Hey folks, I've been on a the board for a few months so far and my gf and i just started our new diet where we have things planned out and what not. the point is, i've been hitting the gym with a fairly good workout routine but my gf has been very lackluster in that area. She needs a good workout routine that will benefit her. anyone have one here that they fine beneficial..

If you need any info about her, reply and I'll fill in the details.

Adam

48 views and not a single reply :tu:

Adam

What's the matter with your routine? Women don't need their own routine.

What are her goals? (ex: increase muscle mass, lose weight, cardiovascular fitness, etc.) It's best to outline goals first, then plan a path to get there :)

Also, does she want to? If she hates working out, then you need to find alternatives like sports, manual labor, etc. Or, design a workout that is short but very effective and doesn't require much time in the gym.

Also, does she want to? If she hates working out, then you need to find alternatives like sports, manual labor, etc. Or, design a workout that is short but very effective and doesn't require much time in the gym.

Yeah...this is very true. I can describe my routine, but it won't make much difference if she doesn't enjoy going to the gym.

Could you tell us more about her current fitness level and goals?

-Maggie

the point is, i've been hitting the gym with a fairly good workout routine but my gf has been very lackluster in that area. She needs a good workout routine that will benefit her.

It sounds like your girlfriend has priorities other than physical fitness right now.

I hesitate to give advice to anyone looking for help for their wife or girlfriend. If your significant other was ready to commit herself to an exercise program, she'd be on here herself asking for advice. The workout routine that will benefit her the most is the one that she feels good about. If she's not motivated to do something, there's very little anyone here can do to help.

I could give you my workout routine, but I feel like it would be a waste of time. Feel free to look through my fitness journal. (Peak Season for Guava) and it will tell you about how I started out and how I've progressed. :gl:

If she doesn’t like to go to the gym you probably won't get here there with any routine. Getting in shape is something you have to do for yourself, and not because someone else thinks you should go.

Maybe you can motivate here buy first going yourself, making progress. If she see you making progress. Maybe she also gets motivated to workout because she sees that it is working.

Maybe you can motivate here buy first going yourself, making progress. If she see you making progress. Maybe she also gets motivated to workout because she sees that it is working.

You could also be EVIL and get back from the gym and talk about all the women there and what they are doing and how great they look and blah blah blah...

But, be prepared, it's winter so grab extra blankets for the dog house. :p

Don't do that. This will really piss her off. It might also intimidate her so badly, that she won't ever go with you.

When I started out at the gym, I trained with my hubby. It felt less intimidating to have him with me in the free weight section. Going it alone at the start would have never happened for me. She can start with a simple circuit training routine if she wants. That will at least warm her up. Then for cardio, do it together.

You could also be EVIL and get back from the gym and talk about all the women there and what they are doing and how great they look and blah blah blah...

But, be prepared, it's winter so grab extra blankets for the dog house. :p

Agreed! I was joking about that one. :p Most likely she will let you know when she wants to, if ever. Be very careful with pushing her, because she will get the wrong idea about what you are saying.

:D Figured that you must be kidding... or you must really spend A LOT of time in the dog house for certain. :p

Agreed! I was joking about that one. :p Most likely she will let you know when she wants to, if ever. Be very careful with pushing her, because she will get the wrong idea about what you are saying.

Its not that it isnt a priority, I just figured women might have a different type of worktout as opposed to men.. not everything is always equal ya know. :p

The goals she wants to accomplish is to lose fat first and then tone up her body. I appreciate your advice guava and she is very motivated. Shes just shy when it comes to posting things on the internet. So I took the liberty upon myself that I would do it for her.

I guess she can just use my workout routine eh..

adam

What's your workout? Depending on how advanced it is, you may want to have her start w/ something more basic.

Monday
Legs Workout
Barbell Squats 3 x 6-10
Stright Leg Deadlift 3 x 6-10
Dumbbell Lung 3 x 6-10
Leg Extension 3 x 6-10
Lying Leg Curl 3 x 6-10
Standing Calf Raise 3 x 6-10
Interval Cardio 25 minutes

Tuesday
Steady pace Cardio 40 minutes, Abs

Wednesday
Push Workout
DB Bench Press 3 x 6-10
Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 6-10
Seated Dumbbell Press 3 x 6-10
Lateral delt raises 3 x 6-10
Dips 3 x 6-10
Interval Cardio 25 minutes

Thursday
Rest

Friday
Pull Workout
Pulldown to Front 3 x 6-10
Bent-Over Barbell Row 3 x 6-10
Seated Cable Row 3 x 6-10
DB shurgs 3 x 6-10
Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 x 6-10
Interval Cardio 25 minutes

Saturday
Steady pace Cardio 40 minutes, Abs

Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.
Increas Cardio 5 min every two weeks


This is what I'm working on.

