am i doing enough? cardio v weights

Sid1988

About 3/4 times a week i go to the gym, my workout goes at follows....

cross trainer - 10 minutes
rowing machine - 10 minutes
treadmill - 10 minutes
bike - 10 minutes

plank for 1 minute
3 sets of crunches
3 sets of squats with 4kg ball

then on alternate days i will concentrate on my arms and legs, about 15 minutes each time.
x9 sets on arms
x12 sets on legs

is this enough to start seeing results?

thanks

wellbert

what kind of results are you looking for?

with a calorie deficit, you could lose weight doing that, sure.

Sid1988

well i've lost 19lbs so far, i'm 5"6 and was 157lbs and am now 138lbs, i still have a lot of fat on my body, i'd like to get rid of this and tone up.

Determinednoob

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Determinednoob

I would suggest more weight training and whatever amount of cardio you do or do not want along with an amount of food that puts you into a deficit along with whatever exercise you do. Obviously (well maybe) I am biased towards weight training, but it (or any challenging resistance training) is pretty much the only exercise required to look good.

mfpcopine

About 3/4 times a week i go to the gym, my workout goes at follows....

cross trainer - 10 minutes
rowing machine - 10 minutes
treadmill - 10 minutes
bike - 10 minutes

plank for 1 minute
3 sets of crunches
3 sets of squats with 4kg ball

then on alternate days i will concentrate on my arms and legs, about 15 minutes each time.
x9 sets on arms
x12 sets on legs

is this enough to start seeing results?

thanks

It depends on your goals. Do you have a lot of weight to lose? You might want to do more cardio. Are you exercising at a steady level of intensity after warming up on the cardio machines?

How many reps per set are you doing? Nine sets (is that nine different exercises?) sounds like an awful lot. When you say "arms" does that include your chest and shoulders?

Sid1988

I should have been a bit more clearer, i meant 3 different weight machines on my legs totalling 12 sets, x3 sets on each, and my arms i use two different machines that focus on my arms, shoulders and chest which are also x3 sets on each.

i am wanting to lose weight (approx 13lbs) and when i am at my goal i want to tone up.

so what do you think is best?

thanks everyone.

greeneyedKat

I am no expert but have been a fitness trainer and am working on getting back in shape and getting certified thru ISSA...I would suggest more weight training also. Putting on more muscle will not only make your body look better but also help you to burn more fat....I have seen a lot of people lose a bunch of weight and look terrible because they didnt have enough muscle....building more muscle will tone you up and helps fill out that saggy skin, from losing weight. I would suggest doing several exercises for each body part. And increasing the amount of weight when it gets too easy. Dont work the same muscle everyday ( abs you can tho)...youre breaking them down and they need some time to rest. Increasing protein intake is really important too!

My workout looks like this (most of the time) : back/biceps/abs and 1 hr cardio...one day

Chest/triceps/abs and 1 hr cardio....another day

Legs/ shoulders /abs and 1 hr cardio....on another day

sometimes I work my shoulders into my chest and triceps or back and biceps workout, instead of the leg workout...good luck with your workouts!!

ilovedeadlifts

more weight trianing would probably be a good idea.

Rynatat

Personally I'm biased towards weight training... And part of it is because I've lost over 60 pounds (part of it pre-MFP) and had a lot of loose skin that looked really bad & aged me

I do at least 10 - 15 mins of cardio every day prior to my weight training to warm up the muscles, then around 60-90 mins weights, I alternate between upper & lower body with a day inbetween of cardio & core (Monday through Friday, Saturday & Sundays are my "what-ever-I-feel-like-working" days).

It won't happen over night, but patience & persistence DO pay off. 2 years ago, weighing the same as what I do now, I wouldn't wear anything shorter than mid-calf & even then I felt uncomfortable. Now, putting on a pair of shorts is no issue. Just ease into any new workout program. If you're not looking to bulk the muscels, try doing lower weights higher reps, and see if your gym offers a trainer for free that can set you up on the machines, reps & sets that will work for you (I go to Planet Fitness & they offer free group training, most gyms do offer at least a one-time-free-set-up session with a trainer).

DopeItUp

If your goal is in fact to get "toned" (I hate that word), definitely need to be doing a whole lot more weight lifting. Concentrate on full-body compound exercises with free weights. Ditch the machines. Pick up Starting Strength, New Rules Of Lifting, Stronglifts, Wendler's 5/3/1, etc and follow one of them.