Can you critique my new workout routine?

Question

First off, I'm 5'6" and I want to be 110 pounds. I weigh significantly more than that right now and I know that that weight would be healthy and fit my body frame best. So spare me the "you'll be a skeleton" and "you have anorexia" bullsh*t. My sisters and I are all at differing weights and fitness levels right now and we have the same goal.

This is my new workout routine for the gym and at home:

~Monday, Wednesday, Friday = Abs, arms and cardio~

Abs includes: 100 regular crunches, 100 medicine ball crunches, 25 inverse ab crunches

Arms includes: 50 bicep curls with 12 pound free weights, 50 lateral raises with 5 pound free weights, 50 triceps raises with a 10 pound free weight, 20 push ups

Cardio includes: 30 minutes on a treadmill doing interval training on level 1, 3, 5 going 5-7 mph, jump rope

~Tuesday, Thursday = Legs and cardio~

Legs includes: 50 leg curls at 40 pounds, 50 leg presses at 90 pounds

Cardio: 30 minutes on a treadmill doing interval training on level 1, 3, 5 going 5-7 mph, jump rope

~Monday to Friday at home = Cardio~

Workout includes: Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD on level 1. 20 minute workout that incorporates cardio, strength and abs.

My diet is very clean. I've recently gone vegetarian and my one sister has been for over 9 years and the other only really eats chicken.

So what do you think will help us reach our goals, in addition to our current workout?

Tomboy · Accepted Answer

You need to incorporate stretching before and after working out.

Stretching also helps your muscles become less sore the next day.

Dynamic stretching before workout and long static stretching after a workout.

working out builds muscles and without stretching they will tighten up and you will lose a lot of flexibility in a short amount of time if you are not careful.

I would suggest trail running for 45 to 60 minuets 3 times a week because it is more fun and go slow if you are trying to lose weight because going fast makes you gain more muscle while you can keep up a slow run longer and burn more calories.

Run in an area with hills if you want a change of resistance though out the workout.

running is a great way to get amazing abs because it takes a lot of balance to run even though we don't often notice it.

Try to do workouts that incorporate balance into it, that way you are constantly working out your abs in more ways than you would with situps.

- squats on a bosu ball with medicine ball

- push pus on a bosu ball or medicine balls

- do dumbbell press lying on a exercise ball

- lunges with weights

- Incline pull ups

- dumbbell step ups

- mountain climber

Power sets are also really good for working out because the rest between sets lowers body temp which causes less fat burn so if you do your arms or legs then during you rest time go the other one so that you are constantly moving. Or you can also just do something easy during rest like step ups or jump rope.

After a work out you should not feel exhausted but energized like you could fly. If you feel like you've just been toughly beaten by a world champion in boxing then you have pushed yourself too hard.

It is important to go easy to begin with and then increase intensity.

You should also change you routine every 3-4 month because you body adjusts to you work out and is no longer challenged so it doesn't need to improve...

Between changes of workout you should take a week off so that your body can have time to repair itself, and it helps prevent injury. ( I was a bit obsessed with heavy weight training and didn't start slow or rest and now I had to stop because my wrist can't take the strain anymore. =(. )

I also suggest taking up a sport because it is much more fun way to burn more fat and make you training that much more worth while. At least that is what I find =)

I personally lose the most weight when I stop working out... when I worked out and played sports I weighed 17 pounds more and with just sports I weight 7 pounds more xD when I did neither I weighed 103 and I am 5 foot 2.5

madmisskelly · Accepted Answer

weight loss- rather than have a goal weight in mind, such as 110, look at it as 10-15 pounds at a time. 10-15 pounds is a fairly substantial amount of weight loss and is very noticeable. You may feel awesome at 120, 130, or what have you and 110 may be too light for you. I mean, at 5'1, and with my body frame, 110 would be too skinny. 120 would be pushing it. I don't know how much you weigh right now, or what your frame size is so I can't tell you. I do suggest finding a calculator that will figure in your frame size to give you an appropriate weight range.

As far as workouts, this is how I would do it. I like your idea for cardio, because it uses interval training.

You can do abs every day, and personally, I love to do them every day. I do a lot of leg lifts to get at my lower abs. Ill do 50 leg lifts, 100 flutter kicks, and 50-100 scissors.

On one day, work triceps, shoulders, and chest, and abs.

the next work back, biceps, and abs

the next day work legs and abs.

Supposedly you can choose the next day as a free day to do whatever you want. So on that day, what you could do, is do an intense day of cardio at a college/high school track and run stairs and run around the track.

