Need Advice on Working Out:UPDATE/PROGRESS

Hi everyone - I've decided it's time to get serious about working out again. I've "coasted by" on fairly good genes, but I think my statue of limitations is up.

I really want to commit myself to a good workout program, but also want to make sure I don't overdo it and get burned out too soon. From what I understand, it's important to have a clear goal in mind when starting out.

My goal is, I don't want to lose weight, just tighten and tone every part of my body. I'd like to really get my legs super-toned. I am about 5"5 and weigh 135 lbs, so I'm not skinny. And I don't want to be.

My questions are: how much exercise should I do in the beginning - i.e. how many sessions a week and how much time per session? Also, is it better to go swimming before or after I work out? (I joined a rec center with a gym and two pools). And should I eat before or after working out?

Any other advice welcome, too. Also, if anyone is just launching their own exercise plan, maybe we could use this thread as a blog or something for support and to note our progress.

- Scout

I can only tell you that three times a week in the gym is good. Work out different parts of the body each time you go.

Day 1:

Back and Biceps

Day 2:

Triceps and chest

day 3:

legs and shoulders/neck

Each time you go you should hop on to the treadmill, swim, walk, or jog a half hour at the very least.

Remember that if you want to tone up then you have to work each muscle till exhaustion. Try light weights with high reps. You don't want to over do it the first two weeks because you'll be in some discomfort. After that you will be in a grove.

I hope this helps you.

Hubman

Hi Scout,

Im glad to hear that you have decided to take up an exercise program. I would start off at about 2 days a week in your local gym lifting weights and then after a while move it up to 3 days a week. I would do about 1/2 hour sessions, you should get most things done in that time.

Leave a day in between each workout for recuperation. I workout mon, wens, fri and then do cardio work and swimming on tues, thurs, sat.

It is up to you when you swim, you could do it on the days in between workouts or you could do it as a warm up or cool down.

Eating: I usually have a small snack (an energy bar) about 1 hour before working out and then have another afterwards. I usually wait about 1 1/2 hours before i have a meal, but this is because im in lessons.

Other advice:

- Make sure you warm up correctly - do about 5-10 mins on a running machine or something like that.

- When you start lifting each day dont go straight for your maximum weight, lift 25% of it and then 50% and then then your chosen weight.

- Stretch between each exercise.

If you are lifting to improve strength then lift just below the maximum you can. If you are working for endurance then a lower weight with more repetitions is better.

I hope this helps

Hi Scout,

I also have an interest in getting fitter, loosing some weight. I'm 5'11'' and weigh 168 lbs. I have decided to loose 14lbs and to get fitter and toned, which is a little bit different to you.

Anyway sorry to go on about myself and to go back to your question.

My questions are: how much exercise should I do in the beginning - i.e. how many sessions a week and how much time per session? Also, is it better to go swimming before or after I work out? (I joined a rec center with a gym and two pools). And should I eat before or after working out?

well firstly it depends on how much excercise you are used to. If you are a novice try by starting three times per week at 30min each session at the gym or swimming. As you feel yourself getting fitter then you should increase the time gradually.

If you are used to excercising, and you have the time, go between 3 - 5 times per week. You will need to alternate what you do to give your muscles time to recover and to save you not getting bored.

What I would do is go to the gym for 1hr on alternate days to aerobic excercises (again for 1hr) such as swimming, cycling or running. Remember to have some days off, especially if you feel tired.

Anyway reading your post has made me think of going back to the gym, starting tomorrow hopefully.

good luck with your quest.

You need to let your body tell you what to do, in a lot of cases. If you go out and run three miles, and then the next day your legs are tired, you need to rest them. I would begin to plan your workouts by at first only stressing the same part of your body twice a week. Then after a month or more, depending on how it feels, increase the frequency. Also remember that you should be increasing the intensity of your workouts. If running three miles gets easier, then you need to either run it faster or run farther. (I only use running as an example.)

