Fitness Training... a rant...

psyknife

What do I do when I'm super duper sore but need to get my cardio in?

When I'm doing weights should I do more weights less reps? Or more reps less weights?

And also...

It's fine to do cardio if you are super duper sore... eventually you'll find your body adapting more so that soreness won't be as intense. If it's pain, however, then you'd need to back off (and possible see a doctor if you are worried about having done damage to the joint or have a muscle tear, etc.). It sounds like swimming was a good choice for you.

As for the weights... it depends on your goals.
When you lift heavier and do less reps then your focus is more for gaining strength, whereas when you lift lifter with more reps then the focus is more on endurance. Both will sculpt the muscles, but it really depends on your individual goal. It's also said that lifting heavy builds more sizeable muscles (though still not bulky, just more well defined, I guess, in the ladies), whereas doing endurance style lifting makes the muscles more long and lean (i.e. gymnast-like). But again, there's mixed studies on both of these... I, personally, mix and match between lifting styles because I want both strength and endurance.

Fitness_Chick

Oh I have a question! This hit me last night. I was so sore from my weights the last 2 nights that I didn't even want to imagine doing my cardio last night. But I did! I decided to swim laps.

What do I do when I'm super duper sore but need to get my cardio in?

When I'm doing weights should I do more weights less reps? Or more reps less weights?

Thanks

OMG I bet that water felt GREAT with your muscles being sore...did it? I can only imagine...mine are screaming but I'll hit the meditative dance class, then the water and be good to go.:drinker:

Just need to keep drinkin drinkin drinkin that water to keep from getting muscle cramps...they suck big time!!:sad:

mellymlk

Oh I have a question! This hit me last night. I was so sore from my weights the last 2 nights that I didn't even want to imagine doing my cardio last night. But I did! I decided to swim laps.

What do I do when I'm super duper sore but need to get my cardio in?

When I'm doing weights should I do more weights less reps? Or more reps less weights?

What does your current schedule look like? How often do you lift weights? What exercises do you current do for lifting weights (and how heavy do you lift)???

I do strength training for arms one day the next I do legs and the 3rd day I do cardio. Then I repeat.

I warn up on arms days for 15 minutes then for 45 minutes I do weights for all the muscles in my arms, back and chest.

Day 2
Warm up
weight machins for legs
Stair steps while holding weights
lunges with weigts in hand across gym
and I put the yoga ball between my legs and do lifts

Day 3 Cardio
I play racquetball
or swim


All I do for an hour or hour and a half.
My main goal right now is to lose weight. I am about 80 pounds overweight. Plus I would like to tone.

Thanks for your advice : )

mellymlk

Oh I have a question! This hit me last night. I was so sore from my weights the last 2 nights that I didn't even want to imagine doing my cardio last night. But I did! I decided to swim laps.

What do I do when I'm super duper sore but need to get my cardio in?

When I'm doing weights should I do more weights less reps? Or more reps less weights?

Thanks

OMG I bet that water felt GREAT with your muscles being sore...did it? I can only imagine...mine are screaming but I'll hit the meditative dance class, then the water and be good to go.:drinker:

Just need to keep drinkin drinkin drinkin that water to keep from getting muscle cramps...they suck big time!!:sad:

It felt awesome. It was a great choice : )

metalpalace

Great post Melanie! I especially liked the part about women lifting weights. Thats sexy

SGFlyinHi

As for the weights... it depends on your goals.
When you lift heavier and do less reps then your focus is more for gaining strength, whereas when you lift lifter with more reps then the focus is more on endurance. Both will sculpt the muscles, but it really depends on your individual goal. It's also said that lifting heavy builds more sizeable muscles (though still not bulky, just more well defined, I guess, in the ladies), whereas doing endurance style lifting makes the muscles more long and lean (i.e. gymnast-like). But again, there's mixed studies on both of these... I, personally, mix and match between lifting styles because I want both strength and endurance.

This sounds good to me. :bigsmile:

I just started focusing on the strength for me. I was doing endurance while I was trying to lose weight, but now that I'm at my weight goal, I am changing to emphasize gaining my strength back. My goal is to be able to do at least 10 body-weight pull-ups. I can do 2 now. I just started a new routine, and so far it's going pretty good.

