[zinkemomx2]

Hi all!

My goal is to lose body fat first. I don't care about the number on the scale to much. I just want smaller clothes.

I recently joined the gym. I will be able to go three days a week, M-W-F, for up to 2.5 hours. I would like to do a full body workout followed by cardio. I would love to hire a trainer but will have to wait until I have more funds. Right now the gym membership and day care are sucking the bank book dry. The owner has been great so far showing me a few things to get started. I come to you guys begging for guidance.

These are the exercises I am comfortable enough to do on my own. (I know I really messed up some of these names ) Hoping to squeeze all the strength training in 60-75 minutes. Cardio will be C25K on the treadmill for about 30 minutes and then another 30 minutes split between stairmaster, bike and elliptical. Does this sound doable and realistic?

Bench Press w/DB or BB OR DB Flies

Tricep Dips OR Extensions OR Close Grip Pushdowns w/cables

Side Raises OR Bent Over Raises

Pulldowns w/Wide or Reverse Grip OR 1 Arm DB Rows

Bicep Curls w/ cables OR Seated Curls OR Hammers

Straight Leg Deadlifts OR Prone Leg Curls

Leg Extensions OR Leg Press OR Squats Hack/DB/BB

Any thoughts, advice, and criticism is welcome. Thanks a bunch.

[Depalma]

Starting out, I really think you need to get some unilateral work and core stability work for functional strength, coordination, and stabilization. None are on your list but they are important. And stay away from the isolation, no stabilization needed machines, especially the leg extension. A little isolation work is fine, but not on a contraption.

Without any listed imbalances/weaknesses/medical concerns, my best suggestion would be to rotate between 4 workouts, so you would do 1 on Monday, 2 on Wednesday, 3 on Friday and 4 the following Monday and then start over on Wednesday.

1
1. Rack Pull from the Knees (simply a deadlift from the pins of a power rack) 4 sets of 8
2. Alternating DB Press - 3 sets of 10
3. Static Lunge - 3 sets of 10
4. Seated Cable Row - 3 sets of 10
5. Plank (30s)

2
1. Back Squat- 4 sets of 8
2. Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets of 10
3. DB Step Up - 3 sets of 10
4. DB Side Raises - 3 sets of 12-15
5. Side Plank (30s)

3
1. Close Grip BB Bench Press- 4 sets of 8
2. Romanian Deadlift (Push the hips back and just lower until you feel a good stretch in the hamstrings. Don't let the back round under any circumstances) 3 sets of 10
3. 1-arm DB Row - 3 sets of 10
4. Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl - 3 sets of 10. (These will work almost every stabilizing muscle in your body. Much more effective exercise than a machine leg curl)
5. Plank (30s)

4
1. Assisted Chinups (4x8). If you do not have an assisted chinup machine, then do lat pulldowns with a supinated grip.
2. Goblet Squat (3x10). Hold the dumbell out in front of your chest like a goblet. Keeping the weight in front of the body will help develop good form and force you to keep that chest up.
3. Hammer Curl (3x10). Done standing
4. One Leg Contralateral Balance and Reach. Simply stand on one leg and reach out in front of you and push the opposite leg back. (3x10) If you find these too easy you can hold a dumbell in the hand you are reaching with. If they are still easy, then we'll move on to single leg deadlifts.
5. Side Plank (30s)

Take as much rest as you need to at first. Preferably use these periods as active rest, so do some of your favorite stretches or some corrective/prehab type movements like scapular wall slides, bird dogs, etc. between sets of the main movement.

Find some good dynamic mobility drills and do them as your warmup. One set of 8-10 drills targeting scapular mobility, t-spine mobility, hip mobility, glute activation, and ankle mobility.

[zinkemomx2]

Okay. So who wants to front me money for a trainer????

I am so lost now. I KNOW you know what you are talking about but that is half greek to me. Off to youtube......

Originally Posted by Depalma

Starting out, I really think you need to get some unilateral work and core stability work for functional strength, coordination, and stabilization. None are on your list but they are important. And stay away from the isolation, no stabilization needed machines, especially the leg extension. A little isolation work is fine, but not on a contraption.

Without any listed imbalances/weaknesses/medical concerns, my best suggestion would be to rotate between 4 workouts, so you would do 1 on Monday, 2 on Wednesday, 3 on Friday and 4 the following Monday and then start over on Wednesday.

