How to use a gym?

[Deefstes]

OK, so our company has a nice little gym that I'm free to avail of. But I've spent very little time in a gym in my life and, to be honest, I don't actually know how to train in a gym. Anyone care to give me some pointers?

It's not a big gym but it does have a cycling machine, rowing machine, treadmill, an assortment of weights and mats as well as a big machine with lots of levers and pullies and stacked weights with which you can do stuff like bench presses, arm excercises and heaven knows what else.

So yesterday afternoon I embarked on the first of (what I'm hoping will become) my regular visits to the gym. I sat down on the rowing machine and got going. I decided to do 5min or 1km and as I got into the swing I realised that I might just be able to do exactly 1km in 5min so I put in some extra effort to achieve that. So I did, but after that I was well and truly spent and so came to an end the first of my gym sessions. What a loser. It became immediately clear that I'm very unfit and that I know squat about exercise - so I decided to turn to the experts at SB.

So could someone offer some advice perhaps on how to rather go about it in future? I will probably only be able to spend time in this gym twice or perhaps 3 times a week but I'd like to make it count. Help me please?

 

[fairybasslet]

OK. First off, 5 minutes of strenuous cardio for someone who has basically never done any of that before is fantastic. I think you were smart to stop at 5. Most people push themselves too hard the first time, get really sore and discouraged, and quit. It's best to start slowly. When I first joined my gym, I was lucky to get to 5 minutes on the elliptical.

It is probably best to vary your cardio workouts. rowinng..running. elliptical...etc so your body doesn't get too used to it and starts running on memory. I basically stick to the elliptical or swimming because that is better for my knees, but sometimes I do intervals, random or other variations. Another benefit to mixing it up is you are less likely to get a repetitive use injury, and it keeps your workout from getting boring.

As far as weights and machines go, if you can, I would hire a personal trainer to show you how to lift or use the machines. It it worse to be doing an exercise wrong, opening yourself up to injury, than not doing them at all. Sometimes machines have pictures on them of how to do them, but unless someone is watching you, it's hard to know if you are doing them correctly.

Google strength training and you'll get some good advice. Foremost is, giving your muscles a chance to rest for at least a day before doing those exercises again. e.g. don't do bicep curls 2 days in a row.

good luck

 

[Deefstes]

Awesome response, thanks for that.

What would you say are good exercise for the purpose of becoming a better scuba diver? Cardio? I'm not all that stoked about building muscles (although I wouldn't mind sporting the body of a Greek god) but currently I think the priority is getting fit. So I guess cardio training is probably the way to go for now.

But how do you know when you're pushing too hard and when you're wasting your time? I know there are rules of thumb like keeping your heart rate between certain levels for a certain period of time but where do I get that sort of information?

 

[battles2a5]

Just do some digging. For a diver, I would say that cardiovascular exercise is most beneficial. The type and intensity of exercise depend on your goals. At this point, you should just work on building a "base" to work from. Try to work up to at least 20-30 minutes of continuous work 3-4 times a week. This shouldn't take someone your age very long at all, assuming you are otherwise healthy. From there, you can work to build strength, endurance, lose weight, etc. All this stuff is pretty easy to dig up. You should see benefits in your diving once your cardio fitness improves. I have been working up my cycling to 100 mi/week lately and I can see a definite improvement in my air consumption, and my consumption varies less with increased exertion.

From a strength-training perspective, I would look into simple circuit training to start (again, easy to get some research on). This will condition your body for weight-lifting in general. I second the recommendation to use a trainer or at least work out with someone who knows what they are doing. If you don't want to build bulk, keep the weight low and the reps high. Just take it easy at first. If you start to heavy or focus on specific muscle groups you will be in a world of pain and put yourself at risk for injury and over-training. Just listen to your body, ease yourselfe into it, and take it from there.

There are ton's of online resources that you can use. Here's one of them:

Men's Health - Splash

Just look around and see what you like, then decide what will work for you. Enjoy it!

 

[dpbishop]

Always do some cardio first to get your heart rate up and warm up the muscles. Then do some mild stretches before doing the resistance work to help prevent injury. Stretch out again after at the end of the work-out to increase flexibility. Vary the routine (legs one day, upper body the next). Take it easy and work your way up, you'll be amazed at how fast you gain stamina if you stick with it.

 

[TSandM]

HERE's an awesome book on fitness training specifically for divers.

I think, ideally, you would do a mixture of cardiovascular fitness work and strength training. Being strong enough to handle gear without running risk of injury (especially on pitching boats) is a safety issue in my eyes.

I'm sure if you do some searching, you will find some websites on general fitness that will have the heart rate guidelines and so on, but what I remember is 220 minus your age gives you your max HR, and 80% of that is the upper limit of the cardiovascular training range. That gives me a target of 140, and I try to stay in the 130 to 140 range when I'm using the elliptical trainer.

All exercise should push a little past your comfort level, but not so much that you're exhausted or too sore to move the next day.

 

[fairybasslet]

I've also found that yoga and pilates are both great for breath control and core strength.

A lot of the cardio machines have the idea heart rate listed right on the machine, by age group.

 

[diver_daver]

Here are a couple of good fitness web sites:

simplefit.org ~ exactly what it implies, fitness made simple
crossfit.com ~ not so simple, but a large number of really good exercise videos, progression from just starting out to really fit, and a really helpful forum {almost as good as scubaboard.com}.

Already mentioned, but if you don't feel comfortable with anything get a couple of sessions with a personal trainer. Also, as you've already been doing, take it slow. This needs to be a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

Best of luck, and if you have any other question please ask.

 

[dive_lover88]

HI all i'm in kind of a pickle...i m currently service in the singapore armed forces as a trainee. But due to a knee injury recently i m forced out of training. I have not been doing much exercises, i have lost over 11kg the last few mths and do not want to gain it back during this period. Can someone tell me what kind of upper body exercises i should do? I cant do lower limb exercises during this period of time.

 

[ArcticDiver]

The time tested measure of exertion is very simple: Can you talk?
If you can talk in complete sentences you are exercising at a very light level.
If you are gasping for breath and can't talk at all you are exercising very heavily.
In between you are, well, exercising in between.

If you haven't done anything for awhile it would be a good move to get a personal health assessment to determine if you have any gross problems that you should consider.

Once you start exercising use two different types of exercise; weights (I like free weights but that is personal preference) and cardo (Spinning, running, etc). Alternate intensity between the two levels. Eventually, you will find your overall intensity will significantly increase.

BUT, exercise alone will not do the job. Pay very close attention to nutrition and rest. Both are just as important as the exercise, if not more so.

It is worth the money to consult with a personal trainer for a regime that will match you. There is lots and lots of snake oil about this subject. Lots and lots of books that are either useless or nearly so. The basics are simple: Hard work, intelligent eating, adequate rest. No short answers; just a long term life style.

If I sound passionate about this, it is because I am. If you want some more detailed info don't hesitate to PM.