Hey! I'm new on this site and one of my motivating factors for joining was how much knowledge you have regarding fitness. I'm 20lbs into my weight loss and looking to improve my fitness routine. Being back at school means I have access to our admittedly awesome on campus gym, and I'm hoping you guys can give me some pointers.

I currently start 30 min of cardio, usually the stepper or elliptical, during which I alternate resistance/incline. I really want to get back into rowing (I was a rower in high school) but I tore my distal bicep tendon and my 2k time is horrifying. So my first question is what is my best option in terms of cardio to improve overall fitness?

This brings me to part 2 of my fitness conundrum. I do strength training, but I use the machines. I would really like to get away from the weight machines and move towards bodyweight and free weight exercises, but 3/4 of the people in the gym are male, varsity athletes who squat more than I weigh and have a foot on me and I feel out of place. On top of that, I'm not sure where to start in terms on exercises to get a full body workout. I can't do a push-up, but that's a goal! So, with all that said what would you suggest in terms of moves to target the whole body, and when I master those moves how do I make them more difficult?

If you made it through that probably overly complex explanation I applaud you and would LOVE to hear what you have to say!

Welcome omarosa Well done on the 20lbs so far!

It's great that you have a gym on campus that you can use. I know what you mean about the male dominated weights area but I soon realised that the tension seems to be between the guys Once I realised how silly they looked huffing and puffing to show how manly they are, i was able to relax doing my own stuff with my little 6kg weights. Most people at the gym are usually worried about what people think of them and don't have time to worry about others.

My trainer told me there is nothing wrong with machine weights and they are actually safer if you are starting out. I'd recommend getting a trainer (if possible) to make sure that you are doing the exercises correctly.

There is a lot of ways to go about your weight training so I would look online for guidelines (just google free weights full body). Some people prefer to do a full body workout or work on different muscle groups on different days. The main principle is that you do a few sets of about 8-12 repetitions and when that becomes easy, you increase the weight.

In terms of cardio- just do something that is fun and you enjoy. That way you are more likely to come back to it. I get so bored in the gym so I tend to go for dance classes or swimming.