my routine, criticism and advice please! (long post!)

Seraphina

right, following the vast amounts of stellar advice i've seen around here, i thought i'd throw my routine up for yous all to tear to shreds!
right, i got to the gym (crunch in belfield so the facilities are limited) three times a week and clock in at just over 2 hours there usually (i can spare the time technically, but making my workout more efficient would definitely be a priority)

i'm 5'5/maybe 5'6 and 59kg (just now after finishing my dinner ) i'm in pretty decent shape, i'm fit enough and reasonably strong, but i still have my squishy bits, which i want to lose (the instructor laughed at me when i told him this - i didn't know how else to describe it!) so i guess i need to lower my overall body fat and get some muscles going (definition is nice, but i also like my curves ) however i have wide shoulders, hips, and big thighs from years of horse-riding
to be perfectly honest - i just wanna look good naked

i had a program made out by one of the instructors (though i know they're not the best and its probably a generic what-have-you they give to everyone) which is as follows:
5 mins warm up on cross trainer, followed by stretching (sometimes i forget the warm up and only stretch after initial cardio - doesn't seem to make a difference)
18 mins (he started me off on 10! :eek: ) on the stairmaster (the downwards escalator type one) which i will be upping by another 3 mins next week, on a fat burn program which has good varying intensity.
30 mins on the treadmill on random incline. i keep an eye on the heart rate monitor and adjust my speed to keep my heartrate between 130 and 150 (usually in the middle around 140) because you all keep saying this is the best for fat burning? i can run it no prob, was thinking of running it once a week, just for the sake of it - is there any point?

weights! (this is where you're all going to beat me! )
i use the machines, because i wasn't shown the free weights, and frankly they're pretty intimidating (i've never seen any girls down there) i'd also be worried about posture etc. and the possibility of injuring myself
i do:
fly - 3 sets of 18 reps
upright row - 3 sets of 18 reps
leg press - 3 sets of 24 reps (i could probably pump away on this thing all day tbh!)
inner and outer thigh machines - 3 sets of 18 reps each

(none of these machines have the weights marked on them except the outer thigh one, and i'm currently doing 60lbs on that)

the weights im lifting are very easy, but i do struggle to finish those last 3 reps on the third set. i know i should probably lift more, but i want to learn more before i start throwing the weight on (plus i feel weird cause none of the other girls lift as much as i do!)

free weights for arms
bicep curl - 5kg 3 sets of 36 count (18 each arm, alternating)
lateral raise - 3kg 3 sets of 18 (though my posture doesn't last all the sets )
cant remember what the last on is called - its for my triceps. sit on floor with back to bench and arms on it. i raise myself up so my arms and my body are straight, and i lower myself down (only my heels on the floor) 3 sets of 18 again

abs
3x20 full crunches (chest and knees together, im not sure if the names are all universal)
bridge dips (support myself on my elbow feet on floor, hold for 10 seconds, then dip and raise 10 times) 3 times on each side

i also threw in-
3x10 russian twists (someone posted a link from here and they looked interesting *shrugs*)
3x20 erm... reverse sit ups?! hehe lie on your front and raise head and shoulders - for your lower back, dunno what they're called.

i also cycle to college monday to friday (20mins there and back, nice steady incline all the way home!) i've started a six week yoga course on tuesdays, and i also swim on tuesdays too sometimes.
oh yeah and i scuba dive (the instructor said i should have mentioned this earlier though i didn't see it as being important since its not exactly physically exerting) but thats quiet enough over the winter.

man this is long, congradulations to all still reading!!
my diet is ok, not perfect, but i like my food and i do not want to restrict myself unrealistically - if i want pizza i'll get pizza!

breakfast - generally 2 weetabix (though i was bold today and had coco pops!), and i usually throw in a handful of frosties (full of sugar i know, but i love the crunch!)

lunch - if i'm in college its usually sandwich on wholemeal bread with ham chicken and cheese (or just ham and cheese if there's no chicken (those are sad days ) usually two apples thrown in there somewhere. i eat when im hungry and when i have a break between classes so it varies.