Phoenix52 · Accepted Answer

I think your workout regime is extensive. If you do too much, you might end up straining a muscle. Then you'll be hurt and need time to recover, whic'll suck because you'll lose motivation to keep your workout going.

When I hit the gym, I spend 15-30 minutes on the treadmill. My friends tell me to use the elliptical because it won't strain or pull your muscles/ligaments like it could from the treadmill.

The cardio workout and increased bloodflow will perk you up. Then you can get some good workouts for another 45 minutes with your abs/legs/arm workouts. Fitness specialists generally say that you should stop putting in more effort after you've been there for 60 minutes. Because that's when you might feel tired or pooped out.

Monday: Biceps and triceps

Tuesday: Legs

Wednesday: Abs/Chest

Thursday: Shoulders/Back

Friday: Variation

3-5 sets, 10-12 repititions (on your arms, back, legs). I usually do about 80 Ab crunches, or until I'm hurting in my stomach area like I'm giving birth lol (known as burn-out).

But anyhow, like I said - your workout routine is possibly too extensive in my view. You COULD do it if you're crazy fit, but JUST KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS and if you're feeling pain coming about, STOP. Or adjust. Don't kill yourself, because whatever effort you put into your workouts will only build you tougher and more durable for the following week and the next month. Just keep at it and stay motivated. It takes time to notice changes.

Lyulf0 · Accepted Answer

I have a solution for you. Its perfect never fails and does exactly what you want it to.

go look up "P90X"

Stands for Power 90X

just go Youtube P90X testimonials

There are legit testimonials from people that have lost well over 300+LBS on this in about a year and a half. Not only is it fast(about 2/3 a LB per day) it also teaches you your bodies exact nutritional needs, and also has a follow up sustaining work out program for after your down with the main program. If you do the program reaching a goal weight is irrelevant, you'll be in such amazing shape that looking to reach a goal weight would sound silly.

I'm not a health nut but I have used this program. I only managed to follow it for 2 months cause after 2 months I got what I wanted. Lost around 50LBS fat total and gained about 20 or so in muscle. I had my 320LB friend do this program... he thanked me by stealing my pants cause his didn't fit him anymore when he hit 180 about 4-5 months later.

PS you need a large quantity of protein per day ESPECIALLY after a work out, your body needs to repair the muscles it has damaged from the workout, and with no protein your literally being counter productive.

Undoubtable · Answer

Already gave you advice on chat, but why not recap here.

- 75% of One Repetition Max(1RM) is the limit for strength building.

- Compound lifts including several muscle groups make you burn more energy faster. I'll include some of my favourites here that can easily be done by girls as well, google them for full instructions.

~~~ Turkish Getup is a superior core and shoulder exercise. Looks boring, but is damn tough.

~~~ Clean-and-Press utilises your largest muscle groups explosively. It's the best I know.

~~~ Deadlift Burpee willat 80% of 1RM turn the strength building deadlift into true cardio hell.

~~~ Dumbbell Curl and Arnold Press. Does grip, wrists, biceps, triceps and fornt/side deltoids.

- Doing a strength circle with several exercises and 10-15 reps each will give you all the benefits of both 75%> strength training *and* the cardio aspect of dozens of muscle contractions. Make half of them compound lifts, and it'll have you somewhere between crying and retching by the third or fourth round if you have at it fiercely enough.

- Consume ca. 20 grams of protein directly after your exercise, preferably before you even shower or while stretching. It'll increase the efficiency of your strength workouts by up to 25%.

- Love the burn.

evander · Answer

This is a good workout routine ;), people have to understand that every workout routine is different. It is different and modified to fit the person's LIFE. I hate it when people say "Oh your suppose to only workout for 45 minutes" or stuff like that because, truly that workout routine is for business men.

I don't know what your goal is but since you have cardio almost everyday, I guess its to get that beach body? The best advice I can give you is to let the mirror be your guide. Remember that if you tell yourself what you want, believe in what you want, feel as if you have achieved what you wanted, you will always get what you want.

In addition I recommend adding back workouts like assisted pull ups or lat pull downs. Your lower back and spine are already getting enough workout from running which is a good thing for posture. Speaking of posture and running, if you run enough combined with doing lots of squats, you will get that "Duck posture" ( link ). Duck postures are considered as a sex appeal body language.

Good luck with your training!

BoobMan · Answer

How much weight are you trying to lose? You mentioned 110 is your goal, but what do you need to take off?

I'd actually do a few things different. First, get your body fat percentage measured. This will be a more helpful metric than just your weight as you'll likely lose fat but add some muscle which will make your progress measured by just weight look less than it is. Also, measure your waist, hips and legs at mid thigh. As you add muscle and lose fat, these will all shrink as fat takes up more space than muscle.

