Gym newbie - help me be as efficient as I can

[5678]

Joined a gym about 3 weeks ago. Local place that uses Technogym stuff. It's convinient and I'm trying to be realistic. This is about a lifestyle change not a fad.

So, went along and had the induction, asked the guy for a general programme that would work on a bit of everything that I would then review after a few weeks.
He started me off with
- 10mins bike
- 10 mins cross trainer
- 3 x 15 seated press
- 3 x 15 seated low row
- 3 x 15 overhead press
- 3 x 15 fly
- 3 x 15 leg press
- 2 x 15 crunches
- 2 x 24 russian twists
- 2 x 30s plank

All sets were at the same weight. I'm not precious, the weights were low and as I said, I want this to be achievable so kept it realistic. After a few trips I upped the weights were I could, but the full 3 x 15 were difficult.
I read up a little on high vs low reps, but it's a bit confusing. A colleague suggested aiming for the 10-12 rep range, but upping the weight on sets 2 and 3. I want to get fitter and ideally build some muscle around my shoulders/core/back, I'd appreciate thoughts and suggestions from people who know more about this than me!

[ambuletz]

5678 said:

I read up a little on high vs low reps, but it's a bit confusing.

You can do anywhere from 5-15 reps, whichever you feel like. The key thing is progressive overload.

in order to gain muscle/strength you should any of the following

- increase the weight
- increase the reps
- increase the sets
- decrease the rest periods
- increase intensity.


There are zillions of routines out there. Personally I'm not a fan of 6-7 different types of exericses a day, split over 4-5 days a week. I prefer full body routines 2-3x a week doing the Stronglifts, Starting Strength or Mad Cow routines. Click 'next' to find the topic on '5x5'.

[5678]

ambuletz said:

You can do anywhere from 5-15 reps, whichever you feel like. The key thing is progressive overload.

in order to gain muscle/strength you should any of the following

- increase the weight
- increase the reps
- increase the sets
- decrease the rest periods
- increase intensity.


There are zillions of routines out there. Personally I'm not a fan of 6-7 different types of exericses a day, split over 4-5 days a week. I prefer full body routines 2-3x a week doing the Stronglifts, Starting Strength or Mad Cow routines. Click 'next' to find the topic on '5x5'.

Thanks, increasing the weight seems to be the right idea then.

In terms of the routine. I'm doing all of that 3-4 times a week, not spread out over the week. I'll read the 5x5 thread, but suggestions on getting the best return from efforts is desirable. If making changes to the approach will make differences then I'm happy with that.

[Chris77]

I'm not knowlegeable enough to advise on the routines or sets etc. But I have downloaded a couple of Apps to my mobile which have helped both with efficiency and motivation.

I did the 5x5 routine with the strongman 5x5 app and now using the Jefit app, they both give you a beep when your rest time is up and logging your progress is straight forward, Its so much easier than the old policeman's note book I used to use

[hyphen]

5678 said:

I want to get fitter and ideally build some muscle around my shoulders/core/back,

I would add pullups/chinups with a view to moving on to weighted versions of both. You could get a bar for home to use when you can't get to gym.

Also go for a run in the park once a week.

[Foliage]

Looks fine to me, id add 1-2 cardio days a week and add yoga/stretching to the end of everything but that's me.

Don't over think it, you just need to lift heavy things, the main thing is to do it and stay motivated, enjoy it and form it into a habit/part of your life style.

[chrisb92]

Personally, I found the best results came from choosing a specific muscle group to focus on each time:

Chest/Tri
Back/Bi
Shoulders/Arms
Legs

Would hit each one for an hour or so and only one of those per session. I always started with a big compound move with lowish reps (6-8) and then did more isolation moves with slightly higher reps (8-12). Everyone is different though, so trial different options until you find the best that suits your body and gives you the best pump

Also make sure your form is spot on. Slow reps and do the full range of motion.

But above all else... you'll get absolutely no where if you don't eat enough good food.

[deckster]

Foliage said:

the main thing is to do it and stay motivated, enjoy it and form it into a habit/part of your life style.

Nothing more to say than this, really. You can nitpick over reps, combinations, amount of time, compound vs isolation etc. etc. - but the key thing is that you find something that you enjoy and that fits into your life. There's no point in planning 6 three-hour sessions a week when you only have 30 minutes on alternate Tuesdays.

You can achieve 90% of what you want just by turning up; the other 10% is detail. If you don't turn up because you don't have time, or you're bored, or it hurts, or the day has a Y in it, then you've already lost.

[popeyewhite]

5678 said:

I want to get fitter and ideally build some muscle around my shoulders/core/back,

Cardio for fitness. For muscle hypertrophy (growth) the recommended repetition range is 6-12 in 3-4 sets. 12-20 is endurance. Below 8 reps is strength/power.