Question to people who alternate cardio and heavy lifting
Francl27
Posts: 26,368 Member
When do you rest your legs? I'm curious, because the cardio I do is pretty hard on my legs (45-60 minutes of HIITs on the elliptical with resistance going from 5 to 10, typically), and I find myself skipping the leg workouts most lifting days because my legs just really need a break, my muscles are just really stiff and 'tense', per lack of proper word (typically my calves or quads).
I typically alternate cardio and lifting every day (sometimes walk/bike a couple miles on lifting days too), and don't really do rest days except once in a blue moon when my legs are just really too tired.
How do you all do it? To be honest, I hate lifting and my legs look great as it is anyway, but I just feel like I must be missing something.
I typically alternate cardio and lifting every day (sometimes walk/bike a couple miles on lifting days too), and don't really do rest days except once in a blue moon when my legs are just really too tired.
How do you all do it? To be honest, I hate lifting and my legs look great as it is anyway, but I just feel like I must be missing something.
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I listen to my body and rest when I need it. Tuesday was Deadlifts, lunges and step ups. Weds was supposed to be a run - but getting up in the morning, my body said nope, and I had DOMS as well. Although I will run the day after leg day - and that's a whole new kind of pain for the rest of the day. So I delayed a day and ran yesterday. Today was yoga and tomorrow will be lifting again.0
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lucky you to have great legs unfortunately the jury is out on this topic bc i have tried to no avail.
my answer is what works best for your priorities
my squats are my priority whether trying to build or cut and i never like to do cardio on leg day
but i love lifting, i only do cardio bc its prescribed for my current cut
sorry i cant give you an educated answer but truth be told all the body builder pros have an argument for this one0 -
Well I know, most people will tell me to drop the cardio and just lift, but I'd rather do one hour of cardio than 20 minutes of lifting by FAR lol. It's just how much I hate it. Ugh. I still try and do the squats every time, but sometimes, I just feel that it's a very bad idea.0
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Don't skip leg workouts, no body part should be missed. You may think you can get away with it, but neglecting part of your body will catch up with you eventually.0
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scottacular wrote: »Don't skip leg workouts, no body part should be missed. You may think you can get away with it, but neglecting part of your body will catch up with you eventually.
That's the thing I don't get though... my legs work a lot during my cardio. Heck my legs have always looked great, even when I never lifted any weights and just walked a lot.
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I think if you are doing it everyday, HIIT and lifting might be too much. Maybe don't do it back to back so you can have more recovery time. Or choose one or the other. I do steady state cardio only to give my legs time to recover after lifting.0
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I also listen to my body. Thursday is heavy leg day so I usually just do yoga on Friday to save my legs for my long rides or runs over the weekend. During the week are usually easy to medium carido because to the multiple weight sessions I have.0
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The obvious answer to this problem would be to "take a rest day." You don't get a participation award for working out every single day. It won't kill you, and I would wager that it will be more beneficial than skipping important parts of your workouts due to exhaustion/overworking.0
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I do sufferfest videos on my bike trainer in between workout days, or I'll do a long pedal of 2-3 hours. It's not impacted my lifting beyond a one week or so adjustment period. I've been off that for a bit, so I have a feel the next couple weeks might suck, but manageable.When do you rest your legs? I'm curious, because the cardio I do is pretty hard on my legs (45-60 minutes of HIITs on the elliptical with resistance going from 5 to 10, typically), and I find myself skipping the leg workouts most lifting days because my legs just really need a break, my muscles are just really stiff and 'tense', per lack of proper word (typically my calves or quads).
I typically alternate cardio and lifting every day (sometimes walk/bike a couple miles on lifting days too), and don't really do rest days except once in a blue moon when my legs are just really too tired.
How do you all do it? To be honest, I hate lifting and my legs look great as it is anyway, but I just feel like I must be missing something.
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scottacular wrote: »Don't skip leg workouts, no body part should be missed. You may think you can get away with it, but neglecting part of your body will catch up with you eventually.
That's the thing I don't get though... my legs work a lot during my cardio. Heck my legs have always looked great, even when I never lifted any weights and just walked a lot.
Also, don't forget that it is based on your goals. IF you just want good looking legs, then you're probably just fine. Focus on dropping any body fat, and occasionally lifting if you want to preserve muscle.
If you want strength though, cardio is not a replacement for lifting, so you gotta lift. However, just based on the above comment, it looks to me that the sole goal is aesthetic.0 -
scottacular wrote: »Don't skip leg workouts, no body part should be missed. You may think you can get away with it, but neglecting part of your body will catch up with you eventually.
That's the thing I don't get though... my legs work a lot during my cardio. Heck my legs have always looked great, even when I never lifted any weights and just walked a lot.
Also, don't forget that it is based on your goals. IF you just want good looking legs, then you're probably just fine. Focus on dropping any body fat, and occasionally lifting if you want to preserve muscle.
