Seven Workouts To Try To Get You Going

My series on health, fitness, and healthier living continues. Often we find ourselves not sure what to do or what to work on in the gym. There's more than simply walking on the treadmill for an hour, doing 100 situps and pushups, and getting on the bench press.  You should try to work the entire body through the week if possible, and concentrate on certain areas that need the most attention. 

Now many of these workouts are most effective with proper diet and water. However, they will all give you a jumping point.

1. 2 on, 2 off.

I learned this years ago from my former trainer. Stay on the treadmill for about 10-15 minutes. Walk for two minutes, run for two minutes, and then repeat.  You can adjust according to your strength level. 

2. Eight sets of everything

You may be working chests and arms, or simply legs. Try working a favorable weight, but doing three sets of eight on every machine. I often do fifteen, but I have started at eight.

3. HIIT/circuit stuff

This high intensity interval training includes sets and intervals of squats, lunges, burpees, planks, and even sprints and suicides. These have been shown and proven to boost the heart rate and burn more calories and fat. 

4. Classes

Don't underestimate a good class. Many are already included in your gym membership so take advantage. ZUMBA, Insanity, Body Pump, spin, MMA, etc. My gym, Anytime Fitness, even has Fitness On Demand, where you can choose a specific class, and watch and workout with it on a large projection screen

5. 20/20/20

On an all-cardio day, this is very effective.  20 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the bike, and 20 minutes on the stairmaster. You can sub in any cardio exercise. But pick three and do each for 20 minutes/piece.

6. Sports

Engaging in a sport such as basketball or racquetball can get the heart pumping.  Full court basketball is particularly always good cardio, arm and leg workouts.

7. Abs

Working abs is the toughest and often the last body part to get fully sculpted. It relies heavily on your diet, rather than your workouts. However, there are many ways other than sit ups to work these. I mentioned planks earlier.  There are also several ab machines, bicycles, sprints, jumping up and down, and the ab roller for instance.

Hope these help in your fitness journey!