Too much cardio? Not enough weights?

kr1ssy23

Thanks yall. It makes so much more sense now. Thanks so much!

Funsoaps

You never said how long it's been since you could lose any weight, a week or month or what.

It seems 1300 calories for 50-minute workouts is too low...personally for that amount of working out I'd eat 1700.

kr1ssy23

Open up your diary. My guess is the weight fluctuations have more to do with diet than exercise. You can't gain 3lbs of muscle in a very short time, it just doesn't happen that way!

K, opened diary...but like I said...Im not the best eater...especially the past few days

erickirb

You should always do weights first, then cardio.

But truly, it comes down to diet.

The big reason for weights first is that you risk injury (due to bad form) lifting after cardio. If you are tired your form will give way much sooner then it would otherwise, or before your muscles work as hard as they can.

I suggest weights first and also do less cardio, and maybe even do this on different days.

OP: you need to eat much more and the more you workout the more you need to eat to fuel your body

iWaffle

I tend to build muscle quickly so I stick to low weights with high repetitions.

You build muscle quickly only if your muscle is under developed. Once you reach an appropriate level each additional ounce of muscle becomes increasingly difficult to add on. It's the law of diminishing returns. I'm wanting to add half an inch to my arms and it's amazingly difficult to do.

It is a complete myth that picking up heavy weights makes you too big or bulky. All it does is make you stronger and leaner and gives you awesome looking legs and arms. Women will not get huge muscles. This will not happen because you lack the testosterone. Come back and tell me when you can do curls with 45 lb. plates or squat 225 lbs. and I'll change my story. Pack it on as heavy as you can and still do 10 reps in a set. (with good form of course)

CoderGal

Don't do your cardio first. A little warm up is fine, but any exercise you do will first use up your glycogen stores. That glycogen should be used for weight lifting (for ATP/CP production) and will have you doing a more efficient workout. Cardio done after to tap fat stores.
So lift first, then cardio after.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I find its easier to do cardio then weights later
Certified something or others
Some kind of member of something
Certified at other similar things that may include the above
Been doing stuff for years and studied things

jadedone

There was a small study a few weeks ago that debunked the whole "no cardio on strength day" thing.

My plan is the following:
5-7 minute cardio warmup
weights
20-30 minutes of cardio intervals (Sometimes I don't have the energy..so I do a steady state cardio)

or 30-45 minutes of circuit training

icandoit203

i was doing cardio first and like yo usaid to tired to do weights and would only make 20 mins and i was done & this was being 2hrs in the gym. A friend who is a PT told me to warm-up 5-10mins do weights then do cardio at the end, or do weights first then cardio. I can last so much longer when I do cardio last. I feel like I can go all night. Hope this helps and also your food intake plays a big deal in losing. I am learning this once again been through this before just forgot alot of things. It's always good to have reminders.

funkycamper

Well, sounds like you should be trainning me!!! All of the info shared by me has been given to me by certified trainers...guess I just shouldn't trust or pay trainers anymore :sad:

When I was doing low weights/high reps, I saw some increase in strength and a slight improvement in my body composition. Not much and since I was also losing fat, it was kinda hard to tell how much difference the weights were making to my body.

Once I switched to heavy weights/low reps, I saw an amazing difference. During the first month of it, I only dropped three pounds, I dropped an entire pant size.

Between the two, I would never do low weights/high reps again after seeing the changes lifting heavier makes. Not only strength and inches lost but, also, the revving up it has done to my metabolism. It's a good thing.

I suggest you give it a try. If you don't like it or the effects you get from it, you can always switch back.

Sarauk2sf

No wonder you are tired - you are absolutely not eating enough. You should up your base calorie and hit that target (including the exercise) - not leave a lot of calories on the table.

Also, Ninerbuff is totally correct in the timing of strength v cardio, but often it comes down to what you prefer. There is the 'optimal' regime, and then there is the one you will stick to. If the one you will stick to is the cardio after, then do that, but if you find that it is more enjoyable to do it the other way round, it is still beneficial (just maybe not quite as efficient).

Same with diet - if you stick to say 1600 calories a day for a year - that is much better than 1200 calories for 2 months. (Actually it is just better period, but thats a whole nother thread).

bethmac_va

Thanks to all of you who posted. Thanks, OP for asking this question. There is so much information out there, I find it hard to assimilate everything, and sort out the incorrect information.

I learned a lot myself! :happy:

erickirb

Don't do your cardio first. A little warm up is fine, but any exercise you do will first use up your glycogen stores. That glycogen should be used for weight lifting (for ATP/CP production) and will have you doing a more efficient workout. Cardio done after to tap fat stores.
So lift first, then cardio after.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I find its easier to do cardio then weights later
Certified something or others
Some kind of member of something
Certified at other similar things that may include the above
Been doing stuff for years and studied things

that's fine, but your risk of injury would be much higher. Do you do a full cardio workout first, or just warm-up?