Help me not mess up my exercise routine, please?

[Horsedog]

A few thoughts, depending on what you want to get out of your training:

The rep ranges you gave (x15) aren't optimal for strength training, they are good for muscular endurance. Muscular strength training is best done in the 3-8 rep range. I like 5. Also, you can increase the number of sets of each to 3 (or even 5, since the more repetitions of each movement you do, the faster you can learn that movement). So, instead of doing 2x15x10 lbs for shoulder presses, you could do 5x5x15 lbs. Again, that's for muscular strength training.

Focus on the big compound movements: shoulder press, bench press, squats, deadlifts, row. Even though you are getting lots of leg exercise already, what you're doing (walking, running, cycling) is best for endurance, not strength. If you want to increase strength, you have to add resistance exercises. The rest of your exercises (side raises, bicep curls, tricep extensions, etc.) are good supplementary exercises, but they work more isolated muscles instead of lots of muscles at once and take valuable gym time away from the big lifts. I'm not saying don't do them, but do the big lifts first. Then, if time permits, do the others.

Also, since you like the free weights better anyway, use them exclusively. It's nice that the trainer is giving you instructions on the machines, but you'd be better served by learning to use the barbells as quickly as possible since you want to do strength training anyway.

You don't need to work up to this, either, you can start this right off the bat. If you're interested in strength training, I highly, highly, highly (highly) recommend reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. It explains each of the big compound lifts really well, and includes a routine specifically for beginners.

Edit - Starting Strength is a good instructional document on how to perform the lifts, but is not the be-all-and-end-all. I love it...but I pretty much ignore the nutritional info because it doesn't align with my current goals (primarily, losing body fat).

[Caitriona]

Just ordered the Kindle edition of Starting Strength, thanks for the recommendation. =)

I had a feeling I was doing too many reps at with low weights. I'm kind of still glad to hear that they're good supplementary exercises, because I do enjoy them, feel them in my arms, and muscle endurance isn't the worst thing for me to build. =)

I guess when I go back for my second session with the trainer, I'll ask him to give me an intro to actual heavy lifting. I don't blame him for showing me what he did, since that's what most people seem to want out of a gym, and like I said... I probably wasn't very clear on what I wanted to do (mostly because I lack the vocabulary to even explain what I want. Your advice really helps, as will the book, I'm sure.

Will doing things like squats sufficiently engage my leg muscles, or should I add leg machines? (I'm guessing the former?)

Will my bike intervals work mostly on endurance rather than strength if I do them at a not very fast pace and at a high resistance? Just curious, since that's how I do them and I guess I should learn the effects of what I'm doing, heh.

I hope I'm not asking too many question, since you're now about the only person who's still replying. =D

[Kristen]

Muscular endurance is definitely not a bad thing. I would advise building both strength and endurance, it's good to be well rounded, but ultimately your goals are up to you! No matter what you choose, start with one program or another and stick with it for a couple months before trying to mess with it or do too much at once. I've burned out in the past trying to accomplish too many goals simultaneously.

Personally, I'm training for a military fitness test, so endurance is my current goal. I do a ton of pushups, crossfit-type circuits, running, and I love that kind of workout. But I also want to get stronger, and I'm going to start one of the beginner programs (Starting Strength or Stronglifts) as soon as I meet my current goals and can maintain them. So you can (and imo should) do both, but focus on one goal at a time.

As someone new to lifting weights, even with the lower weight and high reps, you WILL build a lot of strength initially, but your progress will level off pretty quickly. Even bodyweight exercises will get you stronger. I'm a huge fan of pushups and pullups. So you can start that way, if you like it, and then switch to a different type of program or add the big lifts and keep doing the smaller ones. Experiment, and do whatever works for you.

YES!!! Squats will work your legs (and your core) better than any other movement. You don't need to supplement squats with anything else, it is one of the best full body exercises out there, whether you have a bar on your back or just your bodyweight. Plus, a properly executed squat engages all of your leg muscles, so you don't run the risk of over/under developing certain muscles as with other exercises. Yes, do squats! Do lots!

As for biking, that's endurance. But again, if it's a new exercise to you, you'll get significantly stronger at first, but there's a limit to that progress.

[Horsedog]

Enjoy the book! I agree with Kristen, squats are king and do not need to be supplemented with any other leg exercise And yes, the bike is endurance training.

Kristen is also right about the strength building during endurance-oriented exercises - since you are a beginner, you will build strength no matter what. All I'm saying is that endurance-oriented exercises (or set/rep ranges) aren't optimal for strength building purposes. You will make faster strength gains by lifting in the 3-8 rep range for 3-5 sets.

One last thing that I'm correcting in my own program right now (Starting Strength) - do NOT start too heavy. I really struggled with the linear progression (adding weight to the bar every workout) because I started too close to my 5 RM (5RM = the maximum I could lift for 5 reps). Also, since your primary goal is fat loss (as mine is), the linear progression advocated by Starting Strength is also difficult. The Starting Strength program is designed for people who want to add strength (and therefore, muscle) at a fairly fast clip. Your body's just not going to allow for that if you are running a caloric deficit. So, you will definitely get stronger, and you'll build some muscle (and lose fat), but not at the rate Starting Strength was designed to deliver

Good luck! Let us know how the next session with the trainer goes!