Exercise gurus: What's your workout schedule like?
 

I started out with swimming, worked my way up to about 25 laps a day in the pool.

After losing over 50 pounds, and being more comfortable with putting stress on my legs, I have now moved to the treadmill.

I walk for 40 minutes a day, 5 of those being for warm up, 5 for cool down, the other 30 minutes spent in my target heart range.

My current weight loss is at 65 pounds since May 2nd of this year.

I am now working on a strength training program, trying to develop something for the best results. Just wanted to see what you guys thought.

Example week schedule:

Monday:
Treadmill 40 minutes

Tuesday:
Treadmill 10 minutes for warm up
Strength training focusing on upper body

Wednesday:
Treadmill 40 minutes

Thursday:
Treadmill 10 minutes for warm up
Strength training focusing on lower body

Friday:
Treadmill 40 minutes

What's your aim?
Define "Strength training focusing on upper body"
Diet?

My aim is to tone up, not to be buff or anything.

My weight started at 325, and my muscles over the last 7+ years I'm sure are quite atrophied, so right now my main goal is to rebuild lost muscle.

Our gym here is quite nice, we have machines, we have free weights, but I plan on sticking with the machines for now.

There are 17 different machines, with 9 being dedicated to upper body muscle groups, the other 8 lower body muscle groups. So, I was thinking of splitting those two groups into two days.

For example upper body would include arms, pecs, delts, triceps, back, stomach etc.

Lower body would include all machines that focused on legs, glutes etc.

As far as diet is concerned, I had the lap band surgery and can only eat 4oz of food per meal which is supposed to consist mainly of protein, with the rest being vegetables.

Eros, the absolute best thing you can do if you can afford it is get a personal trainer. Even if it's just for 1 day a week, or maybe 3 days a week for the first month or something and then 1 day every other week. They'll not only build a plan that works specifically for you, but they'll teach you proper form for the exercises which is very important to get the most out of your work out time.

Definitely. :thumbsup

I did leave my information with one of the trainers here at our gym, I think he's waiting to do a group thing at first as an introductory to what they have to offer, either way I haven't heard from him yet.

My trainer tought me so much stuff. If you can, find a trainer that has a body building background. They really know their shit, including nutrition.

What I did is looked for a trainer that was built the way I wanted to be. Used him for almost 2 years and got more results in those 2 years than I did working out by myself for 6+ years. It makes such a huge difference.

thanks man some good advice

try 5 day workout I am speaking strictly for weight training. try 4 exercises 4 sets each.

day 1 chest
day 2 back
day 3 legs
day 4 sholders
day 5 arms

Abs everyday. Cardio everyday as you see fit.

So every muscle gets worked out only once a week, right? You can do that if you want to kind of stay fit, but you won't build any muscles that way. I'd recommend working out the whole body 3 times a week (1 exercise per muscle/3x12 iterations) for about one month to get used to it (machines are fine during that period), and then work out two muscles per training session, each muscle ONCE per week (e.g. Monday chest/biceps, Tuesday cardio, Wednesday legs/stomach, Thursday cardio, Friday back/triceps).

Diet looks fine, maybe you could add some long-chain carbonates.

Don't you have an instructor at you gym?

Personally I think that's too much, but each to their own :2 cents:

I'd switch day 3 and 4, since you shouldn't train you arms when your shoulders are recovering.

But as you can see there is no ultimate way to train, it's about failing and trying new things.

Lifting weights is more important than cardio for losing fat and losing weight. Ideally, you should do four things to get in shape every day, every week and for life.

1- Lift weights every other day
2- Cardio every other day
3- Very clean diet
4- Count calories exactingly.

Skimping on any one of those steps will almost surely lead to failure and eventual weight re-gain.
The regimen:You should lift weights with intensity three or four times per week for approx one hour.

And you should do 30-60 minutes of cardio two or three times per week, with perhaps one day of complete rest per week. Consistency is everything and your diet is key. The more muscle you have, the more calories will be burnt even when you are inactive.

And for your diet, well I know you have that band, so your portions will be smallish, but keep up with the lean protein, vegetables, some fruits and some very limited whole grains, four or five meals per day with nothing but water and tea for drinks (no diet soda).

