Overview
A gym membership is a useful tool for weight loss. Your local gym has aerobic, weight training and flexibility equipment and classes conducive to body fat loss. The secret to losing weight via gym workouts is you must actually go to the gym and engage in body fat loss activities.
Step 1
Make it convenient. Select a gym within 15 minutes from home or along your way to work. Take advantage of their free trial week to see if you like the clientele, atmosphere, classes and equipment. You should also check out their pool, saunas and make use of their free personal training offers.
Step 2
Take an assessment. Measure your body fat once a month with a hand held Omron body-fat analyzer available on-line. Your gym may also provide this service with their personal trainers. Weigh yourself once a week as soon as you get up, naked and after using the bathroom. Set aside a tight pair of jeans and try them on once a month.
Step 3
Work chest and back on Monday. Pick machines that are close together so you do not lose your machine. You can also share machines as needed. Complete one set of a chest exercise, one set of a back exercise and one set of an abdominal exercise. Do four rounds of eight to 12 reps per set. Specific examples you can do: flat bench press, one arm dumbbell rows, crunches; incline barbell press, lateral pull downs, sit ups; flat dumbbell flies, dumbbell pullovers, v-ups on the bench.
Step 4
Utilize the cardio machines. Your gym will have a variety of cardio options for you to choose from: treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and aerobic classes. Walking and running on a treadmill transfers easily to the outdoors. If you do not like walking or running, pick your favorite form of cardio: Tuesday sessions must be very challenging for up to 20 minutes, Wednesdays need to be a moderate intensity workout for 30 to 45 minutes and Saturdays should be a low intensity session, but last up to 60 minutes.
Step 5
Train legs, shoulders and abs. Work your legs, shoulders and abs on Thursdays: squats, dumbbell presses and reverse crunches; dead lifts, bent over flies and side bends; lunges, lateral raises and hanging leg raise. Complete four rounds of eight to 12 reps per set.
Step 6
Perform exercises for your biceps, triceps and calves. Do exercises for your arms and calves on Friday: dumbbell curls, triceps extensions and calve raises with your toes straight; EZ barbell curls, triceps rope press downs and calve raises with your toes pointed inwards; concentration curls, triceps push-ups and calve raises with your toes pointed out. Complete three to four rounds of eight to 12 reps per set.
Step 7
Eat less and burn more. Generally, you need to decrease your energy intake and increase your energy expenditure totaling 3500 calories to lose a pound of body fat in four to seven days. Eat five to six small meals a day for a minimum of 1500 (women) to 2200 (men) calories. The American Council on Exercise encourages active individuals to eat 1.2 to 1.7g of protein per kg of body weight.
Tips and Warnings
- Make sure you record your exercises, weights, sets and reps. Gradually increase the weight you are lifting, making your workouts progressively more challenging.
- Get physician’s approval prior to starting any exercise program.
About this Author
Paula Quinene has been writing since 2006. She received her B.S. in exercise science from the University of Oregon in 1997, and is ACSM/ACE certified. Quinene has worked in the health and fitness field since 1990. She also taught CPR and first aid classes for 13 years with the American Red Cross.
