Looking for your input, thanks!

[rls1321]

I started this process back in January and have lost 54 pounds, although I still have a ways to go. My husband and I joined a gym a week ago and I was hoping I could get some input on what I'm doing. If anyone has any thoughts on how I can optimize things, I would be very appreciative! Thank you

My day: wake up at 5am, eat a small protein snack and stretch
workout 5:30 - 6:30
6:45 eat breakfast: either bacon or sausage, 2 eggs, 4 ounces of milk, a small serving of low carb fruit and something else, either a serving of nuts or a T of peanut butter. My breakfast is big, that's because I have found I'm pretty friggin hungry when I workout like this every day : )
lunch/snacks = string cheese, hard boiled egg, tuna salad or maybe meatloaf or something
dinner = large leafy salad with chicken or chuck roast (I usually end up with one lean protein like chicken or fish at either lunch or dinner, and then one red meat protein for the other)
- I drink a lot of water and take a multi-vitamin. My food is usually prepared in a basic manner, not a lot of ingredients. I don't eat much that isn't whole foods.

Here's my stats on a typical day:
1600 - 1800 calories
30 g carbs (I'm on Atkins OWL so I'm adding a few things back in)
140 - 160g protein daily
ratio is typically about 62-31-7 or so.

We are going every day because it feels good and it helps me to have a daily routine without missing a day. We alternate strength training with cardio days and on Sunday we do something different like swimming or sports.
Strength Training (also includes warmup and cooldown):
arm curl
chest press
lat pulldown
tricep press
leg press
seated leg curl
hip abduction
standing calves

Cardio days:
30 min cardio (eliptical, bike or treadmill)
weighted ab crunch machine
torso rotation machine

I do 3 sets of ten on most of those things and make sure that the weight is high enough I can barely finish the last rep. I know that freeweights may be ideal in the long run but for right now at least I'd prefer to use the machines.

My goal right now is to just keep my body strong as I continue to lose body fat at a slow/steady pace.

[ndrd08]

Sounds good to me..just a matter of time and going through the motions now.
If the last rep is hard then you have a good intensity level going on. If that is the order you do things though the only thing you would probly want to change is to start with legs, back, chest in order to hit the largest muscles with the most intensity while you are fresh.

[Jenn_in_NJ]

I recommend you get the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women."

I think with what you are doing you are going to spin your wheels in the gym.

First, you have major body parts...legs, chest, back, shoulders. These are the ones you want to work first. The arms can wait (they get worked with all the pushing and pulling, they don't need direct work)

Start using free weights. Stay away from the machines.

Since you just joined you may have free trainer sessions? Choose a trainer with a lot of letters, like NSCA, ASCM or NASM. Have them demonstrate good form.

I just grabbed my book, this is an example of 2 workouts that you alternate. I can't tell you sets and reps and rest because that's not fair to the authors

1st workout
Squats
Then alternating sets of pushups and seated rows
Then alternating sets of step-ups and prone jackknifes

2nd workout
Deadlift
Alternating sets DB shoulder press and wide grip lat pull downs
Alternating sets lunges and swiss ball crunches.

You alternate the workouts for a set number of weeks. The sets and reps change after a few workouts.

In the 1st workout you start with legs (more quads,) then you get chest and mid-back, legs (hammies this time) and core.

2nd one, deads just hit the whole body. Then upper back, shoulders, legs and core.

No curls, no tricep press downs, you alternate and you hit everything nicely.

Doesn't seem like a lot, right? Trust me. It kicks my butt.

[amphigory]

Originally Posted by rls1321

Strength Training (also includes warmup and cooldown):
arm curl
chest press
lat pulldown
tricep press
leg press
seated leg curl
hip abduction
standing calves

<snip>

I do 3 sets of ten on most of those things and make sure that the weight is high enough I can barely finish the last rep. I know that freeweights may be ideal in the long run but for right now at least I'd prefer to use the machines.

Let me preface this by acknowledging that I'm relatively new to strength training, however I'm a compulsive researcher and set out to design a program for myself with very much the same goals that you have.