if its a monday wednesday or friday, its gym time! i have a banana after that (potassium you say?)

dinner is usually chicken and veg, maybe lasagne or something. when i have the choice i always go with brown pasta, bread etc.

another apple after dinner maybe, depends on how i feel.
thrown in there is the odd biscuit, and maybe a cream cake on thursday cause its shopping day! mmmm some days, that might be all i eat, others i might eat alot more. i try to balance it, but i dont want to become obsessive over what i'm eating, it shouldn't consume that much time.
also i'm partial to the occasional social smoke but im trying to quit now with finals. however this can lead me to being very naughty sometimes and eating right before bed and crap like that.

with regards my diet, i do the best i can, BUT i live at home, so i do not control what is bought or what is cooked for dinner. my mum has gotten angry and offended before when i was iffy about whatever was for dinner after the gym, so i dont have much leeway with that. brown bread isn't always available, or there might be nothing for sandwiches so i would have to buy a crappy pre-packed one in college.
i'll admit i'm terrible when it comes to veg too, i dont eat NEARLY enough as i should, but in fairness my diet has improved dramatically from what it was, so give me a break!

i drink at least a litre of water a day usually. i have also recently switched from bulmers to vodka and blackcurrant (though i know the stuff in the pubs is full of sugar, but what can ya do?)

sweet jesus that was... thorough. wakey wakey those who have fallen asleep!
cant think of anything else, im pretty sure every detail possible is in there!

anyway i really appreciate any advice you can give me sorry again about the length!

poobum

da others would prob be better at explaining what should be done but i can say only 1 litre of water a day is not enough especially if you are working out and breaking a sweat! i also saw on one of your sets you said you didnt maintain form well then lower the weigt and keep form! thats so important!

joejoem

Seraphina wrote:

right, following the vast amounts of stellar advice i've seen around here, i thought i'd throw my routine up for yous all to tear to shreds!
right, i got to the gym (crunch in belfield so the facilities are limited) three times a week and clock in at just over 2 hours there usually (i can spare the time technically, but making my workout more efficient would definitely be a priority)

i'm 5'5/maybe 5'6 and 59kg (just now after finishing my dinner ) i'm in pretty decent shape, i'm fit enough and reasonably strong, but i still have my squishy bits, which i want to lose (the instructor laughed at me when i told him this - i didn't know how else to describe it!) so i guess i need to lower my overall body fat and get some muscles going (definition is nice, but i also like my curves ) however i have wide shoulders, hips, and big thighs from years of horse-riding
to be perfectly honest - i just wanna look good naked

And so you should" First off, holy crap, long post. Second, congrats on motivating yourself. Thats the first step. Keep that motivation strong in your mind. Remind yourself as often as you can of your goal. Try to think of the gym as a selfish pleasure, a treat to your vanity. When you get home and feel proud, and you notice the change, pat yourself on the back because good intentions are nothing without dedication.

Seraphina wrote:

i had a program made out by one of the instructors (though i know they're not the best and its probably a generic what-have-you they give to everyone) which is as follows:
5 mins warm up on cross trainer, followed by stretching (sometimes i forget the warm up and only stretch after initial cardio - doesn't seem to make a difference)

Warm up isnt that important (IMO) I dont do it, I stretch and then go into cardio. It may be important for those who are stiff or older.

Seraphina wrote:

18 mins (he started me off on 10! :eek: ) on the stairmaster (the downwards escalator type one) which i will be upping by another 3 mins next week, on a fat burn program which has good varying intensity.
30 mins on the treadmill on random incline. i keep an eye on the heart rate monitor and adjust my speed to keep my heartrate between 130 and 150 (usually in the middle around 140) because you all keep saying this is the best for fat burning? i can run it no prob, was thinking of running it once a week, just for the sake of it - is there any point?

In my opinion that stuff about keeping your heart rate between 130 - 150 is too restrictive. Your heart rate is completley dependant on your fitness level. I do 20 - 40 mins on an incline of 2.5 at speed 12. Within 5 mins my heart rate is at 155bpm, and I have noticed a strong drop in body fat and increased levels of every day energy and fitness.

