I have focused so much over the past 4 years on losing weight that I have gotten to focused on teh scale and not as much on the overall body composition.  

I have always done strength training, just not as much as I could.  I want to remedy that.  I am cloe to my goal weight.  I wanted to weigh 150 pounds and I am only 8 pounds away.  But, now I don't care as much about the weight.  I have a new goal.  I want to have a lower BF percentage.  Maybe 20-22%?  I am not sure what exactly I am looking for here.  I definitely want it to be in the healthy range, and I want to have nice sculpted muscles, but not get bulky.

So today I did tabata on the elliptical.  I had to do a full 30 minutes of cardio because of regulations, so I finished the extra time after the tabata.  

I did 2 sets of each of the following:

weighted lunges
bicep curls
tricep extension
push-ups
crunches

I know there is a better way to do this.  I want to focus on my quads.  Of course i want everything to be proportionate, but right now my quads jsut seem so puny compared to my other muscles.  I don't know if that is an after effect of my knee injury a few years ago or not.

So.  Ideas?

Then the question....

What should my heart rate be when I am working out?  It routinely gets up to 180 regardless of how hard I am working, or how I feel.  I was on the ellipitcal a few weeks ago, able to carry on a conversation easily and my HR was 180.  Then doing the tabata this morning, unable to talk, heavy breathing and it was 175. Sometimes it seems like the harder I am working and the more I feel like i am exerting myself, the lower the HR.  When I was in spin last week my average HR was 149 and I felt like I was exerting myself.

 I know health wise I am fine (had a cardiac workup a few years ago for palpitations that were a result of an electrolyte imbalance and possibly from my thyroid).  The doctors have told me as long as it doens't go above 200, which it never does.  But does that sound normal?  According to the HR charts for my age I should be working out at 155 or less.  But if I keep it down that low I feel like I am not doing anything.  I feel like my HR is so high and it means I am out of shape, but I workout regularly (have for years) and I think I am okay as far as cardio goes.  But, maybe I am deluded    Oh my resting HR is 54.

How many days a week do you want to strength train?

Stick with pullups/chinups and pushups for your arms and shoulders.

Wide grip chin ups rock everyones world.

O.K. Meg You want to look like Sarah Conner from the first Terminator?
#1- Forget the elliptical or any other machine!
#2- Stop doing accessory lifts, ie. biceps curls, tricep extensions, etc....

When do you train? What free weights do you have available?

Forget focusing on your HR.

Tabata Protocol first thing in the morning. Burpees, front squats or dumbbell thrusters 3-4 X per week.

COMPOUND LIFTS COMPOUND LIFTS COMPOUND LIFTS
Workout
A-
1.Bulgarian Split Squats w/ dumbbells- 25 reps however you get there. Pick a weight you can do 6 reps with with your weaker leg. Do 5 reps on the first set. Keep alternating legs until you 25 with each leg

2a.Pendlay Row/ 2b. Incline dumbbell press- 5 sets X 5 reps 60 sec. rest between sets
Alternate back and forth between exercises (2a & 2b) 60 sec. rest between each set

3. Janda Situp- 2 sets to failure.Do some research and learn to do these correctly. *Learn about Reciprocal Inhibition*


Workout-
B
1.Power Clean & Push Press- Pick a weight you can lift and press 8 X. Set an (egg) timer for 15min. Do 6 reps on your first set. Do as many sets/reps as you can in 15min. Rest 60 sec. between sets. End a set when you reps speed slows down.

2.Push ups-Set the timer for 10min. Do as many you can in 10min. Keep rest to a bare minimum between sets. DO NOT GO TO FAILURE ON ANY SETS!

3.Janda Situps as above


As an example-If you can lift 3 X per week

Mon- WO A + a.m. Tabata

Tues- Mellow steady state cardio 50-60% max.HR = Recovery cardio

Wed- WO B + a.m. Tabata

Thurs- a.m. Tabata

Fri- WO A
 
Sat- a.m. Tabata

Sun- Off

Mon-WO B + a.m. Tabata

etc.......

Take on full day off a week

I say this with the best of intentions. 


GET OVER IT!

You can accomplish a lot with dumbbells. You can do all of that workout with dumbbells.
Up to 30's should work fine to begin with.

Well cool! Fun new stuff to learn!