Suggestions to improve my workout?

**gunshowbabe** · September 26th, 2007, 10:31 AM

Hello everyone, I'm just looking for maybe some tips and ways to improve my workout sessions. I know there are some things that I have to improve on. Currently I am really just trying to build a little muscle and trying to trim off fat with cardio. I am a pretty petite person, I weigh 103 lbs and am 5 ft tall. I'm not unhappy with my body now but I'm really trying to step it up a notch. I go to the gym five times a week most of the time unless I can't make it to the gym. I would be willing to go early in the mornings also, just for cardio and maybe abs, but am not sure if it's too much for my body doing two cardio sessions and working abs twice a day. My workout currently consists of about 30 minutes of cardio, either on the elliptical, treadmill, or the strairmaster. I then rotate the muscle group that I work out giving each muscle group to rest at least two days, tris and chest, back and bis, and then legs. I do cardio and abs everytime I go to the gym. How often should I try to add more weight to my mass workouts? Also, does anyone have any ab and oblique expercises that they currently do and recommend? Should I amp up my cardio for abs? How many machines/excersices do you recommend per muscle group?. My diet is prety healthy but I onlt eat 3 times a day....SO many questions!

thanks to anyone for your suggestions

**Italianangel** · October 2nd, 2007, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunshowbabe

Hello everyone, I'm just looking for maybe some tips and ways to improve my workout sessions. I know there are some things that I have to improve on. Currently I am really just trying to build a little muscle and trying to trim off fat with cardio. I am a pretty petite person, I weigh 103 lbs and am 5 ft tall. I'm not unhappy with my body now but I'm really trying to step it up a notch. I go to the gym five times a week most of the time unless I can't make it to the gym. I would be willing to go early in the mornings also, just for cardio and maybe abs, but am not sure if it's too much for my body doing two cardio sessions and working abs twice a day. My workout currently consists of about 30 minutes of cardio, either on the elliptical, treadmill, or the strairmaster.

You can switch most of your cardio time to weights, since you want muscle and tightening, but keep 3 days of cardio per week for 30 mins or so and do 10 mins pre or post workouts for warm up or cool down, otherwise I would focus yoru energy on weights and diet.

I then rotate the muscle group that I work out giving each muscle group to rest at least two days, tris and chest, back and bis, and then legs. I do cardio and abs everytime I go to the gym. How often should I try to add more weight to my mass workouts?
weekly or bi wekly in small increments
Also, does anyone have any ab and oblique expercises that they currently do and recommend?
leg raises, reverse crunches
Should I amp up my cardio for abs? How many machines/excersices do you recommend per muscle group?.
avg 3
My diet is prety healthy but I onlt eat 3 times a day....
no, you need snacks of protein betweenmeals.
SO many questions!

thanks to anyone for your suggestions

see the yellow text

**Italianangel** · October 2nd, 2007, 07:35 PM

sorry should have used anotehr color.......hope its legible.
Linda

AoFBBs · October 2nd, 2007, 08:19 PM

Hey there, I'm a dude but I do have some insights for you. First off, congratulations for your intentions and the willingness. I love people who like fitness, bodybuilding and nutrition; and I love people who have the commitment to really try to make positive changes in their physiques (and consequently their overall personalities)

Coming back to business, at 103 lbs you really cannot be having a lot of fat, so cardio once a day would be appropriate in my opinion. If the ellipticals have levels of resistance choose higher resistance so that you really work your leg muscles along with cardio. You might gradually add weight to your sets and reps as long as the set is easy enough for you to finish 10-12 reps, and hard enough for you to really work the muscle you're working.
Getting a six-pack is really a matter of reducing body-fat percentage to about 8-12%, so yes, cardio is the answer. 4-5 exercies per muscle group, with one targeting each subgroup (like for shoulders, 1 exercise each for front deltoids, side deltoids, rear deltoids and the trapezius; for chest one exercise each for the outer, inner, upper, middle and lower chest) so you get a totally balanced and aesthetic development.
Eating 3 times is NOT enough. Take it from me, nutrition can determine up to 75% of what you ever achieve. So eat 5-6 times a day, every 2-3 hours. If you don't have enough time to cook (of course), try cereal bars (with less sugar) and good ol' whey protein powder with 2% milk.
So there you are, wish you a lot of luck and more importantly a lot of fun working out and transforming yourself :-)
P.S. Now, do it and show us some guns

**gunshowbabe** · October 3rd, 2007, 09:29 AM

Italianangel: Thank you so mush for your tips, I will definitely implement them into my workouts! I did have another question however, I was told it was ok to do abs everysay, do you agree? My abs are shot this morning and I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to do again tonight. THanks again for your help!

