Another gym question....?

Question

I have about 30 pds to lose. I start going to the gym at the YMCA tomm. and I would like to know how many times and week and how long of a work out I should start off doing? Do I just walk and cycle till I lose the weight then start to tone myself or how does that work? Thank you in advance. If u would like to be rude thats fine. I am going to the gym bc I know im chunky so bring on the negativity. To everyone else Thank you for your responses they will really help me. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

I usually recommend that you have a set plan during the week

Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Make those days about 30-45 minutes of Cardio
Remember to stretch before and after!

Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
Make those the days where you do about 15 minutes of cardio
And Strength training the various parts of your body
Tuesday-Back, CHest and Arms
Thursday-Lower Body
Sunday-Mid-Section

You can check out my site for workout routines. Or email me for a more detailed day by day workout routine.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-bCJcpYYyc6M.rBmxoZejoDyf?p=148

Answer 2

How long depends on what kind of shape you're in now and how much time you can fit in your schedule. More cardio time equals more calories burned.

When I'm forced indoors by weather, I swim 2 miles, then go up to the exercise area and do 30 minutes on the track (I hate treadmills), 30 minutes on the elliptical, and 30 minutes on the stationary bike, then a circuit of all the weight machines. I set the weights so that I can do 8-12 reps before failure (failure = can't do any more). If I have time, I repeat the process.

I put in probably 12-15 hours a week on average, mostly outdoors running and cycling.

Obviously you're not going to be able to do that starting out, and your schedule may not allow it, but the point is that more is better in terms of meeting your weight loss goals. Life and reality will generally schedule your rest days for you, so don't worry about them.

Starting out, maybe go 30 min. on the bike one day, 30 minutes walking or running the next. Variety will help you keep it up. If you have time, do a circuit of the weight machines after the cardio 2 or 3 times a week. Recovery time IS necessary between lifting sessions for maximum benefit.

Answer 3

Hey..I'm chunky too! Heck look around..we're ALL chunky lol

I go to the Y too. I've found that going 3 times a week works for me, maybe more if time allows. When I first started I was only doing cardio, walking, swimming. The results didn't come too fast. I added a weight lifting program and BAM...the results were almost instant. Everyone is different tho, I'd try a certain routine and if its not working, change it, try again. My current routine takes about an hour. Cardio and weights. Don't just watch the scale, take your body measurements and track those weekly, that was very encouraging for me.

The other thing that works for me, is not setting a set schedule. That was always self defeating in the past. I set a goal of 3 times a week and get there when I can.

Good luck and most of all..have FUN! :)

Answer 4

First of all...please don't invite rudeness upon yourself. When you start a new lifestyle like this, you need positive thoughts and suggestions.
You should start by doing 2 to 3 days of cardio exercise, about 30 minutes on each day. After a few weeks, you can increase the intensity that you work out at, increase the time you workout for, or increase the number of times that you go to workout...or increase all three...just don't go too fast, or you could end up injuring yourself.
As for toning, its best to being a total body toning program right at the beginning. This is because cardio and strength training go hand in hand...you will lose more weight and see more progress if you do both. Try to aim for 2 strength-training sessions per week. Go to www.shape.com, www.self.com or www.fitnessmagazine.com to find some really good toning exercises (you can even print some of them and take them with you to the gym so that you remember how to do them properly).
In about 8 to 10 weeks, you should visit these websites again and pick some new strength training moves...this way, your body won't plateau, and you will continue to lose weight.
You will also need to adjust your caloric intake. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_6_1x_Calorie_Calculator.asp
Check out this link to find out what your calorie limit it.
Last of all, be patient and consistent. Make this your new lifestyle...start walking more, start drinking more water, get enough sleep. It may seem hard at first, and you may not see results for the first 6 to 8 weeks, but stick with it. You're on your way to living a much healthier life! Good luck :)

Answer 5

just doing cardio exercise isn't the best way to go. You need to do light weights, but using all of your muscles, this will be much more effective! Also diet goes hand in hand with exercise, sleep and lots of other factors. You should probably invest some time into researching the topic, you will find this more useful... Staying motivated is hard, especially if your alone, use music, friends, wateva u can! Having a good frind or someone to keep you accountable is very good. You should only start off at 2 or 3 times a week at the gym, but slowly work your way up

Answer 6

All of the above. Start out 3 days a week (assuming you are not in shape, you will get really sore) and work your way up to five. Muscle burns more than fat so cycling is a good idea, but not solely. Find some free weights and work out with them some. Just mix it up and have fun...

Answer 7

if you have not been to a gym or exercised in years you best start off slow, because if you don't tomorrow you will not get out of bed because every muscle that you have not used will hurt, you will have places that hurt that you didn't know you still had!

Answer 8

There are many workout tips here http://101-fitness-tips.blogspot.com/