I've dropped down to a fluctuation between 230 and 235 depending on when I weigh myself. I have noticed an increase in muscle mass since I've changed my focus from strict cardio to increased weight lifting, which could be the reason the scale is not moving much.

I pay very close attention to what is going in each day. I closely monitor my foods on fitday and adjust accordingly. I'm still struggling at increasing my protein intake, but that should be changing soon since I'm picking up some bags of frozen chicken breasts on sale and spinach for lunch.

My problem with my cousin's routine is I need a spotter for most of them. I tend to work out solo, unless my friend shows up. That's been pretty steady, but can easily become a rarity. I'd like to get my hands on a nice workout routine that alternates target areas. Tonight I focused on chest and glutes before I did my cardio.

I am trying very hard not to take a day off, because I know if I take one day off, I'll have a hard time coming in the next. I'm all about routine. I actually stop at the gym every day after work to force myself to go. The weekends are rough because I have to go out of my way to go to the gym. So doing lifting one day, then cardio the next is not really an option. I've been switching up the cardio to work the muscles differently to keep from overworking them.

Any suggestions, as always, are welcome.

Your muscles need time off to recover so you can avoid injury and to get optimum results.

I will do higher reps/lower weights when I work out at home but at the gym I will go for PR's because there are always plenty of people willing to spot for me if I ask.

I understand that. I only do cardio every day. I focus on doing 1,000 calories minimum daily of cardio. That's the only constant. Tomorrow I'm going to give my cardio a rest and do a full body workout. I only ever lift til exertion on particular days. Otherwise I do lower weight wtih higher reps. My friend also suggested I continue to do that, because I am not looking to bulk up at the moment, but tone up. It was tough getting to the gym today... weekends are killers on motivation for me.

IMO doing squats 2 days in a row is crazy. I also would do squats the same day as deadlifts.

what are you doing, like 2 hrs a day of cardio? If so, why?

In response to your questions, that was a typo. One day is squats, the next is deadlift. I've decided to work on my own routine of a full body workout that I found online. I modified it a bit for a 6 day routine. I do one day of lifts with light cardio, the next day I'll do core/abs with heavy cardio.

As to cardio for 2 hours, that is really only true when I get bored. I'll turn down the resistance or go do a fat loss program, but even then it's not 2 solid hours. I can do 1,000 calories in about 1 hour and 10 minutes on a hard day. On my light days I've been shooting for about 650 calories, which is 1 hour on a particular machine at a decent pace.

My coworker, who lifts a lot, reviewed my plan. He said to do 25% of your cardio pre workout to make sure your blood is flowing and your muscles are fully warmed up. Then you do the routine. After you're done with the routine you go to the regular cardio. I've been following this the past week and noticed a real increase in strength and focus.

Is there a way to post up workout plans? I'd love to share this with you guys and get some input on your thoughts.