Greetings in 2011! After spending some time with family and friends over the holidays, the recurring question that I seem to always get is, "what should I be doing in the gym to lose weight/build muscle/look better?" It comes in various forms but almost always boils down to the same issue. People just want to look better. Your average gym goer doesn't care about much else, and my friends are no different.
For most people, going to the gym shouldn't be a complicated thing. To me, each time you set foot in there you should follow the same skeleton or format with different components plugged in. Here is a simple, effective skeleton for your workouts:
1. Foam Roll (8 minutes): self massage technique that will help you feel much better, google it.
2. Do 5 stretches (30 seconds per stretch x 2 sides x 5 stretches, 5 minutes): a hamstring stretch, a quad/hip flexor stretch, a calf stretch, a chest stretch, and a lat stretch. Any will do, I can give you some ideas if you don't get it.
3. Train Abs first: when I say abs I mean your whole torso. Front, back, side, side. Think plank variation, not situps.
4. Use weights: Push something, Pull something, Do something for legs.
5. Finish with some moderate, quick cardio. Try 30 seconds of work with 60 seconds of rest for 5 sets as a starting point. You could use a cardio machine, do some calisthenics, or skip rope for this part. I will give you some more ideas in the future. Go moderate to hard for 30 seconds, rest for 1 minute and repeat for 5 rounds.
You should be able to finish everything in 60-70 minutes.
For folks who have demanding jobs and schedules, try getting to the gym on Saturday and Sunday with 1 or 2 weeknights in there. The weekend workouts help to battle against any damage you are doing in the bar room or the food court.
Email any questions:
tom@sullivantrainingsystems.com
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