Im my opinion you should keep a record of your training and either do the same or improve on it each week. Some days you wont feel as energetic/strong, its ok to have an off day, its natural! if you do have a **** day, still go to the gym and just take it easy....

To start with (in my opinion) you should push yourself on the treadmill, do a steady inclin of around 2 and do a speed of around 10 or more for 10 - 30 mins or more. Your heart rate (if your human) will go to around 155 - 160 but you will be pushing your body and your fitness level, and in turn be dropping fat.

Seraphina wrote:

weights! (this is where you're all going to beat me! )
i use the machines, because i wasn't shown the free weights, and frankly they're pretty intimidating (i've never seen any girls down there) i'd also be worried about posture etc. and the possibility of injuring myself
i do:
fly - 3 sets of 18 reps
upright row - 3 sets of 18 reps
leg press - 3 sets of 24 reps (i could probably pump away on this thing all day tbh!)
inner and outer thigh machines - 3 sets of 18 reps each

(none of these machines have the weights marked on them except the outer thigh one, and i'm currently doing 60lbs on that)

I will start with the obligitory "Free weights are better" thing but you are trying! Cable machines arent the best but they will help. I was a member (briefly) of Crunch UCD and I can imagine how intimidating it must be for a girl to enter the free weights section. In my opinion that gym is full of arseholes, dont get me wrong there are allot of nice people there I'm sure, but I hated the place. Its full of people who do various annoying things that I could fill another thread with!

My point is, doing cable machine weights (in my opinion) isnt that bad if free weights arent readily available. Te above seems fine. The rep numbers are a bit odd (24 etc) but thats ok. Your leg press, if you could do this all day then increase the weights! No instructor can tell you what your ideal weight to lift is because they arent you! Aim for failure on the last rep, as in getting the last rep is quite sore and your not sure if you will make it. As a woman you arent going to put on muscle unless you train every day with heavy weights because you dont have enough testosterone (thank god:D ) so dont be afraid to push yourself.

Seraphina wrote:

the weights im lifting are very easy, but i do struggle to finish those last 3 reps on the third set. i know i should probably lift more, but i want to learn more before i start throwing the weight on (plus i feel weird cause none of the other girls lift as much as i do!)

free weights for arms
bicep curl - 5kg 3 sets of 36 count (18 each arm, alternating)
lateral raise - 3kg 3 sets of 18 (though my posture doesn't last all the sets )
cant remember what the last on is called - its for my triceps. sit on floor with back to bench and arms on it. i raise myself up so my arms and my body are straight, and i lower myself down (only my heels on the floor) 3 sets of 18 again

Dont worry about what the other girsl are doing, they probably dont have a clue!

What your doing seems fine, not very much but fine. The one you dont know the name of is a tricep dip. These are piss easy and not very effective unless coupled with something else. I recomend (in my opinion) that you try a french press or tricep extension. The tricep contributes most of the size to your arm, its also that flaily bit you see on most people. (You know, when they cheer for something its like two shopping bags hanging off there arms) so its important to hit them. A tricep extension is awkward but effective. Sit on a bench and hold a weight right up above your head (dont drop it....) bend your arm at the elbow lowering the weight behind your head. Do 4 sets of 8 reps with this. It will be hard at first but you will get nice firm arms, (not muscley!) but firm and sexy.

A french press is also very effective, thats where you lie on your back holding a weight up to the sky and lower the weight behind your head bending at the elbow.

joejoem

Seraphina wrote:

abs
3x20 full crunches (chest and knees together, im not sure if the names are all universal)

in my opinion half crunches are the only way. bring your upper back up off the floor but dont raise your lower back. It means your lower back is secure and not vunerable and your abbs are allways tense. Full crunches are bollox (in my opinion)

Seraphina wrote:

bridge dips (support myself on my elbow feet on floor, hold for 10 seconds, then dip and raise 10 times) 3 times on each side

Seraphina wrote:

i also threw in-
3x10 russian twists (someone posted a link from here and they looked interesting *shrugs*)

Nice one! Dont do them myself but I'm pretty sure Dragan just heard wedding bells as he read that....