I would definitely swim before weights, instead of the other way around. Swimming makes your shoulders do a lot of work. I fouy swim with tired muscles controlling your shoulders (your lats, delts, pecs, traps and rhomboids) that will increase the possibility of an overuse injury.

I'd also probably begin weight workouts to use or target your whole body, except for maybe your legs. Then twice a week I would work on cardiothat stressed your legs. If you are doing that you should not need to do much weight work on your legs. Again doing the weight work right after the cardio would be what I would do, if I did any and I am not likely to do any. I cannot imagine doing weight work on my legs and getting them real tired then going to bike or run or whatever.

Hey, guys - great advice! A few of your suggestions were different from each other, but everyone pointed out the importance of gradually increasing my capabilities yet challenging my body as much as possible. I'm excited! Again, many thanks.

xoxoxo - Scout

All those suggestions sound perfect. I started my program too. I do at least 30 mins of cardio and do weights especially for my biceps, back, shoulders. I just would like to add that depending on your age, you may get results faster. Also, if you're young, it will be much less hard to push yourself to your limits... If you're not that young, then I'd suggest you take it easy. Good Luck. Best Wishes.

Scout

I still don't really know the meaning of "toned" but I know a great pair of legs when I see them.

Girls have the same problems with legs that guys have with abs. The "toned" look comes from two factors:

-Low body fat in that area

-High muscle density in that area

No matter how much muscle you have, it wont matter one bit if you have fat covering it. So if by toned, you mean the same thing as when guys talk about ripped abs (like athletic legs) you'll have to concentrate on diet too. But this would proabably only apply to you're upper legs and butt area.

IF you want to build muscle--like if you have skinny legs and want more curves-- you should lift heavy and with low reps.

IF you just want to emphasize definition without gaining mass then lift light but with many reps.

But like I said, make sure you understand that no matter how much you lift you can't I REPEAT--CAN'T--burn fat in specific areas. "Spot Reduction" is a myth, if you want to be more tone and the fault is excess fat, you can stay on the stair master for 3 days straight, but the only reason you would get more tone is because over all body fat loss, not because you were working your legs like crazy. So don't underestimate the importance in diet in someone's physique. Eat 5-6 times a day w/ less than 300 calories/meal for female with 1800cal/day diet to keep with your BMR(Basal Metabolic Rate), and cut back to a calorie deficit if you want to lose weight.

check out: link removed

Happy Workouts! And hey! I get first dibs on you modeling lingere for me once you have that body you want

Tiger, thanks for the detailed advice. Actually, I don't have skinny legs and already have pretty defined calves. I'd like more definition in my thighs. I absolutely think Britney Spears has the ideal body. She is not a small girl, eats what she wants, but because of her dancing background, she has these incredible legs. I've heard peopel say her thighs are too big, but I think they're perfect. She just looks really, really healthy.

So that's what I mean by toned legs. Please don't laugh at the Britney Spears reference!

SWEET-excersize is my specialty, ive been workin out since i was 30lbs overweight in the 8th grade.

The most important thing you can do at this point is to not get burned out, and lose interest in excersize. I definently suggest that you go to the gym with a friend, or find someone to work out with. Try joining some of the aerobics classes at your local gym (Im starting to take spinning classes, and they help a lot). Do not start out too fast, because you will get burned out, work your way up. Dont worry if you dont lose weight in like the first 2 weeks, believe me, if your doing everything right, the pounds will start shedding off.

Dont worry so much as to toning your body right now as to getting a lean, fit stature, and keeping it (work on that other stuff later). You need to keep an elevated heart rate(determined by your size/weight/age ratio, or by just what you feel confortable with) for at least 20-30 minutes a day. I work out at around 155-160hr for 30 minutes on a bike (you can use any of the cardio equipment at the gym).