If you want strength though, cardio is not a replacement for lifting, so you gotta lift. However, just based on the above comment, it looks to me that the sole goal is aesthetic.
Well I haven't noticed any improvement in strength in months, to be fair, doing 3 sets of 6-8 reps every other day (until failure), so no, I don't want it enough to do it more than that. I'm more into cardio improvements than strength, I guess. I wish I loved lifting but nope.0 -
Well, if you're lifting the same thing, the same way, every time. Your body will adapt to that stimulus, meaning you'll be able to do that just fine, but beyond that will be hard. In other words, you'll hit a plateau and go nowhere.
If you don't like to lift though, don't. There's a myriad of reasons why you should, but if you don't want to do it, don't.0 -
Ref the lifting when I've got bad DOMS I rest from that the next day but apart from Sundays I do my 40-60 mins cardio every day no matter how I feel....I just get on with it and now my body knows not to protest lol...you gotta show it who's boss - mind over matter ☺0
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One thing you could attempt would be to position your cardio immediately after your leg training on that same day. Doing it this way will maximize the total recovery time in between training bouts.
The alternative, since cardio is your primary focus, would be to re-evaluate your programming in it's entirety to see if you can reduce training frequency on your lower body to bias more time/recovery towards cardio.0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »Ref the lifting when I've got bad DOMS I rest from that the next day but apart from Sundays I do my 40-60 mins cardio every day no matter how I feel....I just get on with it and now my body knows not to protest lol...you gotta show it who's boss - mind over matter ☺
Well DOMs don't bother me, but this is different really, lol.Well, if you're lifting the same thing, the same way, every time. Your body will adapt to that stimulus, meaning you'll be able to do that just fine, but beyond that will be hard. In other words, you'll hit a plateau and go nowhere.
If you don't like to lift though, don't. There's a myriad of reasons why you should, but if you don't want to do it, don't.
This makes total sense, but I only know so many ways of working my muscles with heavy dumbbells. I mean, I do variations of some of the exercises, but really, how many are there? I've tried increasing my weights but I can't even do 6 reps, so those programs that ask you to increase your weights every week pretty much baffle me.0 -
Well, they work with a progressive loading theory.
The basis of the core of my workout program is:
1. Back Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Bench Press
4. Row
5. Pull up
6. Dip
I add in extra stuff as it goes. So 4 of that list are common, conventional lifts, and every time I do them I work with a progressively increasing load. As you load your body with incrementally heavier weights, and hit 4 or 5 reps, your body will in turn attempt to adapt. As naturally, you adapt or die. What people are doing when they lift (in general if training to gain strength) is they keep in a narrow bound of weight and reps. that helps make them stronger. Stronger means they can increase weights, etc.
It's supposed to be difficult. Much like running longer or faster is.0 -
So I should increase the weights even if I fail at 4 reps? Typically the last set is hard for me as it is and I don't always manage to do the 8 reps.0
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fit for the sake of fit is okay... BUT maybe ... you should decide on a direction in your fitness plan... play a team sport? an individual sport? something that gives your fitness purpose and functionality0
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You do 45-60min of HIIT?
Most HIIT programs I've seen are more 20-30 minutes because the high intensity for 20-60 sec should end up kicking your butt so that 20-30min is all you need.
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I hear you OP. I do elliptical for 45 minutes at level 13 and don't do leg workouts. My legs and arms are usually the first things on me to bulk and tone up and not doing something for legs hasn't really effected my proportionality. I think it's really about genetics. Maybe it's the amount of resistance I place on the machine or maybe my body likes to add on the muscle to my legs and arms before anywhere else. You might be the same, who knows.0
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PikaKnight wrote: »You do 45-60min of HIIT?
Most HIIT programs I've seen are more 20-30 minutes because the high intensity for 20-60 sec should end up kicking your butt so that 20-30min is all you need.
Yeah... it totally kicks my butt, frankly, and typically for the last 20 minutes the intervals are not as intense, but I still try (and typically if I stop at 45 minutes it's because I'm just beat). I know 20-30 minutes is all I *need*, but I like the calorie burn, so I try to do 60 minutes (it's 2/1 minute intervals, with increased elevation and resistance for that one minute, and I try to go faster too).
Might explain why I've been so hungry since I started this though (5 weeks ago).
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So I should increase the weights even if I fail at 4 reps? Typically the last set is hard for me as it is and I don't always manage to do the 8 reps.
It depends on the program.
It's an excellent idea to follow a program when a new lifter. A less than excellent idea to roll your own.
For example, stronglifts would have you do 5 sets of 5 reps, with the idea of having one more left in the tank if you had to grind it out.
That will induce strength gains for a new lifter especially.