That being said, my major suggestion would be that you consider doing some form of squats instead of leg presses. The wonderful thing about squats for maintaining muscle when you're losing is that they're a whole-body exercise--they hit everything from the bottom of your feet to your shoulders (including some arm action even!) in one exercise. They can be done in many different ways--with barbell, dumbbells, various sorts of pulleys, or a "Smith Machine".

I do mine with free weights, and what I did was start out with "body weight" squats (I literally couldn't walk for a week!), then tried them with nothing but the bar. Now I add 5 lbs. every time I work out (3 times a week.) It's awkward at first, but adding weight slowly made it a lot easier. If you really just can't stand free weights, you might consider using a Smith Machine, which constitutes sort of a mid-point between free weights and machines. However, I found that it was harder to do squats in a Smith Machine because the motion was unnatural for me.

Hope this was a little bit helpful.

[Jenn_in_NJ]

Originally Posted by amphigory

Let me preface this by acknowledging that I'm relatively new to strength training, however I'm a compulsive researcher and set out to design a program for myself with very much the same goals that you have.

That being said, my major suggestion would be that you consider doing some form of squats instead of leg presses. The wonderful thing about squats for maintaining muscle when you're losing is that they're a whole-body exercise--they hit everything from the bottom of your feet to your shoulders (including some arm action even!) in one exercise. They can be done in many different ways--with barbell, dumbbells, various sorts of pulleys, or a "Smith Machine".

I do mine with free weights, and what I did was start out with "body weight" squats (I literally couldn't walk for a week!), then tried them with nothing but the bar. Now I add 5 lbs. every time I work out (3 times a week.) It's awkward at first, but adding weight slowly made it a lot easier. If you really just can't stand free weights, you might consider using a Smith Machine, which constitutes sort of a mid-point between free weights and machines. However, I found that it was harder to do squats in a Smith Machine because the motion was unnatural for me.
Hope this was a little bit helpful.

It's unnatural for everyone. It's best to do with free weights. When you do an exercise you need to mimic what your body does naturally. You can't do that in a Smith.

[ChrisNTX]

Originally Posted by rls1321

I started this process back in January and have lost 54 pounds, although I still have a ways to go. My husband and I joined a gym a week ago and I was hoping I could get some input on what I'm doing. If anyone has any thoughts on how I can optimize things, I would be very appreciative! Thank you

My day: wake up at 5am, eat a small protein snack and stretch
workout 5:30 - 6:30
6:45 eat breakfast: either bacon or sausage, 2 eggs, 4 ounces of milk, a small serving of low carb fruit and something else, either a serving of nuts or a T of peanut butter. My breakfast is big, that's because I have found I'm pretty friggin hungry when I workout like this every day : )
lunch/snacks = string cheese, hard boiled egg, tuna salad or maybe meatloaf or something
dinner = large leafy salad with chicken or chuck roast (I usually end up with one lean protein like chicken or fish at either lunch or dinner, and then one red meat protein for the other)
- I drink a lot of water and take a multi-vitamin. My food is usually prepared in a basic manner, not a lot of ingredients. I don't eat much that isn't whole foods.

Here's my stats on a typical day:
1600 - 1800 calories
30 g carbs (I'm on Atkins OWL so I'm adding a few things back in)
140 - 160g protein daily
ratio is typically about 62-31-7 or so.

We are going every day because it feels good and it helps me to have a daily routine without missing a day. We alternate strength training with cardio days and on Sunday we do something different like swimming or sports.
Strength Training (also includes warmup and cooldown):
arm curl
chest press
lat pulldown
tricep press
leg press
seated leg curl
hip abduction
standing calves

Cardio days:
30 min cardio (eliptical, bike or treadmill)
weighted ab crunch machine
torso rotation machine

I do 3 sets of ten on most of those things and make sure that the weight is high enough I can barely finish the last rep. I know that freeweights may be ideal in the long run but for right now at least I'd prefer to use the machines.

My goal right now is to just keep my body strong as I continue to lose body fat at a slow/steady pace.

