New Gym Member - Workout

Baldie

My girlfriend recently joined my gym. She had a one on one session with a personal trainer on Sunday. She is a gym newbie so I advised her to take the session with the PT and see how she got one. Her goals are loose weight and tone up (we (she) had a baby last year). The PT said she didn't need to loose weight, that she was in proportion but needed to tone up and drop her body fat %.

When she came home she told me that he started her off with 30 mins cardio, and then a full body exercise programme which lasts about an hour. So that's an hour and a half in the gym 3 times a week. Is this not a bit much for a newbie? Isn't 45mins to one hour enough to be spending in the gym?

She said that she felt that the workout was too much to do in one session, so I advised her the maybe split the workout over two day. Maybe day 1 upper body, day 2 lower body.

BossArky

If she is a gym newbie then there is little to be gained from splitting the program right now (in my opinion). Best just get in there and start doing something.

aye

could you post the program?

i would say it's a low to mid intensity 30 mins aerobic, then some basic weights that might take her an hour.

sute she could do it in less time with more intensity, but as she is a beginner the PT probably didn't want to give her too much intensity train, might put her off.

did she say she could do an hour and a half? most PT's will ask how long you want to spend in a gym?

Baldie

I didn't get to see the programme yet. I will be in the gym today so I will sneak a peek. She said that he wanted her to do 2 sets of 12-15 reps of each exercise.

aye

Well that sounds like a standard weights rep/set range for a beginner who wants to build lean muscle. maybe he gave her a lot of weights exercises.

cowzerp

Baldie wrote: »

I didn't get to see the programme yet. I will be in the gym today so I will sneak a peek. She said that he wanted her to do 2 sets of 12-15 reps of each exercise.

1 hour of weights at 2 sets of 15 reps would mean she has about 20 exercises to do! if this is correct then its stupid, about 5-8 exercises max for a newbie i'd say! and before the cardio also, that goes without saying. sounds like a program from an inexperienced trainer...

Baldie

cowzerp wrote: »

1 hour of weights at 2 sets of 15 reps would mean she has about 20 exercises to do! if this is correct then its stupid, about 5-8 exercises max for a newbie i'd say! and before the cardio also, that goes without saying. sounds like a program from an inexperienced trainer...

This is what I was thinking.... She said there was a lot on it alright.

BossArky

Baldie, why don't you just go along with her yourself and help her out? I'm assuming you half know what you are doing?

Baldie

BossArky wrote: »

Baldie, why don't you just go along with her yourself and help her out? I'm assuming you half know what you are doing?

We'd probably be better off! What's the point in having these personal trainers, if the regular gym user could throw together a better programme??!!

It can be hard at times for both of us to go because of the baby. Either i'd go or she'd go. Sorry I can't give any more information right now, but I'll have to get a look at the programme that was done.

Money Shot

An hour and a half is way too much for a beginner in my opinion for a number of reasons. Long gym sessions are one of the main reasons why people stop going - it's just too big of a committment time wise and it just gets knocked on the head. Also, a beginner needs to build fitness at their own pace and this isn't best done by just jumping straight it with a one size fits all.

I also agree that splitting the programme is not really something a beginner should be doing. I always thought cardio was best done at the end of a workout not the beginning.

Maybe he gave her two routines - the full body and the cardio and she can alternate between the two.

cowzerp

Baldie wrote: »

We'd probably be better off! What's the point in having these personal trainers, if the regular gym user could throw together a better programme??!!

Was this a professional personal trainer or a fitness instructor on 10 euro an hour?? not the same thing.

BossArky

Baldie wrote: »

It can be hard at times for both of us to go because of the baby. Either i'd go or she'd go.

Ah ok. How about getting a cheap-ish set of dumbbells for like <20€? You could then both workout at home together and learn a few moves before trying them on for real in the gym.

I'm not sure if you are a long time lurker here or not... but you will be able to pick up a fair bit if you listen in for a month or two.

Baldie

cowzerp wrote: »

Was this a professional personal trainer or a fitness instructor on 10 euro an hour?? not the same thing.

Probably a fitness instructor. I cannot say for sure.

BossArky wrote: »

Ah ok. How about getting a cheap-ish set of dumbbells for like <20€? You could then both workout at home together and learn a few moves before trying them on for real in the gym.

I'm not sure if you are a long time lurker here or not... but you will be able to pick up a fair bit if you listen in for a month or two.

I've been around for a while. I'd look in nearly everyday, but I'd only post now and again.

cowzerp

Baldie wrote: »

Probably a fitness instructor. I cannot say for sure.
.

Was it part of the membership or did she pay 60 euro for the session? thats how you know..

Baldie

cowzerp wrote: »

Was it part of the membership or did she pay 60 euro for the session? thats how you know..

Fitness Instructor it was then.....

Baldie

I had a look at the workout last night. This is from memory, I didn't get a chance to writeit down.

Warm-up: 10 mins on cross trainer

Chest Press 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Shoulder Press 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Laterial Pull Down 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Inner Thigh 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Outer Thigh 2 sets x 12-15 reps
DB Biceps Curl 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Triceps Extension 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Lunges 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Perfect ab bench 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Oblilque Curl 2 sets x 12-15 reps
Hyper Extension 2 sets x 12-15 reps

Treadmill 10 mins
Rowing Machine 10 mins
Cross Trainer 10 mins