PTs and Gym Go-ers, please could you critique my workout?

[Aworryingtrend]

Hi all, I'm new to this board but plannign on staying around.

I joined the gym last week and so far I am loving it- I feel so much better in myself for doing some exercise.

It's a council-run gym though, so a bit basicand no-one there to give advice on training etc- you are just left to get on with it. So I'm really looking for some guidance on what I should be doing.

I'm 5ft 1 (tiny) and a size 12/14 at the moment so looking to drop a dress size. I'm a classic barrel apple shape in that my legs and bum are slim but i carry all my weight on my tummy with a particularly attractive 'pouch' of fat below my belly button (I have no DCs yet so this isn't pregnancy related) which I am desparate to shift.

At the moment in the gym I am doing:

10mins fast walk on treadmill to warm up
stretching
10 mins on the wave machine (floating thing, bit like stepper?)
10mins crosstrainer
20 mins cycling
20 mins on treadmill alternating running and fast walking
weights- mainly for upper body eg shoulder/chest press.

Is doing this 3 times a week enough to lose weight? is there a enefit to using one type of machine over another? Is it better to work very very hard for a short period of time, or to work at a more manageable pace, for longer?

So many questions so any advice appreciated, thank you!

Well done for joining a gym!

You need to be at least 20 minutes of ongoing cardiovascular activity to get into the "fatburning zone". So I would rather do 30 minutes on the cross-trainer than many smaller bursts on different machines. Your pulse should normally be between 120 and 140 during your workout, so plenty of sweating, and not a "manageable pace". Of course if you cannot do 30 minutes in one go, break it down. But aim for 20 minutes on one of the machines. The cross trainer is great because there is more movement on the body. The threadmill and exercise bike are great for warming up. Unless you are running on the threadmill, it is not so great for fatburning, equally the bike.
Though, I am no expert.

Are there any classes? Such as shape pulse, zumba, or spinning? Those are great to keep motivated.

3 times per week is good for losing weight.

Stretching should come last as a warm down.

You should probably put some abs resistance work in - stomach crunch machine and the one which works your obliques - and leg weights will stop your body feeling like it's out of proportion. If you go 3 times a week then maybe do arms and abs, legs and abs, abs and back (don't neglect weight training for your back - it makes a huge difference). Side bends with hand weights are good too.

Interval training is usually most effective so your 20 mintues treadmill is good alternating running and walking. Pushing yourself little, often and hard I find is the best way to ramp up the pace so weights high enough that 1 set of 6 reps really tires you rather than 3 sets of 12 reps on a lower weight.

Personally I don't find cycling that effective unless you want very toned thighs. Like you I prefer to concentrate on my midsection and find running, elliptical trainer and rowing the best activities.

If there's an exercise mat area then there are several things you can do without machines to reinforce your core muscles too.

Good luck!

Free weights combined with interval training are a great way to build lean muscle and burn fat.
Keep doing your warm up to raise your heart rate slightly and get your muscles moving. This can be followed by dynamic stretches; large movements like arm and hip circles etc to get the main muscles moving. Static stretching should be left until the end of the workout.

Personally I would do the weights first and then 15-20 minutes intervals at the end of the workout. Does your gym have a selection of dumbbells and maybe even barbell you can use? Doing exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, push ups, bent over row and shoulder press are all great exercises which will work the whole body. When using free weights, every exercise becomes a core exercise as you have to utilise so many more muscles to stabilise your body than you do when just sitting on a machine isolating certain muscles. Make sure you are using heavy enough weights to really work your muscles. If you can do 12 reps with a weight with good form and feel like you can do more than for the next set pick a heavier weight. It is important to time your rest intervals between each set as well. For example if you are doing 3 sets of 12 then aim for only 45-6o seconds of rest in between each set. If you are lifting heavier and doing 5 sets of 5 reps you are more likely to need about 2-3 minute rests. This ensures you give your muscles just enough time to recover but keep your heart rate raised.

Does the gym have a cable machine for lat pulldowns, seated row etc? These are great for your back, and you can also do brilliant static anti rotation exercises with cable machines which are now recommended for strengthening your abs rather than crunches etc. The plank is also an incredibly simple but very effective exercise and with so many variations you can always find new ways to challenge yourself.

