|
|
How to pick a gym
You have joined the gym, or are
planning on joining a gym and want to get the best results. We
commend you for this big step. To make sure that you get the most for
your investment, we recommend the following program
- Talk to a personal trainer about your goals. Many gyms
will offer this service free for new customers. Make sure that you
understand how to operate the equipment so you do not get hurt.
- Look around the gym. Is the equipment new, old, out of
repair. Are the lockers clean. If you like the ellipical and
they only have three, you will never be able to use them.
- Check the people in the gym. Will you be intimidated by
them? Are the women wearing makeup? If you do not feel
comfortable, you will not go to the gym.
- Call several gyms about their prices. They will
pressure you when you get to the gym. The offer will depend on other
gym's offers.
- If you have children, look at the care class. Is it
overly expensive, dirty, or just right for your children.
- Take a look at the classes before jumping in. Some
instructors are really bad and others will help you reach your goals.
Make sure that you like the enviroment.
- How far away is the gym. If you have to drive for
thirty minutes, you will not go to the gym in the evening when you are already
pressed for time.
Most people only continue at the
gym for a few weeks. This is the bread and butter of the gym industry,
people who sign up for an expensive contract and then stop using the gym.
Make a serious effort to schedule your gym time and make that a priority in your
life. If you are too tired or sore to workout, stretch out at the gym and
do a liesurly ride on an exercise bike. Make the gym sacred and it will
have magic results for your body.
You do not have to go to a gym, but
they offer many opportunities for your fitness goals. Keep these points in
mind:
- Listen to your body. No Pain: No Gain is only a
statement that is true in junior high wrestling. Your body is a fine
tuned machine. If something hurts then you are really in
trouble. If you go gung ho and hurt yourself, you are in worse shape
than if you built up properly.
- You will not be able to gain muscle while you are
dieting. However, weight training helps to boost your metabolism, mood
and prevent muscle loss. Your weight lifting should be done in a cardio
manner, which we will discuss below.
- Like everything else in life, you must show up to get the
benefits. If you continue to got to the gym, everyday or every other
day, you will see results
Enough of the preliminaries. Here is our workout plan.
Cardio burns more calories per hour than weight
lifting. This is due to all the time you spend resting between sets and
the fact that weight lifting is usually done slowly to ensure good form.
So with this in mind we recomend that you take an
aerobics class for the first 30-40 minutes of your work out. Aerobics
classes provide feedback, support and for some a sense of belonging.
Others feel put off by the classes. So here are some suggestions before
you start an aerobics class.
- Talk to the teacher. Check with yourself, if you like a
drill sergent approach find an appropriate teacher. If you are looking
for someone gentle, then that is available too.
- Choose the appropriate level. If you haven't exercised
for a very long time, you will not be happy in an advanced level course.
Start gentle and then push yourself to higher levels.
- In the class you should be sweating, not on the verge of
vomiting. If you walk out without sweating, you are not getting any
benefit from the class. The idea is to burn more calories than a simple
walk. However, you should listen to your body and not hurt
yourself. If you are very sore in the morning then you pushed too
hard. A little bit sore is great.
- Talk to the teacher. I know I said this earlier, but when you
are in the class ask questions. If you are embarassed to say anything,
ask afterwards. That is the teachers job.
Some people are not comfortable in an aerobics
class. The sight of all the other people and the feeling of being judged
can put you off. So instead of an aerobics class you can
take to the exercise machines. Keep these points in
mind:
- The calorie count on the machine is probably wrong. But
it does give you idea of how much you are working.
- You should be sweating but not hurting as I said
before.
- It is easy to pace yourself and try harder each time.
Start at a low setting and then raise the level every couple of days.
This will challenge your body more each time and you will get more results
from each visit to the gym. If you advance at too fast a rate, just
lower the level.
Weight Lifting
Nothing says a gym like over muscular men in tiny clothes
lifting weights. Most women are afraid that they will take on the same
porportions if they lift weights. So lets attack the myth at the
start. Most women cannot gain very much muscle without taking
steroids. Even if you are one of the few that can gain too much muscle, it
is very easy to lose muscle by stopping working out. It is impossible to
get the beautiful toned athletic look that all the top stars have without toning
your body with weightlifting. For those men out there, there is no better
way to lose weight than to build extra muscle on your frame. So time for
one more list.
- It is impossible to gain muscle while dieting. While dieting do not
expect to see much in the way of results, you are only working to boost your
metabolism and prevent muscle loss.
- Start light and then work your way up. You should feel a little bit
sore the next morning, but not have trouble getting up. Talk to the
trainers in the gym to get started correctly.
- If you are a beginer or haven't worked out for a while, it is best to
start on the machines. These help you do the exercises correctly and are
easy to operate. Free weights work more muscles at a time, but take more
time to set up and a little more skill to get a good workout.
- Increase your weight every week. This is the only way to challenge
your body.
We have set for you to weight lift 20 minutes. For each machine you
should count to 2 on the lift and 4 on the release. Here is the suggested
schedule:
- Crunchies. Lay on your back, put your hands straight up from
your head. Bring your knees up from the floor. Lift your butt and
shoulders off the floor and then lay back down. Repeat 20 times
slowly (Alternative: Use the situp bars, or find the ab
machine)
- Machine: Arm Curls ( 20 reps)
- Machine: Tricep Extensions(20 reps)
- Machine: Leg Curls (20 reps)
- Machine: Leg Extensions (20 reps)
- Machine: Chest Press (20 reps)
- Machine: Row Machine (20 reps)
Each exercise should be done one after the next. There is no resting in
this schedule. If you have extra time, repeat the circle. Feel free
to add in extra machines if time permits. I like to record the weight that
I do each machine, so I spend less time figetting with figuring out the correct
weight.
Enjoy the time at the gym. It is the best place for those who want
great results. The most important thing to remember is that you are paying
good money to be there and they should be happy to help you look your
best. The program will have activities that you will not do. Just
erase those lines that do not fit with your personal plan.
|
|