AoFFBs: It's ok that you're a dude!. I still really appreciate your help in this... our bodies are pretty similar for the most part. I guess I never really realized how many different exercises I would have to do to work each angle of a muscle, Im really not over weight at all but I'm trying to mainly improve my abs and legs. I've seen improvement just by increasing my cardio but I have just now started to add weights to my ab workouts, of which, I was only doing two upper and one lower... I guess I will have to add at least another exercise for the lower so I see faster results. As far as the nutrition, it is a lack of preperation time for my meals that has made it difficult. I have been trying to pack snacks, I had just had trouble choosing what to bring with me. With your suggestions and Italianangel's I will have a better idea, I normally try to eat fruit or yogurt but it makes sense to increase my protein intake since I'm trying to gain muscle. Duh, why didn't I figure that out? Anyway, it's just a lot to take in at times, I think. Thank you so much for your help!!!

**pliny_2001** · October 3rd, 2007, 10:01 AM

The abs can take alot of pounding, though I'm not a fan of giving them seperate exercises 7x a week - I'd think that 5x gives you enough recovery time, though. I'm vague on the precise numbers, but I don't think that girls need to get quite as low a bf% as guys, though I'm sure someone will step in and say if I'm wrong.

As for the actual ab exercises, I like the classics: front and side planks, v-ups, hanging leg raises, medicine ball crunches (done explosively), etc. If you don't mind looking like a fool, bear walks front and back are great, too, as are sprints. If you only use one dumbell, exercises like dumbell bench presses torch the mid-section, too.

Instead of thinking of doing more cardio, try doing your current workout with greater intensity (as measured by heart rate). Heart-rate training is really under-utilized by almost everyone: I like to choose a range and see what distance I can make in a half hour, and try to beat that distance over the course of a couple of months. FWIW.

For your resistance workouts, I like to either add reps or weight to every group of sets (If I'm doing 9/8/6 reps @ 50lbs, the next time I do the work I should be at least at 10/8/6 @50, and the next time I'll use 55 lbs, staying there until I hit 10/8/6 again - or whatever range you decide is appropriate - if your numbers stay the same, you're either overtraining or not motivated enough, both of which are cured by taking a day or so off).

Hope this helps - I think that the toughest work is right when you're almost satisfied with where you are - those last two pounds (to lose or gain) are really the toughest. Good luck, welcome to EFF!

**gunshowbabe** · October 3rd, 2007, 01:11 PM

Pliny 2001: I agree, I don't want to get my body fat that low or to even get a six pack, honestly. I admire those girls that have one though!

My goal is to just tone it up a little more. As far as cardio I currenlty use three different machines, the elliptical, the treadmill, and the stepmill. I try to not get my body used to doing the same thing everytime so I switch the intensity on them or I do one for a longer period of time than the other and then alternate the next day. Maybe it's not as effective, I'm just trying to build my stamina a little more so I don't end up looking like road kill on the gym floor.

I like your strategy on adding weight. I like it becuase you increase your reps and make sure you can really handle a certain weight before you add more. I notice a lot of people will add weight and then start doing the exercises wrong, like not going far enough to work the muscle, ultimately becuase it's too heavy. What can I say, I'm guilty myself, but I'm being more conscious about it now that I have noticed. Thanks so much for your input and for your welcome! I have enjoyed being part of this site so far and look forward to making some progress in my routine!

AoFBBs · October 3rd, 2007, 07:40 PM

@gunshowbabe: Believe me, there's a LOT to take in. It isn't exactly rocket science, as they say, but there are subtleties and most importantly in the end you have to figure out what exactly works for you :-) Also, I forgot last time - be patient! Change will always come, even though sometimes things just take time. Don't give up in frustration or impatience. Keep taking small steps towards your goal - before long they will be real :-)
Glad I could be helpful.

**Italianangel** · October 25th, 2007, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunshowbabe

Italianangel: Thank you so mush for your tips, I will definitely implement them into my workouts! I did have another question however, I was told it was ok to do abs everysay, do you agree? My abs are shot this morning and I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to do again tonight. THanks again for your help!

No I think like all muscles it should not be drilled daily. IMO the most I would suggest is 2 days abs, 2 days obliques per week, alternated with 2 on 1-2 off, and 1-3 exercises per.
Linda