Regardless of your fitness goals, gym workouts should follow the same pattern. Whether you are looking to lose weight, build muscle or improve your sports performance, the basic pattern of your workout should be the same. Take advantage of the different machines gyms offer, following a basic workout pattern when using each.
Workout Routine
Begin each workout with a five-minute warmup. Stretch your muscles just past their point of comfortable range of motion with dynamic movements such as jogging in place, jumping jacks or skipping rope. Move at a moderate intensity, gradually raising your heart rate as blood circulates to your muscle, warming them. After your warm up, perform your cardio, bodybuilding or sports-specific workout. Follow your workout with a five-minute cooldown that includes moving your arms and legs as your heart rate decreases, then stretching.
Cardio Workout
To create cardio workouts, use a treadmill, elliptical, exercise bike or rowing machine to elevate your heart rate and keep it in your target heart rate range for the duration of your workout. Beginners should work at a pace similar to a brisk walk, recommends the American Heart Association. Maintain the maximum pace you can sustain without stopping, aiming for a longer workout, rather than one that significantly raises your heart rate but tires you out. Intermediates should exercise at a pace similar to jogging. Add several sprints to these workouts, running or working at a higher intensity for one minute every 10 minutes.
Muscle-Building Workout
To build muscle, repeat several sets of the same exercise before moving on to a new exercise. For example, perform biceps curls lifting the weights three to five times per set. Take a short break after the first set, then repeat the same set. Perform three to five sets before taking a five-minute break and starting a new exercise. If someone else is waiting to use the weight machine, let him know your workout pattern and ask if he minds alternating sets with you. Alternate exercises performing upper-body, then lower-body exercises each time you complete your sets of one exercise.
Sports Workout
To improve your sports performance, use gym machines to create exercises that train muscular endurance and cardio recovery. Use roughly 50 percent of your maximum intensity or weight you can lift to create endurance exercises. Perform an exercise for one minute, take a one-minute break, then change the exercise. Keep switching from exercise to exercise with short breaks for at least 10 minutes before taking a five-minute break. To help you recover faster after points and plays, sprint train. Perform exercises at a high intensity for 30 to 90 seconds, followed by a recovery period of one or two minutes. Repeat this pattern for 10 minutes, followed by a five-minute break. Set the speeds, inclines and resistance settings on gym machines to provide less resistance, raising your heart rate with fast movements, rather than more muscular effort.
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