I have decided that not using the gym in the basement at work is to stop, and I need to get some exercise in more regularly than my two rides a week.

I don’t want to spend long in there 45 minutes or so, 15 cardio, the rest weights.

I walk around 6-8km a day at work during a normal day, long corridors.

I went tonight – had a session on the cross trainer for 15 before bored, some squats, back exercises and then went home.

What does the hive mind suggest as a sensible routine say 2 to 3 times per week.

Objective is to be able to build some leg muscle to get a KOM

5×5 squats three times a week.

The Starting Strength book is a good shout.
There is a lot of knowledge in that book.

What kit does your gym have?

Stronglifts 5×5?

I’ve written up the basic outline of what I do at the gym in a similar amount of time. This does required a barbell, free weights and a squat rack though, something a lot of gyms don’t have. Doing a lot of machine assisted lifts isn’t going to be as effective as getting under a heavy barbell though.

You can use a little bit of time at the start to work on any niggling mobility work, rolling, etc, make it a part of your routine to feel slow but steady improvement.

Start with 5 minutes of warmup depending on what major muscle groups you’re working out. Get in a little bit of skipping/jogging on the spot/star jumps/whatever. Then light weights for specific movements, think squats/presses/swings/push ups/high pull deadlifts etc.

Then spend 20-30 minutes on weights – think squat/deadlift/bench/overhead press/row. Cleans, jerks, and snatches are more fun but the time taken to learn and perfect the form required will work against you. A lot of people use something like the classic stronglifts 5×5. Some people will mix it up, do 5-4-3-2-1. Or 5×10. It depends on your goals, and how quickly you get bored. Take time to rest in between each set, 3-5 minutes.

Then use your last 10-15 minutes as a HIIT cardio session. None of this sit on one machine at a steady pace type stuff. There are so many options here that you can build whatever type of workout you want, but make sure you’re doing it at as hard an intensity as you can sustain. Don’t think that every workout has to be a solid 15 minutes of work. Sometimes you could do a ultra fast tabata workout of push ups and pull ups. Maybe another day it’s box jumps, kettlebell swings, and double unders, with a minute rest in between each set. Be sensible, plan your workouts well. (Ie. don’t do heavy squats and deadlifts then a workout of more squats and lunges.)

After that’s done, you can maybe fit in a little bit of core work, arch + hollow holds, weighted sit ups, or maybe even something like l-sits, tricep dips, etc. That’s a bit more optional, some days you’ll be just too ruined to get into it.

Then stretch off, don’t skip or rush this. Work on glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, and especially any muscle groups that you’ve worked hard on that day.

This is not in any way meant to be an ultimate guide. Some people will suggest doing a 45 minute only weights session. Others might say use light weights, focus on strength endurance, do a mix of short fast stuff and longer endurance workouts. It ultimately comes down to your goals, what strengths and more importantly, weaknesses, that you want to work on in these sessions. There are a million different ways you can work out, it’s up to you to find out what works for you to get closer to your goals.

One of my favourite lifts is the deadlift. It makes you feel great afterwards and it trains a lot of muscles, all in ine exercise.

Have you thought about some circuit training or plyometric work, much more engaging than lifting bits of metal up and down.

Have you thought about some circuit training or plyometric work, much more engaging than lifting bits of metal up and down.

That’s a matter of personal opinion. I love lifting bits of metal up and down and have no interest in circuits.

I find that its better if I go before work than after work. Hard to get motivated to go instead of going straight home.

Is there a concept 2 rowing machine in your gym ?

I get in the gym at 6.20am 3 times a week.

I find that i have way more energy first thing than after a day of graft.

I have been doing one Leg, one “pull” and one “push” workout per week for the last few months and have gotten great results. Mostly compound movements (Bench press, squats, rows etc)
3-4 exercises per workout.
Rep ranges are in the 5-10 range.
Sets are 5-6.

