What is the best way to use the gym if I want to loose weight/be more toned?

[WhoEatsPopTarts]

I have gym membership at the moment I do a couple of Pilates classes and use the pool a bit. I’ve lost some weight recently through eating low carb but want to start an exercise routine to boost this and to be more toned. My induction was the usual brief introduction to the machines, a bit of cardio and a bit of weights but I’ve also heard that the cardio is unnecessary and the focus should be weights. Then there’s HIT. What’s the most affective way to make the most of the gym?

For me it was swimming - I very rarely did anything else but I was swimming every day. But the consensus seems to he you need to do weights too.

Loosing weight is mostly diet based.
Exercise wise, having a good muscle mass makes you burn more calories 24/7. Have a browse around JSA The free membership has some good content that's worth a look at.
Ultimately though you need to choose exercise that you enjoy doing - whether that's swimming, pilates, spinning weights etc You're more likely to stick at it and do it regularly.

Ask the gym instructors for a plan based on your goals.

Try a few more classes (pump, zumba, combat etc) to see if there's anything else you like.

Go, go regularly and challenge yourself (swim faster, lift heavier, run harder)

I like pump and have recently started doing combat which is fun. I also do an attack class. I prefer classes rather than the gym

I would say weights is more likely to change your body than steady state cardio. I think you really have to do quite a lot of cardio before it impacts your body and it makes you hungry so more likely to cancel out any deficit you create.

I would try an app like Aaptiv or Classpass Go to give your training some structure, and go to classes as well if thats what you enjoy. Also agree with PPs that whatever you choose it has to be something you enjoy or feel good after doing (even if you dont enjoy it at the time!) otherwise you are less liekly to sustain it.

Cardio in your aerobic zone to burn fat, lift weights to build muscle. Ultimately though, weight loss is predominantly your diet not exercise. It takes around 3500 calories to burn a lb of fat so much easier to do through diet than exercise.

I think a combination of calorie deficit, being generally active (an hour of walking or so per day) and lifting weights is the way forward. I recommend the JSA app too. Or just find stuff you Enjoy to get your heart rate up, dancing, kickboxing, canoeing etc.

Machines aren't going to do much for you.

Focus on toning legs, arms, abs, plus some cardio.

Look on YouTube for Lucy Wyndham Read, Rebecca Louise and Fitness Blender. Popsugar Fitness also have some good workouts but can be a somewhat American and a bit overenthusiastic.

Most of these are only 10-15 minutes. Mix and match to stitch together 45-60 minutes that address legs, arms, abs + cardio.

Keep going with the diet for the weight loss.

Pilates is really good, I think, for toning the whole body. I don't know enough about weights, but that can really sculpt - can you book a trainer to work out a programme for you?

Otherwise, just do what you enjoy, because that's what they'll stick at

At the minute I do all my workouts at home at the minute. Yoga and resistance bands currently and lots of walking. Had the most change with this for my waist surprisingly! Thinks it's the body weight resistance in yoga and obvs the weights in my bands ( not mega heavy either)

Swimming was my start but after a while my body got used to i so I mix it up now. Love spinning too it has great energy and a feel good boost ,makes your legs strong. The les
Mills app has a mix of cardio,weight and hiit. Tho to be fair you tube had loads of good free fitness videos!

Don't discount a little cardio it does make you feel amazing after if done right. Just don't rely on it as a magic weight loss tool. Explore classes and find what you enjoy it can take a while. Engage a PT if your deadly serious they can work wonders! But also work you hard! But be aware that route they may also advise you on diet to get the best of your workouts.

Be aware if you are working muscle your may not lose weight as such but you should see changes in clothes or measurements. I don't weigh myself I use my clothes or the mirror!

I don't agree at all with a previous poster - youtube accounts such as Lucy Wyndham Read that promise spot-reducing of fat and promise 'toning' without using resistance or weights are talking bollocks. I don't know why you'd diss weight machines either - they have their place even though I prefer free weights.

@MrsJamin - do you have to be so rude? I'm afraid it is you who is talking bollocks. LWR's leg exercises are fantastic for toning legs. I am talking as a 60+ year old skier who can outski many half my age, for 6 solid hours a day...

Lucy's cardio programmes are excellent too. Yes, weights are important for arms. Which is why my list includes Rebecca Louise, Fitness Blender and Popsugar Fitness.

Perhaps you also missed rest of my post: Mix and match to stitch together 45-60 minutes that address legs, arms, abs + cardio

A lot of my weightloss and toning is thanks to weight training and diet, I train with my dh who is a pt and currently completing a course in nutrition, so he's loving creating meal plans.

We do 5 days a week:
Legs
Chest
Shoulders
Back
Arms
I also run for half an hour when we do shoulders and arms as cardio is good for stamina. Plus I'm planning on doing a half marathon later this year.

Apart from those 2 days with cardio we're in and out of the gym in 45min/half hour.

We do a programme of 4 by 6, so 4 sets of 6 reps for 4 different exercises for each muscle group/body part.

In the 5 years I've been training with him, this is the best programme we've done in my opinion.

Can you share what exercises you do in your programme @OhWellThatsJustGreat

Of course, first exercise is a warm up followed by the exercise, we do 4 sets of 12/10/6/2 reps, these are at 25% and 50% of the weight you use for the exercise.

Monday
Weighted squats with dumbells
Incline leg press
Sumo deadlifts
Hip thrusts
Calf raises

Tuesday
Chest press
Flatbench dumbell press
Incline flatbench dumbell press
Dip

Thursday
Shoulder press - dh does 3 other exercises but I only do the one.
Run

Friday
Bent over rows wide grip
Bent over rows close grip
Deadlift
Seated row
Hip thrusts

Weekend
Incline barbell press
Barbell curl
Alternating curls
Seated tricep press
Run

If you want me to find out what the other shoulder exercises are I can get them too.

Hiit workouts with weights and/or resistance bands (dumbells & kettle bells) are the fastest way to toning up and burning fat. Done correctly weight training is cardio and increases your resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories even when sedentary.

I agree with FlashingFedora that something high intensity like kettlebells will give you the most bang for your buck. But please get someone to show you how to use them properly. I cringe at the terrible form I see in most gyms.

Exercise will not really help much with weight loss, though. Not quickly, at any rate. But long term, gaining muscle will do you no end of good.

I worry about people doing hiit with weights that don't have experience and aren't being guided in a group. That seems a sure fire way to get an injury.

Thank you everyone, somehow I thought nobody had replied so apologies for late reply. I intend to keep my eating plan for weight loss, but if I’m honest I’m still confused regarding the gym. I think I’m going to have some sessions with one of the pts at the gym and see how it goes.