Does my gym workout seem ok?

vart400

I'm starting to make use of my work gym facilities and I wanted to get some advice on the best workout routine.
I'm hoping to lose some weight and tone up a bit. I'm a 29yo male with a BMI of 26.5.
I used it for the first time today and this was my routine:
Exercise bike: 15mins
Rowing machine: 8mins
Treadmill jog/fast walk: 10mins
Some weight machines for the arms: 10mins ish
Exercise bike: 2mins

Thanks in advance for any advice.

stevesb52

Looking at your losing weight objectives, that seems like a decent start. Frankly anything you do that's above the norm and gets you slightly out of breath will aid weight loss (providing you don't eat more to compensate!). As you find yourself getting fitter, it might be worth looking at HIIT (high intensity interval training) to boost your weight loss and fitness further.

With the weight machines, that doesn't seem like enough to be honest. By the looks of it, you're not interested in 'bulking' up, but more time on the weights, if you moderately exert yourself, will massively help your weight loss and general fitness.

You also need to be working out the whole body (chest, core, back, legs, shoulders and arms). If not you risk a) looking a bit silly when all the weight comes off leaving a pair of outsize arms and b) having some weight imbalance that can cause issues with posture (this is a particular problem if you work out your upper body and not legs, or never work out your back).

I'd recommend doing at least half an hour on weights, and always try to push yourself (maybe one day work out your chest, arms and shoulders, another legs and core, another back). There are a lot of good sites (and some bad ones) hanging about the net that can give you much better advice than me, but it is easy to get bogged down in workout routines.

The general point is to push yourself, have a balanced workout and finally enjoy it, otherwise you'll never return!

Finally, have you considered a free calorie tracking app, such as My Fitness Pal? It really shows you what is in your food, and how much exercise your exercise helps. If you're anal and love lists and numbers like me, it's great .

Hope that helps - I'm not fitness expert, but had similar goals to you about a year a go (I lost about 8kgs in the end) so it at least gives you an idea of where to go.

vart400

Thank you for the reply.
Yes I'm using My Fitness Pal and I'm finding it really good. I've just started measuring my weight and hip size on it. There have been a couple of days that I've forgot to record my food but I don't think that matters too much.
I've been 3 times this week, mainly doing the routine in my first post. I will now start to do some more weights and focus on my legs and back more.
I have also ordered some weight loss pills. They are 'Pure Garcinia Cambogia' and I've heard lots of good stuff on the internet about them. I will take them for a month and continue training and hopefully they will help me shift the weight a bit faster.

heartbreak_star

Get off the machines and use free weights

HBS x

terra_ferma

Just a quick point, BMI can be very deceptive, particularly for people who are muscular, or building up muscle.
BMI doesn't tell you what proportion of your weight is fat, bone or muscle.
I'm not an expert but you may want to get advice because you may find that by working out you build muscle, become fitter and healthier but your BMI won't go down.

~Chameleon~

Ditch the slimming pills, complete waste of money which would be far better spent paying a PT to train you and devise a programme you can continue with to achieve your goals.

Danjames

I agree with Chameleon. I would be very wary of taking any sort of supplements. If you eat the right food then you don't need to put anything artificial into your system.

You will find your appetite increases dramatically, I would have lots and lots of healthy snack options in the house (and in the car) to avoid the temptation of an unhealthy treat if you don't have an alternative to hand.

I'd agree with Steve and HBS, if they have free weights (dumbbells and barbells) I would use those as they will give you a much better all round muscle growth. Weights machines will only work your muscles one way.

Congrats on getting started, the hardest thing is to keep on doing it, especially when the nights start getting really cold and all you want to do is huddle up next to the radiator. I've lost 5 inches from round my belly button in three months and 2.25 inches off my waist. I wasn't massive to start with but I had retired from rugby and was still eating the same amounts without burning it off.

I've just installed a home made chin up bar in my garage but it is hard to find the motivation to go out in the cold and use it!

Anyway, good luck, keep going and keep setting targets - set yourself distance targets in the same time frame on each equipment (bike, treadmill and rowing), that way you keep pushing yourself that little bit harder each time. On the rower, make sure you are keeping your back straight as you could cause yourself some muscular problems in your lower back which is a nightmare to recover from.

Good luck!

dawyldthing

i went to the gym the other day and they said interval training so like 40 second sprint 20 second walk on the treadmill helps burn fat more than constantly running for 10 minutes

Danjames

Interval training is very good, you will see lots of weight loss fairly quickly and then plateau off. It is called tempo work or tabrata fitness is another one. They prescribe going flat out for 20/30 seconds at an exercise as hard and fast as you can, rest for 10/15 secs then go again. Do that 6 times in a row and that forms one set. Start with three sets and gradually build up to 6 sets over the course of 1-2 months.

The idea is it raises your heart rate far quicker and and therefore burns more energy. You can do this with any exercise, running, bike, rowing. You have to make sure though that you push yourself as hard as you can go for the whole time otherwise you don't produce the phosphates and creatine naturally in your body that aids muscle performance and growth and if you coast it becomes more of an aerobic exercise than anaerobic.

Just starting to get into it all now. Make sure you are eating the right stuff though, plenty of fruit and veg.

heartbreak_star

Am definitely going back to interval training once I've finished Couch to 5k - would like to be able to run for half an hour first though hehe!

HBS x

Len5

Hi,
I would agree and say interval training is the best way to lose some weight. I normally do 2 min running on the treadmill and then walk 1 minute and then the same again for 15 minutes. Try it and see what you think and if you see any weight loss from it.
The slimming pills won't work, trust me I have tried pretty much the majority of them and they don't work. The best way I found was cut my carbs down and eat protein I lost weight and it stayed off.
Hope this helps