women trying to lean out with strength...how much cardio?

Jennifer0878

I'm also doing "New Rules of Lifting for Women" right now. It's AWESOME! I'm currently lifting (heavy) three days a week. I try to do cardio 2-3 days a week, but I mostly listen to my body. If the thought of exercising makes me cringe (like today), I don't do any cardio. I like to make sure I'm well rested for my lifting days, which include 15-30 minutes of cardio after lifting.

Like others have said, eat well, drink lots of water and lift heavy. Anything else is bonus.

carrie_eggo

IMO, strictly regarding body composition, if you are eating at a deficit and lifting heavy (and you don't have a specific time frame you need to lose body fat in) you don't really need any cardio at all. If I do any cardio, it's because I want to eat more food.

Rae6503

I think there is a lot of time wasted on mediocre exercises like "cutting" with high reps and "ab circuits".

unless you want to spend hours in the gym each week, keep it simple and keep it heavy. this builds muscle. IMHO there is no such thing as toning. You are tearing and building muscle or you are doing cardio (high reps). Building muscle = tone.

bodybuilders might need to work on specific body parts for competitions, for the rest of us, complex multi-muscle exercises are all really all that is needed.

On abs - real lifting will build your core naturally, the majors, deads, squats and pullups do this for you - no need to waste time doing 30 mins of crunches.

This exactly. I haven't done any "ab work" in months.

70davis

Bump

Picola1984

Hmm, this is making me rethink my routine

I do the same principle each gym session, 3-5 times a week (varying the machines I use)

1-1 hour 20 of cardio, 10-15 minutes of lifting on machines or free weights, followed by 5-10 mins of floorwork

If I don't burn 500calories in the first one hour I feel I have accomplished nothing

dorseykm

I run 5 days a week for 4-8 miles per run. I'm trying to do strength training for 1 hour per day for 2 days a week.

jenniebean1680

Hmm, this is making me rethink my routine

I do the same principle each gym session, 3-5 times a week (varying the machines I use)

1-1 hour 20 of cardio, 10-15 minutes of lifting on machines or free weights, followed by 5-10 mins of floorwork

If I don't burn 500calories in the first one hour I feel I have accomplished nothing

10-15 mins lifting is a waste of time. Do an hour of cardio after you lift. Add the 20 mins left over to lifting heavy compound weights.

As to your last sentence, that sounds awfully restrictive and quite negative... might want to rethink that as well. Oh, and I hope you're eating to your net.

jenniebean1680

Man, I'm gettin preachy in my old age.

paulamarsden

i hope im doing the right things...

im doing 4 or so days a week which consist of 3-5 min on the bike... just to get my heart going.

i then move through the weight machines, lifting weight levels that i can only do 6-8 reps of without feeling like im gonna drop the weights. i do two sets of each machine...

then i do kettlebell swings one set of 8 with a 12kg kettlebell, once i feel i can do more than 8 i will go to the next weight.

ive then been doing weighted squats followed by vipr training with a 10kg bar, bicep curls and shoulder presses.

then once a week i might swim, otherwise a bit of just dance or zumba kinect at home.

i try not to do more than 30 minute sessions and alwaus with my HRM.

so far, in two weeks ive taken 44 seconds off of my fitness test time and increased my weights drastically.

i feel stronger, and can already see the muscle when lifting, i also have lost alot of cms.

obviously, ive alot of weight to lose, i also want to be able to do my 5k run on July 1st. i aim to start training for this in about 10 pounds time.

any help or suggestions most welcome!

littlemili

10-15 mins lifting is a waste of time.

Not really. If you're new to lifting it's quite enough. I limit my lifting due to hypermobility, I have to be so careful with my ligaments and tendons. You shouldn't pass generic judgements like that.

super_star_27

i do mainly cardio; running, jogging, dancing but i'm trying to incorperate more strength into my workouts... maybe conditioning such as burpees, push ups, crunches and planks?

jenniebean1680

10-15 mins lifting is a waste of time.

