EXERCISE PLAN~
Monday thru Saturday: 30-60 min Cardio
Tues, Thurs, Sat, (or Mon, Wed, Fri) Weights, upper AND lower body
That's it! Pretty simple, right!? Just an FYI, my weightlifting workout of choice is...are you ready...
BODY FOR LIFE, by Bill Phillips (no relation to my son-in-law) :) Check it out at the library.
His work-out routine consists of cardio 3 days a week and alternating upper and lower body 3 days a week. He has an EXCELLENT program and you will see results REALLY fast!
I have tweaked his program a bit to not only work my muscles more (we lose 1/4 lb. of muscle every year once we hit 40...SAD!) but to get the cardio suggested for Cholesterol lowering.
Body For Life weight lifting is a pyramid system. For example, if I want to work out my biceps, this would be my work-out for them:
BICEP CURL
12 reps 8-lbs
10 reps 10-lbs
8 reps 12-lbs.
6 reps 15-lbs
Rest 1 min. between reps. I like to work a different muscle group while waiting my minute for biceps.
THEN DO:
12 reps 12-lbs THEN GO RIGHT INTO A COMPLIMENTARY LIFT~
I do 12 reps 12-lbs of a HAMMER CURL.
That's it. Easy. Fast. you see results FAST!
Bill chooses to work upper body one day, lower body two days later, then upper body again 2 days after that. The following week he will switch and do two lower and one upper. I've done his program off and on for years now. I choose to do both upper AND lower body 3 times a week on the SAME day. My time at the gym is a little bit longer on weight lifting days, but, it's SO worth the results!
The thing that's great about his program, you can get as buff as you want and results are easy to maintain. You can lessen your weightlifting days to 2 days a week once you're where you want to be. I have stayed at my weight amount for awhile now. I choose to be firm and not buff. However, women, just so you know, you CANNOT get ripped like a guy...NO WAY...unless you take steroids. Our bodies are NOT built like theirs. I promise you your body will be leaner and more fit, NOT a Hulk body~ :)
As far as cardio, in Body For Life he chooses to do 20 minutes of cardio. 1 min at a '10', one minute at a '3', one minute at a '10', etc. In other words, it's like circuit training. You get REALLY tired and burn a LOT of fat. I am choosing to do high cardio for 30 to 60 min to get that cholesterol out of my body and burn more fat for longer. Not sure if it will work but that is what's recommended.
That's it. I could write a LOT more about exercise, the benefits, all the reasons, pros and cons, but this is what I'm doing for this particular problem. Please let me know if you have questions and I'll do my best to answer them. I know a lot from my own experiences and research and I will gladly share!!
Happy Exercising! :)
I did this program. I worked my butt off, I walked out to the gym EVERY DAY with shaky legs because I was so exhausted. I only gained 4% muscle. I was devastated! Try garlic for your cholesterol. THAT really does does work!! Good luck on your quest!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the garlic tip. I've added it to breakfast, too! You added 4% muscle...let's see, if you weigh 110 lbs, that's 4.4 lbs of muscle that replaced fat!! That's actually awesome!! Did you know that for every pound of muscle you add to your body you burn an additional 35-50 calories a day! so, let's do the math...if you gain 4 lbs of muscle, 4X35 (we'll do the smaller amount) that's an extra 140 calories a day you burn by not doing anything extra!!! Pretty impressive, no? :) Also, a pound of muscle versus a pound of fat on your body...which one do you think takes up more space? You're correct, the fat. You can gain 4 lbs muscle, lose 4 lbs of fat, your weight stays the same, but you're smaller. Just a thought!
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