The Student Room Group

For the Girls - Toning, Diet and Excercise a very basic guide - Please read!!

Scroll to see replies

Reply 760
Kettlebells are good
Reply 761
Original post by Colour Me Pretty
Thaaanks! I started doing that yesterday and I am definitely aching today!

Also, what does everyone think about kettlebells? I'm thinking of doing a kettlebell circuit my personal trainer devised for me about three times a week, and then cardio twice a week ( I am sorry, but I love cardio sessions).


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App


You don't need to be sorry for liking cardio, just understand it generally isn't the best way to achieve a "good" physique.
Kettlebells are great, you can use them for both strength and conditioning. I try and do 2 sessions with swings a week, don't always fit it in, but I enjoy it when I do. Versatile piece of equipment!
Reply 762
I'm facing kinda the same problem now.... I hav a limited 2 hrs in wich I can either do a proper cardio workout or I could do a lot of swimming!!! SO I basically just do half the workout and the other half swimming... although i would srsly recommend swimming for weight loss!! :biggrin:
can anyone advise what i should be eating and when before working out? i've started to go to the gym mid-morning and am struggling to figure out when to eat and what to eat pre-workout.

i prefer to hit the gym asap after waking up, but i personally can't exercise on an empty stomach. i always used to exercise a few hours after a big lunch or early dinner and that worked fine, but i want to work out in the morning. i tend to favour small, low carb breakfasts and it doesn't seem to be enough; today i couldn't finish all my regular cardio. what's the optimum breakfast before a workout and when should i eat pre-workout? for reference, i'm doing 45-50 mins of cardio with a few light weights and aiming for weight/fat loss.
Reply 764
A banana? And do heavy (relative) weights or you'll waste a lot of muscle, especially in the morning.
Original post by tooosh
A banana? And do heavy (relative) weights or you'll waste a lot of muscle, especially in the morning.


unfortunately i'm restricted to light weights, at least for the time being (joint conditions - i have to be careful not to cause further damage and disrupt recovery, but i'm hoping to very gradually increase over time). is there anything else i can do to avoid wasting muscle? :/
Reply 766
Original post by Pippaaa
unfortunately i'm restricted to light weights, at least for the time being (joint conditions - i have to be careful not to cause further damage and disrupt recovery, but i'm hoping to very gradually increase over time). is there anything else i can do to avoid wasting muscle? :/


High protein and not working out in the morning would help. You might find that you don't lose that much muscle anyway but if you work out in the morning, I would try and get a decent breakfast (complex carbs) and work out an hour later maybe.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by tooosh
A banana? And do heavy (relative) weights or you'll waste a lot of muscle, especially in the morning.



Original post by tooosh
High protein and not working out in the morning would help. You might find that you don't lose that much muscle anyway but if you work out in the morning, I would try and get a decent breakfast (complex carbs) and work out an hour later maybe.


What's wrong with working out in the morning?
Reply 768
Get up have protein shake and fruit juice, then have cereal...lots of it. Wait about 45mins, then have caffeine, BCAA's and chocolate, go the the gym. After have more chocolate and a protein shake soon after...have lunch(plenty of carbs) about an hour to 90 mins after.

That was my routine. I care more about performance though and recovering.

If you carb load before and after training it should mean you get a good session and then can have minimal carbs for the rest of the day, so basically go keto for your next 2 meals. I don't do that, but you can.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 769
For my way, you could swap chocolate with fruit. Just depends what your genetics are like.
Reply 770
Original post by Scoobiedoobiedo
What's wrong with working out in the morning?


You wake up in a catabolic state. Eating a bit and waiting an hour helps a lot, though the hour bit is broscience - it just feels better after about an hour.
Reply 771
Ive been going to the gym pretty much everyday and eating healthy as i can for about 1-2 months now and not lost ANY weight.
I usually spend an hour in the gym including using the treadmill, bike, cross trainer and cross ramp.
Im thinking about going swimming..has anyone had any success losing weight from swimming? i would feel like a whale going!! also how long/lengths is recomended
Reply 772
If you're eating healthily and going to the gym pretty much every day and not losing weight, you're doing it wrong. Face up that you're probably not doing quite as good healthy easting as you can. Swimming will help but most people lose weight far more effectively through diet, not exercise, so it probably isn't going to make a difference.
Sort your diet out, that's why you're not losing weight. Exercise is always a good option for helping with weight loss, however it's not going to do it by itself if you're eating more calories than you're burning off, which is apparently what's happening, what do you eat?
Swimming is great for weight loss, but it's important to perform at a high enough intensity and not swim to casually.
You need to confess to probably eating more than you burn. Simple.
Reply 776
Original post by beth-93x
Ive been going to the gym pretty much everyday and eating healthy as i can for about 1-2 months now and not lost ANY weight.
I usually spend an hour in the gym including using the treadmill, bike, cross trainer and cross ramp.
Im thinking about going swimming..has anyone had any success losing weight from swimming? i would feel like a whale going!! also how long/lengths is recomended


Calories in VS Calories burnt. End of story. Lift weights and on the nutrition side EAT AT A DEFICIT. People overcomplicate the way to lose weight, styles etc. No. Just make sure you're in a caloric deficit. END OF STORY.
Reply 777
if ur using the treadmill in gym n still not losing weight then it means that ur not using tht for enough time. give about 35-45 mins to treadmill. secondly, take swimming as a supplemen to ur weight loss program. these two activities combinely will help u achieve ur objective


Hope it helps!
Reply 778
eat a baked potato.it will give u instant energy as potato is rich in carbohydrates!
Hi. :smile:

So, I am 100% a novice when it comes to weights. I do cardio about four or five times a week, was training for a half marathon just before uni starts then discovered it's yet another thing I can't do until I'm 18 (I despise being 17, I truly do). Started doing it just to get my heart healthier really, but it's really fun. :biggrin: Either way, I'll think of something else to train for, I figured that doing weights will help me with my running, but I need advice. I have no idea what any of the exercises are or how to do them, what weight I should be lifting, how many reps, I know none of it. Can anyone give me advice/give me the links to some websites that I might be able to look at? Also, any guidance about core strength exercises would be fantastic. :biggrin: Mostly it's to help me build up strength in my legs and things, but getting rid of some fat wouldn't hurt either. :lol:
(edited 11 years ago)

Quick Reply

Latest