A few workout questions

Mr_pretzel

Mr_pretzel

Active member
Can i workout everyday?

How intense should my cardio be?

Should i do weights and cardio on the same day?

What should i eat?

I did google but i just got confused.
 
Get a personal trainer they will answer all those questions and will set up training programs and diets specifically for you
 
there isn't a one size fits all answer to the questions you're asking. there are too many unknowns for us to be able to help you at this point. a lot of it depends on your current physical shape, goals, metabolism, etc. i agree with him - go see a personal trainer. they'll get you started...after that, the internet contains plenty of info to help further your progress.
 
If you're doing cardio and are in generally good shape you can run every day given your knees and joints hold up. Lifting is different. Hard lifting should be 4-5 days max a week with a rest day in the middle. But like the other two said, there is a lot more info needed to truly know the right plan for you.
 
I know that my gym offers free "personal training evaluations" for new members. You schedule an appointment and they walk you through the gym, explain different machines, and then do a 30 minute workout where they test your fitness level. Then you tell them what your goals are (weight loss, gaining muscle, etc), and they help you make a fitness plan to achieve these goals. When I started going to the gym I had no idea what I was doing and this helped me out a lot. I actually worked with a personal trainer for 3 months after the initial evaluation to help me figure out different routines, stay motivated, and force me into a solid gym schedule, but this isn't really necessary for everyone.

As for your questions...everyone is different, and there really isn't a "right" answer.

Can I work out every day? Probably. It's always nice to have a rest day in there somewhere, and make sure you aren't just working out the same muscle group over and over every day. If you're alternating between different muscle groups, doing cardio, etc, I don't see why you can't work out every day. I find myself going to the gym 4-6 days a week and that works for me.

How intense should my cardio be? As intense as you want it to be. I've had days where I felt like taking it easy, and I've had days where I've puked in the parking lot on the way out of the gym.

Should I do weights and cardio on the same day? Again, personal preference. I like to lift hard, take a 5-10 minute break, then do cardio. I also have days where I just feel like doing extra cardio instead of lifting, and days where I lift extra hard and don't do cardio. I don't do cardio on leg day. Nobody wants to see my sloppy ass falling down on the treadmill haha.

What should I eat? This is definitely not something I can help you with because I eat like shit most of the time, but um...healthy stuff?

Disclaimer: these are only my opinions. I am in no way qualified to be giving profesional advice and a lot of what I said could be (and probably is) wrong haha. I'm just going by my own personal experiences.

This post is way too fucking long.
 
If you are going to find a personal trainer, find someone who knows what they are doing, not just some bro who is working part time at golds gym while working on his English degree.

Your body will adjust to pretty much whatever volume you want to incorporate, however rest days are super important.

What are your goals? Are you trying to gain weight? Lose weight? Training for a specific sport?
 
Yeah you can workout every day, not really recommended though, I rest 1-2x a week. And don't do the same muscle groups 2 days in a row, let those muscles rest.

 
BODYBUILDING.COM

Everyone has there own opions on everything. This site has a S*** ton of info on dieting, workout plans anything you can think of regarding fitness. Tons and Tons of articles and plans. Check it out.
 
everyone is different and just about no matter what you will need to fine tune your program to fit you precisely, however here are my opinions on your questions based on what ive read and what has actually worked for me personally

resistance training everyday is not conducive to muscle growth. your body needs rest and i for one have been guilty of over training for a long time. id recommend a rest day in the middle of the week and 1-2 at the end to let your body have enough rest to stay anabolic. you should do short cardio or something outside and active on your rest days. think about your secondary muscles as well. you shouldnt hit bi's the day after doing a bunch of back stuff. spread that shit out and make sure to get enough/good sleep

cardio should be intense as fuck and accordingly short. look up H.I.I.T. - interval training tends to burn more fat, prevents muscle loss, and do so in a shorter amount of time. theres tons of ways to do it, its basically a sprint mentality in my opinion. ive spent hours on ellipticals, tread and step mills, and bikes. the full body, interval stuff is what really does it for me

you can absolutely lift and do cardio the same day. warm up, then lift, then cardio. lifting before cardio helps deplete glycogen stores helping to burn more fat during cardio and will make your lifting more productive due to higher energy levels.

its just as important to warm up prior. itll increase blood flow to give you that pump/more energy/more strength in addition to keeping your muscles/joints in a more safe condition during training. injury is the biggest hurdle you can face in my opinion

eating is probably the toughest part to figure out. it really depends on you and what your goals are. it is also probably the most important aspect of what youre doing, dont neglect it. eat balanced, and dont buy into "diets"

someone recommend bodybuilding.com as a source and i would happily vouch for that. i get a bunch of info off of it.

and dont be afraid to try different stuff. someone recommended crossfit, give that a shot maybe you'll love it. the stuff i suggested fits really well with the way i like to work out so pick and choose the things you like and what you dont. find a way to enjoy the time you have at the gym, it'll keep you coming back and produce the best results
 
can i work out everyday:

what are you doing? usually its fine as long as you not doing heavy weight low rep everyday, puts you at risk of injury. Studies have shown that working out everyday does not hold a huge amount of benefit over a few intense sessions a week, but i'll have to look up the article, and sports science, well, isn't usually more anecdotal than hard evidence.

Cardio: everyone i know says 20 mins plus or you get little benefit

Weights and cardio on the same day: i know people who do but i have never been to bothered, my friends who do it, do it for weight loss

Eat balanced but you might wanna add some extra carbs, protein shakes are good for the extra calories, but tbh usually you get enough protein in an average diet just good to have some around in case you have a light lunch or post workout.

have been using bodbot lately as to experiment/ and it also has a whole heap of different exercises with video links, definitely a good place to start until what you know what you are doing

my personal tips for weight training:

watch your recovery times, i really feel the benefits if i keep them strict

get a mate, helps you push yourself to your limits and useful as a spotter

free weights, avoid machines, you don't wanna be isolating muscles unless you're bodybuilding or 'rehabbing', you wanna make your muscle useful so concentrate on exercises which work a range of muscles (pullups>bicep curls, bench press, squats, deadlifts, renegade row, yltw fly, lunges..to name a few)

find exercises which you enjoy, to do when you lack motivation (any workout is better than skipping a day, but try and be as strict as possible with yourself)

switch things up as much as possible: every few weeks find a different set of exercises to do go between high and low rep, fast and slow, to challenge your body as much as possible (again bodbot is fantastic for this)

posture is key to good technique, nearly everyone i see can improve posture

don't push an injury you'll regret it

GOOD TECHNIQUE IS ALL IMPORTANT, THOSE MIRRORS AREN'T FOR POSING

PS: i read recently that crunches/sit ups are pretty bad for your spine

PPS: all this advice is through my own reading/experience, you'll find you end up doing a lot of research to optimise your workout plan

 
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