Next, realize that adding some muscle helps burn more fat. Also, if you add it to your larger muscles in your legs, chest and back you'll notice the fat loss more than the muscle gain, which is good.

On diet, I think you're likely better off with a higher protein diet with less sugar and simple carbs rather than just cutting calories. Too few calories and your metabolism slows and you don't use fat. Instead, favor protein and vegetables to build muscle and less sugar and starch so your body has to use fat stores for energy.

Lastly, doing ab work and smaller muscle groups (arms) doesn't really help too much early on. The reason is good abs and arms are more about losing fat than adding muscle in those areas. And you can't "spot reduce" fat. For resistence (non-cardio) you're better off doing 3 full body weight lifting exercises a week, focusing on 3 big muscle groups: legs, chest (pushing things) and back (pulling things).

So I'd say lift 2-3 times a week; do cardio for 45-60 minutes 3 times a week and rest 1-2 days a week, while eating a high protein, low sugar, carb diet 6 days a week and whatever the hell you want (seriously--whatever!) 1 day a week.

Whistling_Dixie · Answer

Forget about the weight goal, exercise regimen, diet and, most of all: Discipline! None of that will work for the rest of your life, Tia! None!

One of my coworkers who likes to go to unbeaten path of the world to take exotic photography told me once that he went to some secluded (read: non-touristic resort) place in some South American country and asked for some direction and here came a dude in his 70s running down the hill as fit as a 20 year old,ready to give him direction. You see, Tia, you have to change your lifestyle to get down to the basic and everything will just fall into place effortlessly. I promise you! I am a living testament to it. I used to be fat (obese) and happy- mind you I never regret what I did because I enjoyed the life in decadence pounding pizza and burgers and beers and wings as much as I wanted! What a life! I drove a Corvette to haul my obese ass 0-60mph in less than 4.2 seconds! No regrets!

Anywho, at 41 years old now I am a lean and mean machine trying to train for my 1st Hawaiian Ironman!

What I am trying to say is, you have to have a different look on life. So much so that being fit is just a natural outcome.

In my case, I don't care about my weight and such. I only care about my 100 m ile cycling time, my 26 mile run time, and my swimming! No more! The weight? Well, I shed that off long time ago I don't even remember...

TheGoodTheBadTheHOT · Answer

To all the plebeians below suggesting that you do p90x. Don't. Their programs are designed for advanced... Eh, 'exercisers' and for most people it won't give the results it promises due to the program resulting in over training. Also, there's nothing on that tape that you can't do for free!

I'd assume that your list of "100 this" "100 that" is split up into various sets? Even then, I'm not personally too supportive of such a high number of reps. The methodology I've always followed is 'put the weights up, not the reps'.

If burning weight is your goal then you may want to throw in some HIIT training. An example of this is 30 second sprints on the treadmill, at the fastest pace you can manage. Do about 10 of those with 1 minute rest between them. When lowering yourself onto the active treadmill, make sure to support yourself on the sides until you are confident that you're running at a sufficient speed. I found this really effective (particularly because I sweat buckets easily, good for loosing fat, bad for partying)

Other than that, I'd say you're doing good. Considering you've turned veggie (something I shall never do, steak <3) then I'd suggest supplementing your diet with around 20-25g of protein within 5 minutes of your workout, along with some multivitamins, etc. (I take A-Z with cod liver oil and antioxidants)

Best of luck!

regular-guy · Answer

5'6" and 130 pounds would be a BMI of 21, with is in the low normal range. I think that would be a very healthy and attractive weight. 5'6" and 110 pounds is a BMI of 17.8 which is below the normal range, or underweight (depending on source, normal BMI is 18.5-25).

Regarding your routine, I think you are spending too much time on your abdominals and should spend more time on your large muscle groups, quadriceps, hamstrings, buttocks, back, and shoulders. With your weights work, do a bit more weight at fewer reps. I think 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps would be best, and by the end of the third set you should be at or near muscle exhaustion. When you run, can you push it to 7-8 mph more consistently?

If you are going vegetarian, make sure you still get enough fat and protein in your diet. One mistake many vegetarians make is that they replace all the fat and most of the protein with carbohydrates, which will actually inhibit your weight loss goals. Remember, you need a certain amount of fat in your diet (ideally unsaturated) to be healthy--generally about 30% of your total calorie intake.

Otherwise, congrats on your efforts to be fit and healthy.