While on an excersize program DO NOT try ANY of the substitute/carb diets. Nutrition is EXTREMELY important to conserve energy, slim-fast shakes or powdered meals do not have enough nutrition for working out. Your body also requires carbs to work properly, in fact i am in need of more since i do weight workouts. I suggest that you have healthy, full meals with the required servings of each food group. I dont remember the exact rates, but im pretty sure you burn 5-6 calories a minute working hard with weights, and 11-12 doing cardio excersize. Talk to a trainer about how many calories a day you need. I remember i had to increase my calories to keep up with how many i was burning a day.

When looking at food labels to see what is healthy, the main thing to look at is saturated fat, and calories from fat, which is the fat that is added just for taste.

I suggest that you talk to a gym trainer to find your BMI(body mass indicator) and he will give you a good excersize program, and healthy diet to follow. If you have questions, ask other gym members, many of them will know what they are talking about, and can help you out.

Redline, right on about the diet thing...I think this low-carb craze is one of the most foolish diet trends to ever hit America. And I have a very good appetite, especially for a female! I could not get through the day without my carbs, I really need them for energy. I get my protein from tofu, nuts, beans, and vegetables since I'm a vegetarian, and I've never felt like I don't get enough. In fact, I feel a lot healthier as a vegetarian.

I was going to join a gym, but the closest ones to me were way too expensive. And I've always heard - pick a place close by, or your motivation will decrease. So I ended up joining the neighborhood rec center, which also gets me into any other rec centers in the city. The only downside - no classes.

Anyway, I just got back from my first session. Some of you old-timers will laugh at my first regime: 15 minutes of cardio, 15 minutes of working out and about 20 minutes swimming. Will strive to double that over the next two weeks. The equipment was ok, but one of the sacrifices of working out at a recreation center is no staff to tell you how each one works. A couple of the patrons finally showed me how to use some of them.

My arms feel like noodles right now. Should I immediately work out again tomorrow, or do a day in between workouts? I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow, but I was thinking it would help to work out and get the muscles unkinked or whatever.

Thanks for your support everyone! It really felt good to start exercising again!!

I think that tomorrow you should just do the cardio, and let the rest of your muscles repair themselves... It's just what I think.

Since you are just getting started again, I would recommend something light and easy, but you can make it go longer. Something like a long walk will get some (not much) blood flowing and burn a few calories.

If you do something and feel tired, stop.

Question: does cardio do any toning work, or is it mainly a calorie burner/heart rate normalizer form of exercise?

it matters what you do. Running builds muscle on your calves, and biking builds theighs etc... Its not as intensive as freeweights would be, but women dont really need to mess with that anyway

Question: does cardio do any toning work, or is it mainly a calorie burner/heart rate normalizer form of exercise?

It can and does, but the thing you are really asking about is does and can. Look at the guys riding in the Tour de France, with their skinny upper bodies and massive thighs. They did not get those thighs lifting weights, they got them riding their bikes. However, exercises that are considered cardio are not those which quickly add muscle size.

Tone is a kind of ambiguous term. Does that mean a muscle of the same size in better condition? If so, then yes, cardio can help there too.

Hey guys...just wanted to give you an update on my progress. I worked out three times this week - two sessions in the gym followed by swimming, and then one session just swimming - and went hiking twice with my dogs.

I am so happy I joined the City's recreation system - the gyms and pools are just as good as a private gym's, and it's so much more affordable. Also, I had a horrible blowout with my ex last week - you could say our final blowout, the one that burned the last remaining bridge - and I've been pretty distraught. This morning I woke up on the verge of tears about it, and knew I had to get to the gym. After a thorough workout and thirty minutes swimming, I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.

Just really glad I did this for myself.

Hey guys...I gave myself a pretty strenous workout this morning and when I came home, I felt like a noodle and pretty unmotivated to work. Will this pass in time as I get more used to working out? I do prefer to workout earlier in the day.

Also, I have a question about swimming: does anyone know the main muscles this works out? I've been swimming laps for about 20 - 30 minutes after each workout.

It's been a little over a week - so far, don't see any results, but then, I'm not the world's most patient person. Everyone tells me it takes a while before you see anything.

