Weekly Workout Program

Muscle Groups

Do weight training 4 to 6 days per week for 30 to 60 minutes a day and alternate the muscle groups you focus on.

Day 1: Shoulders and triceps

Day 2: Biceps and back

Day 3: Chest and abs

Day 4: Legs

By focusing on one or two muscle groups per workout, you can build targeted strength and muscle growth. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn throughout the day and the easier it will be to lose or maintain weight.

Cardio Schedule

Do cardio training 3 to 4 days a week for 30-45 minutes per day.

Day 1: Jog (or speed-walk) on the treadmill for 30 minutes

Day 2: Use an elliptical trainer for 40 minutes

Day 3: Bicycle for 45 minutes

Day 4: Jog for 45 minutes

Cardio is great to build endurance and overall fitness. By incorporating different activities into your routine, it will prevent overuse injuries and keep you from falling into a slump of boredom with exercise.

Time for Rest

Rest is important in any fitness plan. Try not to focus on the same muscle groups on two consecutive workouts. Give your muscles the time they need to rest, repair and grow before they are put to work again (see Reference 2). Cardio can be done on consecutive days since most activities like running and cycling use several muscle groups at a low intensity. Still, it is important to incorporate days off from cardio, but you can be less strategic about when those days are. The day you focus on your leg muscles would be a good day to take off from running, since your legs will be exhausted. It's also important to take at least one day off completely from weightlifting and cardio so your entire body can rest and recuperate.