Advice please?

*Lees*

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a bit of advice on my routine! I started back at the gym in December and totally changed my diet and things are going good! Im just a bit unsure about the routine I'm doing! It would be great if someone could say whether im doing things right!!
My goals are to loose a few pounds, get fit and look fit!!
I usually get to the gym around 5 times a week, mostly in the mornings for an hour before work! Or if I go on saturdays and sundays i will spend a little longer and go for a swim too!
I usually do a spinning class on Mondays and Thursdays which is about 40 minutes long. If I get to both classes I go to the gym on 3 other days. If I miss one ill go to the gym 4 other days!
Here's my routine!

15 minutes walking fast on the threadmill to warm up (I know I should be running but I am honestly such a cluts I have no sense of balance so I'm afraid to even try)
or
15 minutes on bike (I hate doing this because I keep sliding off the saddle, it's really hard work trying to stay on the bike)

25 minutes on Xtrainer, I usually up the resistance and go at it hard for a minute or two, then turn down the resistanse for 1 minute and up it again for 1 and go on like that for the 25 minutes!

2000 meters on the rowing machine. I time myself and usually do it within 9 or 10 minutes!

I try to do 3 mornings of weights every week, I used to just use machines but after reading all the advice on here I have conjured up my own routine using dumbells and have been doing this for the past 2 weeks!

Squats - 4 kg dumbells (10 x 3 sets)
Lunges - 4kg dumblells (10 x 3 sets on each side)
Deadlifts - 4kg dumbells (10 x 3 sets)
Lateral raises - 2kg dumbells (10 x 3sets)
Bicep curls - 4kg dumbells (10 x 3sets)
I work my triceps using 2kg dumbells (10 x 3sets) by leaning forward and bending my arms backwards! (dont know what this is called:o)
I just do a series of crunches after that, 10 x front, 10 x left side, 10 x right side and repeat 3 times then do the plank as long as i can and then on my left and right sides too!

The thing that confuses me most is the weights, I worry that Im not doing enough! It's when I see people on here recommending that someone doesn't bother with cardio on the days they do weights.... If I were to do that I would be in and out of the gym in no time!! Is there something I'm missing?
I know the weights I'm lifting at the moment are very light but Im still trying to get used to not using machines!!

If anyone has any comments, suggestions it would be greatly appreciated!!

floggg

*Lees* wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I try to do 3 mornings of weights every week, I used to just use machines but after reading all the advice on here I have conjured up my own routine using dumbells and have been doing this for the past 2 weeks!

Squats - 4 kg dumbells (10 x 3 sets)
Lunges - 4kg dumblells (10 x 3 sets on each side)
Deadlifts - 4kg dumbells (10 x 3 sets)
Lateral raises - 2kg dumbells (10 x 3sets)
Bicep curls - 4kg dumbells (10 x 3sets)
I work my triceps using 2kg dumbells (10 x 3sets) by leaning forward and bending my arms backwards! (dont know what this is called:o)
I just do a series of crunches after that, 10 x front, 10 x left side, 10 x right side and repeat 3 times then do the plank as long as i can and then on my left and right sides too!

The thing that confuses me most is the weights, I worry that Im not doing enough! It's when I see people on here recommending that someone doesn't bother with cardio on the days they do weights.... If I were to do that I would be in and out of the gym in no time!! Is there something I'm missing?
I know the weights I'm lifting at the moment are very light but Im still trying to get used to not using machines!!

If anyone has any comments, suggestions it would be greatly appreciated!!

No, you're not doing enough weights it would seem. Or, more specfically, you're not lifting enough weights. The weight you're doing for squats, deadlifts and lunges are far too light i would imagine to work you hard and challenge yourself. You need to up that significantly to get the most out of it.

Also, does it not seem odd to you that you're using the same weight for bicep curls as you are for squats? You should have far more power and strength in your legs than your arms.

You should switch to a barbell for squats and deads. The standard bar is usually 20 kilos. You could start yourself on this, and add weight as you progress. You should be able for this to start out on.

I think you could make a few more changes to the programme too. Add something in for back, shoulders and chest, which is completely ignored in that programme. However, i'll leave it to others to make specific suggestons.