SG :glasses:

psyknife

melly - it sounds like you have a pretty good schedule going there. Do you take at least 1 rest day each week, though??? It's always good to take a rest day... or take one day per week to just do flexibility training. Muscles need to be stretched and rested in order for them to fully recover

psyknife

SG - AWESOME! :flowerforyou:

psyknife

Can I bump my own thread? :flowerforyou:

Fitness_Chick

Can I bump my own thread? :flowerforyou:

Indeed you CAN!:flowerforyou:

psyknife

:flowerforyou: For anyone who may have missed...

arewethereyet

:flowerforyou: bump

cherapple

The way I see it: Exercise -- cardio AND strength -- is a way of expressing gratitude for being alive and healthy.

Great post.

nickybr38

I would like to start strength training but I don't know where to start and unfortunately I don't have time to see a trainer. ): I work 9-9 and the trainer isn't in the gym until 9AM and they all leave at 9PM. Your little post just makes me want to try strength training even more really. I mean I'm doing all this to be healthy not just to lose weight!

Does anyone know of any good articles online that have illustrations of strength workouts a complete newbie could try? I would just ask for a description but I learn by seeing not reading unfortunately. Otherwise I wait four weeks until my days off start! Hah.

Fitness_Chick

Thank you all!

Sometimes I just need to get on the soapbox... mainly because I used to be one of the uninformed... so I like to pass along all that I'm learning

just saw this note psy:happy: ............well here's to YOU:drinker: for passing foward the knowledge you've learned .....I too love to share once I've got it 'figured' out.........

always appreciate your posts!!!!:flowerforyou:

Fitness_Chick

The way I see it: Exercise -- cardio AND strength -- is a way of expressing gratitude for being alive and healthy.

Great post.

awesome way to look at it cherapple! :drinker: Pretty powerful statement....think I'll be adding that to my post-it note collection where I can see it until it sinks into my heart and lil brain:huh:

psyknife

Does anyone know of any good articles online that have illustrations of strength workouts a complete newbie could try? I would just ask for a description but I learn by seeing not reading unfortunately. Otherwise I wait four weeks until my days off start! Hah.

Most magazines usually have great sections...
Even though I don't like the magazine as a whole, SELF magazine has a pull-out section each month of various workout cards for strength. So, that's a good one. But most fitness magazines have great routines in them.
Otherwise, you can try going the video route... that's what I did to start

nickybr38

Does anyone know of any good articles online that have illustrations of strength workouts a complete newbie could try? I would just ask for a description but I learn by seeing not reading unfortunately. Otherwise I wait four weeks until my days off start! Hah.

Most magazines usually have great sections...
Even though I don't like the magazine as a whole, SELF magazine has a pull-out section each month of various workout cards for strength. So, that's a good one. But most fitness magazines have great routines in them.
Otherwise, you can try going the video route... that's what I did to start

Hm. It's strange. I've spoken to a personal trainer and she insists I shouldn't touch the weights until at least a month to three into working out with strictly cardio. ): But she'll show me some weight training in a month if I insist on it. Weird huh?

psyknife

I don't know who she's certified with, but I'm studying for my ACE personal training certification and the American Council on Exercise stresses that weight training is an important part of an overall workout regime... the American College of Sports Medicine recommends it also (I was studying that one, but it's super hard, so I decided to start with ACE and move up to the ACSM).
I don't know why she'd tell you that, because that's totally not good. Even if lifting light weights, or even just your own body weight, it's important to strength train to build muscle because:
A.) more lean mass = more calories burned at rest (which means, more fat burn)
B.) lifting weights also helps strengthen bones (which is WAAAY important for women, since we tend to lose bone density as we age)
C.) it's that lean muscle that will actually shape and change your body as your burn that fat and shrink.

I won't bash your PT, because I don't know her... but, uh, I hope you aren't paying her a whole lot... especially since YOU are the client and she should base the workout program about what YOU want... not her typical structure that she, maybe, gives to everyone.
If anything, it sounds to me like she's just trying to lead you on for longer so she gets more $$$... but that's my opinion... that just doesn't seem like good practice to me.

cherapple

I would like to start strength training but I don't know where to start

I started with videos and learned just about everything I know from them. In the beginning, I allowed myself to purchase one new video for every month that I stuck with it. It kept things interesting, and now I have a pretty nice collection that I can rotate. Videos are good because they teach you proper form and they are motivating. I'm at a point now where I don't need to use them every time anymore. I sometimes do the moves on my own, with my own music, just to do something different. I also know enough resistance band moves so that I can take one with me and still work out when I travel.

