Joined a Gym - Advice please

staffitaxi

staffitaxi

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Andrea
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Ok, I had my second session at the gym last night. I had a comedy ten minutes trying to work out why the cross trainer only seemed to be working backwards (last person to use it had set the difficulty rating to something extreme)......... and I still haven't worked out which machine makes the tea.

I seem to be getting a lot of warning messages. I feel ok, maybe slightly out of breath until I get used to it but it keeps flashing up " warning heart rate too high". Should I be worried? Is working out actually bad for me?

I'm trying to lose a little bit of weight, tone up a bit but basically increase my stamina. I've just got back from a walking holiday in Austria and normally have no issues walking on the flat but get out of breath easily walking up hill, although slowing the pace does help with this. I have an Asthma type problem which only really bothers me if I have a cold or going up hill especially when I overheat, which happens quickly and quite often.

If I take my hands off the silver bars the machine doesn't know what my heartrate is ;). I have not felt like I have been pushing myself over hard to be honest.

Andrea
 
I have noticed one particular treadmill does that at out gym, flashes the warning etc .. first time it did it I took hands off, wiped them and it was fine. I now know it's that machine as it did it Monday as well :)

Ask one of the instructors to check it out with you to be safe :)
 
I've been on about four different machine and all of them are doing it. Suspect I need to ask advice but I can never spot the person who's supposed to be in there to help.

Saying that I'm a bit focused as I'm still at the feeling very self conscious phase, I make a beeline for a machine and try and pretend there is no-one else in the room.
 
Heart rate is a very important factor in exercising properly. Can I ask how old you are as this will influence your max heart rate? What is your heart-rate when it begins to warn you?

You certainly don't want to be pushing your heart rate to its limit as not only is this risky, but also you won't be making the most of the time you're putting into the gym.

It might seem easy to just take your hands off the silver heart-rate plates but really this is the greatest indication you can have of the intensity of you workout.
 
Only 38, I say only as time just seems to be flying past too quickly these days! I think it starts to warn me at about 180 ish?

I am slightly overweight for my height. 5' 7" and 13st 2lb (83kilos). I'm trying to go to the gym twice a week to get my monies worth!

For example on the treadmill I've been setting the gradiant at about 4% and speed at 5.5km so fast walking rather than running as one of my knees is a bit dodgy. I haven't felt particularly out of breath once I've got used to the speed and I've worked up the speed and gradient gradually.
 
when you get over 180 do you find that you start going green?

...

i mean...

hulking out ?

but no, seriously now, dont cause an injury its not worth the effort, see if you can get someone to help you out with correct use of the equipment, have you had an MOT from the doctor recently? they can advise if theres anything you should avoid...
 
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staffitaxi said:
Only 38, I say only as time just seems to be flying past too quickly these days! I think it starts to warn me at about 180 ish?

I am slightly overweight for my height. 5' 7" and 13st 2lb (83kilos). I'm trying to go to the gym twice a week to get my monies worth!

For example on the treadmill I've been setting the gradiant at about 4% and speed at 5.5km so fast walking rather than running as one of my knees is a bit dodgy. I haven't felt particularly out of breath once I've got used to the speed and I've worked up the speed and gradient gradually.
Click to expand...

There are lots of different ways to calculate max heart-rate (scroll down to the bottom of this page to do it for yourself) but all put you around the 180bpm mark.

For reference: I too am 5'7" (172cm) and have dodgy knees, I'm 21 years old and weigh 58kg (incidentally that puts my BMI at 19.6, the 'normal' range is 18.5-24.9 - Calculater for BMI here). My max heart rate should be nearing 200bpm. I regularly cycle for 1hr sessions and do so at an intensity that puts my heart rate around 125-145bpm area. Occasionally higher intensity bursts are OK if you want to recreate sprint type scenarios but for sustained exertion you should aim to do so more moderately for longer periods. Not only will this relieve the strain on your heart but it will also result in more calories being burnt overall and a greater gain in cardiovascular fitness.

Please note that I'm not a personal trainer, doctor or any other professional with special knowledge of this, however. I only know what I've read and been told, although I do my best to gather knowledge from credible sources, and I will happily be corrected by anyone more knowledgeable than myself!
 
