cardio vs. strength training

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caitylynn62
caitylynn62 Posts: 99 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone.. i have a question maybe someone can help me with.. I love to run and I try to do it as often as possible, but i want to tone up everywhere as well and get the benefits of cardio.. except.. I hate strength training! I don't know what I should do. I feel like I never have time for strength training, (yet its enough time for going for a run!) probobly becasue i dont like it at all. What should I do? Should i try doing it early in the morning? SHould I try yoga? Please help! :)

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  • cmpettey
    cmpettey Posts: 223
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    You could try Jullian Michael's 30 day shred. It gives you toning and is only 20 minutes long.
  • Yocum1219
    Yocum1219 Posts: 400 Member
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    I'm not a big fan either. I do leg lifts & arm curls with small hand weights (still have to buy me some ankle weights). It does the toning, but I feel like it's part of the workout, esp if I do it on nights I can't get to cardio, as that (hopefully) lean muscle I'm building will improve the effects of the cardio!!
  • runningfromzombies
    runningfromzombies Posts: 386 Member
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    What sort of strength training have you tried before, and what didn't you like?

    I honestly used to hate it, too, but recently I've been hitting the gym and using the machines--it keeps the workouts simple and isolates specific muscle groups so you don't have to think too much about it. (: It's been enjoyable so far!
  • christinathompson1
    christinathompson1 Posts: 144 Member
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    try jillian michaels 30 day shred! its cardio, strength and abs! it super cheap! only 9$ from target! :)
  • get_fit2009
    get_fit2009 Posts: 827 Member
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    Think of the end result! Strength training has such health benefits! Muscle at rest burns more calories than fat at rest, so building some muscle increases your metabolism. Yoga does tone up and increases flexibility, so either one is good. Try doing one day a week of strength training and one of yoga. I always do the workouts I don't want to do first thing in the morning so there are NO excuses (I seem to be REALLY good at coming up with excuses at the end of the day!). Also, see if you can take a class so you have others helping motivate you. I go to a Group Strength class at my gym.

    There are other benefits, too - when you are stronger, you are less prone to injury, weightlifting helps fight bone loss, etc, etc - so be like the Nike commercial and Just Do It! :smile:
  • CFAITH_WARD
    CFAITH_WARD Posts: 281 Member
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    Jillian also has a yoga video (yoga meltdown love it only 30 minutes) and a video called shred it wit weight (It uses the kettlebell very fun and a great around workout only 25 minutes) both videos are faster then alot of other toning videos maybe that is part of the reason you think toning is slow movements.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    I hate circuit training.... because I find it boring and repetitive.... so that eventually ruled out '30 Day Shred' & 'No More Troubles Zones' for me....


    I'm now doing ChaLean Extreme.... which is about lifting heavy weights (10 lb +) for short reps (10-12)..... and I'm loving it....
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
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    If you are serious about reaping the benefits from strength training, but you don't like to do it, then you will have to choose to do it anyway. The time of day does not matter. Just do it. At least 3x week. And lift HEAVY weights.

    Need a plan to follow? I LOVE the book - The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler. About $10 on Amazon - check out the reviews as well! I am using this book now and it is completely transforming my body! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT and can't recommend it enough. It explains why you should lift heavy weights - esp. if you don't like to lift - don't waste your time with little teensie weights!
  • funfitfoodie
    funfitfoodie Posts: 630 Member
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    If you are serious about reaping the benefits from strength training, but you don't like to do it, then you will have to choose to do it anyway. The time of day does not matter. Just do it. At least 3x week. And lift HEAVY weights.

    Need a plan to follow? I LOVE the book - The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler. About $10 on Amazon - check out the reviews as well! I am using this book now and it is completely transforming my body! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT and can't recommend it enough. It explains why you should lift heavy weights - esp. if you don't like to lift - don't waste your time with little teensie weights!

    I've been looking into this book aswell.... how heavy are we talking?

