Rate my workout

tinkerbell

Hey folks,

At the gym I'm just doing cardio at the moment. I wanna start doing weights within the next month but that's another different subject altogether!

Anyway, what I'm doing at the gym is this:
10 mins warm-up on the bike, stretches, etc.
50 mins on the cross-trainer ... I do 20 mins on level 9, 20 on level 10 and 10 on level 11 at 130 bpm (that's what it's called isn't it?) so it's fairly fast.
15 mins cool-down walking on the treadmill (plus if I feel up to it, 10 mins of running before the 15 mins cool down).

What kind of results is that gonna achieve? I am trying to lose a few pounds (my BMI is only 19.5 so I am thin anyway) and I wanna tighten up my bum and thighs. Is the cross-trainer good for that? Or is it just pointless? I'm upping the resistance regularly on the cross-trainer, hoping to be fully on level 11 by the end of this week. Then upping it further, etc.

Thanks

Frank Bullitt

You'll need to have a look at your diet as well before you can say how long things will take

tinkerbell

Diet's grand, eat plenty of fresh fruit & veg, wholegrain rice, small meals, etc. so I have that covered. Just wanna firm up the few wobbly bits!

p-nut

IMHO you are doing far too much cardio. Anything more than 30 minutes and you will see no gains. I would definitely focus on doing more resistance based workouts. If you don't like the idea of doing weights, maybe start out with some bodyweight or resistance band exercises. Spend maybe a half an hour or so doing tough resistance exercises followed by about 10 to 15 minutes intense cardio, and you will or at least should begin to see gains.

When i say intense, i mean it should be very hard work;)

Also, by the sounds of things, you aren't getting enough protein into you.....

tinkerbell

Hey p-nut, thanks for the input! When you say intense cardio, how intense do you mean? I'm finding the level 11 on the cross trainer fairly tough at the moment so maybe just do that? What do you mean bodyweight or resistance band exercises?

I probably do need more protein, I mean I eat chicken loads during the week, nuts, etc. I don't take protein shakes though. Maybe I should consider stealing some of my boyfriend's protein-shake mix stuff that he takes?

Hanley

I'll give you a C- (trys hard, knows the basics but could do better!!)

If you want to firm up the problem areas then consider adding in weights. They really are a miracle worker.

tinkerbell

Following a good ol chat with my boyfriend, I'm gonna cut down the cardio to about 30 mins and do squats and lunges and maybe some weights. Hmm will let ye know how I get on!

DAGEROUSDAVE

You should try some type of aerobics. I think if you ''shock'' your body with a variety of different workouts it is the best approach to reach your goals. The same workout every day will not give you the best results. Also, diet and timing of meals is also very important in weight loss.

tinkerbell

Actually looking at studio classes at the moment! Will let you all know how i get on