Seraphina wrote:

3x20 erm... reverse sit ups?! hehe lie on your front and raise head and shoulders - for your lower back, dunno what they're called.

I used to do these, there not bad since you dont do squats or anything but there not that effective.

Your abdominal work out is ok. I would aim for 2-3 sets of 20 reps of half crunches, then do elbow crunches (or whatever they are called) put one foot resting on one knee (while lieing down with your knee in the air) and bring the opposite elbow up to it. 20 reps on each side. Then finish with leg raises. Extend your legs out fully and raise them in the air. 20 of them, they will hit your lower abbs.

Seraphina wrote:

i also cycle to college monday to friday (20mins there and back, nice steady incline all the way home!) i've started a six week yoga course on tuesdays, and i also swim on tuesdays too sometimes.
oh yeah and i scuba dive (the instructor said i should have mentioned this earlier though i didn't see it as being important since its not exactly physically exerting) but thats quiet enough over the winter.

Cycleing = great cardio, but push yourself. Dont just breeze along in the easy gears if you want to shed a few pounds.

Seraphina wrote:

man this is long, congradulations to all still reading!!
my diet is ok, not perfect, but i like my food and i do not want to restrict myself unrealistically - if i want pizza i'll get pizza!

I started this reply at 10:20 am. Its now 7 mins past 12. I am doing other things at the same time, but **** its long.

I eat pizza, nothing wrong with spoiling yourself. Just work it off, use it as motivation and make sure the majority of your meals are healthy.

Seraphina wrote:

breakfast - generally 2 weetabix (though i was bold today and had coco pops!), and i usually throw in a handful of frosties (full of sugar i know, but i love the crunch!)

lol, yeah there grrrrrrrrreat. Seems ok, an ideal would be some oats (porridge, spice it up with honey) or a slice or three of wholegrain toast with real butter. Oh yeah, I havent said in my opinion in a while. in my opinion.

Seraphina wrote:

lunch - if i'm in college its usually sandwich on wholemeal bread with ham chicken and cheese (or just ham and cheese if there's no chicken (those are sad days ) usually two apples thrown in there somewhere. i eat when im hungry and when i have a break between classes so it varies.

Fine. Try to eat at regular times, like 9am, 11 am, 1pm, 3:30pm 5pm, 8pm. Small doses is the key. Think of your eating like filling a water bottle with a bucket of water. If you pour it in all at once it will mostly get wasted (turn to fat or turn to waste), but if you pour it in slowly it will be more effective.

I love eating, its up there at the top of my list of my favorite things to do, so eating regular is a treat, and something to look forward to. I also find it sections the day and makes it go faster.

your on the ball with the fruit and the whole grain bread. Easy on the cheese and the mirracle whip harry.

Seraphina wrote:

if its a monday wednesday or friday, its gym time! i have a banana after that (potassium you say?)

pure energy + pottasium. Good. Ideal after work out feed is a proein shake.
A common misconception is that protein shakes will turn you into H-man/woman but it wont. Think of it as blended chicken fillets (fat free.) I look forward to them. My sister now takes tehm and has to hide it from her kids. its like having a chocolate milkshake, its absolutley delicious. Its about €35/40 and it will last you months. Ask Easygainer, he sells it at a reasonable price.

Seraphina wrote:

dinner is usually chicken and veg, maybe lasagne or something. when i have the choice i always go with brown pasta, bread etc.

another apple after dinner maybe, depends on how i feel.
thrown in there is the odd biscuit, and maybe a cream cake on thursday cause its shopping day! mmmm some days, that might be all i eat, others i might eat alot more. i try to balance it, but i dont want to become obsessive over what i'm eating, it shouldn't consume that much time.

As stated earlier, small doses....

Seraphina wrote:

also i'm partial to the occasional social smoke but im trying to quit now with finals. however this can lead me to being very naughty sometimes and eating right before bed and crap like that.