Not really. If you're new to lifting it's quite enough. I limit my lifting due to hypermobility, I have to be so careful with my ligaments and tendons. You shouldn't pass generic judgements like that.

You're right, I'm sorry! Somebody I know shouldn't post on the boards when she's hungry for dinner. :embarassed:

I have a friend at the gym who does practically no weight on the same 3 machines (reverse flyes, oblique rotation, and preacher curls). She doesn't break a sweat and you can see her throwing it around, so it's not heavy for her. She does this for 10 mins, then comes to my spinning class. I think this is what I visualized. I don't give her a hard time for it, but I do admit to an inward eyeroll.

Thanks for taking me down a notch!

wiepster

Lift 3 times a week, try to use the basic compound schedule, like a Rippetoe schedule or Madcow, see http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw52.htm , follow the advise given there, this schedule will make you stronger and leaner. Perform in the best form you can, then start adding weights to build strenght, this will avoid injuries.


Only light cardio on the days you lift, as a warming up. Also do not do cardio too long,burning over 300 cal, this will make you lose muscle instead of fat. Split the cardio up, if needed or wanted to twice a day to make sure to stay under burning 300 cal.

Divide your nutrition to 40 % Protein and Carbs, 20% Fat., this will make you more toned and burn quicker. This is the only way for me to lose weight, too much carbs will hold the weight, even though I keep the calorie count low.

Studies show that weightlifting is very good for the body, especially for older women, to avoid osteoporosis and keep a good posture. Dr Oz has written an article in one of the latest Oprah Magazines regarding the benefits of weightlifting for woman.

shamr0ck

My trainer wants me to limit the amount of cardio i'm doing right now, not worry about the scale, and concentrate on getting stronger. I have training sessions, lifting heavy, 8 hours a week. One hour on top of that for bodyweight exercises, and i do about 4-6 hours of cardio weekly.

Monitoring my body composition with quarterly DEXA scans, i've gained 8 pounds of lean mass, and lost 21 pounds overall in the last 9 months.

MrsFelton2010

love this, im really trying to get into weights while losing pounds. ive lost some pounds but have about 100lbs total more to lose. So I ask you ladies who are lifting is it a good idea for me with so much weight left to lose? I eat 1350 on rest days and on workout days I try to eat about 1500_1700. I know I probably should eat more but when I first started losing I was eating 1200 on rest days and maybe 300-500 additional exercise calories. I am going to check out New Rules book.

yankeedownsouth

bump

Eva_H

Interesting topic, I just started lifting. Bump!

Amy_B

love this, im really trying to get into weights while losing pounds. ive lost some pounds but have about 100lbs total more to lose. So I ask you ladies who are lifting is it a good idea for me with so much weight left to lose? I eat 1350 on rest days and on workout days I try to eat about 1500_1700. I know I probably should eat more but when I first started losing I was eating 1200 on rest days and maybe 300-500 additional exercise calories. I am going to check out New Rules book.

I don't think it would hurt, but until you lose more of the weight on top of the muscle, you probably won't really notice them. Maybe have more cardio days with 2 or so strength days in there.


Thank you for all the awesome replies!

cadency

So most of the studies I have read say that if you have a lot of fat to lose, you do predominantly cardio and you can continue with weight lifting in a high intensity interval pattern. So short rests in between reps to continue with the cardio burn. This helps you lose fat more quickly; then it is better to tone with the heavy lifting more and shorten the periods of cardio.

JennieAL

I think there is a lot of time wasted on mediocre exercises like "cutting" with high reps and "ab circuits".

unless you want to spend hours in the gym each week, keep it simple and keep it heavy. this builds muscle. IMHO there is no such thing as toning. You are tearing and building muscle or you are doing cardio (high reps). Building muscle = tone.

bodybuilders might need to work on specific body parts for competitions, for the rest of us, complex multi-muscle exercises are all really all that is needed.

