weight training vs cardio

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jimenez0312
jimenez0312 Posts: 24
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been working out off and on for 4 months. The past two weeks I decided to be dedicated. Especially since I found out the scale I was using was low in battery so it didnt weight me right. My scale had me gain 5-7 lbs in one day. When I used the scale at the gym ,I was 10 lbs under my scale at home.

I have been eating alright and going to the gym everyday. I have been doing about 45-60 minutes in cardio and 30 minutes in weight training. I was wondering if I need to lower my cardio. My goal right now is to lose weight (especially the tummy area) then ultimate goal is to be toned. Also, what is the lbs for the weights and how many reps/sets should I do. Please look at my diary 10/10/11 for an example. Also, what exercises can I do for the tummy and under my arms?

Thanks and I appreciate all the help.

Replies

  • kendernau
    kendernau Posts: 155 Member
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    Best results for MOST people (your mileage may vary - you need to find what works best for YOU):

    - Cardio is better for burning off fat
    - Strength is for increasing metabolism (lean tissue takes more energy to keep around than fat)
    - You can do cardio pretty much every day, but strength exercises work best if you don't work the same body part two days in a row

    If you want to increase overall strength and not just maintain the muscle tone you have, most trainers I have talked with recommend strength training to fatigue (until you can't really do more reps - not until you can't move at all), then take 1-2 days off, then repeat. Also works if you just alternate areas of focus - Monday for Arms, Tuesday for Legs, etc.

    Also, as far as the tummy or other areas, no exercise can get rid of fat from a specific area - burning fat burns it from all areas. Strength exercises are great for increasing and toning the muscles in a specific area. Not sure exactly what you want to do, so not sure what exercises to recommend specifically.

    I'm not a personal trainer or bodybuilder, so others would probably be better for recommending specific exercises once you clarify exactly what you are trying to do.
  • inkdgirl
    inkdgirl Posts: 79
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    Check out Jamie Eason 's Live fit program on bodybuilding.com, ive been following it and love it..
    i was doing only cardio and no weights and the fat was coming off, but now i wanna make sure im toned up.. have a look and see the exercises.. they have great videos to teach you how to do each exercise too..
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
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    i do 3 set of 10 reps of my weight excersises (of which i have 10 of)

    as for the weight, i have it so that im struggling to do the last 2 reps of each set.

    if i can complete 3x10 easily, then i will up the weight next time.
  • LadySoulja
    LadySoulja Posts: 1
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    To really burn fat, do High Intensity Interval cardio. Any cardio over 45 minutes is if you want to lose water weight. You want shorter time, higher intensity...i.e. on the elliptical- 1:30 on a high level/moving faster and 3:00 recovery time...doing this for 30mins. As time goes by and it becomes easier, you can decrease your recovery time. Definitely make sure to weight train; muscle needs more calories to be sustained than what fat does (great for keeping weight off in the future and having definition instead of skinny/flabby). (with this whole concept..think of marathon/long distance runners vs sprinters..how their body type is)

    Grab a fitness magazine (not some foo foo chick magazine, I haven't found those to be helpful) and check those out. Look up stuff on google, there's a lot of resources out there. :smile:
    Consistency is key!

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