I just gave up on new years (normal and social ), but smoking is like putting a gun in your mouth every time. Next time you hear a woman in her forties/fifties with a dierdre Barlow voice think if thats how you want to be. That or dead or without a tounge, with a chunk off your lip, breathing through a hole in your throat etc. Cancer strikes without consideration. Just because you smoke once in a while doesnt mean you wont get it. Smoking has many other bad effects and will lower your immune system aswell as pump you full of really shítty chemicals.

Seraphina wrote:

with regards my diet, i do the best i can, BUT i live at home, so i do not control what is bought or what is cooked for dinner. my mum has gotten angry and offended before when i was iffy about whatever was for dinner after the gym, so i dont have much leeway with that. brown bread isn't always available, or there might be nothing for sandwiches so i would have to buy a crappy pre-packed one in college.

Try to get your mom involved. All women share a concern for appearance and health. Appeal to that side of her, educate her, print off information about the GI diet etc.

In regards the prepacked etc, its understandable. Make do with what you have, but try to pick the safe option.

Seraphina wrote:

i'll admit i'm terrible when it comes to veg too, i dont eat NEARLY enough as i should, but in fairness my diet has improved dramatically from what it was, so give me a break!

I'll give you a break now.... *shakes finger at Seraphina*

Seraphina wrote:

i drink at least a litre of water a day usually. i have also recently switched from bulmers to vodka and blackcurrant (though i know the stuff in the pubs is full of sugar, but what can ya do?)

Lesser of two evils imo. SOmeone may contridict me here but why not try a sugar free mixer?

Seraphina wrote:

sweet jesus that was... thorough. wakey wakey those who have fallen asleep!

Is it Tuesday already?

Seraphina wrote:

cant think of anything else, im pretty sure every detail possible is in there!

Apart from what colour nickers you wear to the gym I think you covered everything. Hope I help. In my opinion.


I keep writng in my opinion to avoid the arguments certain posters love to create. If anything I have written contridicts with something you know or feel, feel free to suggest it to Seraphina. There is no need to call me a murderer or use CAPITALS TO DESCRIBE HOW WRONG I AM.

Transform

Excellent reply and would agree with most (except higher HR for fat burning).

The biggest problem women have that are over weight is they eat like men i.e. portions are too big for food AND DRINK

Seraphina

Transform wrote:

The biggest problem women have that are over weight is they eat like men i.e. portions are too big for food AND DRINK

ahh i would hardly say i am overweight in any shape or form, merely trying to loose those last niggly bits of bodyfat.

thanks for the extensive reply joejoem, i really appreciate the amount of time you must have spent, but i did warn ya!!

i am going to up my weights and make a few of the changes you suggested, and see how it goes from there. Thanks again!!

joejoem

Seraphina wrote:

ahh i would hardly say i am overweight in any shape or form, merely trying to loose those last niggly bits of bodyfat.

thanks for the extensive reply joejoem, i really appreciate the amount of time you must have spent, but i did warn ya!!

i am going to up my weights and make a few of the changes you suggested, and see how it goes from there. Thanks again!!

No worries, I think I was still drunk.

Transform

Seraphina wrote:

ahh i would hardly say i am overweight in any shape or form, merely trying to loose those last niggly bits of bodyfat.

thanks for the extensive reply joejoem, i really appreciate the amount of time you must have spent, but i did warn ya!!

i am going to up my weights and make a few of the changes you suggested, and see how it goes from there. Thanks again!!

Twas a general statement and NOT intended for you as you have stated

slicus ricus

Well done Seraphina - You seem to be doing most things right and you should be proud of yourself (nobody can do ALL the right things ALL the time!). Two things i noticed though:-

1. You need to drink more water - a litre a day simply isn't enough. You particularly need to keep well hydrated before, during and after training. I know its a pain in the ass in the UCD gym cos theres only one water fountain, which is two flights of stairs below the gym (im not messin folks)! What i do is bring a 1 litre bottle with me and fill it up before i work out and fill it up again before i hit the changing room. Also, a pint of water 1st thing in the morning is a good idea IMO.