As progress has inevitably slowed, I have swapped to full body workouts for November.
3 exercises per session.
All compound movements.
Same reps and sets.

Don’t really do cardio indoors apart from the occasional 2000m row for time or interval session.

I generally do three compound movements each session and train 5 days a week.

Each session has:

1. Squat / Deadlift.
2. Overhead exercise (push / press / jerk)
3. Explosive power exercise (Snatch or Clean)

I do 3-4 Squat sessions a week, varying between Front Squat and Over head squat, and 1-2 Deadlift sessions.

So what do people recommend for a fitness gym?

The one I’ve just joined is mainly Technogym weights machines, cross trainers, concept 2 rowers. That sort of thing. They have a dumb-bells area, but not free weights for squats etc like above.

The machines are perversely designed to minimise any benefit, but they look expensive so people like to see them in ‘posh’ gyms. Generally a complete waste of time.

Free weights only, mainly compound exercises with a barbell.

That’s a matter of personal opinion. I love lifting bits of metal up and down and have no interest in circuits.

Same. Anyone who gets bored lifting weights is doing it wrong, or just not testing themselves enough.

It all depends on you’re objectives.

Weight loss and a bit more muscle – no interest in becoming the next Arnie!

Weight loss and a bit more muscle

You don’t have to just lift heavy all the time. Your compound is heavy then onto support exercises at a medium weight. It’s about strength as opposed to size in my opinion.

Personally I’d rather lift weights and finish on intervals than pretty much any form of exercise. Although tonight I’ll do circuits because I like a bit of variety in the week.

New job in the new year, so new gym and new schedule, really want to keep going on the lifts I’ve been getting into though as I’m starting to see lots of differences in arms, shoulders and legs, just not the stomach as I eat and drink too much!

Objective is to be able to build some leg muscle to get a KOM

Weights probably aren’t going to help a lot.

Riding a bike in various different ways (constant, sprints, intervals, whatever) might.

IMO

etc.

However if you do want to do some weights, get the starting strength book.

It’s about strength as opposed to size in my opinion

You only get strength gains (myofibrillar hypertrophy) from lifting heavy (normally in the rep range 1-5). For maximal sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (size) you use higher reps than you’d use for strength training (typically 6-12).

The strong lifts 5×5 program, which is very popular, is a half way house between the two – at the upper end of reps for maximal strength and at the lower end for maximal size gains.

No matter what rep / weight range you only gain significant muscle mass if you eat a lot. They always say Body Building is 40% weights and 60% food (and a shit load of drugs).

Good solid exercise/spin bike, five minute gentle increasing warm up just to get everything limbered up and all your knees and ankles lined up. Then 20 seconds of absolute blast, save nothing for afterwards, aim to black out if you can manage it, recover for a minute and ten seconds(makes keeping time easier on the stopwatch), back to 20 second blast, 1:10 recovery, 5 blasts total, then spin gently to recover. If you’re fit already you can swap the 1:10s for 40s.

Strength training:
3×20 push ups
3×20 crunch/leg raise
3×10 pull ups
3×10 lunge walky things
3×12 squats
2×10 dips
3×10 burpees or box jumps
2×15 that twist thing where you move a medicine ball/weight/bag from one side to the other

And stretch.

If I only had 45 minutes, then I would absolutely not be doing any steady state cardio.

Biggest bang for your buck, as has been said above, is big compound movements with a linear progression when it comes to adding weight.

Whether you want to do Starting Strength, 5×5, Wendler 531, Candito, etc, etc, is up to you.

Stick a few metcons, or finishers on the end, to get a bit of conditioning in. Fast, intense, brutal. No messing around.

When you’ve got up to a reasonable strength level, let’s say 1.75xBody Weight deadlift/squat, 1.25xBW Bench, you will know a lot more about your body, what it likes, and what’s good for it, what you enjoy.

For example you might want to stay on the powerlifting stuff for pure strength, it might be more bodybuilding and working on the gunz, it might even be getting super lean.

