Any Personal Trainers / fitness buffs out there...

[Bluedabadeeba]

... who can help a beginner out?

So, I've been running/going to the gym for a few months now (nothing hard-core, still very much a beginner). Now I've proven to myself that I actually CAN prioritise myself and make time for it several times a week, I want to try to learn a bit more about what an effective workout regime looks like.

I'm going 3 x a week minimum (and, if it's relevant, I'm post partum with a BMI of 30.9).

I have a few questions:

● Is it better to do legs/ arms/ core on separate days (and therefore only hit those muscle groups once a week- this doesn't seem like it would make much impact?), or do a little bit of each group in each session?

● If I'm looking to tone / lose weight, is it better to do more reps on a lighter weight? (See? I told you I was a beginner).

● How do you know when to up the weight/reps of a certain exercise?

If anyone can help answer these questions or can point me to some explanatory websites/books, etc, I'd really appreciate it.

Also, if there's any vital information that you think a beginner should know, I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance 🙃

I think it very much depends on what your goal is? Do you want to improve your running speed/duration? Do you want to improve your strength? I think focusing on one goal and writing yourself a program to work towards that goal is better than trying to do it all at once.

If you are running I would avoid doing anything leg heavy in the gym on the days before as this will impact how you run as that muscle group will be fatigued. If your main aim is running, I would look at exercises that build your strength and joint stability to ensure you don't injure yourself running.

Are you planning to run one day and then gym the next? With no breaks / rest days?

Ah, interesting point. Thanks for replying!

I'm basically just doing running for the cardio element of the workout - it's just nicer to be outside for a portion of it. Even if it is only 15m at the moment.

For example, I did 2k today, so nothing huge, then I went to the gym, did another 15m of cardio before doing some core exercises.

I find it easier to do a run and go straight to the gym (seeing as I'm already out of the house). My goals are to get stronger and tone/lose weight.

So I could do a Tues, Thurs, (sometimes Sat) and Sun, for example. Rest days in between (hoping to do some gentle yoga/ stretching on those days).

Thanks for clarifying. If you're running to the gym, see that as your warm up and go straight into strength and conditioning exercises, maybe do a 5 min row and stretch before. Then in the gym do sets of high reps 10-12 focusing on a certain body part. Keep the weight manageable but say out of 10 reps, 8,9&10 should be a challenge. When you get to say rep 8 of 10 and think "this is easy", then you can up the weight.

Having a rest day is so important between gym sessions. And alternate days, so do legs and core one day, arms and chest another. Does your gym offer any classes like kettle bells or body con? These are amazing for toning up and cardio as well as giving you some guidance on exercises that you can do on your own at the gym.

Hope this helps!

My goals are to get stronger and tone/lose weight.

Huge well done on your progress so far! From your statement above, it’s worth doing some research into body recomposition. And I’d definitely advise looking at your nutrition as well as your training.

I’m not a PT but have done body recomp myself post Covid when I piled weight on and was overweight. This involved training 3-4x a week, doing 10k steps a day (but if you’re doing cardio you could be more flexible on this) and eating around my maintenance calories and prioritising protein (worth googling a TDEE calculator which will tell you what your maintenance range is).

Lift heavy, with progressive overload. Once you can comfortably do 10 reps with good form, increase the weight.

With body recomp, your scale weight might not change a lot, but take progress pictures - you will see enormous changes.

If you’re really serious about it I’d highly recommend finding a reputable PT. I used a brilliant online coach who knew their stuff and gave me exercises and mobility stuff to correct my posture too (I sit at a desk all day).