New to the gym

SnTsMum
SnTsMum Posts: 90 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey there, I'm joining the gym this week. I have about 13kg (27lbs) to lose, I have also bought a HRM. I am wondering about the following:

Should I concentrate purely on cardio until I lose a few more kg then start with weights?

Do a mix of the two?

Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • zechks
    zechks Posts: 224
    Hey there, I'm joining the gym this week. I have about 13kg (27lbs) to lose, I have also bought a HRM. I am wondering about the following:

    Should I concentrate purely on cardio until I lose a few more kg then start with weights?

    Do a mix of the two?

    Thanks in advance :)

    Weights, cardio and a sound nutrition is the way to go.
  • SnTsMum
    SnTsMum Posts: 90 Member
    Hey there, I'm joining the gym this week. I have about 13kg (27lbs) to lose, I have also bought a HRM. I am wondering about the following:

    Should I concentrate purely on cardio until I lose a few more kg then start with weights?

    Do a mix of the two?

    Thanks in advance :)

    Weights, cardio and a sound nutrition is the way to go.

    I guess this is where the "lifting heavy" concept comes into debate?
  • kldandjad
    kldandjad Posts: 12 Member
    When I started it was pretty much cardio (elliptical). I thought I was going die after 5 minutes to start, and now I can do over an hour without feeling much (it wasn't overnight of course). After I built up to about 1/2 an hour I started adding in weight and interval training classes.

    Weights are definately good to add in to help build the muscle. But you want to make sure your doing them correctly so you don't get hurt. They should walk you through the machines for and "orientation"

    You also want to try and keep things interesting. Try out different classes, machines etc. to see what works for you. Good luck!
  • scheatwood
    scheatwood Posts: 207 Member
    My personal trainer has me mixing, even though mine is more fat to lose then muscle to build..... I do weights with 30 minutes of cardio on Mon, Wed, and Fri and then do 60-90 minutes of cardio the rest of the time. Sunday's are my rest day and I only walk two miles.
  • jstandfield
    jstandfield Posts: 150 Member
    ...And please dont use a cell phone while others are waiting to get on your machine,lol
  • SnTsMum
    SnTsMum Posts: 90 Member
    How long is a safe time to workout for? I'm willing to go as long as I can since it's my only "me" time that I get also.
  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
    1-1.5 hours
  • wolfpack77
    wolfpack77 Posts: 655
    How long is a safe time to workout for? I'm willing to go as long as I can since it's my only "me" time that I get also.

    This depends on how intense your exercise is. You can burn just as many calories in 30 minutes with HIIT as you would an hour of steady state cardio, or 45 minutes of moderate weight training. But 1 hour workout at moderate intensity would be pretty standard.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    if i can go back and tell myself one thing when i started getting fit, is to do strength training sooner.

    start with body weight stuff. a circuit like this http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ is a good starting point. when you can do the circuit 3 times in a row and be comfortable, it's time to move on.

    at that point, you'll be ready to move on to a weight lifting circuit, and then a dedicated 5x5 or 5/3/1 plan. but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

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