On abs - real lifting will build your core naturally, the majors, deads, squats and pullups do this for you - no need to waste time doing 30 mins of crunches.

This is what I understand to be accurate as far as strength goes, and what I'm basing my strength program on (I chose Starting Strength after looking at NROL4W and Strong Lifts first).

As for cardio, I pretty much do it only if I want to. And that's probably an average of 1 or 2 days per week for 30 - 45 minutes.

kryptonitekelly

Both equally!
Need cardio to burn fat. Need strength to build muscle

anberlingasm

When we're talking about lifting, how much are we talking (kg)?

I know it's different for everyone, but I have absolutely NO idea what a 'good' weight would be. What does everyone else lift, and how often?

Jenlwb

Here's my plan, I'm on new rules of lifting too:

day 1: workout A weights
day 2: 25 mins HIIT on the bike (10km)
day 3: workout B weights
off
day 5: workout A weights
day 6: 25 mins HIIT on the bike (10km)
off.

aiming for 120g protein a day. See my diary for weight details!

JennieAL

Both equally!
Need cardio to burn fat. Need strength to build muscle

Cardio is for conditioning. Cardio is NOT needed to burn fat. A calorie deficit alone is what burns fat. Cardio can aid in burning fat but it's not an efficient or smart way to do so.

JennieAL

When we're talking about lifting, how much are we talking (kg)?

I know it's different for everyone, but I have absolutely NO idea what a 'good' weight would be. What does everyone else lift, and how often?

You can start with what is heavy for you at 1-8 reps. And incrementally increase from that.

HauteP1nk

Cardio has a slight advantage burning a bit more calories during an actual workout session...

That being said, lifting weights gives your metabolism a spike for about an hour after a workout. During this time your body is trying hard to help your muscles recover. This means that on average you'll fry an additional 25 percent of the calories you just scorched during your strength session.

For me....strength building wins, but just like your diet your workouts need to have a good balance.

JennieAL

Cardio has a slight advantage burning a bit more calories during an actual workout session...

True. However strength training is for gaining strength. Cardio conditions the body. I personally don't do either for the calorie burn. Eating optimally (at a deficit, maintenance or surplus) is all that's necessary to take care of the body fat issue.

Use them for what they actually do.

zombilishious

I do both equally. 3-4 days a week I do 30 minutes of cardio, monitoring my heart rate to stay at least 75% of max, then alternate legs/upper body using a combination of the machines and free weights. Every week I try to add a little more weight. I do core exercises every day I'm at the gym. Friday nights I take advantage of the boot camp offered by my gym, which is circuit training, and frankly kicks my butt.

Lean muscle burns more calories even at rest. Cardio conditions the body - and makes the heart muscle stronger.

Since I'm looking to lose weight, and be more healthy, I stick to 1500 calories a day. I've decreased my carbs from the MFP recommended to 130grams a day - all whole grains. I eat more protein to recover the muscles. I eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day. I don't eat my calories back.

I've lost 13lbs. since I started, and I'm down a dress size. I'm losing about 1.5 lbs a week - (I've got 40lbs to go to get back the majority of my pre-3 kids in 5 years body).

Women are afraid to weight train because they don't want to get "bulky",. which is a complete myth. We don't bulk up like men do unless we are actively trying to.

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Thanks for the replies!

If anyone out there does more strength than cardio and wants to share their schedule, I would really appreciate it.

I do more heavy lifting than cardio at the moment (hate the stationary cardio machines - I like my cardio outside when its warmer!).

Monday- Legs
Tuesday- Upper
Wednesday- REST
Thursday- 45 min swim or 30 min run
Friday- 20 min run + core
Saturday- Spin Class or 30 min run
Sunday- REST

gg24

i do lifting 3 days a week, and zumba 2 days a week. I also throw in about 20 minutes of cardio after I lift.

Hey that's my schedule!

I also add in a 30-45 minutewalk during lunch but at a leisurely pace.