Personally, I'd like to see better pre and post workout nutrition. A small amoun of whey protein and simple carbs will give your body the macronutrients it needs to improve protein synthesis and help facillitate recovery. I would also incorporate more veggies throughout the day.

You workout regimen is not bad, but not great either. It could use some improvement. In terms of optimizing things as you had asked about, I would incorporate some bodyweight and free weight movements. Split squats, lunges, isometric push ups(brutal), half kneeling rows and pulldowns, db shoulders presses, bridges with a physioball are all great movements.

If you can find a good trainer in your area, I would invest in a few sessions to get yourself acquainted with good form on certain exercises and a bit on program design.

[rls1321]

Thanks very much everyone. It sounds like what I really need to do is bite the bullet and pay a trainer because I don't have a lot of confidence in my ability to do most of those things with proper form (hence the reason I cling to weighted machines).

I am also ordering New Rules of Lifting and New Rules of Lifting for Women (combo pack on Amazon) - my husband will benefit from reading this too I think. I've seen those books recommended several times on this site so I guess it's time to finally find out why.

Thanks again to everyone, I really appreciate it.

[ChrisNTX]

Do your homework before hiring a trainer. I wouldn't worry about how many certifications or letters after their name. Watch and observe how they train. Are they focused on their client and technique etc?

[vee716]

Personally, I think what you are doing is great to start! Sometimes the best gets in the way of the better. Meaning that if you try to do things perfectly, then you look sight of just doing them and getting into the habit of doing them regularly. All the things suggested, using free weights, using a more advanced routine including squats, pre & post nutrition are steps that can come later, after you are used to working out on a regular basis and are feeling confident about it.

The only suggestion I'd make at this point is to work bigger muscles first. I'm not sure if your list above was in the order you do the exercises or not. If so, switch it up, work the bigger muscles, legs (your leg presses, curls, abductions) first. Move on to smaller muscles, chest, shoulders. Then move on to smaller muscles like the calves & arms. It just means you have the most energy for the biggest exercises where you'll get most bang for your buck.

Add in all the other stuff (new routines, pre & post nutrition, free weights) when you are looking for something new or feel ready to take things a step further.

Walk, then jog, then run... take things in steps. If you try to run a marathon on your first day, you won't make it!

[ndrd08]

Totally agree about walking before you run...
While of course squats are better than leg press, almost everyone I've known that starts weight training that includes squats, not only stops squating pretty quick but stops lifting all togather...Exactly because they don't feel like doing the squat portion of the lifting program. Or they quit legs and just train the beach muscles.
Leg presses are fun, squats are torture.
A year of intense leg pressing will obviously be better than 2 months of squatting and hating training legs/quitting.
Also squats are hard to do with good form until you have the lower back and core strength to stay erect. You see alot novice squatters at the gym doing a hybrid good morning because of this.
A good way to keep leg presses interesting is to rotate 4 different foot positions over 4 workouts...wide/narrow, high/low on the platform.

[rls1321]

Thanks everyone. For clarification I didn't list those in the order I do them (I should have)... I do leg press, seated leg curl, hip abduction, standing calves, then chest press, lat pulldown, tricep press, arm curl. I know, that's the least of my problems, right? haha

My husband and I got our respective versions of New Rules of Lifting on Saturday and we're both about halfway through. I am really enjoying it, he writes in a very understandable way. I feel pretty uneducated - so many of the things he says, once I understand them, seem like they should have been obvious to me. I respect the information that they've provided in the nutritional chapters, however I'm having a lot of success with Atkins in terms of weight loss and I'm not ready to crank carbs up to 30 or 40% any time soon.. maybe once I'm closer to my goal, but I still have another 55 pounds or so of fat to lose. I am however prepared to start increasing a little more than I have been previously, especially right after my workouts. I'm adding more fruit (apples and berries) and whole milk now along with nuts and seeds, and also more vegetables with lunch, thanks to this thread. I am working on not feeling like a guilty child with a hand in the cookie jar every time I eat an apple - they are so much sweeter now than they were before Atkins.. I have been on near-induction levels for so long that I am paranoid about carbohydrates I think. Also I think we're going to give that low-carb whey protein powder a shot, I hear it tastes terrible but I will just slam it quickly.