I'm not sure which muscles in particular, but I have some friends who used to swim competitively and they had very strong shoulders/upper arms.

No one mentioned this yet, but I like to do yoga (ashtanga/power yoga) and pilates. They offer these classes at my gym, and I love them. They're a fun and different way to work out/tone your body. -pilates works a lot on the stomach muscles, and yoga takes a lot of upper body and leg strength. Definitely something to check out if you're looking to tone instead of just burn fat (check out Madonna's bod...she claims to do yoga daily)

If you can't find a class (they're the most fun) I'm sure some of the videos out there are good.

Thanks - I used to do both Pilates and yoga, but kind of drifted away...I did see results though, especially with the yoga. Once I build up more strength from the gym, I will probaby get back into it. I think I just got bored doing the tapes alone at my house, but I don't like classes either - I always feel I'm way behind everyone else!

Had a great workout today. Everyone in the weight room was so helpful, and this one kid even spotted me & made me do more reps! I worked out for an hour, then swam for a good thirty minutes. Whenever I have a really strong workout like that, I always run to the mirror afterwards to see if there has been any change yet, but of course, it's only been two weeks, so no - you can't tell yet.

Was wondering if people had feedback on how long it took before they saw a noticeable difference in their appearance from working out?

usually you would notice results within 3-4 months.....and other people will notice your results within a year...

Thanks Ghost. I keep telling everyone to be patient with their workout/lose weight goals, but of course, I have to tell myself that, too!

A trainer where I work out gave me this routine to start following, based on a five days a week schedule.

Monday - Chest/Biceps/Triceps

Tuesday - Legs/Stomach

Wednesday - Shoulders/Back

Thursday - same as Monday

Friday - same as Tuesday

For each day, doing about three or four different machines, 3 sets each, 15 to 20 reps. He said concentrate on building endurance right now, then we can increase the weights over time.

Also, start off each workout session with 15 to 20 minutes cardio (taking Beec's advice and doing the eliptilizer/bike thing - I know I didn't spell that right - so that I can build on my legs), and then end each session with about 25 to 30 minutes swimming laps (my idea, for more defined shoulders and back, plus I just love to swim).

- Scout

Hi Scout,

I have also started working out seriously since about a week ago (after seeing your post ,

Well I am alternating between cardio (one day) and weights (other day) for five days a week at the moment. My aim is to loose about 10-14lbs and to get much fitter.

Well my love is mountainbiking, here in the uk it is a mountainbiking mecca where I live, with purpose build courses. Anyway I have just enroled onto a 50k race with some friends in September so I guess there is no skimping for me now.

Seems like your training is coming along to, keep it up. I think you should start to see results after a month or so with doing weights, especially if you combine it with a good healthy diet. I would expect that in a month you should be able to loose 8 - 10lbs (if this is your aim?). Or do you just want to firm up?

Hey Carter - congratulations to you as well for embarking on a challenging & rewarding fitness program! I live in Colorado which is also a mountain biking mecca, but I just never really got into it. But who knows, maybe if I develop some real muscles I'll have the endurance for it!

My goal is not to lose weight. I'm actually happy with my weight, which is 135 lbs (I'm 5"5). Also, I've been the same weight for several years now, so I guess it just stabilized to where it's supposed to be.

Yeah, I'm really excited, because something feels different this time, like I'm really going to follow through. For one thing, I armed myself with some good information first before I started this, and for another - my goal is not to lose weight. That always is a setback, because I view it as depriving myself of food, and I get discouraged in advance. Honestly, if there is any extra weight, I think it will drop off as I work out on a regular basis.

Plus, I joined the city's recreation center, which is more laid back then a gym, but with just as good equipment, much cheaper and much closer to where I live. And I incorporated swimming into my routine, which is a real reward after an hour of working out.

So, there are just so many positives this time compared to the other times I resolved to work out/lose weight. I'm really focused now, and it seems more fun then it did before - more attainable. I'm going to keep posting on this thread as a sort of log, feel free to do the same!