I recently joined a gym, which I was very much looking forward and I'm enjoying the change in my routine. As part of the package I get monthly evaluations from the trainers at the gym. I went in for my first one last week and was pleasantly surprised that my target weight according to the body fat evaluation is a bit higher than I'd set it.
I'm a bit puzzled by my trainer's advice for my routine though... I specified that I do want to work with weights as well as cardio but she said I needed to wait on that. Then she proceeded to give me routine without watching me perform at all or getting anything other than my measurements, weight and body fat percentage... Her routine consists of:
45 minutes on the treadmill with 10 minutes on an incline of 10 and 10 at an incline of 5 with 5 minutes to cool down/warm up. She wants me to walk as fast as I can (reasonable) on these settings.
THEN
30 minutes on the stationary bicycle at the highest resistance I can stand.
THEN
30 minutes on the elliptical, again, highest resistance I can do.
She wants me to follow this routine for 2 weeks before adding weights and then continue the routine with weights for a month.
Am I just being lazy or is that a bit much???
She said she wants me to see results, which is fantastic but I also want to be able to keep walking and avoid injuring myself by overworking. My common sense tells me that might be too much but after all she's the trainer...
The irony is that in every other area of my life I am a very assertive woman but it's soooooo hard to try and be self assertive with a tightbodied trainer telling me what to do.
Anyone have any feedback??? I'd appreciate ANY and ALL comments because I don't really feel like I know what I'm doing right now!
Thanks!!!
I'm not an expert and I'm no longer a gym member, but about 1-1/2 years ago I joined one and our trainer told us to do about 20-30 minutes of cardio (that is at the target heart rate, it doesn't include warm up and cool down). I asked about doing more and he said that anything over about 40 or 45 minutes is a waste, it doesn't do any more for your body. Now, he may only have been talking about strengthening your heart, because surely you'll burn more calories the longer you do it. But what you described sounds rather obsessive. Who has the time to spend on almost 2 hours of cardio alone? When you add weights, you're going to have to quit your job to fit in all that time in the gym!
But what you described sounds rather obsessive. Who has the time to spend on almost 2 hours of cardio alone? When you add weights, you're going to have to quit your job to fit in all that time in the gym!
Cindy
LOL That's exactly how I'm feeling! I'm going to lose weight because I won't have any time/energy to eat with my schedule!!!
ah...that sounds a bit "off" to me. I mean, it's great if you're training for the Boston Marathon, I guess . I've been seeing the same personal trainer for 3 years now, and she's always advocated 30 - 45 minutes of cardio three times a week and 30 - 60 minutes of weight training 3 times a week. That's what I do. Maybe if I did what your trainer is suggesting I'd be 110 lbs (or lower ) by now, but this is a LIFESTYLE change for me -- I'm in it for the long haul. And my "long haul" ain't gonna include 1 hour and 45 minutes of consecutive cardio unless I decide to hike across the Sahara Desert. Which, by the way, ain't gonna happen either.
This sounds like an awful lot to start off with. Have you been doing some cardio before this? As Rabbit says, maybe 2-3 days a week, but not many of us have the time and focus to do that much cardio every day. I think that she probably doesn't want to add in the weights until you're in a routine with the cardio. I find that if I add too many new things at once I end up not doing any of them, but if I start small and then add things on I do much better. I think you should talk to her - you're paying the bill!
Im certainly not an expert, but like the others I agree that its quite excessive.
Some folks break up their cardio in a day...especially when they are trying to lean down. They will 30-45 min in the morning, and another 30 min in the evening. Another thought, ask for another trainer, or a second opinion. Your paying her....you know what you want, she should be working with you, to reach your goals. I dont see any reason why you cant start weight training right away....muscle burns fat.
Anyway, just my 2cents...let us know what you decide.
I doubt that you are doing this 1h45 of cardio every day, I may be wrong and it's only for 2 weeks. I am thinking that she just wants to get your metabolism revved up to start so that you can see quick results as she has told you. I am sure that once you start doing some weight training the cardio time will shorten but she may ask you to intensify the cardio part eventhough it will be of a shorter time duration. Try it but do talk to her anyways, ask her the questions you have asked us...
Well, she didn't ask my fitness level either but I've been doing 30-45 minutes for a few months... and I am supposed to be doing this 4-5 days per week. And I'm to keep it up even when I add weights. That much I did ask.
I'm not exactly paying for her directly because it's just the assessments included in the gym membership and so I get to meet with her monthly.
I did ask specifically about the weights several times but she just basically said it was against their policy (??????).
I guess I just wanted to know if other people thought it was excessive. Or if it was just me. The thing is I'm not in a rush. I am okay with slow and steady progress.
Today I watched a different trainer do a weights routine for one woman and I hate to say I was rather surprised and dissapointed. When I've had evals before (years ago) the trainer would have me try the machines, see how much weight I could handle, teach me to set the machines up for my height etc. but this woman was just giving the client a stock routine, getting on the machine and demonstrating (without giving the client a chance to try herself or to try different weights)... no mention of the free weights whatsoever.
As for asking the trainer I saw, truth is I'm intimidated! It's so silly but I feel like I have no business contesting what she tells me. I mean, really, which one of us is thin and fit after all!?
Oh Bella....dont go there!! You know in your heart that you can question her, because you sound like you've done your homework, and you know what you want. Im still 80lbs overweight, and Ive read and read and read....I know what I want, I just have to implement it. So dont question yourself and your wants. Your doing great!! Keep up your hard work, you'll get to where you want to be!
Thanks for the encouragement Robin... where do you live? Wanna come help me brave the trainer?? LOL The beaches are nice.
I know you are right and as I said, I'm usually very self assertive but once I get into the spandex zone I start shufflin' my feet!!! She doesn't really welcome questions either but I know it's my issue and not hers. And it's also my health and my fitness so I need to decide for myself but if I don't do her routine I feel like I'm being "bad." Okay, so I have some issues LOL!!!
Personally I would change gyms! It sounds a MONSTROUS amount of work to do! The fact that they don't do weights "as their policy". What's that about??
But you have PAID for their services, you should be getting what you want from them! I find that a lot of gym staff don't know half of what we gals on this forum know! Plus don't most gyms have a limit on the amount of time you can "hog" the cardio machines? I've usually seen notices that say get off after 10 mins and let other ppl use them!
Policy, my butt!! Talk to the trainer if she doesn't give you straight answers, talk to the gym owner, if h/she doesn't change your trainer... get your $$ back and find a new gym... If they say they can't give you your $$ back, be a ''bee with an itch'' and fight for it....
Im in Buffalo Bella, and the beaches sound nice Your doing this for you, not mizz spandex or the other spandex clad ppl in there.
Since she was free with your membership, and if you still want to go there, why not stop into the library or book store and pick up a weightlifting book and formulate your own program. Body for Life has been great for me, the exercise are simple and effective. There are alot more out there you can check into.
But if your not happy with the gym...get your money back, or put stop payments on them...do what you have to, to get out of it. From everything Ive read and heard, when someone goes into a gym with full intention of bettering themselves, many of the gym goers are very helpful...moreso than some of the staff.
Anyway, Im rambling....let us know how everything works out.
1 hour 45 minutes of Cardio??
) by now, but this is a LIFESTYLE change for me -- I'm in it for the long haul. And my "long haul" ain't gonna include 1 hour and 45 minutes of consecutive cardio unless I decide to hike across the Sahara Desert. Which, by the way, ain't gonna happen either. 
and fight for it....