exercise newbie, advice about a workout plan

J

jor

0
Hi,

I'm not sure this is the right general topic for this post.

Some background:
F, 43, 117 lbs
Goal: improve health, lose about 7 lbs or get lean whichever comes first
Limitations: money!--Otherwise, I'd wake up really early and be at the gym at 6am--and space constraints--Can't invest in a home gym machine.

I've been exercising on and off for years, but this year, I sat down, wrote out my goals, drew up a plan, and made lifestyle changes that would ensure I'd stick to my exercise. So far, I've stuck to my plan and I feel healthier and a lot less stressed. :)

I'm doing the Firm videos--mostly because they're easily available and cheap where I live. I'm up to 5x a week now and I rotate different videos so I don't get bored. I do full body workouts 3x a week, upper 1x/wk, lower 1x/wk.

In about 5 weeks, I want to ditch the upper & lower body videos and do weight training at home w/ dumbbells etc. I plan to use the Firm for cardio.

My question is this: is this an advisable plan? The Firm videos integrate some weights w/ cardio. I'm worried I might over-exercise.

I'd appreciate any advice as I'm spending hours and hours surfing the net and getting conflicting information. :confused:
 
I like your current workout for your goals. Lose 7 pounds will be easy be doing the Firm videos as long as you eat properly.

Try eating smaller meals more often (i.e. 5 or 6 small meals per day) and make sure you drink a BUNCH of water. It is not uncommon for someone your size to drink 90 or more ounces of water per day.

Weights will tighten you up and increase your muscle size. You may not lose any weight, but you will shrink away some of the fatty areas.

If you want to lose 7 lbs. you are on the right track with the Firm. BTW - proper nutrition and a FOLLOWED program like yours should net you 1 to 2 pounds of body weight lost EACH week.

Re-evaluate exactly what you want and be honest with yourself. Once you know precisely where you want to be (e.g. I want to lose 7 pounds, have abs that show and muscle definition in my arms) then re-post and we can help you figure out a solid plan to get you there.

BTW - cut out ALL trans fats no matter what you are planning. Unless you like that chub on your hips and butt.

(-:

-Rip
 
Good advice above.

I am a bit confused on one thing though... are you taking 1-2 days of rest? You should be.

Eating is going to be a large part of losing that extra fat. Also if you've been doing the Firm for about 5 weeks... it is about time you change something. Every good exercise program must come to an end. Each 4-6 weeks you should change your program. This keeps your body from plateau'ing and it keeps you motivated.

I workout at home with a stability ball and free weights. That's it. Talk about cheap :) I know there is TONS of conflicting info about fitness and weight loss, but you seem to have a good grip on what's going on.

Just remember that to drop the extra body fat, eat really really well and vary your cardio and strength training program every 4-6 weeks. If you are worried about over exercising... just follow these guidelines...

Workout 5-6 days per week. 1-2 days are for rest (normal daily activites- no working out)

If you strength train the biceps today, don't strength train them tomorrow.

Realize that if you do biceps today and chest tomorrow... you are still working your biceps. They are used during the chest exercise.

Do 3 full body days per week. Or do a mix of upper body one day and lower body/abs another.

Mix your cardio activity and session lengths. Do some short, high intensity work each week and some long low intensity stuff. Even add a few days off medium intenisty and length.

Do not workout for over an hour each day.

I know this all sounds confusing, but it really isn't. You are on your way. Just keep things fresh!
 
Wow! Thanks for all the advice and encouragement everyone. It certainly helps to be discussing this w/ other people. :)

I have 2 days rest per week, but not 2 consecutive days. I workout, rest, workout, rest, then workout 3 more times.

When I started w/ the Firm, I was 125 lbs. I've an apple-shaped body, more or less, and from what I've read that means I'm in greater danger of heart-related problems. The weight loss has slowed down, but I figured that was because: 1) I wasn't strict enough on myself as far as the diet is concerned. I have given up 95% of fatty meats and fried food. I don't eat at fastfoods anymore. But now and then I cheat on wine and potato chips :p which is really bad. 2) I guessed that my body was adapting to the exercise w/c is why I bumped it up to 5x a week. I plan on going down again when I feel the plateau again. 3) My muscles are developing and they're heavier than fat, right?

But yes, I guess I should vary my workout. I have quite a few of the Firm videos and what I've been doing is inserting a new one in the schedule every 4 weeks so that I'm doing something different. The other day, I tried a new one and I was definitely winded! [The only thing I don't like about the videos is that they're a little corny and the music isn't exactly what I'd listen to for fun hehe]

The other thing I looked into is calisthenics. I know I'll be travelling in a month or so and I didn't want to break my workout routine so I looked around for something I could do minus the videos & dumbbells.

I found a great site on calisthenics the other day and tried some of the core exercises this morning. In about 30 mins, my heart was pumped up as much and I was perspiring as much as w/ the Firm 45-60 min. workouts. It was pretty intense (and honestly, I liked that it took less time!)

Here's the link, in case anyone's interested:
 
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