What's a good work out for me?

[Homicidal_Queen]

I'm doing independent gym at school, where I work out at home to try to improve my heart rate. I'm 5 foot 4, and weigh 110 pounds.
I'm skinny but I'm out of shape.
Today was my first day of working out totally.
Here's how it went:
-walk for 5 minutes
-stretching for 5 mins
-jogging for 10, walk for 5, repeat until it's been about 40 minutes (up and down a long steep hill)
-walk home (about 5 mins)
-do 5 push ups
-do 5 crunches
-stretch for about 3 mins
I wanna start out slower and push myself as I keep going, and I'm going to be doing that with my cousin every Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and sometimes Thursdays

[bobair]

I would recommend this:

1) Take it easy for the first three months. Every workout, even if you drag your feet, is going to help you a LOT... so take it easy. this way you don't burn out, or learn to hate working out. The goal should be fun, then fitness.

2) Education yourself a little. Buy a girly fitness magazine once a month and read form it. You'll learn the basics over time. The best online resource might be this one: www.bodybuilding.com/.../bbinfo.php

3) Do cardio two or three times a week. There's no need to really do it every day until you're so fit that you have to. The running hills you're doing is amazing and perfect.

4) Do weights at least twice a week. Day one might be upper body like chest, back, shoulders, arms, abs. Day two would be all legs. Like squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. Don't know what to do? Just pick a body part and do 5 sets. So chest? Do pushups. Start slow, like girl pushups, until you can easily do 10. Then make them harder each progressive set.

Don't fear weights... you're a girl and so will never ever beg "big" unless you use steroids. A woman's testosterone levels are naturally SOOOOooo low that it's near impossible to build muscle. But you still have to lift hard to make yourself lean and firm. So do it. Every fitness model you see lifts weights as heavy as she can.

5) Always congratulate yourself on every tiny victory. Fitness should strengthen your self esteem and inner dialogue.

That's what makes you healthy and beautiful... how you see yourself.

:D

~ Robby

[Homicidal_Queen]

no weights here and no gym near us :P but thanks I'll try to but we are broke and can't buy much stuff for working out, and we really only need to do cardio for our heart rate.

[bobair]

Since you're young you don't need weights... doing body weight exercises are definitely enough. Like pushups and standing air squats, and lunges, and pull-ups. No weights? Use your body... it's called calisthenics... learn more here: www.bodybuilding.com/.../...calisthenics-body.html

[ShocknAwem]

Work Hard Play Hard. I know im a guy whos in ROTC buttt... I go to the gym 6 days a week. When I start I do a 10 minute run on the treadmill at 6.5km/h. That's just a warmup. Then I do different workout depending on what day it is. I suggest pushing yourself till your sweating up a storm. That's how you know you did a good job.

Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Shoulders
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Arms/Abs
Saturday: Full Body or you can take off (I usually don't)
Sunday: off

[Homicidal_Queen]

oh well I hate exercise and just from the bitch one I did I fucking died a little

[ShocknAwem]

Don't do my weekly split, it's for muscle. I know girls usually like ass workouts like squats and stuff. Also stretching and such. Make a weekly split around those type of exercises.

[Maxemeister]

I'd say jogging and pushups r the easiest and most effective. Jogging ups your endurance, lower and upper body strength, etc.

Do more pushups than five, perhaps sets of 10, or even 15. I do 20, because they're so effective. Pushups effect every muscle in your body.

[Homicidal_Queen]

I can't even do 1... I do what I can lmao

[Maxemeister]

Lol okay this is a good place to start. Do 1… then 2… then 3… then 400,000, then 5, then 6……..

[Homicidal_Queen]

I dunno if I can do 6...

[Maxemeister]

Cmon! If a weakling like me can do 20 u can do 6! CMON SOLDIER!

[Homicidal_Queen]

I literally can't even do 1 lmao

[Maxemeister]

Lol wait seriously? U need to be able to do one to get by in life xD

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Build up, you want to get into the habit of doing it, do something that isn't insane and keep doing it.

I would work on doing real push ups
so say you did 5 push ups with terrible form make it 1 with perfect form
then do 5 minutes of planks

Don't do cardio before you do your upper body routine, otherwise you will hate life and get nowhere.

[ichot]

Run for time not for distance. Take a standard distance like a mile and run it as fast as you can. Use google earth if you don't have know how far a mile would be.

Log your progress. You will see a positive correlation to your mile time and heart rate. I run a low 6min mile and my resting heart rate is high 50's.

What is this independent gym class btw? You are 16, so I presume you're in high school? Can you tell me what this class is about, it's my first time hearing such a class.

[LeviValentine]

Woah, that's a little too much cardio if you want to gain muscle. I hate to say it, but after 40 mins of cardio, your body stops producing growth horomones for the day, so those push ups and crunches meant nothing.

If you want to lose fat and improve your heart rate, then what you are doing is excellent. If you want to gain muscle mass, then you're heading the wrong way.

[Homicidal_Queen]

i dont want it for muscle mass, its for my heart rate

[LeviValentine]

Then you're all good

[Homicidal_Queen]

ok thats good thanks

[Zanecyber]

it really depends on what ur goals are and what u wanna build on,

[Homicidal_Queen]

just in crease my heartrate

[Zanecyber]

pretty much just do intense cardio 3 times a week, and other days keep it light

[Prof_Don]

That's a good start, make sure to increase ur workload with time to keep getting better!

[ConsultantIsBack]

look up programs/articles by Jamie Eason. She's awesome for female fitness.
If you want to get "toned" (i. e. build muscle) lift heavy too!
Good luck!

[Homicidal_Queen]

i dont want any muscle mass but thanks!

[ConsultantIsBack]

but you're skinny.. what do you want then?

[Homicidal_Queen]

I actually have a pudgy belly i hate and im just trying to decrease my heart rate is all and Im out of shape so thta has to improve

[NightOwl88]

Mountain climbers , forward lunges , forearm plank.
Endless list of workout exercises

[Wacka16]

Don't do as much cardio, do weights too. Doing high intensity weight training will help you burn fat and decrease your heart rate too.

[Homicidal_Queen]

but no weights here! and no gym!

[Wacka16]

Well, there are tons of body weight exercises. Squats, lunges, planks, push ups, pull ups, hip ups, etc

[orphan]

what's your goal?

endurance or strength?

[Homicidal_Queen]

endurance

[orphan]

cycle. real one or stationary... on easier settings. keep heart rate around 130.

to measure progress take your resting heart rate... the more endurance you gain, the lower your resting heart rate becomes. since i ride a lot.. mine is around 54 beats per minute.

you can measure your heart rate by counting beats for 10 seconds than multiply by 6. or beats in 5 seconds multiple by 20.

[orphan]

5 seconds then multiply by 12* (hides)

[orphan]

if there's no access to a stationary bike, then find something which keeps your heart rate elevated for a sustained amount of time. people usually jog, but it's not nearly as effective.