How Do You Like To Mix Exercise Up For Weight Loss?

  • There are a lot of conflicting and/or inconsistent ideas out there about exercise for weight loss. I don't really care about the theories, though. How do you mix it up in your own life? What's working for you?
    My routine (so far):
    • Jog-walking intervals (2.25 miles x 5/week)
    • Arm dumbbell exercises (10m x 3/week)
    • Leg bodyweight & dumbbell exercises (10m x 3/week)
    I'm planning on graduating to kettlebell workouts instead of dumbbell exercises in maybe a couple of weeks.
  • My routine at the moment is a 2 mile walk and between 20 - 40 minute weight sessions. My aim is to exercise 6 of out 7 days. I like to give myself one day off a week as a rest. I usually plan which day, based on my plans for the week. It is usually a weekend day also.

    I have a plan for each month. I will increase my routine as the months go on. Starting in August my walk will be 3.2 miles, September it will be 4.1 miles and so on. I would love to introduce step aerobics also. I think it would be an exercise you could do while watching something on the television. It would also be handy to do this for days I don't get to go out walking due to it being miserable out which is common where I live all year round.

    It is working for me, so far. I think since I introduced the weights at the start of the month, it's working better for me.
  • That sounds like a good plan, Dreamer2012. The last time that I worked really hard to get in shape, I did cardio with running and weights. It worked! That time, I lost about 25lbs and kept it off. I kept it off until I got too stressed out with finishing my degree, and gained 50lbs. SIGH.
    They say that regular walking does just as much for you as running. Keep it up!
  • My exercise routines are playing lawn tennis 5x/week, 2-3 miles jogging 2x/week. I don't do weights instead I go to MMA gym to punch and kick.
  • Lately I have been getting up at 5am biking for 30 mins... 3x/week I do a power weight class... I run or walk 3/week... My routine varies with the weather/seasons but I always do something daily...
  • I work out about 4 to 6 times a week, based on how sore and how tired I am.
    My workouts are pretty intense. I have been doing a circuit training program about three times a week. In between the circuit days I do abs and cardio. Sometimes I do light cardio on circuit days. On the abs days, I do high intensity interval training on a variety of machines. I use the treadmill, the stairstepper, the bike and the elliptical, although not as much because it makes my feet go numb.
    Circuit consists of 3 sets of:
    Squats
    preacher curls with an ez bar
    bent over rows
    lunges or bench step ups
    chest presses or bench
    upright rows
    skullcrushers
    deadlifts
    cross-bench pullovers or lat pulldowns
    some standing cross over arm thing I can't remember the name of.....

    My routine changed a bit out of boredom. I was doing a split routine with different parts on different days with cardio in between. I also have to be careful with shoulder moves because I have an injury, so this is a bit modified. Otherwise, there would have been more shoulder overhead stuff.
    I think the exercise has helped me realize how hard it is to "work off" food. Very vigorous activity might only earn you a few hundred calories, and while nobody can know for sure how many you burned, it's just easier not to eat a bunch of crap. Especially when you start to see little muscles poking out! I would also like to add swimming, but my gym doesn't have a pool or offer classes, or I would likely do those, too.
  • I changed my routine about 3 months ago. I had quit smoking two weeks prior & I really wanted to increase my workouts so I wouldn't be as tempted to smoke/wouldn't gain weight.

    I added running - I starting with jogging/walking app. 3 miles 3x/wk - now I'm running 4 - 8 miles 3x/week prepping for a half marathon.

    A month ago I added heavy weight training 2x/week [mostly using my own body weight or 15+ dumb bells/kettlebells] and the results have been awesome. I'm down another dress size and seeing great tone in my arms/legs [hoping my stomach follows lol]. In between I also do a one hour of heavy bag kick boxing class 1x/week. So total I'm working about hard running - lifting - boxing 1 hour/6days/wk.

    I have to say I started weight training a month ago - and saw my nutritionist that day and yesterday & in the past month I lost two lbs of FAT, not weight, FAT, which I'm thrilled with so definitely going to keep up the weight training. It includes squats, lunges, & pushups on a bosu ball, lots of planks for abs, pushups, dips, walk outs, bicycle crunches, scissor crunches, & dead lifts.