My gf knows I am into weight lifting so she asked me if I could make her a plan. And while I think I know how to help someone to gain mass and such, I am not sure how to help her out.
She wants to lose maybe 10 pounds, “tone” up, blah blah stuff like that
I feel like compound exercises like Squats, DLs, DB presses, and rows would probably be a good plan. Add in 30 mins of cardio and I think its not bad.
Also I know diet is a key part as well. And further more, she is super busy so can probably only make it to the gym about 3 days a week max.
So, maybe:
Monday:
A. Squats 3x10
B. Seated Row 3x10
C. Lat Pulldown 3x10
30 mins cardio
Wed:
A. Stand DLs 3x10
B. Hamstring Curl 3x10
C. Standing BB Curl 3x10
30 mins cardio
Friday:
A. Decline DB Press 3x10
B. Upright Row 3x10
C. Tricep Pushdown 3x10
D. Crunches 3x10
30 mins cardio
Fruit and vegetables with every meal, carbs only after workouts, and drink lots of water and maybe green tea.
You might want to add an overhead press, maybe Monday or Wednesday. Ideally get at least a push, a pull and a leg exercise each workout. Lunges are a good exercise for Fridays.
You could move the tricep pushdown from Friday to Monday or add dips as your push exercise.
As long as the total workout isn’t much more than an hour it’s not bad. If you were doing 20 sets a day it would be too much. If you feel ambitious try her on sprints or Tabatas.
High intensity cardio is too much pain for someone you are trying to encourage into the lifestyle. It’s just something to work towards. It’s more effective than regular cardio but it’s hard.
With a short program like yours, I think it will take 30-40 minutes, you can do 20-30 min cardio after with no ill affects. You should keep it simple for a while.
My wife wants to lift for 20 minutes a session 3x a week. This is what I have for her. I like to keep her in the 8-12 rep range increasing a rep or two a week until she hits 12 to 15 reps and then adding weight and starting back at 8 reps.
Saturday:
Incline Press - 2 x 10
Tricep push downs- 2 x 10
Push Press - 2 x 10
Incline Bicep curl - 2 x 10
Sunday:
Squats - 2 x 10
Leg curl - 2 x 10
Walking Lunges - 2 x 10
Calf Raises - 2 x 10
Wednesday:
Hyperextensions - 2 x 10
Rack Cleans - 2 x 10
1 Arm DB Row - 2 x 10
V ups - Max reps. 2 x 30 seconds
Her favorite exercise is the push press. I figure since she’s only willing to put in 20 minutes, I need to use compound/olympic types of lifts.
I had my wife doing upright rows but then I read on here that they were risky to shoulder injury.
My wife does 20 minutes of moderate cardio every morning and 20 minutes of moderate cardio in the evening on days she’s not lifting.
A little advice on the diet: My g/f responded best when I wrote an exact menu and grocery list for her. Too many choices is just confusing, whereas a written menu is a challenge.
Most guys do just fine with general sweeping comments like “no carbs after 5 pm” but some girls might not even know which foods contain carbs! The menu works best for me and mine.
Most guys do just fine with general sweeping comments like “no carbs after 5 pm” but some girls might not even know which foods contain carbs! The menu works best for me and mine.
-Sab[/quote]
That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I know many guys who don’t know what is in a food item (protein, carbs, fat), and I don’t think the female writers/coaches on the MWA site would appreciate that comment.
Most guys do just fine with general sweeping comments like “no carbs after 5 pm” but some girls might not even know which foods contain carbs! The menu works best for me and mine.
-Sab
That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I know many guys who don’t know what is in a food item (protein, carbs, fat), and I don’t think the female writers/coaches on the MWA site would appreciate that comment.
[sarcasm] Guys is smrt! Girlz is dumm! [/sarcasm]
[/quote]
Hey some girls may not know. Just like some guys may not. Everyone is a winner here.