Jenn_in_NJ, do you follow their nutritional plan in addition to the workouts? If so, how do you feel about it?

In terms of my workout, I have decided to work in steps here.. I am still getting used to daily workouts in a gym, and right now my current routine is a challenge (have I mentioned I'm extraordinarily weak?). I have however accepted the reality that is squats. There's no way around them. They're in my face. So I'm doing them. I'm incorporating those in place of leg presses as my first step towards the grown-up world of the freeweight section. I like the program outlined in this book and I'm committing to it, all of it, the whole 6 months. It sounds as if a lot of the things recommended below by you all are included in these workouts. They are all going to be a serious challenge for me.

I'm getting a pack of 3 one-hour training sessions, in January (kinda making it my one year reward, January 3rd). At that time I'm going to work with someone at the gym to really establish good form with some of these things, so I can start. Until then I'm going to do what I can to get a head start by adding things like squats and push-ups (or some variation of them that I can actually do) to what I'm already doing.

I read on these boards and specifically this section a lot, and I've learned so much from you all, thank you for taking the time to work with me here... I'm committed to finding what works and I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your experience and knowledge, it makes getting healthy so much better for me and I know lots and lots of others.

[amphigory]

Originally Posted by rls1321

Thanks very much everyone. It sounds like what I really need to do is bite the bullet and pay a trainer because I don't have a lot of confidence in my ability to do most of those things with proper form (hence the reason I cling to weighted machines).

I am also ordering New Rules of Lifting and New Rules of Lifting for Women (combo pack on Amazon) - my husband will benefit from reading this too I think. I've seen those books recommended several times on this site so I guess it's time to finally find out why.

Thanks again to everyone, I really appreciate it.

Well, I hired a trainer, but he was not very helpful. Most trainers are in the business of providing mediocre workouts for people who aren't willing to push themselves very hard. The problem is that such programs produce mediocre results (at least based on what I've read.) I see the trainers at my gym all the time having people do endless reps with very light weights, which is all but useless... but they keep on doing it because that way women who don't want to "bulk up" (they can't anyway) can feel like they're weight training since that's the new hot thing.

What I found most helpful was a program called "Stronglifts 5x5"--google it, because TOS doesn't allow me to link. It's clear, straightforward, and the site is absolutely loaded with information on how to do this safely.

[Jenn_in_NJ]

When I did the NROL for women I did 11x my body weight for calories, 1.5 x bw for protein and filled in the rest. On workout days I had my post workout shake (with rice cakes for carbs) which didn't count for my calories but zig-zagged me calorie wise. I worked out 3x a week. As I lost weight (I lost 16lbs) I recalculated my calories. I also had a cheat meal on the weekend, that's not in their plan at all.

The 11xBW comes from Lyle MacDonald. It was actually pretty close to the calculation in the book but I took the easy way out.

I definitely eat breakfast. I eat at least 5x a day. Always have a PWO shake. Except for weekends I pretty much eat the same thing everyday.

You seem to get a good amount of protein already, that's good. In NROL for men he goes into a little more depth about protein than in NROLW.

Remember, he says don't cut calories from the get go so you have a base to work with. The workouts look easy but they aren't. You will need all the energy you can muster if you are going to tackle them.

On the trainer aspect, you really need someone to make sure your form is good. You and DH can assist each other there. A great guy for form is Mark Rippetoe. You can check out his videos on YouTube to make sure you are doing the big lifts the right way. The Crossfit videos are good, too.

[inatic]

great advice in here.

most of the trainers at my gym sadly should NOT be trainers. The worth his wt in gold became the Redsox catcher's personal trainer!

I wish my coach lived here (he's in canada) or someone like Chris here.

New rules for lifting is an awesome book. Most of us prefer the men version vs the womens.

Definitely dont cut cals too low and eat breakfast!

[amphigory]

In terms of books, I've heard great things about "Starting Strength", by Mark Rippetoe. Haven't read it (yet) however.

[inatic]

It's a great book but not so sure i'd recommend it to a newbie. There are tons of his video lessons on youtube to watch