Please help with workout planning!!

S

skyfloating

New member
Ok, I'm a Stay at Home mom with a Gym membership, step bench, fitness DVDs, and access to many different exercise classes at my gym. I have a lot of time to workout and I feel good doing it, but sometimes I feel like I might be overdoing it.

My stats:

I'm 30 years old, 5'6'', 121 lbs, haven't worked out in a long time but recently got back into it out of boredom and wanting to shed the last 6-8 lbs of fat on my body and to get a sculpted look (tight glutes, thighs, trim tummy, nice arms etc). I eat around 1600 calories a day if I do an hour of cardio, around 1400-1500 if I just lift weights or don't work out. I try to eat clean.

What should I be doing instead of the below routine? I enjoy working out 6 days a week because it gives me energy, kills boredom and allows me to eat a few hundred extra calories a day. Does anyone have a better plan for me? Should I be eating less?

This is what I'm doing so far:

Monday:
Recumbent bike for 60 mins, around 13mph (morning)
Step DVD or The Firm Burn and Shape or The Firm Cardio Sculpt 45 minutes (night time)

Tuesday
Stability Ball class 60 mins
Treadmill, 3.8mph, 2-6% incline 60 mins

Wednesday
Recumbent bike for 60 mins, around 13mph (morning)
Pilates or Yoga DVD (night time)

Thursday
Stability Ball class 60 mins
Treadmill, 3.8mph, 2-6% incline 60 mins

Friday
Recumbent bike for 60 mins, around 13mph (morning)

Saturday
1 hour of weight lifting to failure for all major muscle groups at the gym



THANK YOU!!!!
 
You're already too small, losing more weight prob not the best option for you...

What you need is to build a lil muscle mass to make yourself look more...fit. And you're not going to get that with your current routine.. Way less cardio, way more resistance training should be your goal. Pick and choose exercises that you can only do for 5-20 seconds max before utter failure. (squats with barbel on shoulders, pushups, pullups, walking lunges with weights in hands, hanging leg raises, etc etc) you know, the exercises that will actually help build some muscle mass and blast off those last few lbs of fat. Make sure you're eating around 120g protein a day, and see what you can get for results..

If you're looking for a program, I think Westside for Skinny Bastards 3 would be a great template for you looking to really tone up a bit. Its 4 days a week, so there allowance for a day or 2 with cardio since you seem to enjoy doing that, and it's a perfect template for everyone looking to get more "toned". Hell, it's the perfect template for everyone to do to be honest. Best fat loss (or bulking) program hands down imo. Now some of the lifting components can be substituted too if you aren't comfortable with movements yet, but you should check it out..

The reason I say go for lifting is because you've hit the classic "skinny-fat" look that so many people have when they reach their goal weight. They still look like they have a few lbs of fat to lose. When in reality, they are fine fat/weight wise, just don't have any muscle mass. This is from doing way to much cardio, not near enough heavy lifting. Which is exactly the case from looking at your training template.. I'm willing to bet that your 1 day a week with weights is also very light weight with lots of reps, correct? which is still basically cardio. Don't be afraid of a lil muscle mass, it's what makes you look good. :D and no, you won't get huge from lifting. It's impossible..
 
Thanks for answering Jynus.

I think you're right about the skinny fat thing. The most I've ever weighed is128 and now I am 121, so the loss was nothing drastic, but I feel like I have heavier thighs and a smaller upper body (especially chest).

The one day a week that I lift, I lift the heaviest weight I can so that I fail in 8-10 reps on upper body muscles and 10-12 reps on lower body muscles. I usually do 2 sets. Do you think Pilates and the Stability Ball class help build muscle or are they too aerobic in nature? They both use bodyweight exercises and the Stability Ball class uses light weights (6-8lbs) for the upper body.

I do eat lots of protein...probably too much. I have 2 protein bars,a serving chicken or fish, and two servings of low fat cheese each day. I'm not a milk drinker. I eat fruits (pineapple, bananas, apples) and veggies (carrots, squash, green beans), and pretzels as a snack.

I'll try to incorporate 2 more days of weight training in my routine and drop 1 day of cardio to see if there are any improvements. I also checked out the westside for skinny bastards program and am not sure how to proceed since I am female and put off by the weight benches (I enjoy free weights, bodyweight exercises or machines though). I'll let you know how everything turns out!

Thanks again
 
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