Try www.collagevideo.com for a good source of exercise videos.

SGFlyinHi

Thought it was time to Bump this up again.

:bigsmile:

psyknife

I also started with videos... I started with P90 which did an ok job of teaching me how to lift.
P90 helped me build strength and I moved onto P90X... now, in P90X Tony does an EXCELLENT job of teaching you about lifting, and that's where I got my base knowledge from. I branched out from there and earned my group fitness certification and now am working towards my personal training certification... so, my knowledge base keeps expanding.
But videos are a great way to start!
If you click the link in my signature you can see some videos there as well... they are the ones I used on a regular basis now.

nickybr38

I also started with videos... I started with P90 which did an ok job of teaching me how to lift.
P90 helped me build strength and I moved onto P90X... now, in P90X Tony does an EXCELLENT job of teaching you about lifting, and that's where I got my base knowledge from. I branched out from there and earned my group fitness certification and now am working towards my personal training certification... so, my knowledge base keeps expanding.
But videos are a great way to start!
If you click the link in my signature you can see some videos there as well... they are the ones I used on a regular basis now.

Thank you. I joined the 100 push ups program. I can't do the man push ups, or even the girlie on the knee pushups (I tried and was in so much pain for five days- It was crazy! HOW WEAK I AM!!!!) so I'm doing the wall pushups and I can STILL feel a burn but it's not so bad and I can also feel myself improving. My goal is to be able to do the knee push ups after doing a hundred wall push ups.

By the time I'm doing that my gym should be willing to show me how to strength train.

P90 sounds scary like woah.

janiebeth

I feel the need to ... bump!!

Thanks psyknife - great information for all of us out here.. :drinker: :drinker: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

J

psyknife

Thank you

nicky - when you move down to do the knee/floor push-ups, be sure to pad up those knees a bit (yoga mat or exercise mat... or just thick carpet) so that you don't hurt your knees. Be sure to keep that core nice and tight, and tuck that pelvis under a bit to avoid bowing of the back
Keep at it, you'll build up the strength!

nickybr38

Thank you

nicky - when you move down to do the knee/floor push-ups, be sure to pad up those knees a bit (yoga mat or exercise mat... or just thick carpet) so that you don't hurt your knees. Be sure to keep that core nice and tight, and tuck that pelvis under a bit to avoid bowing of the back
Keep at it, you'll build up the strength!

Thank you. :happy: I can't wait to be strong inside and out!

Fitness_Chick

Thank you

nicky - when you move down to do the knee/floor push-ups, be sure to pad up those knees a bit (yoga mat or exercise mat... or just thick carpet) so that you don't hurt your knees. Be sure to keep that core nice and tight, and tuck that pelvis under a bit to avoid bowing of the back
Keep at it, you'll build up the strength!

oh wow, thanks pysknife for THOSE helpful tips...... tuckin the pelvis and keeping the core tight....I'm doing wall pushups myself right now and with my feet way back it's a great workout for me....I do those type when I'm a place waiting for whatever I'm in line for....if there's a wall...then I'm doing pushups on it. :bigsmile: Learned that from Jeannie

I'm really shocked how many full floor pushups I could do when I was evaluated at the gym last year....whoa I was in the 90the percentile of the folks that do the test....how? no clue!:noway: I think I must have stronger upper body than I realized or something.....whatever the reason it was SWEET to view the results:bigsmile:

psyknife

You're lucky! Man, I have to fight w/every ounce of my being at push-ups. My upper body doesn't like holding onto strength... grrr at my upper body.

I'm starting a new program in a couple weeks called ChaLEAN Extreme! It's heavy lifting based... I sooooo can't wait to give this a go!

SGFlyinHi

You're lucky! Man, I have to fight w/every ounce of my being at push-ups. My upper body doesn't like holding onto strength... grrr at my upper body.

I'm starting a new program in a couple weeks called ChaLEAN Extreme! It's heavy lifting based... I sooooo can't wait to give this a go!

I like doing push-ups and usually don't have a problem with them. I'm working on my pull-ups now. I can do about 3 full body pull-ups and its slowly getting better. Glad I LOVE lifting heavy. :bigsmile:

Good luck with the new program!!

ivykivy

Are resistance bands considered weight training or should I lift weights on top of using resistance bands. I usually do the taebo with the resistance bands?