how much running vs. how much strength training?

morganpalmer9

I started working out/eating healthy a year ago. I started at 142 lbs (I'm a 5'4 female) and have dropped down to 124. At this point, I don't care about my weight and focus more on if I look in shape.

While I do want to tone up my arms and legs, I'm doing pretty well there already. What I'm concerned about is my stomach. I still have love handles and some lower back fat, and a bulge below my belly button. I've kept up with cardio for months now (around 40 mins a day 5 days a week) without much luck getting my stomach smaller and I've recently started adding in weights with the hope it could help my stomach, and I've also started doing more training for my arms and legs as well.

I should mention, I am still eating healthy, weighing my food and tracking my calorie intake, which is still at a deficit.

I'm wondering, is it okay to cut down my cardio time (40 mins) if I am weight training? I've started doing 25 minutes of cardio and another 30-35 of hard strength training. I'm worried I won't lose weight if I cut down what my body is used to for cardio, but I also think its clear that just running endlessly isn't working for me any longer.

Springfield1970

You might want to drop a couple of pounds more fat over the next month then start a proper lifting programme, heavy weights, something like strong curves. Keep eating maintenance or slightly below. You'll get lean slowly.

I run 5k to warm up then lift heavy or vice versa twice a week. I also cycle 60-80k a week, swim once, some yoga and walking.

nordlead2005

this thread was already started over in fitness & exercise - http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10350681/cardio-strength-ratio#latest

morganpalmer9

Springfield1970 wrote: »

You might want to drop a couple of pounds more fat over the next month then start a proper lifting programme, heavy weights, something like strong curves. Keep eating maintenance or slightly below. You'll get lean slowly.

I run 5k to warm up then lift heavy or vice versa twice a week. I also cycle 60-80k a week, swim once, some yoga and walking.

Any advice on how to drop a couple more lbs? I've literally been eating right and exercising for a year and have been at 124 lbs since August and nothing seems to work

blues4miles

morganpalmer9 wrote: »

Springfield1970 wrote: »

You might want to drop a couple of pounds more fat over the next month then start a proper lifting programme, heavy weights, something like strong curves. Keep eating maintenance or slightly below. You'll get lean slowly.

I run 5k to warm up then lift heavy or vice versa twice a week. I also cycle 60-80k a week, swim once, some yoga and walking.

Any advice on how to drop a couple more lbs? I've literally been eating right and exercising for a year and have been at 124 lbs since August and nothing seems to work

Get a food scale. Make sure you are logging correctly. You are probably eating more than you think if you've been trying to lose and haven't been. Go with a very modest deficit, .5lbs to .25lbs a week, to make sure you lose only fat. Get lots of protein in to help preserve your muscle.

Make sure you aren't overcounting your calories from your running.

If you are trying to lose weight and are not, it's in your calorie balance somewhere. Most likely eating more than you think. If you slacked on logging, you need to tighten up again. But you should try to eat at a very slight deficit and eat back some of your exercise calories (just possibly not all of them).

Yi5hedr3

Strength 80%, cardio 20%.