Adam

Why not start her with something shorter and easier to begin with? That's a ton of work for somebody who is just starting.

Have her do this for 3 or 4 weeks and focus strictly on form and learning how much weight her body can safely handle:
Sets: 2 x 12, Rest: 1 min between sets
Warmup: 1 set of 6 at 1/2 working weight per exercise

Day 1 (Legs, Abs):
Full Squat
Stiff-Legged Deadlift
Calf-Press
Stability Ball Crunch

Day 2 (Back, Biceps):
Deadlift
Rows
Pull-down (or Assisted Pullup)
Curls

Day 3 (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps):
Bench Press
Bench Dips (or Assisted Dips)
Shoulder Press
Tricep Pushdown

After 3 or 4 weeks, move her up to 3 x 10 or 3 x 8. She can finish this up w/ cardio of her choice if you are still working out.

I really appreciate that fisher.. thanks! :cool:

Adam

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. :tu:

It's too bad we all misunderstood you.

Your routine would work fine for your girlfriend in time. For a beginner, you could make some modifications. Too bad we didn't start from here on making recommendations.

#1 - squats are a little intimidating, so have her try them out, but if she doesn't like them, dumbbell squats could be a better option. Then again, maybe it's just me that doesn't like squats. :p

I like the idea of 2x12 sets (on a weight that she will not quite fail at) for a month or so. That would echo how I started out.

I don't see a need to change the exercises, other than dropping the cardio on weight days.

dropping cardio to what.. do you sugggest?

ADam

Cardio is not necessary on lifting days. On non-lifting days, do 20 to 25 minutes of HIIT or 35 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity cardio.

Cardio is not necessary on lifting days. On non-lifting days, do 20 to 25 minutes of HIIT or 35 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity cardio.

hmm, whoa... i didnt know that. shouldnt it be necessary to promote fat loss?

ADam

hmm, whoa... i didnt know that. shouldnt it be necessary to promote fat loss?

ADam

That might depend on how much fat a person has to lose, what their current fitness level is, and if they've been working out regularly for a while.

Body for Life states that you can get fantastic results with just 60 minutes of HIIT cardio a week. Hussman.org, a site that covers a lot of Body for Life information in more detail, mentions that many of the BFL champs who had more fat to lose did extra cardio above and beyond the three 20 minute HIIT sessions recommended in the book. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle says that individuals with endomorphic body types should do six or seven 30-45 minute cardio sessions a week until they reach their desired level of body fat and then cut back to 3 moderate sessions a week. Leanness Lifestyle flat out says that women need to do more cardio than men to lose the same amount of fat and get really lean--240-360 minutes a week.

If your girlfriend hasn't been working out regularly, she could see very decent fat loss with just the BFL 20 minute HIIT three times a week. It's an easily digestible amount of cardio for a beginner and will keep her from feeling burned out early. If you can get results with just 60 minutes a week, why do more? :) Of course, if she's been a cardio bunny for years, runs marathons for fun, or eventually stops getting noticeable results from that amount of cardio, she always has the option to step it up a bit.

I did just 60 minutes of HIIT a week for 12 weeks and still dropped fat. I only added in more cardio when I plateaued.

Maggie

In theory, with the right lifting routine, you don't have to do any cardio. Lifting actually burns more calories than cardio. But, cardio has other benefits that you don't want to neglect (heart, lungs, etc).

I've been doing a slightly modified version of a routine called "Ripped, Rugged, and Dense 2.0" and it has no cardio. I have had great strength gains and good fat loss with it. You can search for it on google if you'd like. It only takes 20 - 30 mins/day. I substituted Bent-over rows for Curls to balance it more.

I'm just starting to add 15 mins of HIIT back in afterwards to see if it will further boost my fat loss.

She is currently doing 60 mins of HIIT a week so its great! Thanks for the advice.

Adam