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<I am not a doctor or a personal trainer>

Some of the gym equipment will have inaccurate sensors, also, be aware if someone near you is wearing a flash heart rate monitor their signal could be picked up by your machine.

However, I would say that 180bpm seems high - as a chunky lass I was advised to have a 160 max while I was doing exercise, but really to keep it around the 145 bpm mark.

As you're doing brisk walking, you should be able to speak without it being too much effort, if all you can manage is a wheeze and grunt, you're working too hard.

Always remember, if your left arm goes numb, it's natures way of telling you to slow down :p
 
I'd ignore the heart rate metal plates on any machines, if your hands start to sweat, they seldom give a proper reading, I can never get them to register at all. If you want to measure your heart rate I'd get your own personal heart monitor.
BMI can give a false impression too. I'm around 175cm and weigh 92.5kg, which gives me a BMI of 30.2 and classifies me as obese. I have a 31" waist. A mate at work probably weighs about 85kg and is roughly the same height yet his BMI has him down as overweight and he has a 39" waist and moobs.
 
Get yourself a proper HRM...money very well spent. It will help you be able to work out at a high intensity and you will know when you are pushing it too hard. Everyone is different.

I am 43 and relatively fit and my best zone for working out is 145-160 bpm. I can exercise with quite high intensity in that zone for up to two hours. If I push my bpm to 165 the wheels come off pretty quickly.

I am 6ft 1in and just over 15 stone....for me working out at a high intensity is running 10km in 50 mins or rowing 5000m in 20 mins.

The key thing is working out what works for you. I prefer to do a variety of cardio as I get bored and it lessens injury risk...some people only run and can do it for hours...I can't!
 
Thanks everyone for the great advice.

Can anyone then recommend me a HRM then. I don't want to go crazy and spend loads of money.

Just looked on amazon and there are loads of types and I'm not sure what I should be looking at.

Thanks again.
 
Polar is the big brand in HRMs.

A lot of it is what you want it to be able to do, if all you want to know is your heart rate at a given time, then you could get the bottom of the line one. I found the 'sealed' straps weren't very comfy with a bra but that could just be me being a pain.

If there is a Decathlon near you they have an own brand basic heart rate monitor for under £20. Not as flashy as a Polar, but according to my manager, does the job. Not sure if it integrates with gym equipment though, he mainly uses it running outside.
 
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Actually being a girly the info on the straps is very useful!!

Will take a look at the Polar ones as I have heard of them. Would be nice if it had a calorie function as well.

Afraid I live out the sticks and have never heard of "Decathlon"? Assume its some sort of sports shop in large cities.

Will read some of the reviews on Amazon and see which one jumps out at me.

Cheers

Andrea
 
I have a basic polar monitor, and for the money it is wonderful.
My advice is to start slow. No-one will be watching you unless you have joined a poser's gym - most of us look less than our best which is why we are there and it is hard enough to keep going let alone noting just how slow/lazy or whatever the other people are...!
Find out what your heart rate should be for your weight/age etc and keep within the limits - very soon you will be able to feel when you are doing enough. I am one of those fools who always tries to go harder and faster than last time which is good mental focus, but not the best way to shed a few pounds or build up stamina !
Most of all, it is meant to be fun to some extent, so don't worry about doing too much to start with, just keep your heart rate raised slightly for 30-40 minutes and that alone is enough to get you started.

EDIT - my Polar shows calories used as well as all the other stuff !
 
i started gym again about 12 weeks ago and have been going 2-3 times a week

when i 1st started i remember my old routine but i just never felt anytihing with that routine so i booked a session with the instructor (free) to do a assesment / gym plan

i am now after 3 weeks of the new plan already going for new goals my speed has risen alot in the last 3 weeks and now looking at either upping the time in the next week or so or upping the level and going from here i will be assed in anothe 3 weeks and they will readjust my programme to suit my needs at that stage

my best advice stop going untill you know what you are doing , the gym should offer a free course to run through all the equipment

yes i feel the same as you do sometimes blank anyoen else out in the room but i am not more confident as i go the same times so most the people i see is the same people each week i talk to a few of them now so it is easier
 
If your trying to lose weight then your heart rate is waaay to high for fat burning. Thats what the machine may be telling you

You need to be in the 60-65% range for fat burning. Higher intesity will burn slightly more calories BUT will be from muscle and not from fat
 
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