Tell me what you do at the gym

[Sobloodysoreandfedup]

I’ve been going to classes for a year, sometimes there’s only 1 or 2 of us so we do weights which I love, but the times of the classes aren’t working for me anymore and I want to start going “freestyle”. I feel much more confident about being in a gym now but I haven’t a clue where to start?!

Tell me about your gym routines please?

Following!

At the gym I go to, the instructors will tailor a programme to suit your needs with a follow up after 6 weeks.This a free service.It's not a full personal trainer session but more about pointing you to right right equipment to suit your goals

I do 15mins treadmill - not all running because I’m not good at running but fast walking then running alternated ,
then I use 8 different weight machines - three lots of 12 on each . Six of these machines are for legs , two for arms .
then I do 15 mins on the cross trainer and then 10 mins in the exercise bike

I might change it because I’m still flabby

I booked a one off pt session for them to write a program

Depends on how many days and how much time.

I did 5 days x 45 minutes half cardio/half weights

Started with a whole body every visit but then changed to a leg day/ arm day/ abs day/ chest day and a mix day although I'd do bits of each each day to.

Find what you like to - machines or free weights. Rowing / running /x trainer/ bike?

If you buy women's health magazine / men's health any will be a gym programme to follow.

Warm up on treadmill
4 x 10 reps of the following with a weight good for me:
lat pull down machine
Leg press
Chest press
Pull Up machine
Bent over rows with bar or machine
Squats with bar on shoulders
Overhead press with bar
Bicep curls (bar or hand weights)
Kettle bell swings
Russian twists with medicine ball or kettlebell
Push ups (floor or bench)
Sit ups
Plank
Stretches

I would work out what your aims are and work from there.
I weight train 4 times a week (different muscle groups each time) and then do a variety of classes 4/5 days a week too.
Maybe book a PT session and ask them to write you a program to help achieve what you want

How do you remember all that, do you use an app or something else?

How often should you be increasing the weight you lift?

I just use a notes app on my phone to keep lists. So I have lists for upper body, lower body and abs. Some people might keep a push day list and a pull day list and you do all your pulling exercise one day and all your push exercises another.

I also have tiktok folders with videos of stuff I want to try.

People say progress is hard but it's actually easy. Don't work out the same muscle group within about two days. Easy way of dividing them is pull exercises one day (rows, pull downs etc, biceps...); push exercises (bench press, shoulder press, triceps); and a leg day... so all muscle groups in three days, or six days (×2) and then a rest day.

Easiest way I've found of progressing is first work out what weight you can do three sets of 8 on... I.e. 8 arm curls followed by 30 seconds of rest, another 8, then 30s, and then another 8...
If you can do that, increase the weight by a few kg the next time you work out until you fail to do a complete set (i.e. 8, 8, 5...). At this point, halve the weight and lift until you can't lift any more, halve again and keep going until you're basically at 0.

Record what you manage, and you'll find you will gradually improve.

I.e. 20 kg x8 (30s rest), 20 kg x 8 (30s rest)... third set you only manage 20 kg 3 x 8 so you drop to 10 kg until you can't lift it anymore, then drop to 5 kg until you can't lift anymore. The next time you'll find you can do 8, 8, 5... and then 8, 8, 8... at which point I'd give it another week on that weight and then increase it the following week.

I do a 10 min warm up on the cross trainer, then weights machines (mostly determined by what happens to be available as its quite busy when I go), sometimes the rowing machine, then 10 min cool down on treadmill

@BarbaraofSeville
I did initially copy some of it from an app I had, then wrote notes on my phone like @QuintanaRoo and look at it if I forget where I am. Sometimes I miss bits and throw other stuff in instead - ie maybe some tyre flipping or the new fangle ski machine thing or a kettlebell move I've seen on Instagram.
Re changing weight - when I get to rep 8 and I don't feel like I'm struggling with the last couple, I'll up the weight a little the next time

Rowing machine
Treadmill
Stepper
Ski ergo machine
Barbell stuff - deadlifts, squats, bench press, clean and press, overhead presses
Dumbbell stuff - curls, rows, presses, raises
Kettlebell stuff - lifts, rows, swings
Cable stuff - flys, pulls, seated rows, upright rows, overhead rope pulls, kickbacks
Box steps and jumps
TRX stuff
Abs and core stuff on the floor or hanging

I mix it up and do about 3-6 hours a week. I also run outside. I’m not a classes person.

Instagram does have some good workouts/gym moves. I never know the proper names of things so my notes are a bit weird - ie weighty sit ups is me doing a sit up holding a kettlebell/medicine ball and penguins are lying down heel touches 😁
Sometimes I do sit there blankly staring into space as I've forgotten what I was going to do next.
Or I'll side eye watch someone and think I'm going to try what they are doing

Thanks all this is so helpful!

Honestly, it depends how busy the gym is, what equipment is available to use and how long I’ve got to spend there! If you don’t know where to start you need an induction to create you a programme with the appropriate weights and to check your technique.

I would say that it depends what your goals are and how often you will go. I do a push/pull/legs split but I go 5 days a week. If you're only going 3-4 times a week I'd recommend either full body or an upper/lower split.

Machines are usually safer for newbies. I'd recommend seeing a PT for a form check when you're using barbells/heavier weights.

Thanks for the replies, some really helpful tips.

This is a great post. How many sets and reps are you doing?

I’d usually do 3 sets of 10-15 reps. If I’m doing free weights I tend to do pairs of exercises as supersets because I’m usually pushed for time!

Rather than counting reps you can set a timer. 40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest id good because each set is a minute! Or for higher intensity, 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest is good.

I mostly do free weights at the gym and alternate my workouts.

I used to do a 10 minute cross trainer warm up but increased that to 20.

Then I'll do either 5x5 of...

Squats
Bench Press
Row

Followed by other stuff like push ups, pull ups, planks, whatever I'm in the mood for

Or the alternate workout

Squats
Overhead Press
Deadlift

Followed by bits like dips, bicep curls

I'm there for between 1-2 hours depending how long I rest between sets and how much smaller stuff I do.

If I have time I'll do a Couch to 5K session on the treadmill afterwards too.

I was doing 2 body pump classes a week but it's the same exercises as my free weights (just more of them and lighter) and I found my muscles weren't getting enough recovery so I stopped.

I've just increased my exercise levels to doing every day so it's 3 weight sessions and couch to 5K apart from yesterday. I would like to take up mountain biking again, I don't do the scary stuff, just the nice easy trail but I don't have time