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12-18-2007, 09:34 PM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Rank: New Member Experience: > 1 Year  Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 23
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Gender:  |  Help me put a routine together for my girlfriend? Some background... I have just started back into the gym, and so has my girlfriend. Last School year we went 2 times a week doing free weight (rippetoes based program) and both saw decent improvement (me gaining her losing) Anyways, a new year is nearly upon us, and we are both going back to the gym. I have the school gym, and she has a membership to the Goodlife Fitness near her house. Idea was, I would purchase several sessions of personal training so that they could set her up a routine very specific to her goals (lose approx 20 lbs and be happy enough with body to be comfortable on our vacation to cuba in april) We both have a fairly cynical vision of Goodlife, as it exemplifies your typical corporate run gym, getting a new member is more important than keeping your current ones happy... And what are they trying to do? sell her THREE MONTHS of personal training at the LOW LOW price of 1500 dollars. (Oh, we're both 21 year old students, FWIW) So, I come to you, the fine people of this board   As she will be going to the gym herself, she really likes the machines and so while I know free weights are better, I'd like to structure her routine around them. Their 'Generic' routine, which they call the '20 minute Fit Fix' consists of Stretching Cardio Back extension Leg press Seated Row Seated Bench Preacher Bicep Curls Preacher Tricep extension Shoulder machine of some sort Lat pull down Ab work (each machine is to be worked at the rate of at the last rep you should not be able to do one more (close to failure) for one set) She likes this, but we both think it can be improved upon. Goodlife has pretty much all the machines/weights/contraptions going, so I'm sure if you suggest it, they have it. My basic idea is 2-3 days per week 20-30 mins of cardio (eliptical is her fav) Stretching Full body workout (this is where I need help on the best setup) I know freeweights are better, but shes more comfortable on the machines when I'm not there, and I think it's doable. We're working on the diet side of things, and shes going ot be drinking lots of water. Any other suggestions would be awesome too! |
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12-18-2007, 11:47 PM
| #2 (permalink) |
| Rank: Lightweight Experience: 10+ Years  Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,505
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Gender: | If your going to do 2-3 days a week maybe do a upper/lower split. Also, if you want to see improvements no matter what (gain or loose) 90% is diet. Write down what she's eating and give us some info on that. |
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12-20-2007, 06:58 AM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Rank: Member Experience: > 1 Year Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Canada
Posts: 58
Gender:  | hey! i'm the gf i'll be trying to write down what i eat, i'm pretty much just trying to drink water and tea... i don't really eat a lot of garbage food to begin with... although sometimes its hard living at home and changing diets because my mom is a little less than accomidating when it comes to groceries.  we worked on a plan last night doing a push/pull-ish split A: cardio leg press machine back extension machine chest press machine military press free weights tricep machine calves machine abs B: cardio rows free weights leg extension machine leg curl machine lat pull down machine bicep machine calves machine abs i'm not sure tho if i should be doing 1 set until failure or 3 sets of lower reps? they told me @ goodlife that 1 set at 12, where you should barely be able to do the last rep, is better than 3 sets of whatever... but because they confused the heck outta me with everything else... what is better? |
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12-20-2007, 07:07 AM
| #8 (permalink) |
| Rank: Light Heavyweight Experience: 5-7 Years  Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,062
| Welcome to the board jessica! I am not a fan of this one set of 12 till failure stuff, you should almost never train till failure, its a good way to get yourself hurt, and its a gateway to overtraining IMO. I would much rather see you doing 3 sets of lower reps, with heavy wieghts, compared to what you would use for sets of 12. that being said I'm not a fan of push/pull splits, but to each his/her own. I would also look at splitting your cardio and your lifting up, if you can do it schedule wise. |
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12-20-2007, 07:26 AM
| #9 (permalink) |
| Rank: Member Experience: > 1 Year Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Canada
Posts: 58
Gender: | what's the reason for being against push/pull splits? i dont really know too much about splits and the pros and cons of them... how would you split it? and thanks for the advice  |
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12-20-2007, 12:52 PM
| #10 (permalink) |
| Rank: Light Heavyweight Experience: 5-7 Years Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,062
| My main reason for disliking push/pulls is you end up with bench and shoulder press on the same day. For me they are so similar, and use so many of the same muscles that it is impossible to hit both movements with optimal wieghts. Regardless of the order you do them in, you will tire out from doing one or the other first. I like having them on seperate days all together, but I suppose thats just personal prefrence. I will admit I'm not the most well versed in how a female should lift, but IMO it shouldnt be much different then a male. I would do 3 full body workouts a week, similar to the starr or ripptoe 5x5, just using machines instead of free wieghts if thats how your comfortable. |
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