Try it ALL! When I started at a gym I made it a goal to try every class they offered and every machine they had at least once in the first month. That way nothing intimidated me, and I could see what I liked and what worked for me. I AM SO GLAD I did this! I ended up liking some classes I NEVER would have guessed I'd like, and feeling much more comfortable on some machines I never would have used! Plus, I feel like I can drop in on a class any time (and I do!). So try it all and make yourself comfortable with everything. You are paying for it... it is there FOR YOU... use it and don't be intimidated!
I got a lot of pointers from the book "Winning by Losing" by Jillian Michaels. There are also a lot of sites online that are quite helpful. Check out this sticky (titled Basic Bodybuilding Information - gettin' started)from the Ladies Who Lift forum.
Jaime - 3 days a week I do either kickboxing, step, or spin classes. The other 3 days I do weight training, with about 20 (working up to 30) minutes on the treadmill after. One rest day (I do love that rest day, too!)
In the past I have really seen my rate of loss increase after about 2 weeks of weight training.
I've not been to the gym in awhile, but when I was going, I found that I burned about twice as many calories on the elliptical vs the treadmill. My gym doesn't offer many classes right now, so I can't speak to those.
Not that I go to the gym anymore , but when I joined the YMCA here in Sunny St. Louis, they had a personal trainer program for 12 weeks and it was FREE to all new members. I met with the trainer 3 times a week, and he set me up with a great routine. I had major issues with the "free" daycare, so I don't go there anymore, but I really did love it. Congrats on getting your membership. I see 4 babies in your avatar.......YOU will enjoy this membership more than most
To save myself from being bored by spending 20+minutes on one "machine", sometimes I do a circuit. I'd walk for 5 minutes then jog for 10. Immediately I'd jump on the bike for another 10 and then to the stepper and end off with another light walk. Make sure you don't take more than 1 minute to start your next exercise. It's up to how long...but that keeps me going...that along with an mp3 player with my favorite songs.
Once the cardio is done, I try and do weights at least 3 days a week. Day 1 I'd do chest and biceps. Day 2 shoulders and triceps. Day 3 legs and back. Everyday I'd do my abs as well. Day 4 you can take a break or restart the routine. I usually pick 2 or 3 exercises for body part and to 3 or 4 "sets" of 8-12 "reps". You should rest for no more than 45 seconds between sets.
Every few weeks you should change your exercises for each body part. The reason I break up my routine as I do is because your muscles do most of their growing during the rest period. You need at least 24 hours of rest between working a certain muscle. By doing it this way, you can do weights everyday without exhausting the muscles. For me, the whole workout including cardio takes about an hour as long as I'm not chatting it up.
I joined a gym in November and am loving it. I agree with the comment that if your gym offers personal fitness coaching, take advantage of it - along with signing up to investigate any free workshops or intro classes they might offer.
As for me, I went in assuming that my cardio would consist of treadmill since I knew I enjoyed it. To my huge surprise I also learned that I love the bike (the one where you sit back - not the hunched over one like they use in spin classes) and the rower! I tried the elliptical but my fitness level is not there yet - that's my goal. That is a major workout! So I try to mix it up with the cardio. What I'm learning is that workouts are just like food plans - you need to mix it up to keep it effective.
I follow a three day program. Two days I do 20 minutes of hard cardio with my heart rate target higher and longer - one day 35 minutes of cardio with a lighter heart rate target. Two days I also do core exercises using floor mats and the ball (stomach crunches etc). All three days also have some weight sets as well. My trainer has told me one warm up set of 10 - 12 and then one heavier set of 12 for each of these at this point because I'm only trying to tone, not shape or build muscle. I finish every visit off with good stretching.
And I love it all! I'm almost embarrassed to say that out loud since I avoided exercise for all of my life!
Jason- since you work out a lot, what's your take on doing cardio AFTER the weight workout?
I usually do it before because it takes 20 minutes of cardio to get to that "fat burning" part of your workout...if you jump right into weights, that fat burning continues on while you do weights as long as you don't rest too much between exercises.
As for doing weights first...I'm not really sure about the results. I've done it that way before, but it wasn't until I reversed it that I had major results. I'm sure you'll have great benefits whichever way you decide...just for me personally, I found cardio then weights worked better.
You have to remember as well that because I'm in the military I get to do most of my workouts during work hours so time isn't an issue. I know that most of you probably don't have the time to do both in one "sitting" so to speak.
I agree with SlimLindy - you should try a little bit of everything and experiment to see what works for you. Ultimately, you want to wind up with a routine that you enjoy doing, and that allows you to increase in intensity as your level of fitness increases. Most experts would recommend a combination of cardio and weight lifting. If you feel uncomfortable trying the various machines on your own, there are probably trainers at your gym to give you some initial pointers.
When I fist started to lose weight, I relyed on diet. Then as I got my weight down to 185ish, I was not losing any more. So i hit the gym. First I did alot of cardio: half an hour, 3x week to get use to the eqipment (treadmill, elipitacal, rowing machine and bike).
After two weeks, I started incorperating a circuit training. I found within the two weeks on inital cardio my body was struggling at first, but after a while i need to work out, it was a habbit.
With the circuit training, i found i was not loseing weight, but i wasnt as flabby, i was gaing muscle. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn. AS a result your appetite increases, so it was hard to get through this stage.
I did the circuit for about 2 weeks, and then started a real weight lifting routine (set up by my gym as part of a 12 week challenge). I was lifting heavy weights, and always challengine myself... the pay off was awsome!
I also upped my cardio. I did an hour a day. The trick I did, was i would spend 10 minutes on 6 machines. Some days i would only do 3, or 5 but of course the best was when i did 6. With in 3 weeks I was flying ( i say this cause I hate running.. so it took 3 weeks to fun 10 minutes!). Finally, The weight was coming off, and I was getting tonned.
This was the best recipe for me, best for weight loss and looking tonned. I spent alot of time in the gym, but after a while, you can just increase the intensity, and get the same results, in a shorter period of time.
I got down to a 165lbs/size 8 (from size 16). The best ive ever looked, i even wore a bikini a the beach, first time ever!
I kept it off for 3 years, and within the past 2 years is has come back, not all the way, but I dont work out like i use to, and I have a poor diet.
SO,
I will start all over agin, follow the process of diet and exercise. I know it works!
? For Those Of You Who Excercise @ A Gym
, but when I joined the YMCA here in Sunny St. Louis, they had a personal trainer program for 12 weeks and it was FREE to all new members. I met with the trainer 3 times a week, and he set me up with a great routine. I had major issues with the "free" daycare, so I don't go there anymore, but I really did love it. Congrats on getting your membership. I see 4 babies in your avatar.......YOU will enjoy this membership more than most 
