new to the gym
 

I joined a gym on Tuesday...And this is what I've done so far.
Tuesday: Cardio 25 min, all the leg machines 3 reps of 10, and cardio 10 min
Wednesday: Cardio 25 min, all the arm machines 3reps of 10, cardio for 20 min, arm machines 3 reps of 10, walk for 15 min, and a hour of zumba.
Today: about 30 min cardio, and a piYo class.

i need some sort of workout routine i could follow.. any suggestions?

I'm not an expert but what about free weights? Cardio and the machines are great and all but lifting weights would round out your routine, I would imagine.

yea i would like to.. but honestly i know not the first thing about starting that. i have one free personal trainer session.. and that might be useful..

I highly recommend the book New Rules of Lifting for Women. I really love it and it'll give you advice (with pictures!) and give you an exact routine to do.

I second the New Rules of Lifting 4W advice. It tells you exactly what to do in the free weights section of the gym for 6 months and its a great, really challenging series of workouts. You'll get WAY more out of that program than you will from using all the machines at the gym.

tiffanylee: I got most of my 'so-called knowledge' about lifting from websites. You could goggle around and some sites offer explanations with pictures so you could print them out. I did that for my kettlebell circuit and it helped me get started. Just a thought.

thanks so much for the advice!

Tiffany -- I am no expert,but I also recommend using free weights as opposed to machines regardless of which program (if any) you choose. It makes sense when you think about it..what do you think will get better results..sitting in a chair raising and lowering your legs, or squatting down with weights and engaging your whole body & core. Go free weights! That section of the gym isn't all that scary once you get used to it. Get in there!

I 100% agree on the free weights- you'll see results much faster. You use your muscles differently with free weights. Ask your trainer to show you the following with free weights:

Pop Flys
Chest Press
Proper Lungs while holding weights
Proper Squats
Shoulder Raise
Tricep Dips
Lateral Shoulder Raises
Deadlifts
Bicep Curls

Then you can decide what you like :)

I like free weights too!

Bodyweight exercises can be really challenging. You can do them anywhere, so I might suggest doing them at home and doing freeweights when you are actually at the gym. For cardio, I really like the rowing machine. It's a good cardio workout but my whole body is engaged and getting toned too.