Heavy Weight or More Reps and more questions

syedsaad

I know this has been answered many times before, but i would appreciate if you guys can answer it one more time for me according to my situation.

SITUATION:
Just started gym and trying to loose weight (i know loosing weight is calories in vs calories out and its more about food then exercise but still). I am currently doing as follows
20 mins cardio
45 mins Strength
10 mins abs
10 mins cardio

QUESTIONS:
!) Should I do heavy weight or more reps for Strength training (Please tell almost how many reps)?
2) Should I do heavy weight or more reps for abs as one of the instructors told me that for abs at least do 20 reps each set (Please tell almost how many reps)?
3) is the routine I am doing Cardio weight abs cardio good or should i try something else?
4) In cardio the machines have 2 settings i m interested in 1) fat burn (which if i do i end up burning less calories) 2) quick start (which if i do i burn more calories) so which one should i use?

Thanks is advance

jwdieter

Do an established lifting program. If the program isn't clear about weight and progression, it's not a program.
Don't pick "fat burn". That's a crock and won't even warm you up. Those machines almost always have hills as an option. Pick hills.

alexis831

1.) 3 sets of 15 to tone or 2 sets of 8-10 with heavy weights to gain muscle.
2.) Abs are a bit different depending on what you are doing. I am on 3 sets of 55 crunches, 3 sets of 12 leg lifts, 3 sets of planking for 1 min, 3 lets of 20 side crunches, and so on. Stay with 3 sets and keep upping the repetitions each time you feel the need to.
3.) Depends on what you are trying to achieve, your style, your time, and what keeps you motivated. I do 3 days cardio and 3 days weight with a Sunday break. I only workout for about 20 min of cardio on cardio days and about 40 min on weight days only because I also do my abs then.
4.) Please look into either ladders or HIIT training on the cardio machines. It will allow you to only have to do a 20 min cardio workout however supercharge your burning in the process without burning through your muscles.

JoRocka

1.) Rep range break down (guide line- not hard fast rules)
1-5 reps = strength
5-10 = size/strength (there is a lot of diet stuff that goes with that for the 'size' portion)
10-15 = muscle endurance

2.) the above answer for # 1 applies to abs- abs are muscles as well.

I prefer to do less ab work- but increase reistence- again- strenght and size for me- not endurance- I"m not training for a PT test any more- so I don't care about doing sit ups for 2 minutes- it's just not relevant to my life.

3.) Goals drive this- I am focused on strength and size- no cardio for me- I always do my cardio last- I want all my energy focused on lifting first- cardio is a big fat meh. but if you are training for a cardio based event- I could see how doing it first would be more important.

4.) Do the cardio you want to do that makes you happy.

ElliottTN

Lets back up, whatcha wanna look like when you are done?

Are you concerned about looks? performance? mix? What would be the end game for you?

You are going to get the canned "LIFT HEAVY LOW REPS NOW STARTING STRENGTH SQUATS 9 TIMES A WEEK" response on here just posting what you did.

cpusmc

1.) Rep range break down (guide line- not hard fast rules)
1-5 reps = strength
5-10 = size/strength (there is a lot of diet stuff that goes with that for the 'size' portion)
10-15 = muscle endurance

2.) the above answer for # 1 applies to abs- abs are muscles as well.

I prefer to do less ab work- but increase reistence- again- strenght and size for me- not endurance- I"m not training for a PT test any more- so I don't care about doing sit ups for 2 minutes- it's just not relevant to my life.

3.) Goals drive this- I am focused on strength and size- no cardio for me- I always do my cardio last- I want all my energy focused on lifting first- cardio is a big fat meh. but if you are training for a cardio based event- I could see how doing it first would be more important.

4.) Do the cardio you want to do that makes you happy.

this ^^^^^^

on #2 i keep abs to higher reps as i am not looking to grow them in the same way as say legs or back...

hamzapowerlifts

QUESTIONS:
!) Should I do heavy weight or more reps for Strength training (Please tell almost how many reps)?
2) Should I do heavy weight or more reps for abs as one of the instructors told me that for abs at least do 20 reps each set (Please tell almost how many reps)?
3) is the routine I am doing Cardio weight abs cardio good or should i try something else?
4) In cardio the machines have 2 settings i m interested in 1) fat burn (which if i do i end up burning less calories) 2) quick start (which if i do i burn more calories) so which one should i use?

ANSWERS
1 Do very heavy for losing weight. You cannot sustain doing high reps on a calorie deficit. It breaks down the body and you don't have the calories to build it back up. Doing heavy weights builds muscle that is functional and builds strength fast without requiring a big caloric intake.

2 If you are doing heavy squats and deadlifts then you will build abs like crazy. When doing ab specific exercises like crunches than usually high reps 10 or more work better. You can injure yourself easy with abs if you go too heavy.

3 & 4 doing cardio is good, but to lose weight it is best to do slow state cardio with a huge incline. Many studies have proven it effective for fat burning,

ME0172

1.) Rep range break down (guide line- not hard fast rules)
1-5 reps = strength
5-10 = size/strength (there is a lot of diet stuff that goes with that for the 'size' portion)
10-15 = muscle endurance

2.) the above answer for # 1 applies to abs- abs are muscles as well.

I prefer to do less ab work- but increase reistence- again- strenght and size for me- not endurance- I"m not training for a PT test any more- so I don't care about doing sit ups for 2 minutes- it's just not relevant to my life.

3.) Goals drive this- I am focused on strength and size- no cardio for me- I always do my cardio last- I want all my energy focused on lifting first- cardio is a big fat meh. but if you are training for a cardio based event- I could see how doing it first would be more important.

4.) Do the cardio you want to do that makes you happy.

This. I do cardio 3x per week and lift 3x per week with Sundays as my rest day. If you're combining most people recommend lift first.