How many times should I go to the gym per week? What should I do there?

[snowangle]

I'm 5'4" and 135 pounds. I want to lose fat in time for summer (and just in general). I went to the gym 3 times last week (Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday) and I missed the last few days because I got sick. When I go to the gym, I always start with 20 minutes on the elliptical and then I just go do whatever looks appealing for the next 30 minutes or so. Usually it's various strength training exercises and sometimes I go on the stair climber.

As you can see, I don't really have a system. Help me out?

[candlewax]

General rule of thumb when it comes to exercise and weight loss-

60 mins daily for weight loss.

Resistance training should be every other day. Your muscles need time to recover before you work them out again via resistance.

So Mon through Sun, should be cardio. This is anything that elevates the heart rate. It can be running, brisk walking, swimming, elliptical, stairmaster, cycling, etc. If you need to take a day off, fine. No biggie.

Mon, Wed, Fri, resistance. 5-8 different resistance exercises, 3 sets of 8-10 reps each. Use low weights if you have a tendency to bulk up.

Note, about 2 lbs a week is the healthy rate to lose weight.

[candlewax]

Note, if you do the stairmaster or elliptical, they're also considered resistance for the lower body, so you could consider that a combination of cardio and resistance on those days.

[candlewax]

And also, do not get discouraged if you don't see results immediately. It can take up to 6-8 weeks to physically see results. It may be discouraging not to see results, but there are changes happening at the physiological level. It just takes time for it to physically show. And in regard to going to an actual gym, if you want, you could keep it to 3 days for the resistance training and do cardio at home/elsewhere. You don't need a gym to do cardio, per se.

[pineneedle]

Get onto YouTube and search tone it up. It's these two girls who have some excellent workout videos, you can just take some of their routines with you to the gym:) Also, don't be afraid of heavier weights, females aren't built like males so unless you use steroids you won't bulk up, trust me!

[acdelight]

Hi! I am a fitness professional and here is my suggestion.

Fastest way to lose fat is to eat cleaner. Start there.

For your workout:

5-10 min on elliptical for your warm up
Run a mile
Perform your circuit of strength training exercises
Finish with the stair climber

try 3-5 times a week for best results and rest if your body is fatigued.

[candlewax]

None of the cardio outlined here is enough to trigger the body to start burning fat in order to lose weight. Running a mile is vague as everyone's speed at a mile is different. Finishing up on a stair climber is fine, but there is no time defined, either. Is it meant for cool down purposes? If so, this is definitely not enough cardio. ACSM states that the bare minimum of 40 minutes is needed to achieve weight loss, with 60 minutes being the most ideal. She could also split that 60 into two 30 minute increments if time is an issue.

[ImCoasting]

Yeah 3-5 times a week is fine. 30-60 minutes of cardio and some weight lifting will work. Eating healthier is important too.

[Hyped_up_on_coffee]

You just need to do some variance in between weights and Cardio. If you are doing 3 days , I'd also add ABB ripper X on two days to help your abbs. Try cutting out carbs like breads at first and just eat lean protein and lots of fruits and veggies to be on full fat burn mode

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fGUQSIiH-I

[GreatnessPersonified]

I think going to the gym can be irrelevant without a proper training system. If you want to lose that weight fast, try dancing classes. They are fun, work up a sweat and gets it done.

[Anonymous]

That sounds like a pretty good workout. Try to do at least thirty minutes of cardio a few times a week. Some light weight lifting is good too.

[Jbgurl20]

2 to 3 times a week for an hour is enough.