ReasonablySober wrote:I've got a rack of dumbells, a bench, and I'm looking for a full body workout program. I'm hopping on a stationary bike a few times a week, but I'd like to put the weights and bench to use. Fat loss would be the goal.
Any one of you greek gods and fitness wonders wanna set me on a good path?
Fat loss is going to be largely dependent on diet and activity. You can't out-exercise dietary intake.
What lifting can do is help assist calorie burn and help you feel better.
I subscribe to the 80-20 model of lifting, as in 20% of the work is responsible for 80% of the results. This means bench press and at least one of squat and deadlift. The biggest muscles in your body are found in your legs, chest and back. If you have a pull-up bar, get familiar with it. Dips are great. Pull-ups, dips and any sort of overhead press will inevitably help with core strength as well.
There's variations for each lift and you can always switch up rep and set schemes. I wouldn't get concerned about it. Worry more about carving aside some time for each session and finding something you can stick to. You're better off working out for 45 min 4x/week, then once per week for 3 hours.
I'm a big advocate of yoga as well and it is easily something you can do on your own. Biggest challenge is doing it at a regular time. I start every day during the week with half an hour. Yoga is nothing more than the combination of stretching and breathing. It will help with strength and it will lengthen muscles. I feel better in control of my body. It's something I'll do for the rest of my life. Instead of resting and doing nothing between lifting set, I'll do a series of stretches. Allows me to knock out two things at once.
Ask a Swole Woman/She's a Beast has proved to be a good resource for what I refer to as lifting that matters, exercise that positively impacts your daily life.
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