    Atm I train with 2kg hand weights and a 3kg kettlebell (I'm clearly just starting out)
  • sue888
    sue888 Posts: 1
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    hi i do aerobic and strength training i really enjoy both but for the past 6 months i have been doing a pilates classes and i can honestly say it as made a huge differance to my body ..strength wise on all areas as well
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Maybe a few sets of squats and push ups before your run? Keep it simple at first.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    How about the 100 push up challenge? It's only 10 minutes 3 times a week, and pushups are very effective for strength training.
  • bluemax87
    bluemax87 Posts: 71
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    Hey everyone.. i have a question maybe someone can help me with.. I love to run and I try to do it as often as possible, but i want to tone up everywhere as well and get the benefits of cardio.. except.. I hate strength training! I don't know what I should do. I feel like I never have time for strength training, (yet its enough time for going for a run!) probobly becasue i dont like it at all. What should I do? Should i try doing it early in the morning? SHould I try yoga? Please help! :)

    Yoga is very good for flexibility and core work. If you want to build up that muscle tone, I'd recommend doing a full-body circuit that lasts 30-45 minutes prior to doing your cardio. The benefit you receive from doing resistance/strength training prior to a cardio workout is tremendous! In the first 20 minutes of cardio, your body burns off primarily water weight. That weight is stored within your muscles. If you do strength/resistance training immediately beforehand, you deplete those water stores and therefore reduce that 20 minute water burn as low as 5-10 minutes...

    I'd recommend starting light with high reps (something like 3 sets of 12-15 reps or so) and try to hit each muscle group at least once per workout. the 3 sets meens you'll do the circuit 3 times. I like working head to toe, so if I do a full-body workout, it goes like this: Chest, Back, Traps, Delts, Triceps, Biceps, Abs, Hams, Glutes, Calves, Core. To reduce time taken, you may opt for a shorter circuit and change it up each time... If you're really focused on a tight belly, core work is key, coupled with some ab strength training to help those muscles bulge a little bit...

    If you want a more detailed regimen, PM me and I'll write out for you what I wrote out for my wife last summer...
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
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    You can mix it into a run. I know this one lake near where I live has these stations for pullups and different stretches and exercises. Maybe you can do intervals of running with body weight exercises in between.
  • VegGrrl
    VegGrrl Posts: 336 Member
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    If you are serious about reaping the benefits from strength training, but you don't like to do it, then you will have to choose to do it anyway. The time of day does not matter. Just do it. At least 3x week. And lift HEAVY weights.

    Need a plan to follow? I LOVE the book - The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler. About $10 on Amazon - check out the reviews as well! I am using this book now and it is completely transforming my body! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT and can't recommend it enough. It explains why you should lift heavy weights - esp. if you don't like to lift - don't waste your time with little teensie weights!

    What she said! And that book is GREAT - it might change your mind about lifting once you learn the science behnind why women should lift like men - and all the weight-loss and fitness benefits! And If you do things that use large groups of muscles (free weights, not machines!) you can cut your lifting time down dramatically. (Think squats vs. all the leg machines!) Read the book and see what you think.
  • caitylynn62
    caitylynn62 Posts: 99 Member
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    Thanks everyone! This has really helped me a lot. I'm glad to be less ignorant about the importance of strength training and now have some options on how to incorporating it into my fitness routine. I think I'm going to start doing a circuit before I run, they had a cool looking oircuit in this fitness magazine I bought. Thanks again!
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    If you are serious about reaping the benefits from strength training, but you don't like to do it, then you will have to choose to do it anyway. The time of day does not matter. Just do it. At least 3x week. And lift HEAVY weights.

    Need a plan to follow? I LOVE the book - The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler. About $10 on Amazon - check out the reviews as well! I am using this book now and it is completely transforming my body! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT and can't recommend it enough. It explains why you should lift heavy weights - esp. if you don't like to lift - don't waste your time with little teensie weights!

    What she said! And that book is GREAT - it might change your mind about lifting once you learn the science behnind why women should lift like men - and all the weight-loss and fitness benefits! And If you do things that use large groups of muscles (free weights, not machines!) you can cut your lifting time down dramatically. (Think squats vs. all the leg machines!) Read the book and see what you think.

    I've learned a lot from this book.

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