Help! Please suggest improvements for my workout routine!

[tokyobigboy]

Hello All,

Im looking for tips and suggestions on how to improve my weekly workout routine. If I am doing something wrong please say. I want to be optimising my time at the gym. I will give you a bit of background first. Im doing all this for large weight loss - Im 34 (male) and 115kg (Yikes!) I started about 4 days ago (lost about 1.3kg so far). Im a member of a Gym but I live in Japan and dont speak the lingo, so cant ask the staff there, hence im here! I have lost weight before but put it back on. I was about 100kg about 2 years ago, but put on alot. This time I want to get to about 90kg over the next 18months if possible.

Firstly I have changed my diet and am consuming about 1300 calories per day during the week. More at weekends, but Saturday is my splurge day (I need one day to relax!). Plenty of Fruit and Veg etc.

Now my Gym routine. I should say I read too many articles on the interent about whats the best type of excercise etc so Im a bit confused, as people have different opinions. But heres what I have started on (and have done in the past) -

Gym 3 times per week - (at least 24 hours in between sessions, more like 48 hours usually)

Start off on weight machines - Will do 7 different machines, starting from leg muscles working up the body. Do 2 sets of ten on a weight thats challenging (so the last rep is difficult), with a break between sets. I move between the machines quickly to keep the intensity up. I repeat the whole process to do 2 rotations. This takes about 30 mins by the time I move between all the machines and breaks etc. My muscles are sore after so I can feel the workout and can certainly feel them the next day(s). Should I be doing this whole rotation quicker? Is this type of strength training good for fat burn?

After the strength training I go on the Elyptical for 20 mins. I try doing this Intensity training I have been reading about. Heres how I go about it -

First 3 mins - warm up

30 seconds - flat out full sprint
90 seconds - reduced speed rest period

Repeat this 8 times

Cool down for 3 minutes.

After this overall workout (weights and cardio) Im really trired. My main concern is do you think im doing too little cardio in that routine? Whats best combo for fat burn? Is the elyptical good, or is bike better? I cant do fast on a treadmill as have a dodgy knee.


In between these Gym intensity workouts I will do normal cardio. I love to swim, so I will swim for about 45 minutes in which I will do about 2km alternating between frontcrawl and breast stroke. I do this twice a week in between the workouts.

I also usually go into the pool after my gym workouts, as my Gym has this really cool relaxation swimming pool that has focused jets of water that hit your body. Really good for easing the muscle soreness. But is this advised? Should I be cooling down after these intensity workouts? I read something somewhere that suggested this might be iil advised? I really have no clue , please help LOL!

So what do you think of my routine? Is it balanced? Should I be doing more of one thing, less of another? How should it be tweaked/changed for Fat burn?


Any tips/suggestions/comments/improvement ideas are really appreciated!

 

[shesaidbeauty]

Beginner's Routine
If you are just beginning a workout routine, it's important to start fairly slow so you don't injure yourself. You will want to start with small weights and work yourself up. As far as the actual workout routine, start with 10 to 15 minutes of cardio, such as jogging, speed walking, biking and jumping rope. Also, be sure to stretch thoroughly. This is important for every person at every level of fitness, especially beginners (to prevent injury and reduce post-workout soreness). Choose about 10 different exercises that target the whole body (or the areas you want to work on), including the back, arms, legs and chest. Do one set of 12 repetitions of each. Try exercises such as crunches, bench press, bicep extensions, leg curls and squats. To start out, do your routine three times a week.

Weight-Loss Routine
For weight loss, many people think that cardio is the only way to go. Some people are afraid that if they lift weights, they will "bulk up," but this is a common myth. While cardio is important for a weight-loss diet, strength training is just as crucial, and some might even argue that it is the key to faster weight loss. This is because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the quicker you burn fat. For your routine, switch of between cardio and strength training (5 minutes of cardio, your weight-lifting routine and repeat). In order to build muscle faster, which will in turn burn fat, try exercises that work the largest muscles in your body, such as squats, bench presses and crunches. These exercises work the large muscles in your legs, trunk and shoulders. Look for other exercises that do the same. If you would like to burn extra calories, which will lead to faster weight loss, do more cardio in addition to the suggested workout routine.

Endurance Routine
For those training for a marathon, triathlon or other type of race, endurance is very important. Endurance training is equally important for athletes who are very active during games, such as basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse and tennis. There are several types of endurance-training workouts. Slow, long-distance cardio is good for those who will be competing in long races, such as marathons. The ideal workout routine for this is a less-intense but longer cardio session. When doing this, you should run, bike or swim for 30 minutes to two hours at a level in which you could still hold a conversation without getting winded (and about 80 percent maximum heart rate). Pace or tempo training is designed to increase energy production and can be practiced with a 20 to 30 minute routine where your cardio is slightly more intense that what it would be in your race/sports activity. You can break the 20 to 30 minutes down into shorter periods with a short rest in-between if you like. Interval and repetition training are more intense because you practice short bouts (between 60 seconds to 5 minutes) of very fast, intense cardio with rest in-between. These are done less frequently (perhaps one to two times a week). These intense endurance sessions help with short, quick burst (for example, making a run in football or pushing through the last bit of a long race).