Make no mistake now- if you don't lift weights and build muscle (there is no such thing as "toning up") and eat enough food in a day despite the portion limitations of that crazy band in your stomach, then you are just going to lose muscle along with the fat, which is probably already happening. And you will just shrink into a proportionally smaller size version of what I assume is the pear shaped body that you already have. In other words you will look the same, just a lot smaller, which is far from having a healthy, athletic and toned body.

My schedule is like this:

Monday: 1 hour run, 1 hour weights (Chest and biceps), 2 hours Jiu Jitsu
Tuesday: 1 hour run, 1 hour weights (Back and triceps), 2 hours Jiu Jitsu
Wednesday: 1 hour run.
Thursday: 1 hour run, 1 hour weights (Legs), 2 hours Jiu Jitsu
Friday: 1 hour run, 1 hour weights (shoulders, abs, forearms)
Saturday: 1 hour run, 2 hours Jiu Jitsu

Wow dude, I'm going to have to disagree with this. Ideally you do both, but cardio is very important to burning off fat.

Sure it is very important, just less important than weightlifting. One should do both, that is obvious. But for sake of argument, think about it, if you have a great diet and lift a lot of weights with no cardio you can build a pretty good body. A great diet lots of cardio and no weightlifting does not a good body make.

You'll lose more fat quickly and keep it off doing cardio. It burns calories, burns fat specifically, keeps your metabolism pumped all day if you do it in the morning and many other small benefits. I can't imagine any trainer would ever say weights is more important. :2 cents:

Hire Zoey she is a trainer. lol

Actually too much cardio just doesnt burn fat , it burns muscle especially in Eros case where he is eating maybe a 1000 calories a day. Weight lifting adds muscle which increases your calorie burning and will increase his metabolism at rest.

Extended cardio is more beneficial than weightlifting alone.

Notice I say extended.


I'm pro weights but I do respect the fact that cardio plays a helluva role in most people's routines. For weightlifting to supersede cardio you would have to lift at a level that most people never get to.

I think most trainers would say it's not a legit argument and do both. If I had to advise someone who wanted to do weightlifting 4 days and cardio 3 days per week vs the slightly different regimen of cardio four days and weightlifting three days I would say favor the weights slightly. Once the muscle is added to your frame it will burn more calories every day even in rest.

You're over doing it with the cardio. I suggest you replace your Tuesday and Thursday cardio sessions with some medium weight sessions.

I'd also recommend that you get a personal trainer, even if you do have the perfect workout laid out, there's a good chance you're not doing it correctly. So seeing a personal trainer even if it's just twice a month to make sure you're on track would really help you.

To achieve optimal fat loss, cardio AND weight training is always advised. The strength you gain from the weight training helps you push yourself harder with the cardio and burn more fat.

Just remember, it's fat that you should be aiming to lose and not just over all weight. Get you're bodyfat percentage tested at your gym and focus on reducing that.

Sure, I agree.

But if you just want to lose a bunch of fat as your primary goal, then extended cardio at 60% heart rate, or so, is going to do it fastest.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/betteru23.htm
very good read.

I would switch to free weights man... it will probably be tough at first, but you will get a better workout lifting free weights vs machines...

Just start doing martial arts. :)

Day 1: Eat Pizza
Day 2: Watch TV
Day 3: XBox
Day 4: Intense Hooker workout
Day 5: Rest

Actually, you get a better work out using both. Machines have their place in a work out. Free weights for strength, sure, but that's not a complete work out. :)

I run for 30 minutes every other day and use a ab machine 3 times per week and Sunday off..more for toneage and weight control

Very good advice especially if one is already in half decent shape.

Eros, congratulations for loosing 50lbs, and I hope this will be a lifestyle change even when the lap band is removed.

I wouldn?t be overly concerned about weight lifting and using all those glories workout machines at the gym right now. I would concentrate on stretching and introducing pilates. Plus walking and building up to race walking until you are ready to run outside rather on a treadmill.

Walking, race walking and jogging should all be done outdoors. A good pair of trail-running shoes should protect your feet, legs, knees and your body on pavement or on dirt. The reason I emphasis outdoors is that your body needs the elements outside to become fit again (I know people will laugh at me for saying this and just remember vitamin D). If running is too hard on the knees look into cycling.

