Cardio? Weights? How much?

shiseido_faerie

So tonight I ventured into the weight area for the first time, I was a little nervous , there are no girls over there, only college guys - the ones who wear shirts that say 'yeah Im hot' etc...(and I'm 32) so it was weird. As it turned out, there was no need to be nervous, I loved it! It really felt like I was using muscles (I sit at a desk Alll day) it was awesome!! Now I'm wondering....can I avoid the horrendous cardio machines all together and just the weights 3 or 4 times a week? I walk to and from work every day which is about 45 minutes total walking at a good pace, and sometimes I squeeze in another half hour walk at lunch. Is that enough? My goal is mainly to lose the inches that have accumulated, and get strong. I'm 5'2 currently 135. What do you guys think? This gym stuff is pretty new to me.

whosejelly

You will find you burn more calories doing cardio than strength exercises...

denitraross

My general rule is to keep the numbers equal...I try to spend just as much time on strength training as cardio.....cardio will burn the calories sure, but strength training will shape and define your muslces and help you lose inches....try to balance the 2...or try mixing them together for HILT training...strength mixed with cardio bursts to keep your heart rate up ...it really isnt all about losing pounds..they say every 10 pounds is a size...NOT TRUE...I lost 40 lbs which should be 4 sizes?? Nope - went from size 16/18 to size 4/6...mainly from losing inches!

AnvilHead

You will find you burn more calories doing cardio than strength exercises...

You'll also find that you lose more fat (and preserve your lean body mass/muscle) doing strength training:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

Cardio certainly has other benefits, but strength training will contribute far more if you're trying to reshape your body.

shiseido_faerie

Yes, I'm not as concerned about what the scale says as I am with how my clothes fit, so my focus is more losing inches and building strength, but I know you need some cardio to balance it out, I just wonder if my daily walking is enough to fulfill the cardio aspect.

marycmeadows

strength train 3 days a week - skip a day in between if you're doing total body....
walking to work seems to be part of your daily routine so I don't know that I'd count it as cardio..... get on the stair climber or run or something 3 days a week.

oh and don't do barbie bells. Lift heavy. do free weights, avoid the weight machines.