Need help getting started

cacio

Hi everyone.

I've a bit of a weird question but thought there was no harm in asking.
Bit of backround first.
I've lost a good bit of weight in the past year and currently weigh 10st. I'm female, 5'5" and a size 10-12.
My goals are to be a size 8-10, low bodyfat and to have defined muscle.
I've been reading Malteasers thread in the fitness logs and I'd love to be as motivated as her and have her fitness and strenght.

I'm a member of a gym and I go a few times a week. But my problem is I'd prefer to have someone there who really knows their stuff when it comes to weights, cardio, programs etc. I dont really trust the guys that work there as I've gotten different info from a few of them.
I cant afford a personal trainer and was just wondering if there's a cheaper way of getting the PT's benefits without the cost?
I dont know what weights and exercises will benefit me the most. Is there a course I could do so I could train myself?

Sorry if this doesnt make sense.

Thanks for any help.

Al_Fernz

This board forum is a great source of free information. I wouldn't be able to value the amount I have learned from following all the threads on here. Educate yourself - you don't need to pay to get assistance.

Out of interest - what contradictory advice did you receive from the gym instructors?

Malteaser!

cacio wrote: »

Hi everyone.

I've a bit of a weird question but thought there was no harm in asking.

Please, you should see some of the questions that get asked here...Yours is totally normal!!!

I've lost a good bit of weight in the past year and currently weigh 10st. I'm female, 5'5" and a size 10-12.
My goals are to be a size 8-10, low bodyfat and to have defined muscle.

Congratulations on your progress so far!! The key to getting muscle definition, as I think you already to know, is resistance training, are you doing any at the moment??

I've been reading Malteasers thread in the fitness logs and I'd love to be as motivated as her and have her fitness and strenght.

To be honest, I haven't always been as motivated. There's been days and weeks where I just felt like giving up because I thought I was going nowhere. I find that if I don't have a structure in my routine and a definite goal in my mind that I'm constantly pushing for, I tend to get lost and lose my drive to work harder. I would suggest that you pick something that you really want to aim for, it could be anything - to fit into your skinny pair of jeans, to squat (x)kg, to get an (x)inch waist and work towards that. When I start to struggle or don't feel like going to the gym, I like to think of my own goals and by just getting whatever I'm wussing out of done, I'm one day closer to achieving them.

I'm a member of a gym and I go a few times a week. But my problem is I'd prefer to have someone there who really knows their stuff when it comes to weights, cardio, programs etc. I dont really trust the guys that work there as I've gotten different info from a few of them.
I cant afford a personal trainer and was just wondering if there's a cheaper way of getting the PT's benefits without the cost?
I dont know what weights and exercises will benefit me the most. Is there a course I could do so I could train myself?

Sorry if this doesnt make sense.

Thanks for any help.

It'd be pretty easy for most people on the forum to come up with a program with your goals in mind, if the instructor in your gym has made one out for you it'd be a good idea to throw it up here though so we can have a look at it and make improvements, the problem lies in learning the exercises involved. If you don't learn them right from the start you'll probably only end up with an injury. Ask the most competent instructor to show you how to do them, if you forget don't be afraid to ask him to show you again. The amount of times, I had to run out to find one of the instructors in the beginning to come in and watch what I was doing is actually funny!

Don't be afraid to ask questions!! Seriously, I cannot reiterate that enough. When I started lifting I had my boyfriend's head wrecked coz I was asking so many questions all the time. Ask questions here, in the gym, or someone you know who seems to know their stuff! If something doesn't feel right or you don't think it's making a difference then it probably shouldn't be in your program.

Best thing you can do for now, is to post up whatever information the instructors have given you so far and we can work from there!!

cacio

Thanks for the replies guys.
Current program is:
Day one -
20mins on treadmill with speed/incline varying
15 mins on rowing machine doing about 2k.

3 x 15 situp
3 x 15 obliques
3 x 8-12 tricep extension (5kg)
3 x 8-12 bicep curl (5kg)
3 x 8-12 shoulder press (10kg)
3 x 10 lateral pulldown (20kg)
3 x 10 back extension
3 x 10 leg press (60kg)

Day two -
10mins stepper level 5
15 mins crosstrainer, level 5 fat burner

weights same as day one.

I want to tone up arms (especially tricep area), stomach and inner thighs. I want to get an all-over fitness and toning before I really concentrate on specific areas in depth.
One instructer has told me to concentrate on cardio and do only one/two weights and another has said to increase weights and reduce cardio. I know I need both to lose weight and tone up but dont know the ratio of one to the other.
Does anyone have a good starting plan for me that wouldnt be too hard to figure out on my own?

Diet-wise, I've been making changes and have read all the information in here and in nutrition. I think I can make a good long term plan from what I've read. I'll post up a typical days eating in a few weeks when I've settled into a routine.

Thanks again guys.

aye

"I want to tone up arms (especially tricep area), stomach and inner thighs. I want to get an all-over fitness and toning before I really concentrate on specific areas in depth."

right so you'd be better off doing compund resistance exercise than isolation ones.



this is a short program i gave a friend of mine.
its circuit based, and is based on trying to increase your metabolism.

warm up on the rower, about 5 mins will be fine, and do pre-stretchs for your quads, hamstrings, chest, back, shoulders.


treadmill - 7 mins. starting at 6kmph, increasing the speed by 1 kmph each minute.

weights.

chest press
seated row
shoulder press
lat pulldown
dumbbell forward lunge with hammer curl on down position
leg curl

so what you do is the treadmill for 7 mins, hop off straight into the weigths, doing 1 set of each exercise with 10 reps, and repeat this 3 times.

then do a plank, 3 times with 30 second holds.

then cooldown with a 5 mins on cardio of your choice.
and post stretch.


hope this helps

Lola87

aye wrote: »

"I want to tone up arms (especially tricep area), stomach and inner thighs. I want to get an all-over fitness and toning before I really concentrate on specific areas in depth."

right so you'd be better off doing compund resistance exercise than isolation ones.



this is a short program i gave a friend of mine.
its circuit based, and is based on trying to increase your metabolism.

warm up on the rower, about 5 mins will be fine, and do pre-stretchs for your quads, hamstrings, chest, back, shoulders.


treadmill - 7 mins. starting at 6kmph, increasing the speed by 1 kmph each minute.

weights.

chest press
seated row
shoulder press
lat pulldown
dumbbell forward lunge with hammer curl on down position
leg curl

so what you do is the treadmill for 7 mins, hop off straight into the weigths, doing 1 set of each exercise with 10 reps, and repeat this 3 times.

then do a plank, 3 times with 30 second holds.

then cooldown with a 5 mins on cardio of your choice.
and post stretch.


hope this helps

That sounds good.

I'm also looking to do more weight lifting but the gym I'm in at the moment has very limited free weights facilities and is mainly full of strong men using all of what's there. So I think I'll have to stick with the resistance machines for the moment. Also, it's only temp staff there for the summer who are younger than myself and don't seem to know an awful lot! Hopefully I'll be moving to cork in september though so surely I'll find a good gym there and finally be able to start squats, deadlifts etc.......