Okay so my ex was helping me with this whole fitness thing but he is selfish and decided to end things. That is a completely different story though. Well I’m 5’7, 21 and 120 pounds. I want to look like a fitness model so my main goal is to tone. I want to look like Jenna Renee in particular. So what should my workout routine be?
Cardio everyday and switch up 3 times a week with weights between upper and lower body and back?
Might want to pos in the “powerful women” section
[quote]Illyaria wrote:
my main goal is to tone[/quote]
Please consult Wikipedia on the art of toning:
Example:
This woman looks ‘toned’ but she spends alot of time lifting heavy weights, not toning.
Cardio EVERY day? Hardly. Try doing HARD cardio 3-4 times a week. I’m talking like 12-16 minutes of sweet producing, lung burning work. NOT walking on a treadmill for 60 minutes.
Find a routine that involves lifting HEAVY, meaning NOT lifting a weight endlessly with almost no effort. If you can lift it 20 times, its way, WAY too light.
The following should be staples of your routine: Squats or Leg Presses, Stiff Leg Dead lifts, Over Head Presses, Incline Presses, Rows, and then throw in some arms and abs whenever you want. Follow that up with some interval cardio work and voila… Toned, lean, and HOT.
If you want to do a 3 day routine, be prepared to work HARD on those 3 days. If this is the kind of routine you want and don’t know where to being I will be glad to help you out. If you have more time let me know what kind of schedule you have and I will help you out within those guide lines as well.
It wouldn’t let me PM you so I am posting here.
On Monday - Wednesday I work 9am-2pm. My class schedule is below.
Tuesday - 530pm-645pm
Wednesday- 7pm-10pm
Thursday: 8am-930pm, 12pm-4pm (mostly 230pm) and 530pm-645pm.
That’s basically my have to schedule. I’d like to lift 3 days a week but I am definitely flexible. I just want to reach my goal and I am willing to do whatever it takes.
I would also be dedicating 30 minutes to cardio no matter how many times a week I do it.
[quote]Illyaria wrote:
I would also be dedicating 30 minutes to cardio no matter how many times a week I do it.[/quote]
Why 30 minutes? What if you could get better results in less time? Why does 30 minutes sound better than 15, 45, or 60?
I don’t have time until Monday to help with the routine, so bear with me. I will get to you in a few days.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
[quote]Illyaria wrote:
I would also be dedicating 30 minutes to cardio no matter how many times a week I do it.[/quote]
Why 30 minutes? What if you could get better results in less time? Why does 30 minutes sound better than 15, 45, or 60?
I don’t have time until Monday to help with the routine, so bear with me. I will get to you in a few days. [/quote]
If you don’t mind, I’d like to actually see this in the forums here, and not in PMs behind the scenes. This thread has a lot of potential.
Okay I’ll keep it to the forums. I’m not sure why 30 minutes. I just read about different routines and a lot of people say that 30 minutes is the ideal amount of time for working out. You can go longer but not to go shorter. Like I said, I’m at a complete loss here.
A quick consultation with Dr. Googles resulted in finding Ms. Renee’s training methods. But it’s a link to another site because T-Nation has never done an interview with her, so my link got deleted by a mod.
So google ‘country girl Jenna Renee’ and follow the first link.
[quote]Illyaria wrote:
Okay I’ll keep it to the forums. I’m not sure why 30 minutes. I just read about different routines and a lot of people say that 30 minutes is the ideal amount of time for working out. You can go longer but not to go shorter. Like I said, I’m at a complete loss here. [/quote]
Fair enough. I’m just trying to get you thinking about certain things instead of spoon feeding you info. I routinely go for walks that last 60-75 minutes myself.
But in terms of doing “cardio,” There is absolutely NO need to do 30 minutes… Provided you do your cardio at a high enough intensity. Are you familiar with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)? If not I can go over it with you.
Now, having said that, there is certainly a time and a place for less intense, longer duration cardio. Particularly if you are not in great shape to begin with. For instance, I would never tell someone who is brand new to working out or who is obese to start sprinting. For them, a 30-60 min walk can do great.
As far as the training goes, I took the liberty of digging up some older programs I think you will like.