2. Instead of eating weetabix, try a bowl of porridge oats - far healthier and when mixed with milk and heated in the microwave, its quite tasty.

You're right that not many girls venture down to the free weights area, although occassionally i have seen one or two girls there. I believe there is a small area with very light weights in the main cardio area (beside the big TVs) if they're any use to ya. If you really want to do some free weights, you should make an appointment with an instructor and get him to show you some techniques designed for toning. Theres no need to feel intimidated going into the free weights area - most of the time during the day, its not that busy and its easy to get some space to yourself.

tribulus

slicus ricus wrote:

You're right that not many girls venture down to the free weights area, although occassionally i have seen one or two girls there. I believe there is a small area with very light weights in the main cardio area (beside the big TVs) if they're any use to ya. If you really want to do some free weights, you should make an appointment with an instructor and get him to show you some techniques designed for toning. Theres no need to feel intimidated going into the free weights area - most of the time during the day, its not that busy and its easy to get some space to yourself.

Or ask some guys down there how to do something properly, though not the ones bent over backwards doing 20 sets of curls :rolleyes: (there's lots of them)

Seriously though don't feel intimidated, i'm always impressed when i see a girl down there working out and not doing some piddly 500g weights upstairs

Keep it up in anycase!!

t-ha

tribulus wrote:

Seriously though don't feel intimidated, i'm always impressed when i see a girl down there working out and not doing some piddly 500g weights upstairs

Agreed - it would be a dream come true for me if a girl came down there and cleared out some skinny dudes to make way for her 100kg Clean & Jerk!

I've also talked to some girls down there before who weren't even shown the free weights either - bloody disgrace!

Anyway, as everyone else said, if the free weights room down there seems intimidating (I can imagine how it would) just go in there and get down to business anyway. If you see a dude down there with tonnes of boxing wraps on his hands then you've got one friendly face down there anyway

Jak

There are a few reasons why one could feel intimidated down there but it is mostly all in your own mind. There are a handful of girls who train seriously down there quite a bit.

All I would say is if you are going to use free weights - have a plan - don't be aimless about the whole thing. Also - and not suggesting you wouldn't be - but be respectful. Ask before taking weights someone might be using and don't get in the way when someone is lifting. Those are about the only two things that would cause me to snap at someone.

JAK.

g'em

Well if you're gonna talk about girls and weights, dontcha know I'm gonna come along and throw my 2 cents in...

It can be extremely intimidating when you start out doing free weights. But the thing is, the only guys who'll really have a problm with it are the ones who'll feel threatened, and they're not worth bothering about in the first place. Most blokes will think its great and will be very encouraging, but as said before, make sure you're not just doing the weights haphazardly, get a good programme going and know what you're doing.

When I first started doing weights about 18 months ago I just sort of leapt on the machines and flailed around a little bit, but it wasn't until my trainer (at the time he wasn't my trainer, he just sort of felt sorry for me coz he knew I hadn't a clue what I was doing) showed me the ropes. After 6 months of doing a basic strengthening program I was able to elaborate my sessions, read up about diet and nutrition and began to take things a lot more serisously. And that was how I was able to lose those 'niggly bits of body fat' as you call them!! Now its weight training four times a week, different body parts each day, with three high intensity cardio and two low intensity cardio sessions a week as well.

It's worth the effort- cardio is great and all, but there's nothing like lifting heavy to a) make you feel fantastic- endorphins rock b) improve posture, tone up, generally get harder and stronger while still looking more feminine than usual (best way to get that all-coveted hour-glass shape) and c) to show the boys that anything they can do we can do even sexier

Dragan

g'em wrote:

and c) to show the boys that anything they can do we can do even sexier

Very true my dear!

joejoem

g'em wrote:

c) to show the boys that anything they can do we can do even sexier

except shave your face

joejoem wrote:

Nice one! Dont do them myself but I'm pretty sure Dragan just heard wedding bells as he read that....

The girl does Bulgarian twists

Dragan

joejoem wrote:

The girl does Bulgarian twists

Wow , well done dear. Not an easy excercise to do!