Once you get close to your desire body weight and the cardio stuff is all done outside, start using those machines and free weights. And, remember calories will always count.

Good luck:)

I have a trainer and its hands down one of the best choices Ive made. Yeah its expensive, etc but if you have the money, for sure do it.

I agree. I've worked out most of my life but when i took a few years off and got out of shape the best thing i did was get a trainer. he helps with my diet and ran me through different types of training like conditioning train before we started to lift heavy for muscle mass. it really helped a lot. It's not cheap but its worth it.

You sound like you are working hard! Good luck!

How old are you? Weight loss and muscle growth can be much more difficult if you are in your 30's, even more so in your 40's and higher.

When you are 15-25 you can lose a ton of weight and get buff in about three months. The older you are the more patient you need to be.

Great advice :thumbsup

Here's mine:
Day 1: Abs and Upper Body (usually vertical chest press, seated dips, bicep curls, compound rows, tricep pulldowns, chest flyes, and lateral pulldowns)
Day 2: 30-45 minutes of cardio (treadmill, turbojam, bicycling, elliptical, or stairmaster)
Day 3: Abs and Lower Body (usually leg curls, leg extensions, seated calf raises, and wall squats with the big ball)
Day 4: 30-45 minutes of cardio, as on day 2

Rinse and repeat, taking the 7th day of the week (usually Sunday) off

Any tips for transitioning from the treadmill to running outside? I can own the treadmill even on the higher settings, but when I run outside I get insanely sore knees/ shins.

Shoes, shoes, shoes. You need high end road shoes. Check out Asics, New Balance etc. I run 50-60KM a week on the road and change my shoes about every 6 months.

Running on the concrete is just plain hard. Take Ibuprofren before you run and just work your way through it, after a few weeks you'll toughen up to it.

not an exercise guru, but i am old guy with swimmer's build.

1. careful, mostly raw foods type diet, no junk food.
2. 15 minutes bowflex daily (upper body workout mostly arms)
3. 35 minutes daily bicycling either indoors (if inclement weather using bike trainer) or outdoors if good weather.

good luck.

WarChild, know your body and never take an Ibuprofren to mask the pain. Run on dirt, grass or gardens in between the pavement where the opportunity exist. :upsidedow

I happen to like Super Nova Trail running shoes made by Adidis right now; my timing is off but I don't hurt. Pavement is tough and depending which roads I travel, I always check to 'gush' in my shoes.

I really don't know if I should be really pissed that if I am in work out mode; I replacing my running shoes every six weeks or sooner to feel no pain :)

Sigh. I'm 33 years old and I run for an hour and train Martial Arts for 2 hours most days. Ibuprofren is simply a way of life to keep inflamation down.

Try to limit the ibuprofin and cycle off it sometimes for a week or two. I know it is handy for keeping down inflammation and I use it too intermittantly to deal with my aching joints. A good natural combo which works for keeping your elbow and joint inflammation down is alfalfa capsules, vitamin b-12 microlozenges and manganese pills a few times daily, along with lots of fish oil and glucosamine sulfate, chrondroitin, MSM and shark cartilage extract.

Why the inflamtion...?

Anyone out there reading this, please don't mask your body pain with Ibuprofren or whatever; go out there and have fun and if your body hurts stop and tomorrow is another day :)

sounds like my workout....

I like working out on my back

The inflamation from fighting, being thrown around, training muscles hard. That's what happens when you train hard. If you stop when the pain comes you'll never be in top form, period.

Develop your own routine and stick to it.

Watch for results. And adjust as needed.

Don't take advice from a bunch of keyboard muscle heads. 90% of these guys are out of shape.

Sounds like you are doing good. I train in the most unconventional style ever and it works for me. So other peoples advice is bs... some things might work for you some wont... trial and error worked for me.

So if you use a computer you're a keyboard muscle head? We're all just lying about working out and what not?

reading some of the contrasting responses in this thread I'd venture that there are quite a few keyboard personal trainers/ keyboard muscle heads that don't quite practice what they preach.

Probably so. For others, like myself, it's actually a lifestyle.