Love cardio...hate strength...what to do?

kathystrauss1

I love doing cardio. Hiking, running, biking, they're all fun. But I know I need to build muscle/strength. I just don't know where to start. I don't belong to a gym so it needs to be at home. I thought maybe the Gorilla workout app or a beginner dvd but there are so many choices. I'd just like some opinions on what other people started with.

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

I like yoga, and it has helped me with my back strength and upper body strength. Might be worth a go :-)

kathystrauss1

Do you think it's better to start with a class or do you have any good dvd recommendations?

shepd1999

I have the same problem. I don't know where to start with strenght trainning. I currently got myself walking everyother day, but it would be good to get some Muscle building fat burning exercise in.

SkinnyMsFitness

I love doing cardio. Hiking, running, biking, they're all fun. But I know I need to build muscle/strength. I just don't know where to start. I don't belong to a gym so it needs to be at home. I thought maybe the Gorilla workout app or a beginner dvd but there are so many choices. I'd just like some opinions on what other people started with.

Why not join a gym? Some give free access for your first week - it can show you all that's available and maybe a great way to find motivation. ) Good luck!

holliebaker90

I would totally try the Jillian Michaels DVD's. She has Yoga and a few strength exercises! Love 'em!

Cliffslosinit

Starting Strength is a good place to start. DVD, YouTube, book, etc...

nikkijoshua

Check out Cathe Friedrich at www.cathe.com. She has awesome strength training DVDs.

underwater77

all of my strength training comes from yoga. i practice 6-7 days a week. i don't care for weights and over the years could never find myself sticking to a program. i am def stronger now than i have been, probably ever in my life.

JLArispe

Try the 30DS by Jillian Michaels. You will just need to get some free weights. All her DVD's are good. You can check them out on youtube.

TyTy76

Life is too short to do something you hate..

smiller212003

I love to strength train and i do belong to a gym and prefer going there... but me and my husband have weights at the house plus i have some pilate dvds etc when i cant get to the gym or just dont want to be at the gym!

Get ya some weight, kettlebells, pilate balls, jump rope, etc. You can find youtube videos and articles all day online to help you put something together!

TheEffort

I like yoga, and it has helped me with my back strength and upper body strength. Might be worth a go :-)

This is good.

fishgutzy

Lots of classes at my Y that incorporate cardio and strength training.

When I lift I do mostly super sets, rotating through 2 to 4 lifts with no rest between. That gets my heart rate up.
Sort of inverted interval. Longer high intesity segments with very short "rests" between.

As with any routine, find what works for you that you can sustain in the long term.

leslieschoenle

I love my Ripped in 30 Jillian Michaels DVD... Has done wonders for me and it's always my go to, I also enjoy running and would do it every single day if I could but if I have to wait to workout until after my daughter is in bed I'll break that out and it only takes about 30 minutes and it WORKS!!! She will kick your butt!

missADS1981

Start with some body weight exercises to build strenght - planks, push ups, chair dips, single leg deadlifts, then find a cheap set of weights to start adding to your exercises.

timbrom

I'll second starting strength, excellent, excellent resource if you don't know how to start.

Also, I know exactly 0 people who are strong who hate that they are strong :laugh:

TheGymGypsy

I dislike every moment of strength training but I know that lifting heavy is what I need to do to get the results that I want. Short and sweet... Buy a gym membership if you don't have one already, start a beginner program like stronglifts 5x5, and stick to it. Even if it's not as fun as cardio. Just get it over with and then do what you enjoy.

bookworm_847

When I started and wasn't too into the strength stuff, I was doing some workout dvd's by The Firm. They're a lot of fun and are a great workout. They start out with the 3, 5, and 8 pound weights, but I think those can be increased depending on the person's level.

That got me started enjoying the strength stuff more, so I've moved on to New Rules of Lifting for Women, but I still do The Firm's dvd's for my cardio workouts.

TeaBea

Do you think it's better to start with a class or do you have any good dvd recommendations?

A class is really good if you can swing it. Yoga (power yoga) can be good as resistance training. The problem is, some yoga is not resistance training at all. I really enjoy hatha yoga..... this builds flexibily ..... muscle...not so much.

Pilates is another thing to try for resistance training. I started with this one: http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/pilates-for-dummies-9444

This one adds a resistance band ....beginner modifications are shown the whole way thru
http://www.collagevideo.com/item.aspx?item=9159&reviewstart=11

kathystrauss1

Thanks for all the tips. I never thought of yoga. And all definitely check out the dvds you all mentioned. I'm hesitant to join a gym because in the past I belonged and never went and then I was just so angry at myself for the huge waste of money. I amy try again but I'm going to do the home route first. A yoga class sounds good though.

cwolfman13

Yoga is not strength training...doing circuit training DVDs is not strength training. "Strength" training has a specific definition...it's low rep high weight, full body compounds. OP...I think you need to more clearly define what you're looking for because your responses are running the gambit.

Can you gain some strength with yoga? Sure...it will be very modest...it's great for balance, flexibility, and you do get some resistance...but it's not training for "strength." 30Ds and P90X and such are excellent muscular endurance programs...they are not "strength" programs. I know this might be a bit of semantics for some but really...all of these different exercises fall into different categories of fitness. When someone says "strength" training...I go right back to middle school and big *kitten* compound lifts...as heavy as you can go, low rep.

kathystrauss1

What I want is stronger muscles so that as I get older I can continue to be active and not frail. I also want to ward off osteoporosis, heart disease,falls and any other problems that afflict us as we get older and don't have good muscle tone. In the short term I want to lose weight and look better too! I used to think I could do all this with just cardio but I'm learning that building muscle maybe is more important.

fishgutzy

Wiki has a pretty good summary on Strength Training.
I'm gonna have to learn more to get more out of my weight room time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_training

MoreBean13

HIIT and Hill sprints.


And just suck it up and lift the weights. You'll love it eventually, especially when you see how much faster you can run and hike.

JoRocka

HIIT and Hill sprints.


And just suck it up and lift the weights. You'll love it eventually, especially when you see how much faster you can run and hike.

I would get into some HIIT stuff.

It can very easily be cardio based strength training.. it's what I like to do- I hate pure cardio- I love doing strength training... but time was an issue for me. So I would do HIIT style lifting- got the best of everything THEN the time I needed to go dance. Win Win for everyone.

simsburyjet

As you get older cardio keeps you healthy but strength keeps you happy...

Phildog47

I have the same issues... but a good place to start is with Biggest Loser or Jillian's DVDs. They are a challenge. I also use my Wii Active. Does a good mix of both strength, cardio, and core building.

rybo

You really dont HAVE to do anything that you dont like and aren't worried about the benefits of strength training.
But You are your own gym is a decent place to start to try it out.

AllonsYtotheTardis

If you don't have access to weights, this program (it's a book), is a great starting place. It's written by the guy who wrote "You Are Your Own Gym", but it's aimed at beginners. I've been very pleased with the results so far.

No equipment needed - it's body weight strength training. (I think you get faster results with weights, but this is good if weights are not an option for you)

mustgetmuscles1

Book: Strong Curves. Just came out this year and it has everything you need in it. Programs for home or gym are in there.