The fat first

mszSHOGAN

Okay so before I can tone and get my body back to "pre-children" I have a lot of fat to loose. Is cardio the best route to go because of all the calories being burned? Help!

mszSHOGAN

Okay so before I can tone and get my body back to "pre-children" I have a lot of fat to loose. Is cardio the best route to go because of all the calories being burned? Help!

LuckyLeprechaun

the best results will come from doing both- cardio strips off the layer of fat. but if that's all you do, you will still be flabby when the fat is gone. AND muscle burns calories just sitting there, so it is your friend and you want it! so do both resistance/strength and cardio, in that order, and you will both build muscle and shed fat, and when you are at your target, you will be a beautiful strong and slim Mom!

MyaPapaya75

cardio cardio cardio.mixed with strength training

tayner

I do both, i usually do cardio and then right after, while my HR is still going, I do some weights.. usually do lower body one day, upper another day... so it doesnt take that long at the end of the workout but I am slowly getting stronger, and hopefully when my "insulation" is gone I will see results

LuckyLeprechaun

there have been studies that show best results are achieved when strength training comes first, and cardio afterward.

songbyrdsweet can probably explain better why it works this way, but it has to do with where your body goes for fuel under different circumstances. the gist of it was that if you use up a lot of your immediate energy on strength training, you'll be burning fat off when you switch to cardio. supposedly both weights and cardio will be at their best when done in this order- anybody have the faintest idea what I am describing here?

mszSHOGAN

INSULATION - I like that! :laugh:

But it IS spring now so we should know that its really time for it to come off.

Thanks everyone!

rlw911

My workouts start with cardio, then I move to strength training. I do upper body (with weights) one day, core the next, lower body next day & then flexibilty/yoga. I've been doing this since January, and I definitely am seeing some muscle. Some of it's still covered by flab, but I'm slowly seeing it. Plus, I can feel it. So, the good news is, you can loose fat & tone at the same time!

Good luck on your new lifestyle journey! :flowerforyou:

fitnessperfection

I do both..but I do more strenght training than cardio...about 60/40. The more muscle you develop the more fat you will burn. Cardio is important but if you are strength training properly you can raise your heart rate, thereby creating a cardio experience without actually being on a peice of cardio equipment.

For example, increase your weight and decrease the number of reps as well as the rest time between sets.

I will do a chest workout beginning on the flat bench and do sets of 10 reps with a 20second rest period. My heart rate goes up!

Also, doing cardio AFTER your weight workout is typically better because it allows you to work those muscles without being fatigued from cardio. If you wait and do it after your weight training you are not fatigued and you are more likely to have proper form and more energy to possibly increase your weight amount.

I hope this info was helpful. Let me know if I can help anymore...

mszSHOGAN

VERY helpful and I would have never thought to do strength training first but now I understand why! I just got on MFP today and I LOVE IT You guys are great and be expecting more questions!

rlw911

I googled "strength training or cardio first?" and found lots of articles with different opinions. In fact, most articles stated there were lots of differing opinions on the subject. Basically, if you do cardio before strength, you can tire yourself out so that you don't train as effectively or safely.

Here's a couple of quotes from an article on Spark People:

"When it comes to weight loss, I recommend doing cardio first. Cardio exercise is going to help you burn the most calories in the shortest period of time. Although weight training is also going to help with weight loss (and should be part of any workout routine), I would make cardio the activity you're going to do while you have the most energy and your muscles are rested. No matter which order you choose, the second activity is going to suffer (to a certain extent) because you've already used up some of your energy. If you can do your cardio and strength training on different days, that would be the ideal situation. But no matter which order you use, you'll want to do a good 5-10 minute warm up before each workout session."

"What I always say matters most is that you're actually doing both cardio and strength training—in any order, on any days, at any time—and continuing to push a little harder to become even more fit. While I do agree with the perspective that it’s ideal to do cardio and strength training on separate days for optimal results, most people’s schedules don’t allow that. If you have to do both in one day, your second best option is to do them at different times of day—such as cardio in the morning and strength training in the afternoon or evening. This two-a-day approach gives you time to rest and refuel enough that you’ll have optimal energy once again by the time you get to your second workout."

So, I guess do what works for you. I do cardio first, just because that's the way my workout video goes. I think if I was doing serious weight training, I'd definitely do lifting before cardio. I do hope to build up to that some day. :happy:

LuckyLeprechaun

No matter which order you choose, the second activity is going to suffer (to a certain extent) because you've already used up some of your energy.

this is along the lines of what I read, but it went on to say that this is the thing to do because the depleted energy means that your body has to summon energy from the "reserves" (FAT) and you'll burn it off better that way...

make sense? IDK:blushing: