Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with routine

I need a workout routine

alligatorman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:31:30 -0800

I'm looking for a 3-day-a-week workout routine that only uses a bench, a bar, adjustable dumbbells, and weights. My goal is to gain muscle mass. I have a bench, straight and curl bar, adjustable dumbbells, and a sufficient supply of weights.

I would be working out alone 3 days a week: Mon, Wed, Fri.

I'm looking for ideas for a balanced workout routine.

I'm planning on incorporating the following exercises (at least):

dumbbell bench press
dumbbell squats
bent over rows
shoulder press

What should I add/remove? How should I split them up? Any suggestions on reps/sets/etc.? Any advice would be appreciated.

Potentially relevant information: 22 year old male, 5' 7", ~ 130 pounds .. not a total beginner to working out, though its been a while.

Thanks.

Idle hands are eating a devils food cake

abdulf — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:55:48 -0800

I have the opportunity to exercise in the morning, at lunch and in the evening. Does it matter if I do certain exercises in order? I have an hour to workout before work, around 7-8am in the morning. Then another hour at lunch from 12-1pm. Finally, I have about 2 hours in the evening, typically 5-8pm or 7-10pm.

This is about 5 hours a day, possible more, that I could be using to reach my fitness goals. Right now I use 1 hour of that time.

I already follow a 3 day a week lifting routine from a Men's Health book. That typically takes about 20 to 40 minutes. Once or twice a week I attend a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class in the evenings that lasts 45 minutes.

I could do this indefinitely (have been doing this for almost a year) but it's not helping me reach my goals of weightloss. It has helped me maintain my weight and it has improved my fitness levels, but that isn't enough. My goal is to reduce weight (I'm 25 years old, 5'10, 240lbs).

Can you point me to extended exercise routines for people with a lot of time on their hands? Maybe the routines used for Olympic athletes or "the biggest loser tv show"? The only exercise I hesitate to do a lot of at this weight is running for extended periods since it tends to cause pain in my shins and knees.

I know nutrition matters. The issue on the nutrition end is not daily things like sodas or cookies. Rather, it's things like eating an entire box of cookies out of boredom. Being aware of this problem, combined with burning that spare time staying physically active, I think, will help me with this.

Help me regulate my sleeping patterns.

joshjs — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:54:27 -0800

SleepFilter: How to I rid myself of the innate desire to always stay up two hours later I did than the previous night? In a perfect world, I'd get tired at the same time every night, but still get a lot of sleep. However, as it stands, if I get enough sleep on a given night (eight or nine hours, I'd say), I am NEVER tired at the same time the next night. I only seem to achieve consistent sleeping/waking hours by sleeping for what I consider to be too short a period.

I'm sure others have had this problem. What've you done about it?

How do I meditate regularly?

wastelands — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:31:02 -0800

How do I establish a regular meditation routine? Back when I was in college, I had a lot more time and energy on my hands. I was able to get deep into meditation and see tremendous benefits in terms of mood, concentration, confidence, etc. At some point I lapsed and fell out of practice, though.

Now, several years later, I'm working full time, and I can't get into a regular routine. I've tried:

* In the morning, shortly after waking, but I'm too groggy to have the alertness necessary.
* At night before I go to bed, but then I'm too tired to focus.
* During my lunch break. I've had the most success with this time period. But it can be difficult on a work day to find a quiet spot and to have enough time. I'm lucky enough to work close to home, but I only get about 10 minutes if I go home to meditate after lunch.

Anybody else struggle with this problem? What did you do to fix it?

I should note that I have no interest in going to a religious group to meditate. I want to do it on my own.

Thanks.

Looking for a great routine to start the day

vizsla — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:24:23 -0800

I'm looking for a morning routine to start my daily writing tasks (i.e. dissertation). The routine needs to be home-based, include a moderate exercise routine, shower and breakfast. The aim is to get me feeling heathly and eager to start a long day of creative concentration. I have an Ipod which I like to listen to while exercising. I have no exercise equipment but I am open to the possibility of buying some if it would really make things simple. I'm not looking to become superfit or muscular but of course wouldn't object to such side-effects if they met my main objective! Any advice on how to break up the day with exercise would also be great.

How to get a baby to cope with new time zones?

lottie — Sat, 24 May 2008 02:44:01 -0800

How should I reconcile my baby's happy, working sleep schedule with our upcoming international travel? I will be flying to the States (from Australia) in six weeks with my eight month old son. He's been sleeping brilliantly thanks to a routine practically since birth, but I'm afraid all that all sleep tranquility will be lost when we hit a time zone not at all similar to the one we are dwelling in.

Any tips? Should I start changing up his routine now? Once in the States, should I keep him awake during daylight hours and try to get him to sleep at night, or just let him do what his body dictates? Either way, I predict the two weeks we are away to be without adequate sleep for myself, but my main priority is for him to return to Australia and be able to settle at the times he is used to.

He is currently going to bed at 7pm, I wake him for a feed at 9:30pm, then he sleeps through 'til about 7am without waking (or more realistically, waking then re-settling himself without fuss). He doesn't have any sleep cues like a pacifier/dummy or toys, and is generally able to sleep anywhere as long as I take him through his feed-bath-cuddle-feed routine before putting him down.

I should also mention that we will be in the East and West coast time zones, and in Colorado in between.
.

What is "living life to the fullest"?

mintchip — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:12:00 -0800

What is "living life to the fullest"? How to do it? Sometimes I get bored by my life. I am not in the habit of doing a lot of activities outside the home (partly because of a limited budget). Also, it's easy to get stuck in a routine and get too busy with life's responsibilities. I am always thinking about future goals and often forget to enjoy the moment. This seems to be in large part a symptom of modern life. Sometimes, too, I feel pressured to make the "responsible" choice rather than the enjoyable one. For example, I probably could do a more traveling, but that would mean I might not get to save enough for retirement.

Recently I was wondering what I would do if I knew I only had one year left to live. The only thing I could really think of was traveling! Probably I would also watch less TV since I don't think it really enriches my life.

This is a two part question:

1. What is YOUR definition of living life to the fullest? What activities would you be sure to add to your life? What would you change?

2. How can someone get out of a routine/rut and discover new, fun and interesting things to do?

A wrinkle in my morning routine

dancinglamb — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 10:27:01 -0800

Why is it recommended that you use Topical Vitamin C in the morning and not at night? I've been using Philosophy's skin care line for the past several months and absolutely love it. I have a little sample sized bottle of Hope and a Prayer, which is their topical vitamin C powder (you mix it in with moisturiser *just* before you put it on your face). The few times that I have used it, I've seen a pretty dramatic difference in my skin. Since I bought it on drugstore.com, I couldn't ask anybody the following (and the lady at Sephora was pretty clueless):

The directions are very specific in saying that you're supposed to do it in the morning, and all other references I've seen regarding the use of topical Vit. C say the same. Why?

Wouldn't it make more sense to have it in your face at night when you don't have makeup over it to kind of muddle it up?

Crunches + Cardio. What more?

Phire — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:58:08 -0800

Are crunches and cardio three times a week going to get rid of undesired excess fat? And how soon can I expect results? I'm not fat or overweight by any measure, but my belly (and thighs) are definitely screwing with my self esteem big time. I'm eating well - little to no junk food, very little refined sugar and very little grease, but my sedentary hermit student's lifestyle has led to about 20 lbs added in the past two years or so, which I'd really like to lose.

What I've started to do is about 100 crunches a day. Since crunches apparently only tone abs and don't actuall do anything for the excess fat, I've also started cardio (DDR, specifically, 5-7 feet) for about 25 minutes three times a week. (I walk on average 45 minutes a day for classes and club activities)

Should I be doing something else? Should I be doing cardio more often? How soon can I expect results?

I'm 5'4" and 125 lb, but have the typical small Asian body shape, so the extra 20 lbs.. not fun. Or funny.

Help me work out, in.

Ambrosia Voyeur — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:35:01 -0800

How do you make a home-based workout work for you? When I go to the gym, I pretty much only use the elliptical (an adjustable incline type so I get butt-work) and a mat for crunches or leg lifts. I think when I move out of this teeny apartment, I would like to buy my own elliptical, as it would pay for itself in a few years.

What are some strategies for guaranteeing good home workouts? How do you minimize distractions, stay comfortable (I'm used to a lot of air flow, and I workout sweaty hard) or keep the honeymoon going with in-home fitness routines?

I think one thing I'd like to do is have a small tv in the same area so I can do dance video workouts there some of the time, too.

Need a new workout to get my hockey legs (and lungs) back!

liquado — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:53:39 -0800

I'm (stupidly) starting playing ice hockey after 20 years off the ice (I'm 33). After the first game last weekend, I'm apparently in far worse shape than I thought -- and need some ideas for new workouts to get my game on. I'm 5'11", 225, and run 5k/life weights 4-5 times a week. I'm also an occasional 10k runner, so I've got some legs, but I was just about dead after playing == not sore, but waaay out of breath, wheezy, etc.

Obviously, the extra weight I'm carrying isn't helping, and I have a touch of exercise-induced asthma (the phlegmy cough for the last three days has been unpleasant, to say the least), but I need some ideas for a new workout regime that will help me get some of the jump back -- sprints, ????? Thanks MeFiers!

Will cats on feeding cycles chunk up if offered a bottomless bowl?

sublivious — Tue, 08 May 2007 19:53:55 -0800

How likely is it to switch the eating patterns of a sister pair of 1 year old cats without them becoming overweight? A friend of ours needs to find a new home for her one year old cats. They are from the same litter and since she's had them, she's always fed them on a twice per day routine. During their meals they scarf like it's their last meal. If my girlfriend and I adopt them, we will need to have them off that cycle and will instead have food available to them all the time. What can we expect from this change? I imagine they'll probably gain a bit of weight in the beginning, but will they just keeping gaining and gaining? Will the novelty of having food available to them all the time eventually wear off?

Starting Good Work Habits

sfkiddo — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:53:09 -0800

I'm starting a new job soon. What are some good habits to incorporate from day one? I want to take the opportunity to start things right. Some things I'm thinking of:

1. Some type of GTD system. I've used GTD before--a modified version, I can never go as far as I could--and have fallen off the GTD wagon once things get cluttered, so I definitely want to start this day one. I plan to use the Outlook GTD toolbar and also using some type of paper system (I saw one about dividing up a Moleskine but unfortunately didn't save the link. This GTDTiddlyWiki also looks interesting; anyone ever use it?).
2. New Moleskine for work notes.
3. Send a progress report to manager every Friday (this is also good for salary reviews).
4. [Insert Mefites brilliant ideas here.]

Also, after 5+ years of telecommuting, I will actually be going to an office (gasp!). So any and all advice on good morning routines/habits is greatly appreciated. The only one I've started is cleaning my sink every night (a la FlyLady) because it really makes a difference in my morning mood (which is generally dreadful).

Help me develope a morning routine

sicem07 — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:00:01 -0800

What morning routine has worked for you? I'm currently working at a church before starting med school in the summer, and pretty much make my own hours. This has caused me to slowly shift the 9-5, to 10-6, and I fear I may be slipping back even farther. So I ask, masters of the green, what works for you? What should I do with my mornings?

I would like to be a morning person, I have been in the past. I also used to be in pretty good shape, perhaps I should go down that road. Should I go for a run? Write a novel? Ride my bike? Hit the gym? Read the paper? Learn a language? Say 'Screw it all' and sleep in? There are many books and websites out there, but I'd rather hear the brutally honest voice of MetaFi.

I'll go with whatever the consensus is, if there happens to be one. And yes, I saw this question but I'm not ready to admit my internet addiction yet.

Thanks in advance!