I really really recommend this book . It has lots of different exercises for each muscle group and has different programmes you can follow, or shows you how to put together your own programme. It talks about the need to keep changing your workout so you keep challenging your body and also has advise on interval training and other routines you can use to boost your workout.

Thank you all for your very helpful replies. Quint that makes sense about doing 20 minutes intense cardio to get in the fat burning zone- so will go for 20 mins on the cross trainer tomorrow, eek! There is a spinning class which I'm going to on Friday, I hav heard very scary things about spinning so I'm a abit scared! But the prospect of burning 500 calories in 45 minutes swung it for me .

Snap thats a good poit about doing leg weights as well to keep in balance- I hadn't been but yes I don't want to look top heavy so I think I ought to.
LostGirl, thats really good advice on the number of reps to do ansd also using free weights as wll as th machines- you are right about using the whole body rather than just part of it. I didn't quite understand what you meant when you said "Does the gym have a cable machine for lat pulldowns, seated row etc? These are great for your back, and you can also do brilliant static anti rotation exercises with cable machines which are now recommended for strengthening your abs rather than crunches etc. "
What would the cable machine look like? Is that the bar weight you pull down? What would the anti-static exercises be?

TIA

Spinning is deeply scary but very effective. DH does it....I go to yoga

The pallof press shown in the second clip is one example of a static anti rotation exercise to work your core. Most trainers these days will not recommend doing crunches etc (unless you are bodybuilding and are trying to build real definition in your six pack) because of the potential to injure your spine. Most people already spend most of the day hunched over a desk or a keyboard and this is the position that crunches simulate. The new movements strengthen the core by resisting that motion, ie they get stronger by working against forces trying to make them bend and twist. This is why the is such an effective exercise. Your muscles have to get stronger to support your body holding the neutral spine position. I have not done a traditional sit up type exercise in over 6 months and my stomach has never looked better.

Spinning is great as it is a good example of interval training...a very long session of it

THere is a good article by Rachel Cosgrove that debunks the myth of having to train for 20 minutes and why interval training is more effective than long sessions of steady state cardio.

Sorry that last link was wrong, the article is here hopefully. Ignore the scary pictures down the side of the screen!

Thanks LostGirl, yes, we do have those machines at the gym and I had no idea what to do with them, so thanks for those links! Going tomorrow night so will put all of your theories into practise. And spinning on Friday- eeeek!

If you get bored with the weights, I suggest 2 x 5 minutes on the rowing machine as an alternative on quite heavy resistance and low stroke rate (eg 20/min). It burns some carbs but I find also helps general whole body strength and all over muscle tone.

Get someone to watch you to make sure you are using a reasonable rowing technique.

I have back problem and being a man over 40 have a tendency to put on weight round my gut even though generally am not overweight. The rowing strengthens abdominal muscles front and back and gives me a more defined waist. Helps the back pain too.

wieghts great and you have good advise there.

there will be days when you are not doing weights - as you can't do weights every day - you can if you alternate but its easy when your starting to miss a day after and do soemthing else.

i would look at your cycle, treadmill, wave and cross trainer - is there a rowing machine at the gym? they are good for little circuits.

i woudl start 3-4 minutes warm up on the tread mill.

Then do 5 minutes cross trainer
Then quick onto the cycle and do 5 minutes
Then the wave for just 3 minutes
If rower then 5 minutes here

Then back to the tread mill for 4 minutes
cycle 4 minutes
wave just 2 minutes and rower 4 minutes

if there are distances on the machine in either miles or km - then on the second time aorund try to get as near to the same distance on the second round as ont he first roudn but with less time to do so.

So competing with yourself and a bit of a race to make it a little more interesting.

Wind down with a swim after a good strtch

I go to the gym regularly but have arthritis in my shoulders so find anything to do with weights agravates the problem. Therefore I tend to stick to the treadmill and the cross trainer but hold onto the middle bar/handles rather than the moving ones at the side. I also use the cycle machine although moving my arms forward to grip the handles can also be painful. I haven't dared try the rowing machine.

Can anyone recommend other exercises I could do. I would rwally like to lose weight and tone up but don't know what I can do without aggravating my condition.