First steps first though. Get a basic level of strength. Everything is far easier then.

For example I set myself a challenge to bench three plates each side. Made it last week so chuffed. Feeling strong, but a little beaten up in the shoulders so going for a couple of cycles of volume dumbbell bodybuilding. After that? Who knows. It’s fun playing around.

Like most of other posts I would recommend some sort of variant of starting strength, stronglifts 5×5 etc etc.

However when the weights start to get heavy and you increase your rest periods I guarantee you will be in there longer than 45 mins. I was doing 5 min rests a few months ago when I got upto 110kg squat. That’s 20 mins rest per work set. Not including warm up sets.

Do it. It’s great.

KOM bit was tongue in cheek.’

Beginning of the day has never worked for me, I hate it, I prefer to have a coffee and a poo.

I used to go the gym everyday, be there for a couple of hours and love it, then life got busy. Only thing that I didn’t enjoy was reaching a limit that I couldn’t get past, plateuing, could never find a way around it.

Gym is pretty basic. Have a squat rack, and free weights, with a very basic machine and a cross trainer, few medicine balls. Think American Prison Movie style rather than post London.

Sounds perfect!

I’ve just moved, and so had to spend time finding the closest spit and sawdust gym.

Anything with iron, pit, power, etc,in th name normally does the trick!

I enjoy a good kettlebell session personally, combines strength and cardio in the same workout.

I have a 20 or so min workout “designed” by the coach at the local gym. Kettlebell to start with, then about 5 sets of weights on various groups (mostly upper body), then some generic core stuff on the floor.

However when the weights start to get heavy and you increase your rest periods I guarantee you will be in there longer than 45 mins.

Normally takes me just over an hour to do three exercises (roughly 5 sets of each, all depends how I feel). My rest period between heavy sets is 2 mins (warm up sets much less). Probably spend 10 mins stretching / barbell drills to get range of motion before lifting anything heavy.

On Sunday am I go to a local Weight lifting club session, which is nearly two hours with maxing out at three different lift complexes. I normally have to go to sleep on the sofa for 2 hours after that as it completely drains me.

There is an app for starting strength, 3 quid, it’s ok.

I would keep it very simpl and wouldn’t bother with cardio just a warm up if you are already cycling and walking a lot.

Strength wise

5×5 with 2mins rest between sets

Deadlift (king of lifts)
Squat
Pull ups (obviously increasing reps as you improve might be just 1 rep to begin with
Bench press
Shoulder press

You wouldn’t end up like Arnie unless you completely change you diet and lifestyle

Are there no pubs near work?

When you say heavy – how heavy ?

1.5 x body weight.

When you say heavy – how heavy ?

Most men should be able to achieve:

For Men:
Push
Expected = Bodyweight bench press
Game-changer = Bodyweight bench press for 15 reps
Pull
Expected = 5 pullups
Game-changer = 15 pullups
Hinge
Expected = Bodyweight to 150% bodyweight deadlift
Game-changer = Double-bodyweight deadlift
Squat
Expected = Bodyweight squat
Game-changer = Bodyweight squat for 15 reps
Loaded Carry
Expected = Farmer walk with total bodyweight (half per hand)
Game-changer =Bodyweight per hand
Getup
One left and right, done with a half-filled cup of water

From Dan John http://danjohn.net/2013/04/strength-standards-sleepless-in-seattle/

Objective is to be able to build some leg muscle to get a KOM

I’d suggest turbo and diet to loose a few kg. Improve your power to weight ratio to go faster.

Gym is good for strengthing the rest of the body. Legs as above but turbo would build quicker better

I use the gym but 90% of time is spent in saddle road MTB/intervals/tempo etc turbo. I use the gym to strengthen the rest of my body to balance the legs.

45mins – hour is all thats needed in the gym and Id recommend 2 – 3 days between each session. Allow body to recover and adapt

For strength 70 – 80% body weight reps 6 x 6 or 8 x 8