Advice on my workout plan

boogle

Hi all,

I've been dabbling with weight training for about a year now. Tends to be on/off depending on what's going on in my life. (Working and college) I've now got a reprieve from college for 3 months and have spent the past two weeks going to the gym 4 times per week. I'm a 28 year-old woman by the way. I prefer full-body workouts, and only spend about 10 mins on treadmill to warm up. I now feel that I'm just fluting about in the gym without a very clear plan, and I'm not making much progress with my lifts as a result. This is what I usually do (weights approx depending on how I feel on the day):

4 sets each of:
5 x deadlift (40kg) OR 5 x power clean (20kg)
5 x barbell squats (30kg)
8 x tricep dips
8 x dumbbell bench press (6kg dumbbells - no spotter )
10 x bicep curls (10 kg barbell) or 6 x 15kg shoulder press
Usually throw in a few bodyweight exercises then like plank/sit-ups etc.
Usually finished lifting in about 30 - 35 mins

So I feel a bit aimless with all of that, as I've never got advice from a trainer (I watch YT vids to get form right) and I don't know if I'm going about it right. I've about a stone I'd like to shift, but I'd love to build a bit of muscle on my frame too.

I asked a trainer in my gym for some pointers and he told me to use 2kg dumbbells. I'm not into that!
So, any of you knowledgeable folks have any advice or suggestions for me?

SLDeviant

It might be blind leading the blind here as I'm only starting myself but since no one else has chimed in. If you're serious about gaining strength / losing weight you have to be consistent. You also have to consistently increase your weight from workout to workout. Pick a simple program like starting strength or stronglifts 5x5, with an expectation for linear progression in strength and regular increases in weight.

It's way fewer exercises but at heavier weight, increasing with each workout. I use starting strength, with just one or two accessory exercises like tricep dips and bicep curls because I have the arms of mahatma ghandi. You also have to eat right, so make sure you get enough protein and overall calories if strength is your goal. If weight loss is your bigger concern then you'll want to eat at a calorie deficit and you likely won't get as strong as fast.

Your weight numbers are low, so you probably still have linear progression potential and noob gains to look forward too. From my very brief personal experience forget about how you feel on the day, stick strictly to a program get pathological about it at the start. If you do you'll see good results and you might find that inspires you to push on.

That's my very inexperienced two cents. Best of luck. Don't half ass it, whole-ass it and reap the rewards.

Just to add, if you want to lose weight then exercise is only an add on to the process. You need to eat at a significant deficit to lose a lot of weight. 1-2lb per week is ambitious even with a big deficit so you're looking at 7-14 weeks to drop a stone. If you're eating stays static and you follow Starting Strength you won't lose much weight but you should lose fat and inches on your waist. If you want more than that it's diet.

boogle

Thanks, will look up those programs you mentioned. My diet is sorted, as I have lost 3 stone over the last couple of years and kept it off. Hoping the strength training can help me with the last bit. As you say, my consistency with it has been the main problem.