How do I stick to things?

tastybrains — Fri, 19 May 2006 08:56:38 -0800

How do you get yourself to stick with routines that will improve your life? I'm trying to get myself to stick with simple & easy routines surrounding issues like my finances, my health, and my work, but have trouble being consistent. I'm great at developing routines - for example, I finally came up with a way to keep my finances in order by automating what I can, and paying the rest of the bills and balancing my checkbook twice a month (each payday) to determine what my "spending money" will be for the pay period. However, after a month, sometimes two, I get sick of bothering, or too depressed to worry about it, and just spend way too much money and neglect to pay some bills on time. When I put it off like that, I get so overwhelmed by the thought of slogging through what I didn't do, that it takes a lot to bring myself to balance everything and get back into the routine - which really is the simplest way I've found to manage things.

I'm the same way with diet and exercise. I've been trying to lose weight for months (well, years, but who's counting?). I come up with routines that take into account that I don't feel like cooking a big dinner every single night, and that I tend to burn out if I workout every single day. So I start out with moderate plans, stick to them for a week, but then get absorbed in something else (work, a vacation, a holiday, a grumpy mood) and put my routine aside for awhile.

I also do this when it comes to keeping my apartment clean, and probably a ton of other things I'm not thinking of.

The problem isn't that the routines are hard or unmanageable. I just fall into these slumps every few weeks where I stop caring about what was very important a week before, and something else takes top priority.

Friends have told me that my desire to get my shit together is unrealistic because everyone has these problems. But I can't stand being like this. I just want to stick to a few basic routines to keep my apartment together, my finances in check, and to gradually and healthfully lose weight (and yes, I know how to lose weight, and have been successful, I just don't stick with it for more than a couple weeks).

Do any of you have some suggestions?

Morning routine for an internet-addicted college student?

Ash3000 — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 09:02:40 -0800

What is the best morning routine, especially for someone who is (a) in college and (b) wants to fight something starting to look like internet addiction? I have this problem with my morning routine - every path seems to lead back to the computer. Go outside for a walk before anything else? Then I come back in feeling even sweatier and more gross than I would otherwise, but I don't want to walk to the shower b/c our dorm shower is similarly grody...so I procrastinate on the computer. Wake up, take a shower? Well, then it's back to my room afterwards when I get dressed, and so long as I'm waiting for class to begin...back to the computer. Maybe I should stay in and clean my increasingly disgusting room? Sure, but after a while I realize I need to find the right music/podcast for that, and it's back to the computer for a bit that turns out long because I really, really need more memory for it...or something. (My laptop is beginning to look retirement-worthy.)

The worst part is that my computer use usually ends up being just going back and forth between blogs, e-mail, facebook, etc., without ever really reading things in depth - there's a calming to the back and forth. What should my morning routine be? I hate the idea that I'm wasting time better spent on the computer, but I don't realize how much has been lost until after the fact, and am beginning to get seriously creeped out.

I want to expand my in-home workout routine.

BuddhaInABucket — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:01:05 -0800

I want to expand my in-home workout routine. I actually like working out, but I hate going to the gym and all the attendant drama involved with me figuring out the correct way of using 300 machines and not dropping dumbbells on myself. To that end, I've begun working out in my home, using only my own body weight as resistance.
So far, I do two different kinds of pushups (regular and diamond), situps (the bicycle kick kind), and handstands against the wall (held for a period of time, like 45 seconds today, and eventually, I will move to handstand pushups when I'm ready). I also run and do yoga as I feel moved to.
These exercises together pinpoint my chest, abs, shoulders, if I figured it out right (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I'd like to know what other exercises I can do using only my body weight and no props other than things that can typically be found at home.
Bonus: I'd love for my back to look less flabby.

What's the best part of your daily routines?

the giant pill — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:26:40 -0800

If you have a routine that you regularly do at night or in the morning, what have been the most beneficial things you've added to your routine that have improved the quality of your life? I'm having trouble establishing routines that are meaningful to me and I'd like some suggestions.

Gym Routine Recommendations

billybunny — Sat, 17 Jan 2004 18:48:14 -0800

I just moved into an apartment complex with a gym and have started working out, but I'm having a problem developing a routine. The place is basically treadmills, spinning machines, and a well-equipped weight room. Any suggestions? Oh, I'm also taking a fencing class two days a week. From what I can tell, that's going to be a bit of exercise, too.