Help me get the most use of my gym please.

[lindy]

OK, I'm just getting back on track with the whole weight loss thing only this time I'm going to combine healthier food with exercise (we all come to the conclusion that it's the only way eventually eh? lol)

Anyway I'm not sure where to begin. I have an orbitrek, a tony little Gazelle, a mygym (just the same as the chuck Norris total gym - had one of them too - only this one has the pilates ability too. and also some hand weights.
My question really is what sort of exercises do I need to do and how often? Up till a few weeks ago I was exercising 3 times a week, doing 15/20 mins on the orbitrek, 15/20 on the gazelle (unless I followed his video for 1/2 hr), then I did various (and probably too many) exercises on the total gym, usually 12 reps(?) @ 3 sets(?) of each.
I also have various tae bo dvd's which personally I think are fantastic.
Thing is I don't know if what I was doing was of any use cos I was having to make things up as I went along, pretty dangerous being as I know nothing!
Also if I do the Tae Bo should I also then do the orbitrek etc?

Finally, what are the best stomach exercises to do? And how many??

 

[Morgan33]

Hi Lindy

I cant help you much here as I need this information too! I'll have a look around on the web see if I can find anything and come back to you.

Regards
Morgan

 

[Alibran]

I'll start with your last question because it's the easiest. If you're looking to get a smaller stomach, the only way that is going to happen is by losing fat, I'm afraid. You can't spot reduce, and no amount of sit-ups/crunches is going to change that. Having said that, I do a few (no more than 20) crunches when I do my resistance training in the hope that they will help "maintain" the muscles underneath the fat.

Without knowing exactly what it is, I guess the mygym/total gym is giving you some resistance training. For clear information on the kind of resistance training that would probably benefit you most, check out Steve's post titled "Workout" at the top of this forum. You could also check out the first 30 pages or so of Steve's diary, which is usually on the first page of the diary forum, for lots more useful info on resistance training.

As far as cardio goes, it doesn't really matter what equipment you're using as long as you're getting the right kind/level of workout for your goals. I've seen 30 minutes, 3 times a week recommended to several people here. Cardio has two goals. One is to strengthen your cardiovascular system (which is very important, and often overlooked because people are more interested in the other goal). The other is to burn calories and help you lose weight. There are varying intensities of cardio - steady state (a level that's sustainable for maybe 30 minutes upwards), IT (interval training, where more intense intervals are alternated with easier "recovery" periods), and HIIT (which is a much more intense version of IT, only sustainable for sessions of 15 - 20 minutes). The general consensus seems to be that you will get most benefit from moving up through the intensities as you become fit enough to do it.

I hope this helps a bit. There's so much information to search through that it seems impossible at times, but I'm finding the best way is to read as much as you can and gradually figure out what's best for you. The important thing is that you're exercising regularly, and something is always better than nothing.