Need advice to ramp up workouts

Four_Leaf_Clover

My current fitness routine is 30 minutes of strength training with a personal trainer 3x/week (M/W/F), followed by 30 minutes of cardio (usually treadmill or eliptical). I burn about 350 calories (per my HRM).

Tu/Th I am not doing anything right now and on the weekends I am not doing any official workout - just normally very active with family activities and chasing after 4 kids (so walks, etc.).

I have been doing this for about a month now, but feel like I need to ramp things up a bit if I am going to really start buring off fat (and there is plenty to burn - I am 5'3", about 195 lbs).

How many more days should I add? There are a few classes at my gym I could take (Zumba, spinning, kickboxing) and I also have some DVD workouts I could do at home (Tae Bo, Jillian Michaels No More Problem Areas, Pilates for Weight Loss, etc.).

My fitness goals are to burn fat and to build strength.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Poofy_Goodness

Strength training is a bit general. Are you following a program that progressively adds weight to your work outs? Are you using machines or free weights? If you're using machines, you might want to think about switching to a program that uses free weights.

Gym classes sound like a great idea. You can also do a body weight circuit at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Think about fun active things to do on the weekends like cycling, rock climbing, hiking, swimming, etc.

You'll need at least one rest day.

jacksonpt

Assuming the strength work you are doing with your trainer is reasonable, you shouldn't really change anything. Perhaps move your cardio to tues/thurs so you have strength days and cardio days, but that likely won't make a huge difference.

What you need to do is make sure your diet is spot on. Do that and I promise you you'll see results.

Four_Leaf_Clover

My strength training is whatever my trainer makes me do :-) - a combo of machines and free weights for now (I am pretty new to strength training), along with some ab work as I have very poor muscle tone in my core. We do this in circuits and I am struggling through the last sets.

I do my cardio after just because I am at the gym already (trainer at 5:30, cardio at 6) and it is easy to fit in before work.

My diet is definitely not perfect - I am eating about 1400 per day, with a goal of 40/30/30 protein/fat/carbs. I do cook almost all of my meals from scratch, but I have a sweet tooth and have been eating a lot more carbs since I started working out.

JoRocka

Assuming the strength work you are doing with your trainer is reasonable, you shouldn't really change anything. Perhaps move your cardio to tues/thurs so you have strength days and cardio days, but that likely won't make a huge difference.

What you need to do is make sure your diet is spot on. Do that and I promise you you'll see results.

this.

Also remember it didn't' come on over night- it's not leaving over night. It takes time.

Cherimoose

I am eating about 1400 per day, with a goal of 40/30/30 protein/fat/carbs. I do cook almost all of my meals from scratch, but I have a sweet tooth and have been eating a lot more carbs since I started working out.

You didn't say what your carb percentage averages, but 30% isn't necessary.. and, for many people, it's unrealistic. Unless you have a medical reason to limit carbs that severely, i would shoot for around 40-50% carbs and 25-35% protein.

To answer your question - sure, why not add more physical activity on your non-lifting days. Just make sure they complement your lifting, as opposed to creating redundancy.. which could lead to over-training.

By the way, a couple potential "red flags" i see - "Pilates for Weight Loss" (pilates is a relatively low calorie burning activity), and "No More Problem Areas" (it's not possible to target fat loss).

Cheers