I watch probably 1 full episode of t.v per day so I was thinking I might as well burn some calories while watching so I came up with just a flow of exercises to do.
First I start jogging around my sectional for 3 minutes
Sit on my stability ball and bounce up and down feet kept on the floor using leg muscles for 3 minutes.
Grab my 3lb weight and do some lifting with that for a few reps.
then start doing a few reps of lunges
then do some sit ups.
I don't stop, one exercise flows right into the other, do you think this would work well for burning fat, you can be honest, I don't want to waste my time doing it if it isn't going to be very effective.
Thanks!!!
I think it's great you want to do stuff during TV watching (I should, too!). I would toss out your 3lb weights and lift something heavier. I'm using 15 pounders right now for just lifting at home, and I think it does way more for your muscles to do things with heavier weight. Just my two cents, though
Doing something besides sit on the couch is burning some calories--so no matter what you do to be active during that time, you'll be burning something!
should I really be using more weight? I'm kinda new at all this. I just assumed since I want the longer leaner look I should do light weight and lots of reps.
should I really be using more weight? I'm kinda new at all this. I just assumed since I want the longer leaner look I should do light weight and lots of reps.
Nah. I also want longer and leaner, and have become leaner (if not longer) by lifting heavier weights. Women don't bulk up by accident!
I think the plan is a good one, but I also recommend upping the weights. Maybe 10lb rather than 3 or 15. 10lb will be enough to challenge your chest, biceps and triceps, and also to liven up your lunges once you move beyond bodyweight.
If you would otherwise just be sitting on your couch while watching t.v., then yes, you might as well engage in the workout you've described. However, I would not adopt this type of low-intensity workout for the purposes of dropping pounds; I assume you undertake some sort of higher-intensity exercise daily, and this little routine would just be an added 30 or 60 minutes of movement.
Regarding your comment that because you want the "longer, leaner look" you should lift light weights and do lots of reps: this is a common misunderstanding. Check out the stickies in the exercise forum such as "Top Ten Exercise Myths" and "The Benefits of Weight Training" to get a better feel for building up the amount of weight you lift. I lift with 20 or 25-pound weights and I am the leanest I've ever been!
yes, it is just extra.
I also do ta-bo, however I don't exercise as much as I know I should.
I don't drive so the gym is out of the question, I don't like trying to jog with a stroller and I'm not comfortable with my weight for jogging in public anyways so exercise in my house is what I do an after a while those fitness tapes start to get pretty boring.
Hopefully soon I can save up a little for an eliptical machine, treadmill, something.
i would be careful with too heavy of weights. Start off low then move up...otherwise you could hurt yourself. If you want start off with the 3lbs and do a lot of reps to "burn out". Up it only if you can handle...i hurt my rotator cuff using too heavy of weights. Know your limits. If 3lbs is too light...then move up. But if you are tired after 12 lifts with 3 lbs...stay with the 3lbs until you are stronger. Do not try to do too much too fast or you will hurt yourself. But as for the routine...anything is better than just sitting around...so i say go for it. But as for longer leaner...there's various theries and may opininon...i was always taught to be leaner it was better to do lighter weights, longer reps and more sets..but that was what i was taught and everyone has their own opinion on that matter. I'm not an exercise trainer. good luck
She has a baby! Surely she can lift more than 3lb!
Actually Shy, I think it's more important that you vary up the stuff you do with your dumbbells, whatever the weight. Don't just do bicep curls and tricep extensions. Try, for instance, military presses. Those work all the arm and shoulder muscles and they are hard! Also, because they're so hard, you can probably start out with lighter weights.
Re many light reps vs fewer heavy reps: I've been lifting only for a short time, about 4 months, but I'm serious about it and do it 4 times a week with a program of exercises and a system for increasing my weights. I have only gotten smaller and leaner and much much stronger. I'm not the slightest bit bigger. I've just replaced bulky fat with compact muscle. Lifting heavier weights is much more efficient and as long as you're not taking steroids, you're highly unlikely to wake up one morning and find yourself looking like a female body builder.
baffled111, the point isn't whether she can lift 3 pounds. It's the reps. I, too, have suffered tendon injuries by starting with too heavy a weight. The muscles can handle it--it's the tendons that can suffer.
ShyShy, you could get 5 pound weights if it's too easy with 3 pounds. You'll be able to stay with 5 pounds for awhile. What you want to do is a dozen repetitions of each lift, that is, a biceps curl, a press, etc. If you don't know what these terms mean, then you can easily get the information from the store where you get your weights.
Work up to the point where you do one set of 12 reps, rest for 30 seconds, then do another set of 12. It should be an effort to get through all 12, especially if you're on your second set. That means you will have to work! You can even try for three sets for each lift.
When this gets easy, increase the weight (say, up to 8 pounds) and start over with one set.
If you go for a couple of weeks without lifting, go back to a lower weight to start. It won't take you so long to build back up, but it's safer to restart lower.
How eefective do you think this is?
