strength training question, newbie

ambermichk

i am new to working out, i use to do a lot of it but quit, gained back all i lost but all i did was cardio, now i restarted a healthier life style i want to do some strength training, muscle building like all the people i see on the machines at the gym.... being i am just restarting....

should i start with just the cardio to burn the fat like i am doing now?
should i go ahead and start weights? if not when??
do u do strength training before or after cardio???


thanks for all help in advance !!!

capnwo85

I would definitely recommend doing both. There are some pretty good easy, 3x a week lifting programs which deal with nothing but compound strength movements for overall gains. Check out Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5x5. Both can be done by men or women.

coraliethomas

I cross train.. you can lose some muscle mass if all you do is cardio.. add some strength training to your cardio and you will start seeing some serious results.

Sometimes I do 30 minutes of cardio and then 30 min of strength (focusing on one muscle group), or I just do cardio, or just strength... but by the end of the week I usually have a pretty good mix of things. Dont wait until you have lost weight to start strength training... well developed muscles actually burn up more calories than under developed ones!

waskier

Both. You do not need to kill yourself doing hours and hours a day. I lift 3 times a week for about 50 minutes per session. Here is a link to the routine I use:

http://bodyforlife.com/library/exercise/weight-training

You simply pick one exercise per body part, do them in order and time your rest periods. It is a killer workout. The key for weights is consistency in the gym, rotating the exercises as your body adjusts, and really focusing on the quality of the lifting.

Muscle burns calories, lifting adds muscle. Lift, do cardio, eat healthy and the pounds will melt away.

Best of luck!

ambermichk

thanks all, i was thinking i should start right away........i will get on at the gym and start on the machines at least and work up from there