1
1. Rack Pull from the Knees (simply a deadlift from the pins of a power rack) 4 sets of 8
2. Alternating DB Press - 3 sets of 10
3. Static Lunge - 3 sets of 10
4. Seated Cable Row - 3 sets of 10
5. Plank (30s)

2
1. Back Squat- 4 sets of 8
2. Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets of 10
3. DB Step Up - 3 sets of 10
4. DB Side Raises - 3 sets of 12-15
5. Side Plank (30s)

3
1. Close Grip BB Bench Press- 4 sets of 8
2. Romanian Deadlift (Push the hips back and just lower until you feel a good stretch in the hamstrings. Don't let the back round under any circumstances) 3 sets of 10
3. 1-arm DB Row - 3 sets of 10
4. Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl - 3 sets of 10. (These will work almost every stabilizing muscle in your body. Much more effective exercise than a machine leg curl)
5. Plank (30s)

4
1. Assisted Chinups (4x8). If you do not have an assisted chinup machine, then do lat pulldowns with a supinated grip.
2. Goblet Squat (3x10). Hold the dumbell out in front of your chest like a goblet. Keeping the weight in front of the body will help develop good form and force you to keep that chest up.
3. Hammer Curl (3x10). Done standing
4. One Leg Contralateral Balance and Reach. Simply stand on one leg and reach out in front of you and push the opposite leg back. (3x10) If you find these too easy you can hold a dumbell in the hand you are reaching with. If they are still easy, then we'll move on to single leg deadlifts.
5. Side Plank (30s)

Take as much rest as you need to at first. Preferably use these periods as active rest, so do some of your favorite stretches or some corrective/prehab type movements like scapular wall slides, bird dogs, etc. between sets of the main movement.

Find some good dynamic mobility drills and do them as your warmup. One set of 8-10 drills targeting scapular mobility, t-spine mobility, hip mobility, glute activation, and ankle mobility.

[Depalma]

Most of it is built around your list with some modifications. I'm not at my home PC or I'd shoot you some links to some good instructional videos and/or articles on the listed exercises. Perhaps later on.

For now:
1. Start with what you know
2. Remove all machines that require you to be in a fixed range of motion and do not require stabilization.
3. Do exercises standing.
4. Do some single leg exercises.

or get a good book such as New Rules for Women, NROL, Core Performance. Something that will show you the different exercises and give you a balanced routine that will take stabilization into account.

Just do something is not always better than doing nothing. Overloading certain movement patterns and neglecting stabilization and working on machines that don't force you to use your stabilizing muscles is a recipe for injury.

[jamsk8r]

Zinke, the book New Rules of Lifting (NROL) would explain most of those exercises with pictures, and it contains a year's worth of FB workouts already laid out for you. I found it at my local library, or amazon carries it.

The women's version of that book (New Rules of Lifting for Women, also by the same author: Lou Schuler) is a great book, too, with six months of workouts, but just IMO, the men's book was a little more informative about weight lifting in general. The women's book does cover some topics that are related to being female, so it's got that over the other book. Both are a great read and beginner's intro to weight lifting. (I'm a beginner, too)

You can get just enough knowledge to be dangerous, and come on here and pick Depalma's brain some more...I'm pretty sure it's a bottomless well of knowledge, but I'm testing the theory for myself.

[zinkemomx2]

Thank you! You've given me lots to think about and a few questions for the owner. My local library on the other hand sucks lemons. I searched and searched their online catalog and the only thing I found was the worlds strongest man circa 1420 or something and some book about golf. I'll have to go do an in person visit tomorrow.

I did pick up the Body for Life book. I think I was expecting more out of it. It seemed to focus quite a bit on the machines and I was not expecting that.

I'm gonna go think on this some more.

[jamsk8r]

Zinks, you can have my NROL4W if you want. I'm doing my own program now, and have read it enough to have gotten what I needed out of it. Just shoot me a PM with a mailing addy, or I can PM you my email address if you prefer to communicate that way.

If you're not comfortable with any of that, because I do realize it's scary in the net world, I understand that, too, but the book is yours if you want it. I usually recycle books and mags to friends/sisters/whoever when I'm done with them, but don't know anyone "in person" who can use this book, which is why I still have it.

[zinkemomx2]

Originally Posted by jamsk8r

Zinks, you can have my NROL4W if you want. I'm doing my own program now, and have read it enough to have gotten what I needed out of it. Just shoot me a PM with a mailing addy, or I can PM you my email address if you prefer to communicate that way.

If you're not comfortable with any of that, because I do realize it's scary in the net world, I understand that, too, but the book is yours if you want it. I usually recycle books and mags to friends/sisters/whoever when I'm done with them, but don't know anyone "in person" who can use this book, which is why I still have it.

Really? Really? Yes! I'll take it! Sending PM now.