Push Pull Workout. Has the benefit of being flexible and hits a variety of different rep ranges - The Push-Pull Workout
Power of 3 program. Sticks to the basics, 3 days a week - The Power of 3 Program
The A-B split. Again, flexible and hits everything. Can be adjusted for 2/3/4/5/6 days a week. Staley Strategies: The A-B Split
So there are a few training programs to look at and choose from. If none of those strike your fancy let me know.
As far as cardio goes:
If you are out of shape, just focus on walking for 30-45 minutes 3-4x a week at a nice, quick pace. Gradually you want to be able to increase the intensity here to where you can do some of the following 2-4x a week. You can do these separate from your workout or just tack it on to the end:
Sprinting. 10-20 rounds of approx 50 yards or so. If done on a treadmill you can alternate 45 seconds of walking with 15 seconds of sprinting (9-11mph)
HIIT on the exercise Bike/Elliptical/Rower for 16-20 minutes
There are a ton of other “interval” type exercises if you want to look them up. The above 2 are simply the most practical for most people, but there are ways to do it at home with just your body if you are so inclined.
Lonnie is giving you solid advice per usual of him, i do feel like there are some things that need to be established before you do get set with things such as…
What is your current diet like? For many women eating the proper amounts is often a struggle, if you are eating like a bird all day and doing an S-load of cardio on top of that deficit you will end up more mary-kate or ashley olsen(whatever one looks like a toothpick) Plus, seeing how you eat, there could be a lot of holes in your diet that need to be cleaned up, its hard to out train a crappy diet, not to mention the possible health aspect.
What lifts are you familiar with? Do you know how to bench, squat, deadlift? What lifts have you actually performed and how is your technique on said lifts? For many women its about finding something they enjoy doing and making it work.
Knowing the answer to those two questions will go a long ways to helping you further reach your goals. We have to kind of know a lot of the details of where you’ve been to know how to get you where you want to go. This is just my 2cents though. Oddly enough i’ve been looking for a girl that looks like Jenna Renee so i’m rooting for you to get there, j/k, kinda.
Great Point Eazy… I often forget people might not even know the BASIC basics like how to lift weights and eat right. You do this long enough and you take some things for granted.
I forgot to mention I also like EDT (which can be found in the archives here). I put my sister on this routine and she REALLY enjoyed it, so maybe thats something you could as well.
[quote]Eazy wrote:
Lonnie is giving you solid advice per usual of him, i do feel like there are some things that need to be established before you do get set with things such as…
What is your current diet like? For many women eating the proper amounts is often a struggle, if you are eating like a bird all day and doing an S-load of cardio on top of that deficit you will end up more mary-kate or ashley olsen(whatever one looks like a toothpick) Plus, seeing how you eat, there could be a lot of holes in your diet that need to be cleaned up, its hard to out train a crappy diet, not to mention the possible health aspect.
What lifts are you familiar with? Do you know how to bench, squat, deadlift? What lifts have you actually performed and how is your technique on said lifts? For many women its about finding something they enjoy doing and making it work.
Knowing the answer to those two questions will go a long ways to helping you further reach your goals. We have to kind of know a lot of the details of where you’ve been to know how to get you where you want to go. This is just my 2cents though. Oddly enough i’ve been looking for a girl that looks like Jenna Renee so i’m rooting for you to get there, j/k, kinda.[/quote]
I respond to everything you said tomorrow Lonnie (so much homework due by tomorrow!) but as for my diet like Easy asked, I am trying to do a high protein, low fat diet. I look for the leanest of meats. The meats I prefer are fish, chicken, and turkey. I include veggies in my dinner and my breakfast is always oatmeal and maybe a fruit. My “snack” would be cake batter whey mixed with milk. I’m trying to up my meals but I’m not exactly sure what the correct number is. My typical meal goes like this:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and my all time favorite fruit right now, Asian pear.
Lunch: brown rice mixed with egg (very typical and only do this during the day, especially if I won’t be eating for awhile)
Protein power with milk before or after workout or any time I have to “skip” a meal. Mostly Thursdays.