ShishKabob · Answer

Wow, I wouldn't expect so many comments about being too thin. Although your goal is on the lean side by a lot, it's not as if it's unhealthy or your pregnant or anything.

If you keep up your routine you'll do awesome. Every body is different, I'd be wary of anybody giving you very specific advice (exact numbers of reps, you need to eat X amount of calories, etc.)

My advice is to make sure you change things up every few months. The reason most people don't reach their goals is not that their body couldn't do it, or they didn't have time, or any of the bullsh*t reasons you may hear. It is motivation. There are thousands of good exercises. If leg presses get boring, you can do lunges, squats, step-ups, etc. Kickboxing is a good workout and can definitely be fun. Fencing is actually good cardio. Or Tae Kwon Do. But I digress. Oh, and ff you can do the routine you just outlined, you can step up to P90X. Quit doubting yourself. It won't be easy, but if it were easy it wouldn't be so rewarding.

Pre-workout supplements are probably worth trying, although I know a lot of women fear taking any workout supplements.

Bodybuilding.com forums are an excellent source of information and support. Despite the "bodybuilding" name you can get plenty of non-steroid/musclehead advice. They have over 3 million members, and I'd say 90%+ of professional personal trainers are members.

Keep challenging yourself and good luck. It seems like you have a pretty good grasp on your routine and goals.

Anonymous · Answer

Hmm. Wow, that is quite a bit of free weights. If you've ever heard of P90x it suggests that to tone use weights that you can rep for 12-15, it has to burn on the last 3 reps. 8-10 reps is muscle building. Since your weights are light, not particularly worried about back or joint issues. I'm unsure of your form though when you are doing all this so might want to read up on proper forms for free weights. Quality over quantity. If not doing the form properly then could be working out areas that you don't want to, and could easily lead to health issues later.

Might want to try out some yoga. Yoga is a very excellent form of exercise with various levels of difficulty and is a full-body workout when done properly. Not to mention that the attention to form/posture, balance and flexibility will translate to improved workouts. I do yoga and find it to be a better form of cardio then jump roping and running. Not to mention that jump roping and running extensively over the years has been proven to ruin the joints in the legs. Cardio by the way is to break a sweat, if you don't break a sweat you're not doing cardio. At least that is what my trainer said way back when.

Best wishes for your goal dude!

TonyTheINFJ · Answer

From what I've heard and read, going vegetarian has its pros and cons. There are sometimes certain proteins and healthy fats, such as those from chicken, that one can only receive from certain meats. As long as you are supplementing those "missing ingredients" with vitamins or proteins, then you should be fine.

It seems like you have your entire routine figured out already. How is it going so far?

Did you ask your sisters for advice on your current routine? What did they say?

Why are you implementing such a fat burning workout anyway? Is truly this entire routine to maintain a current ideal weight of your personal choice?

Just through a brief gnc.com search: I thought I would recommend this for your workout: From GNC, there is the be-HOT Exercise Enhancing TurboPak.

What specifically are your goals with this current routine? According to this BMI calculator I quickly found from halls.md...just through a search engine.

That's a bit underweight for your height. I took a guess at your age from your age range, hope you don't mind. ; )

Good luck.

KryHeart · Answer

That's not going to work, sweetie. All these exercises are great for your body. Aside from never eating meat (which is going to deprive your body of necessary protein), your workout plan is just going to give you more muscle. Which means you're going to drop weight, and then gain it. So, your body will look great, but there's no way you can be healthy, be muscular, and weigh 110 lbs, especially if you're 5'6". I'm fit and I'm 5'4" - weigh 115 lbs. Unless you literally stop eating everything and do no working out at all, you aren't going to be 110 lbs ever. You'd LITERALLY have to be a skeleton.

DonMichelle · Answer

First of all what you're doing is spot on, protein is needed by your body to burn fat, I use protein shakes, have them before bed (helps repair your muscles as you sleep, helps you burn fat as you sleep) so maybe you'd benefit from them aswell (keep it in mind I do training for muscle mass, my body will need far more protein than yours, maybe you could get away with eating more yoghurts and lean meats?)

As I've said before, I'm not a fan of your's... but you'd get rattled as you are, you don't need to lose any weight, it's painful too watch girls whither away... such a waste of delicious cushioning, you're burning away your feminine look

My opinion, not that it matters :)

peace-love-couture · Answer

My only problem with your workout, and again, it's MY problem because I am extremely OCD about MY workouts, is I set aside 2 days for strength training+ cardio, that way all of my muscles get a chance to heal equally.

