short on time...cardio or strength?

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Amy_B
Amy_B Posts: 2,323 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Which would you do if you only had 30 minutes to exercise?

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  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
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    I would use weights in my cardio. if your routine calls for squats use weight with your squats and add a shoulder press and bicep curls.
  • ngwife4life
    ngwife4life Posts: 569
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    ^^^ What she said ^^^
  • alligator1970
    alligator1970 Posts: 52
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    I usually do 20 minutes of jogging holding 1 lb weights and then 10 of step aerobics holding the 1 lb weights...good luck..
  • tkrull
    tkrull Posts: 15
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    Remember the calories you burn with cardio stop when you stop working out. When you strength train your building muscle so you will burn calories even when your done working out. That's why circuit training is the best way to go.
  • LightenUp_Caro
    LightenUp_Caro Posts: 572 Member
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    I would do a combination, similar to circuits.

    warm up for 5 on cardio, do 5 minutes of weights (1 leg, 1 arm), 5 more minutes of cardio, then weights again...until you run out of time.

    that way you keep your heart rate up, and you work muscles that keep burning after you leave.:flowerforyou:
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
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    I would do as many push ups as I can, as many squats as I can and then alternate between sprinting and jogging for about 15 min. Then do some more push ups and squats and a good stretch for about 5 min.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Remember the calories you burn with cardio stop when you stop working out. When you strength train your building muscle so you will burn calories even when your done working out. That's why circuit training is the best way to go.

    Circuit training is a good option if you are fit enough to hit it hard and have limited time. I would not oversell the "building muscle" part, however, as it is a limited workout.

    Still will help with weight loss.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    some anaerobic cardio would probably be best, it will help keep your muscle definition while still burning lots of calories. I only have 30 minutes a day to work out, that's plenty of time to get a good 300 calorie workout in.

    I usually do 3 days a week of HIIT training, and 3 days of Weight training but I'm at a different place then you, if I were you, I'd do 4 days a week of HIIT or something that get's your heart rate average up close to 80% for the whole 30 minutes, and then 2 days of some weight or resistance training to technical failure.

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