Is this an effective exercise plan?

[Anonymous]

I have about 20 pounds to lose, and I would really like to lose it by the time I go back to college in September 2012. I have also come up with a healthy eating plan, so assume this exercise routine is done in combo with healthy food. Will it be enough to lose 20 pounds in 4 months?

Monday

- HIIT workout (30 minutes)

- Strength routine (doing lunges, using small handweights etc)

Tuesday

- 3km run (gradually upping it over the weeks)

Wednesday

- Same as Monday

Thursday

- Same as Tuesday

Friday

- Strength routine @ the gym

Saturday

- Running or cycling

Does this routine look good, bad...? Anything I should add, change, take away etc. I'm totally new to this and came up with it myself, so I'm looking for any help/tips/improvements.

[WeaponZero]

When stacking cardio (especially high intensity cardio) and resistance in a single session you should always do the strength training before your cardio. Your ATP reserves will pretty much be tapped by the time you hit the strength training portion which is when you'll need it most, so you'll either end up doing the strength training portion half-assed or possibly injure yourself.

Honestly if all you're using is small hand weights and you're reasonably fit there's no reason you shouldn't be able to do strength training everyday. You're not stressing the muscle fibers enough to cause microtears when working with small hand weights, so there's no need to take the normally mandated 48 hours rest. That's more for if you're working with (no offense intended) "real" weights. If you're not working with enough weight to hit "failure" in fewer than 15-20 reps, you're not working with enough to necessitate the 48 hour rest time.

Here's my opinion...

The cardio you combine your strength training sessions with should be low intensity, like brisk walking pace with moderate incline on the treadmill, and it should immediately follow your strength training session. Your HIIT should be on non-strength days. The reason for this is because both highly intense cardio sessions, the kind that involve more "burst" training than endurance training, and strength training, need to be done when you're pretty fresh to avoid injury and optimize your workouts.

Your plan looks like you took a bunch of things that work on their own but put them together in a way that doesn't mesh well.

[Asker]

I wouldn't be doing them consecutively. I'd be doing the HIIT at home on my own equipment in the early morning, and the strength when I get home later in the day, since I don't have time to do it all at once. It wouldn't be one right after the other

[WeaponZero]

you should be doing the heavy weight training, the one you have to do at the gym, twice a week, not once.

[Asker]

ok, thanks for your input

[misuzi]

This looks pretty good, cause you have a good mix of exercises. Having said that don't be afraid to change things up every now and then. Doing the same routine gets old, which A) means you might get tired of it and B) means you're body gets limited.

What I mean is take one of those running days and turn it into an agility workout so you're not just jogging, but getting a mix of short and long bursts, change of direction, stops and starts, etc.

There's too many little things that you can't focus on every little thing each time, so try to hit new ones occasionally for a change.

Apart from the actual exercise, give yourself rest if you need it and be sure to take care of yourself. Your body is a capable machine but your mind is just as important in something like this.

Maintaining a good diet is crucial, but don't beat yourself up over it. I find it's okay to reward yourself at least once a week for your hard work and also so you don't go crazy.

20 pounds in 4 months is a legitimate goal. Since that should be about 17 weeks, you need to average just over a pound a week. However don't get caught up on numbers, if you're 4 weeks in and only lost 2 pounds don't go crazy. Numbers aren't everything, you're body may be changing but the numbers may not indicate that. In math numbers may be absolutes but with bodies they are just ranges.

Good Luck.

[Asker]

Thanks. I've also taken measurements and will measure myself every 2 weeks or so, and I'[ll focus more on that than just the number

[misuzi]

That's good. Muscle is very dense, so holds more weight per ounce, so you can get trimmer while actually gaining weight, though most people don't gain much cause they're still losing more anyway.

Lots of people think of an ideal weight, but I'd rather weigh 20 pounds more and be healthy than being that ideal number and just meh.

Just make sure you stay on it and work yourself hard without hurting yourself and you'll see a change after 2 weeks I suspect.

[Kennybobennie]

I would just follow the Power90 plan or the P90X plan. It's very detailed, it gives a clear explanation of how the program works, and it also very effective. It also has a diet regiment, which is not at all hard, it just requires you to do a little bit more shopping.

Here's my diet and exercise regiment:

Breakfast- 3 boiled egg whites, one dry wheat toast (no butter), one cup of pasta (little marinara sauce), OJ.

Snack- Protein bar or a coffee with milk.

Lunch- Sandwich (lean turkey, lettuce, tomato, little diced onions, a little mustard, small slice of cheese) Fruit Juice (No added sugar)

Snack- Low Fat Yogurt

Dinner- Baked Salmon. Pasta (A little marinara sauce), chicken breast fillet, salad with vinaigrette.

Workout-

Day A- Chest, arms, back, shoulder, and abs

Day B- Cardio! (Burpees, M100, etc.)

Day C- Plyometrics

I usually do:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

A B C A B C B

P.S. You can use the Power90 or P90X exercise for these. Also try to keep your calories at/under 1800. This way you should be able to burn around 20lbs in 4 months. Also, try to have a 50/30/20 ratio of protein, carbs, fat. Good luck and have fun!

[lucky24]

i think its better to do strength routine before HIIT and on Wednesdays don't do lunges and other leg workout

workout a different muscle group ex chest and back

routing looks great for losing weight otherwise but you gota make sure you have a proper diet with it