So now what? you pretty much know how most of the cardio machines operate and if not you can fluff about with a few of the buttons for a while until you get the hang of the stair climber hoping that it isn't obvious to the other gym bunnies around that you are merely still finding your way. The resistance equipment is a totally different kettle of fish as they have often got varying seat adjustments and certain bars and handles need to be aligned with certain areas of the body in order to perform the exercise with correct form.
There is only so much that the lovely Stacey can show in in your free one hour induction then...... You are on your own!! Mwhaaaaa!!
I believe from my clients comments of their past gym experience that they end up feeling confused somewhat slightly intimidated and generally end up sticking to the "safer" pieces of cardio equipment that they feel they are setting up correctly and are getting at least some form of workout from.
The guys love to hog the Weights Area, we know that, and it takes a brave woman sometimes to muscle in between a group of sweaty blokes puffing up their plumage and competing with each other to pull the heaviest bicep curl on the cable machine. Usually I may add to the detriment of their lower backs but ya can't tell em... sigh!
Therefore I can hardly blame you ladies from avoiding the resistance area when and where possible, but by doing so you are missing out on some of the best pieces of kit that will enable you to tone and shape areas of your body like you never believed.
The good news is that many of the bigger gym chains now recognise that woman require their own area to resistance train with weights and have incorporated a more lets say feminine friendly area. The staff that are milling around or sat in the assessment office having a chat, are there to assist and help you in the gym they are on a salary to do just that so make the most of them and make sure they show you correct technique if you are unsure.
If you have never done any restance training and are starting from scratch, I would recommend that you aim for 3 sessions per week, if you put the work in and you push yourself, you can be in and out in 40 minutes. In that time you will have done an aerobic section, a resistance section including abs, lower back and a stretch at the end.
Below is a basic example of a session that I would do with clients and the general level I would work with. Its important to adapt the levels to your ability. Remember if you are keen to achieve effective results your sessions should never be easy. Think of your level of exertion as lets say 1-10, now level 1 would be lying on the sofa watching tv, level 10 would be lying on the floor out of breath unable to recover. As a beginner you need to be aiming for around level 6-7, as a conditioned exerciser you should be aiming for around level 8-9.
MY BASIC 40 MINUTE WORKOUT
15 MINS CV
5 min row for 1000 metres /
5 min cycle Level 7 (try a bike prog it relieves boredom)
5 treadmill run Level 10-12 (try interval training)
25 MINS Resistance Training
Chest Presses 2 sets of 15 repetitions
Lateral Pulldowns 2 sets of 15 repetitions
Leg Presses 2 sets of 25 repetitions
Shoulder Raises 2 sets of 15 repetitons
Tricep Dips (bench) 2 sets of 15 repetitions
Hamstring Curls (either or lying machine) 2 sets of 25 repetitions
Abdominals/lower back
Abdominal Crunches 1 set of 40 repetitions
Sky divers (lower back) 1 set of 20 repetitions
Reverse Abdominal Crunches 1 set of 40 repetitions
Air Cycles (obliques) 1 set of 40 repetitions
Lower Back Straight Leg Lifts (on tummy) 1 set of 20 repetitions
You should feel pretty tired when you are finished with your workout. When completing your 2nd set of resistance exercises you should be struggling to get the last few repetitions out. If you are not fatiguing at the end of the 2nd set the weight is not heavy enough and you need to increase the resistance. This requires discipline and awareness on your part as this is the purpose I serve when I am hired by my clients as their Personal Trainer. It is my job to gauge my clients ability and increase the challenge when I feel that they are able to handle more workload. I take the thinking and the repetitive counting out of the session for them and all that they need to do is follow my instruction.
Remember exercise should never be too easy, it should always be challenging but if you can set yourself up with a programme card, there is no reason why you cannot adapt different exercises each time you train. You should be able to get a programme card from the gym team and remember there are hundreds of progressions with your exercises that you can learn. The gym team should be helping you to make the most of your membership they have after all sold you an ongoing service. Don't be shy to ask for help if you are not sure how a machine works or what exercises to do for certain areas of your body. I worked in a London Gym for 6 years and I loved helping members to make the most of the gym equipment, and acheive their fitness goals, that is why I do this job.
Best regards
Sherry
You can read an updated version of this article here Full Body Workout
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