Some days, I'll do sets where the third rep is hard and almost fails, but I'll only do 3 reps that set. There are other days where I'll do 20 reps in a set. It depends on day of week, etc.0 -
So I should increase the weights even if I fail at 4 reps? Typically the last set is hard for me as it is and I don't always manage to do the 8 reps.
It depends on the program.
It's an excellent idea to follow a program when a new lifter. A less than excellent idea to roll your own.
For example, stronglifts would have you do 5 sets of 5 reps, with the idea of having one more left in the tank if you had to grind it out.
That will induce strength gains for a new lifter especially.
Some days, I'll do sets where the third rep is hard and almost fails, but I'll only do 3 reps that set. There are other days where I'll do 20 reps in a set. It depends on day of week, etc.
Well I pretty much follow the Chalean Extreme second month's program, where the goal is to fail by the 8th rep, but not before the 6th... which is why I typically don't increase the weights as I fail before that (except triceps, I took a break and did two months of PiYo this Summer and managed to increase my triceps weights).
I guess I could dust off the third month's DVD again, but it's lower weights for 12 reps, so meh. The reason I haven't even bothered with stronglifts is that I can't imagine increasing my weights every week when I can barely finish a set of 5 reps if I increase my weights as it is (plus I only have 45 lbs adjustable dumbbells at home and the gym won't let you use the heavy barbells if you're not with a trainer).
But again... I'm not really trying to gain strength (frankly not willing to put in the time to do that), just to preserve my muscle mass at this point.
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- Do what works best for you, don't skip leg training
- Your largest calorie deficit comes from your diet plan, don't worry about exercise as much for "burn". Remember with exercise there is no such thing as 110%, I don't know where that math came from but if you use 100% of something it's f'in gone. If you're not recovering well enough, then something needs to come out, be it reduce cardio time, less training, something. Make sure you understand your training goals and work accordingly, calorie burn is not an exercise goal; it is a nutrition goal. Exercise helps augment weight-management, nutrition sets you up to manage the weight accordingly.
- Make sure you understand your training goals (yes repetitive statement, it's just THAT important).0 -
So I should increase the weights even if I fail at 4 reps? Typically the last set is hard for me as it is and I don't always manage to do the 8 reps.
It depends on the program.
It's an excellent idea to follow a program when a new lifter. A less than excellent idea to roll your own.
For example, stronglifts would have you do 5 sets of 5 reps, with the idea of having one more left in the tank if you had to grind it out.
That will induce strength gains for a new lifter especially.
Some days, I'll do sets where the third rep is hard and almost fails, but I'll only do 3 reps that set. There are other days where I'll do 20 reps in a set. It depends on day of week, etc.
Well I pretty much follow the Chalean Extreme second month's program, where the goal is to fail by the 8th rep, but not before the 6th... which is why I typically don't increase the weights as I fail before that (except triceps, I took a break and did two months of PiYo this Summer and managed to increase my triceps weights).
I guess I could dust off the third month's DVD again, but it's lower weights for 12 reps, so meh. The reason I haven't even bothered with stronglifts is that I can't imagine increasing my weights every week when I can barely finish a set of 5 reps if I increase my weights as it is (plus I only have 45 lbs adjustable dumbbells at home and the gym won't let you use the heavy barbells if you're not with a trainer).
But again... I'm not really trying to gain strength (frankly not willing to put in the time to do that), just to preserve my muscle mass at this point.
So your goal is preservation of muscle mass, means you have to lift. I don't know what PiYo or Chalean is. If they're on DVDs though, I personally would not think they are going to have a high degree of effectiveness in the preservation of lean mass.
I would look at stronglifts. It's quite simply 5 reps and 5 sets across three lifts a workout. You don't have to go at it like a caveperson, just be reasonable and you'll preserve the good meat.
I'd find a new gym btw. I was prepared for my gym to tell me no chalk, but to tell me no barbells without a trainer? I'd tell them to EAD. That's just a basic piece of equipment.0 -
I'd find a new gym btw. I was prepared for my gym to tell me no chalk, but to tell me no barbells without a trainer? I'd tell them to EAD. That's just a basic piece of equipment.
I missed that comment... Wow, definitely find a new gym.But again... I'm not really trying to gain strength (frankly not willing to put in the time to do that), just to preserve my muscle mass at this point.
I missed that one too and that makes less sense than the one above it. You don't need to get like powerlifter or athlete strong, but increasing your strength from basic exercises will make you more functional in life. Everything from doing housework, carrying in groceries, playing with kids, walking, running, etc.0 -
Well my strength doesn't suck, so I don't really care that much about increasing it at this point.
As for the gym, not gonna happen, it's close to my house, I can walk there, and I just really like it. Plus as I said, I hate lifting anyway. I was just wondering how people manage to do intense cardio and still work on their legs the next day, but I guess people don't, so thanks to the people who replied.0
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