Dinner: Very addicted to steamed carrots, zucchini, and squash right now with some sort of meat, typically turkey burgers/meatloaf or baked fish/chicken or grilled.
I HATE soda and I am okay with tea but I am a heavy water drinker. I can’t get enough of it! Although I need to up the intake.
I am familiar with all of the ones you mentioned Easy and have performed all three. My bench form, from what I have been told, is very good. My deadlift has greatly improved but I still have to watch my form so I know I am getting it right. As for my squat, I kind of struggle with it. My stupid ex never helped me with it like he said he would! My biggest problem is going down with the bar. It tends to dig into my shoulder bones. I’m assuming it has something to do with my lineup. I do have mild scoliosis that makes them a tad uneven. Not sure if that has to do with anything. One of my legs is an inch shorter than the other too so I tend to lean on one more than the other.
Lol your comment made me laugh! Well I want to move but definitely not to Ohio and after this stupid break up, I just want some ME time. I’m thinking of living with my family in Italy for a year!
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Great Point Eazy… I often forget people might not even know the BASIC basics like how to lift weights and eat right. You do this long enough and you take some things for granted.
I forgot to mention I also like EDT (which can be found in the archives here). I put my sister on this routine and she REALLY enjoyed it, so maybe thats something you could as well.[/quote]
For my age and size, I would consider myself out of shape. I’m 21 and 5’7 and 125lbs, I know I said 120 before, but I get really winded doing cardio. I can make it 20 minutes but I really have to push.
As for the articles you linked me, I like the second two but the power of 3 program really appeals to me. I kind of doubt myself because I am pretty weak so I hope I can really push! Not to sound stupid but what exactly is heavy defined as? Something that you really struggle with and can barely do, Medium being what you can do but still some resistance, and light being super easy?
I think I answered everything. I should have opened in a new tab lol. Again, thank you so much for the workout advice! It really means a ton to me. I worked out today and I feel excellent, the best I have felt in a long time!
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Great Point Eazy… I often forget people might not even know the BASIC basics like how to lift weights and eat right. You do this long enough and you take some things for granted.
I forgot to mention I also like EDT (which can be found in the archives here). I put my sister on this routine and she REALLY enjoyed it, so maybe thats something you could as well.[/quote]
Oh P.s. I lied about posting to you tomorrow lol! I’m about to check out EDT now.
Just 1 cent, going heavy with uneven legs, tricky back not wise.
1 step at a time.
First step, corrections. In the mean while with average/middle weight a towel under the bar is nice.
All the best !
[quote]Illyaria wrote:
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Great Point Eazy… I often forget people might not even know the BASIC basics like how to lift weights and eat right. You do this long enough and you take some things for granted.
I forgot to mention I also like EDT (which can be found in the archives here). I put my sister on this routine and she REALLY enjoyed it, so maybe thats something you could as well.[/quote]
For my age and size, I would consider myself out of shape. I’m 21 and 5’7 and 125lbs, I know I said 120 before, but I get really winded doing cardio. I can make it 20 minutes but I really have to push.
As for the articles you linked me, I like the second two but the power of 3 program really appeals to me. I kind of doubt myself because I am pretty weak so I hope I can really push! Not to sound stupid but what exactly is heavy defined as? Something that you really struggle with and can barely do, Medium being what you can do but still some resistance, and light being super easy?
I think I answered everything. I should have opened in a new tab lol. Again, thank you so much for the workout advice! It really means a ton to me. I worked out today and I feel excellent, the best I have felt in a long time!
[/quote]
For the power of 3 program, heavy medium and light refer to the rep range:
Heavy: sets of 3-6
Medium: sets of 6-9
Light: sets of 10-15
[quote]Chris87 wrote:
For the power of 3 program, heavy medium and light refer to the rep range:
Heavy: sets of 3-6
Medium: sets of 6-9
Light: sets of 10-15[/quote]
What he said
Each set should be “hard,” in that you should generally have a difficult time getting the last rep. And honestly sets of 15 might even be “harder” than sets of 3-6 in something like a squat. But it is important to challenge yourself in a variety of ways to improve yourself.
Keep poking around until you find something that appeals to you and that you believe in, then get at it with a vengeance.
