Anyone here go to the gym? I'm gonna be trying one out here in town. I figure if I don't do something about my weight I'll end up gaining another 10-20 lbs. over the winter. There's one that is $30 a month nearby.

Any advice on how to approach this subject? Anything to do or not do?

I hope to drop off 40 lbs. and build some muscle when I'm all said and done. When I was back on the farm I at least had muscles, but now I'm just fat.

I've been doing too much and not enough

 

Start slow with cardio like the bikes or treadmills(my fav.)
you don't need to run on the treadmill just a brisk walk.

Then use the machines by working two upper body muscle groups each workout i.e. chest and shoulders or arms and back.
work legs every workout since they can take and need more.

After a few weeks start to include free weights especially dumbells.

Lastly when you're in fair shape begin to include cable devices if available to promote definition.

Hope that's some help. It has worked for me in the past when coming back to the gym after an absence.

 

I won't pretend to know what will work for you but I can offer some advice that works for me.

Start slow find a friend and make a point to get each other to do it weather you want to or not. Start slow by walking say 10 minutes one week every day then add 10 minutes every week after that. Until your up to 30 minutes then walk for 30 minutes for a month. Then add weights, go simple do 3 excercises per bodypart and start light I mean ridiculously light and add a little bit of weight at a time as in 2.5lbs for dumbells and 5 lbs per barbell add each week. At first you will think man this is easy and stupid wait a month or so and you will be feeling good and lifting more than usual then a little bit down the road you will be wondering if you can complete a set or not. When you get to the point it is difficult then back off 10lbs or so on the dumbells and 20lbs or so on the barbell exercises, before you know it you will have surpassed your last max. Don't be afraid to go light and pay attention to what your doing and don't try and impress anyone. Stay focused when it gets tough and you think man I cannot even lift this and I really wanna add weight and start getting bored because you cannot take it higher take the weight down a notch lbs wise and start over, before long you will be past that max and moving on up. When it get really old as in you cannot seem to talk yourself into working out change the exercise just don't stop exercising all together. Keep the exercises themselves simple good old fashioned dumbells and barbells and as with all things what works for you in the end is all up to you, my thoughts are similar to the previous post, instead of machines I would just start light very light as mentioned and add a little week by week. One thing I can say for sure what you eat determines if all the time spent in the gym gives you the end result your looking for. Good luck

 

Never did get into the weights, but for cardio, my favorite is the Elliptical Machine. The doc told me not to use the treadmill or take long walks because it's too hard of a pounding on my ankle. I broke it in 3 places several years ago so is gives me a lot of grief. The Elliptical Trainer is like one of those ski machines that works the legs & arms and gives you a great cardio workout. I use mine about 10 - 15 mins every day and have finally talked Steve into using it also.

A couple other things I like at the gym are the stair climber machine and the rowing machine.

To help keep you from muscle cramps, especially just starting out, you should do about 3-5 mins on the bike or treadmill and then do stretching exercises. Then continue on with your workout. When you're done, finish up with more stretching.

Most gyms have someone there that is more than willing to assist/coach you.

 

Ive been on a program for about 2 weeks. If you are serious about training and want to change your body. I HIGHLY suggest going to this website. www.musclegaintips.com. I have gained 10 pounds of muscle on this program in just 2 weeks. Its so great. Although its not all that easy. I eat every 3 hours and am on a very strict routine, but it works, and works WELL!

 

i just lift weights... and work hard during the day what i suggest to you is watching your food intake... you can work out all you want but without proper diet you wont see any results

 

Look for a stable program you can follow -- talk to one of the trainers there and see if they'll set you up with something. Most clubs around her include 1 or 2 free personal trainer sessions with your new membership. If it's not free, pay for a couple sessions at least.

When I was working out, I had a trainer 3-4 days per week with me, 1 hour session each time. I did 10-20 minute of cardio before our appointment (helps you limber up and get your heart running in target range). We would then follow a rotation of back & biceps one day, chest & triceps the next day, legs & shoulders the next, and sometimes a 4th day would be spent doing other exercies, throwing the midicine ball, mixing major cardio with other things, etc. It's important to isolate the muscle groups to develop them properly. Going every other day is a good idea to give your muscles a chance to rebuild themselves in between sessions. If your biggest goal is weight loss, cardio & aerobic exercise are the key.

My progress was amazing with the trainer. I started out losing 20 pounds, then stopped. No more weight loss, but a whole lot of muscle gain. I would still lose quite a bit of fat, but it would be replaced by more muscles. My bench press went up 3-4x, I could do leg lifts and keep up with the biggest guys there, and I was getting nice & lean. After about 8 months of this, my trainer got fired from the gym (he was a perv, and liked messing with the ladies). I stopped going... bad decision on my part.

Trainers are expensive, but worth every dollar. Especially for those who are new to proper exercise & training. Being setup on the right rotation & learning exercises the right way with guidance is a big advantage. If you can't throw money at them for regular sessions, at least use them 2 or 3 times to get you started & build a regime. Then another session or two after a few months, etc. It's nice to have a professional's expertise.

Also, charting your excercises is critical if you want to see your progress. i.e. date, # of reps on a specific machine, maximum bench, etc.

Good luck!

 

I've been going to the gym every MWF for about ten years now and credit that for feeling great most of the time and rarely being sick. Since I'm in good shape and satisfied with my build, my program is designed to keep me fit. I do 2 sets on the cable machines for all groups each visit and finish up with 2 miles on the treadmill (4.5 MPH @ max elevation). I adjust the weight so the last rep of 12 or 13 is a strain. While clowning around with one of the trainers I was able to max out the triceps machine and the abs machine, but have a long way to go on the others (not bad for a young man of 69). Some times I ride my bike the 1.5 miles to the gym. My advice - start slow and easy and make it part of your life, it is time well spent. Good luck.
Dono

 

Yes!

A trainer is usually free for the first few visits. (in my area anyway)

Everyone says to keep track of your progress. What you lift, what you eat, etc.

Take a semi-nude photo of yourself and hang it up on the fridge so you can see yourself when you go grab another pop. (purely motivational, not a flame.)

If you have a buddy who is a chemist, or chemistry major or has a chemistry degree, speak to him/her about what foods work best with your blood type.

Once you get your trainer, he/she will show you the right way to lift weight, and you can experiment with sets and reps, weight, etc.

One thing that usually applies across the board is don't work out for longer than an hour at a time, unless you are a seriously competetive body builder. 2 hours a day is ok if you do an hour in the morning, and the other in the evening.

Hope this helps.

 

All good tips here so far. As far as beginning your strength training, I suggest building your core strength first before getting into too many other movements. No sense lifting all those weights if you can't even lift your own body weight. The best core strength movements are squats, dips, and pullups. Most good gyms will have assisted dip/pullup stations where you aren't trying to move your entire bodyweight from the start. Do these movements until you can easily do at least 1 unassisted pullup and dip. Then you can proceded with other movements. When doing pullups, make sure the palms of your hands face away from you. Squats will help build all the stabilizer muscle groups as well as increase you metabolism.

The second thing you must do is evaluate your diet. Clean it up if needed but don't clean it up to the point where you get bored with food. It is permissible to have a "cheat meal" once in awhile.

Good luck!

 

If they have a pool, swim. It's the most intese low impact workout you can get. It works upper and lower body. Plus, it's fun!

 

yea, find a place to swim, great work out. you will be amazed and how everything is sore and you don't even feel like you worked that hard. and it is great on the joints.