For me:

Mon: Cardio

Tue: Cardio, Strength training

Wed: Cardio

Thur: Cardio, Strength training

Fri: Cardio

Sat: Cardio

Sun: Rest

Oh, another thing, for interval training, if you're interested, if you have an iPod,iPhone or Droid, look for the Gymboss app. You can customize your own interval workouts, you can even do HIIT. I love that app, especially for running.

Have you looked into Tabata? I'm not sure what your goals are fitness wise, but it might be worth looking into

RedThread78 · Answer

Sounds pretty well-rounded. There can never be too much cardio when it comes to losing weight that is the most efficient method I've noticed and I know how much you hate it (I hate it too). I like a lot of ab training too because that really helps get rid of that extra tire (I'm in no way saying you have that) from experience. What a workout really comes down to is a good diet.. many people undermine their workout by eating more calories than they lost which makes it not worthless but not as effective. Make sure to drink a lot of water too.

Hmm.. that is pretty much all I have to say I think... I wish you all the best of luck!

Anonymous · Answer

If you ask me, you are approaching this in a very extreme way. from the looks of your picture you look like you are in perfect shape. I know this will probably p*ss you off me saying this - but from personal experience of battling a hellish few years of bulimia which grew from over excersize and diet restricions - it's best not to be so hardcore and strict when it comes to diet and excersize. try and take a more leisurely approach. yes get your heart going and the endimorphs flowing, but you also have to be flexible. and your regimine and allow yourself to recover (recovery is just as important if you want to heal and build muscle tone) That aside it's good to work out and eat healthily but there reaches a point where you just have to allow your body to catch up.

Just my advice. You'll probably not agree with this, but ahh well...just offering my own experiences.

tealgirl · Answer

Id say work your abs daily as they don't need time to heal like your other muscles.  Also, really shouldn't go without meat.  I weigh anywhere between 100-110 and am 5 5 and my workout is far from this strenous... Just don't forget you will be building muscle and when I workout this much I tend to start weighing more because of muscle. So just becareful and make sure you take in enough calories because your going to be burning a lot, and you don't want to go in starvation mode because overall that will end up having you save fat in your body

MyNameIsJonas · Answer

This is an intense routine that you have outlined. I wish you wouldn't go vegetarian by the way. Its so hard to get good nutrition while being absent from meat. Not only because of protein. You are missing out on essential amino acids. Look into fish oil pills. Besides that...

Im not sure what exactly your old routine was. This routine is really putting some stress on your legs. That's great, but know that it will most definitely put some muscle on your legs. Muscle weighs more than fat. This routine is quite strenuous. Your working yourself Monday through Friday. You are going to need proper nutrition, and a lot of it.

I wouldn't be so concerned with physical body weight. Concentrate on the results your looking for, not a number on a scale. Go for the look you want. Not a number.

janelle615 · Answer

Wait is you're going to do the gym and home workout together? That's a lot. Add planks, reverse crunches, some kick boxing exercises, jump squats and BURPEES (hell they are a killer!)

Or just do Insanity! I did it for two weeks and lost an inch..felt so good but I stopped after I injured my knee during a 5k run one day. Seriously, it gets addicting.

As far as diet, just get enough of fiber, good carbs, and protein. Eat enough, like at least 1200 range.

Good luck

cyrus7 · Answer

I told you before, working out is really a lot more about quality than quantity

100 regular crunches + 100 medicine ball crunches is waaaay over kill lol

but if it suits you then more power to you!

arms and legs look good assuming you're doing 5 sets of 10 reps each though

and your cardio seems fine too

remember, high protein low carb diet!

good luck and I'll be here any time you need any questions answered :)

BeerME · Answer

Workout looks great to me. Lots of cardio with plenty of low weight high volume muscle work. You've also got plenty of variety in the routine which is good. I expect that you'll be trim and toned in no time.

I will say that if you're going vegetarian you'll need to be sure that you're still getting plenty of protein or your weight training won't be nearly as effective. I'd also suggest getting some complex carbs to keep your energy up.

ianm91 · Answer

If you do the P90x Ab ripper X. They do more than 300 ab repetitions. Works the thighs, abs, and core. It's great, but not healthy to do every day.

It's an intense workout though, so its not recommended to do the same one every day or same amount of reps day after day. Something about muscle confusion to move and work your muscles in a different way causes them to build and tone quicker to react to the change in style of your workout.

I'd recommend the P90x workout system over any other kind of workout DVD's and its better than a gym membership and better than a personal trainer.

I'm about a 5'10 165 lbs. I've been athletic and working out since I was 7. P90x is definitely the toughest and most painful workout but results come within weeks and not months unlike the other programs you can purchase.

Can you critique my new workout routine?

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