Routines & Habits

Granted it has only been a little over a week since I joined the gym, but starting to feel the effects, more so than see them at this point. My muscles in my arms, chest and legs are feeling tighter, and that's a good thing. Noticeably, visible results will take a little longer. I'm making going to the gym a daily habit. On days I'm scheduled to work, I do the weights with about 15 minutes of cardio to warm up the muscles and get the blood flowing. On my days off of work, I only do cardio for about 45 minutes. I vary the times I go according to my work schedule, so far, it has turned out to be mostly before work in the mornings. I like that best because it gets me going for the whole day. I do a complete circuit on the machines that work the muscle groups I'm focusing on. I rarely encounter anyone using a machine I need. The few times I have, I skip to the next and then come back when they are finished. I do three sets, with reps varying from 5 to 15, depending on the exercise and the weight used. Surprisingly, I've retained more strength than I thought I had. The first set is the heaviest weights. Second set is 10 pounds lighter and the third set is either lighter or back up to the original weight of the first set, depending on the exercise. Some of the machines are exercises I can do at home, but since the gyms is configured differently, it makes the exercise a little more difficult than I'm use to as it works the muscle group in a different fashion. I usually have to use a little lower weight than I'm use to because of it, but that's ok. I make sure I drink water while doing my circuit. I have a light breakfast before going, unusually a couple pieces of toast or yogurt, then eat a little more when I return home. My goal is to only build slightly more muscle with the emphasis on tone and definition. Hence the lower weights for the other sets. The first week I sweated like a whore in church, now not as much, though still a healthy amount. I'm curious as to what visible results I'll see after a month...