age). Then to slow down to about 60% of your max. (But thats only if you have a HRM, if not don't worry).
Repeat the interval training over 20 mins and then move on to another machine, you only need to do this about 3 times a gym session and about 2-3 times a week to really notice a difference. You'll notice your fitness increase quite quickly so be aware to up your speed and intensity as and when you find things too easy!

Machine wise, cardio and resistance are the main things to consider. Cardio is basicly anything fast, resistance is anything which has weights working against you.

The treadmill is a good bog standard machine to start on but also can prompt any injuries as its as high impact as machines get so watch out for any leg pains. Two things to consider, upping your speed (ignore everyone elses speed they do not have your workout or plans) and upping the gradient. You can try playing around with either and chopping and changing as and when you feel like it. Most gym machines have preprogrammed workouts but this can be quite confusing so personally I'd just say click the "quick start" button and test out the gradient and speed buttons.

Bike: again, quick start button, aim for a speed of 70-80rpm and play with the intensity to see what you can take until your speed starts to suffer. You'll likely find this changes on a daily basis- some days good others bad!!

Cross Trainer: now these vary alot from gym to gym, some I can spend an hour on, others give me cramp after just 10 mins. See how it goes, aim for a speed of 120 rpm and if your doing interval training this wouyld be your starting rate, 180-220 would be your very hard rate (without changing the level/intensity). I think there are some Cross Trainers are excellent for Interval Training and some that are just so hard to work as the movements are quite cramped so don't beat yourself up if it feels impossible.

Rowers are great for upper arm and back work. The side of the wheel will have the levels and the best thing to do is just to start rowing, the machines normally sort themselves out in quick time. Aim for 1000 meters and see how you go. Aim then to do 1000m in less then 10 mins and then either add to your speed or add to your time or add to your intensity (level).

With regards to weights, I'd say please get hands on advice, its so easy to misuse the equiptment and either not be working very hard at all or worse, to cause yourself harm. I'd be suprized if there were no people there willing to show you how to use the weights but make sure you speak to a professional as even others who use the machines alot can pick up bad habits. I echo the suggestion to youtube things as its definetly needed!

Swiss ball, foam rollers and (if you have them) kettle balls are also worth youtube-ing as they are all worth the effort.

lexilex

Thanks so much for the last two replies, you both must have taken a long time to write them and I really appreciate it.

Weights don't scare me too much, though I naturally have really, really muscley arms and would prefer not to make it any worse The weight are at the gym is full of quite scary looking men, but once I've got a bit more used to the place I will try it out.

I'll have another read through both the last posts as it's a lot of info to take in.

Another question if anyone is still reading, what is best to drink whilst exercising? Yesterday I had a Lucozade Lite and then just kept refilling the bottle with water. I'm really making an effort with drinking after fainting last week, but I can't afford to keep buying Lucozade from there :eek:

liam8282

IMO the best drink is water.

I buy bottled water by the crate, usually around 24 for about £5 from costco, makro, or get it when it is on special offer at the supermarkets.

jenniewb

Agree! Lucosade is basicly water with some sugar and sometimes some caffiene too (dependong on which you buy). Research has shown that the best thing to drink before exercise is either plain water (or about 500mls before you actually start) or a cup of coffee- but be careful not to drink too much as it will keep you awake at night!

Lucosade lite is just flavored water with some B-vitamins thrown in, and a little caffiene I think, take a peek at the back of the bottle and match it to your daily vitamin pill intake if you are taking any, its an OK drink but tbh I didn't notice anything amazing happen when I tried it before a workout. Pepsi Max, Lucosade Alert, RedBull shots, espresso coffee....all felt similar to me.

Drink wise if your doing anything that aims to get you out of breath (cardio) aim to drink (in addition to the 500mls before you start) 500mls per 1 hour of exercise. Plain water is best IMHO (and normally the cheapest if you bring a refillable bottle). If you want any caffiene that much pills are a very cheap way but be aware they can and do wear off and can also lead to sleepless nights, anxiety and a "come down" hangover the next day when you can't think properly!

liam8282

Sorry to hijack the OPs thread, but, jenniewb you seem to know a lot about the gym / training....

Do you know much about taking protein or creatine, if so I have a few questions for you?!

jenniewb

liam8282 wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the OPs thread, but, jenniewb you seem to know a lot about the gym / training....

Do you know much about taking protein or creatine, if so I have a few questions for you?!

I can try and help...

Protein I have a little knowlegde on- but just in terms of what I need to be healthy myself and that anyone taking protein needs about 1-2grams per KG of body weight just to be healthy. Its best to get a range of protein not just all one type as the body has different uses for different types of protein (say for example whey, cassin, protein from meat, from eggs, from fish...etc) the more variety the better, I have no idea if there is a specified percentage of anyone type required but thats maybe something to look into. There are many theories on when exactly to take protein for the best results, tests have been done and still there is conflicting information! The general understanding is to eat enough overall in the day with some swearing by protein shakes as they workout and others taking on protein within an hour of a workout. Eating just before a workout is a mixed deal as I am sure you are aware! (cramp, feeling slowed down and regurgitation!)

The best advice seems to be to take on protein within an hour after a workout and if possible with some complex carbs to replenish the carbs you have used up in your exercise (but monitor this if your trying to lose weight.)



Oooh, I don't know about Creatine but I know a man (or avatar!) who does, this forum is amazing for that sort of help: http://training.fitness.com/ its a global website but many (though not all of the users are from the US, they have some great advice in the forums and also in the stickies within the forum)

magazines like Ultra Fit and Runners World can also be helpful, Runners World website is: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk and they have forums which can be helpful too. Runners world is a mainly UK based forum.