However, that said, you seem to be very much at the beginner stage, and i would wonder how good your form is on those exercises, particularly deadlift and squat. Bad form could lead to injuries, particularly on the deadlift. While its not as big an issue at the weights your currently doing, it could be when you start to up it. I would suggest maybe booking in for a session with a personal trainer to go through some stuff. There's some pretty good one's who post on here regularly who i'm sure would be glad to help. If not, try asking someobdy in your gym to run through it with you.

injured365

I would suggest dropping the bike altogether as you don't seem to like it at all. Instead you could try upping the resistanve or distance on the rowing machince
As for you weights plans i would echoe what floggg said. You really should be lifting a lot more weight for your squat and deadlift. Your back and legs are the main muscles in those exercises and you have them lifting the same weight as in your bicep curls.
Also you do need some exercises for your shoulders and chest, such as theshoulder press and chest press in your workout,
you do have a shoulder exercise in there alright but another one would be better as your shoulder muscles are quite big. Heres a nice video for the shoulder press

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGrpvGlu-R8&feature=related

As for the chest press,the version i like is the chestpress on the gym ball as it brings in some core stabilisation and also works your hip flexors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcYVpGX5WxE

However, as flogg also said, it would really be worth your while having someone walk through your routine with you. As helpful as the people on here are, its only in person that someone can see the small flaws, if there is any, in your technique. The danger is, especially with compound exercises like squatting or deadlifting, that a small flaw could lead to a big problem further on down the road

*Lees*

floggg wrote: »

Also, does it not seem odd to you that you're using the same weight for bicep curls as you are for squats?

Yeah, well I knew I should be lifting more anyway for Squats, Lunges etc but as I am new to doing these I wanted to get used to the actual movements before upping the weight.

floggg wrote: »

However, that said, you seem to be very much at the beginner stage, and i would wonder how good your form is on those exercises, particularly deadlift and squat. Bad form could lead to injuries, particularly on the deadlift. While its not as big an issue at the weights your currently doing, it could be when you start to up it. I would suggest maybe booking in for a session with a personal trainer to go through some stuff. There's some pretty good one's who post on here regularly who i'm sure would be glad to help. If not, try asking someobdy in your gym to run through it with you.

That is really why I haven't been using heavier weights! I am not sure that I'm doing the movements correctly, I have watched loads of videos on youtube etc but I suppose im just paranoid that I'm doing it wrong!
In my gym we get an innitial assessment which includes getting a program made out for you and it's reassessed every few months. I didn't bother when I joined this time as i was a member before and was given a program from one of their instructors and it was basically going against what everyone was saying here! Basically he told me to use the machines for doing weights!
Maybe I will book myself in for an assessment and ask specifically to be shown proper form on those exersizes instead! Thanks

injured365 wrote: »

Also you do need some exercises for your shoulders and chest, such as theshoulder press and chest press in your workout,
you do have a shoulder exercise in there alright but another one would be better as your shoulder muscles are quite big. Heres a nice video for the shoulder press

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGrpvGlu-R8&feature=related

As for the chest press,the version i like is the chestpress on the gym ball as it brings in some core stabilisation and also works your hip flexors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcYVpGX5WxE

Thanks for the advice, I will ask to be shown these aswell at my assesment!

So, if I add these to my current weight session and up the actual weight once I am sure I have the correct form, do ye think it would be an ok routine? Or am I still missing some muscles that need to be worked out?
Also, doing 3 sets of 10 reps for everything, is this right? Or should it vary between different muscles?
Sorry if these questions sound dumb, I've read all the stickies and threads and I just don't know!

floggg

The problem with a lot of gym staff is that many simply don't know or don't care enough to of much assistance. They put you on the machine weight programs because (a) the pre-printed programme tells them to, (b) its easier to stick you on a machine where you can't go too far wrong and (c) to justify having all those fancy machines in the first place and to make you think you need to pay them monthly subscription. That's why, if possible you should book in with a personal trainer rather than the standard gym assessment. Also, i understand your point about wanting to get form right before you start adding weight, but 4kg is still ridiculously light, even for a girl. You should be stiff and sore after doing squats, they're meant to be hard work. I don't think you'll get that with that weigt. Try doing it with just the bar and see how you get on. And if you're worried about form, you could ask somebody in the gym to take a look as you do it.

*Lees*

floggg wrote: »

Also, i understand your point about wanting to get form right before you start adding weight, but 4kg is still ridiculously light, even for a girl. You should be stiff and sore after doing squats, they're meant to be hard work. I don't think you'll get that with that weigt. Try doing it with just the bar and see how you get on. And if you're worried about form, you could ask somebody in the gym to take a look as you do it.

Ok thanks! Im going to use a bar when I go tomorrow!
Thing is there are 2 weight sections in the gym, the one with the rack for the bars is where all the big bodybuilder type men do their weights! It's very intimidating, that's why I decided to use dumbells in the first place, because the other weights section has the dumbell racks and theres usually just girls there! I will bite the bullet tommorrow and venture into 'their' area to get a bar!! God, when I type it out I realize how sad it sounds!!

floggg

Its okay, it can seem intimidating at first, but pretty soon you'll realise that the big body builder types are the exception not the norm. Most of us are just normal human beings, trying our best to sweat off our beer bellies. Tbh, we could probably learn a few things from female lifters, they tend to have much stricter form