Continue with cardio or only do strength training

mercymarque

I have lost weight with diet, exercise and juicing. Everyone will not agree with the juicing but for me it was neccessary. I didn't have a ton a weight to lose. 50 pounds is no laughing matter but. I have always eaten healthy and have done minimal exercise, walking. As you get harder u have to change up ur routine. All the experts have different approaches, all trainings say different things. Exercise a hour a day to stay the same weight. ... exercise for 30 minutes a day to lose etc. etc. Losing the 21 pounds was slow the weight didn't come off fast as it has for most.

With losing the 21 pounds my BMI is now in a "overweight" category. I have 26 pounds to lose to be in the healthy category. Here comes my dilema. I don't know if I want to get down that small. I think I would look like I was on crack. My wedding picture is the smallest I can remember myself being in my adult life and I had ppl telling me I was too small then (size 9). Don't get me wrong this is my journey and I don't care about the ppl. This BMI just has me confused. What makes the determinations. As you can see I'm African American for me 130-150 range being 5'5, 35 is crazy. I big up top and small on the bottom.

I am going to continue eating healthy staying in my calorie limits and continue to exercise. Do I still do cardio? How much cardio should I continue doing? I was doing strength training throughout my journey but not as much as I was doing cardio. I hit the circuit and focused on strength training on weekends. I am currently adding JM to my workouts by doing ripped in 30. I am currently on week 1 day 5 tonight. I do Denise Austin Pilates as well as she helped my lose my baby pouch years ago... will i have a three yr old and need her help again. Since going to the gym I really haven't been good at doing DVD... but now since it's been cold I've been able to.

Any advice you can give on how I should approach this would be helpful. Thanks for your time and well wishes on ur journey. :happy:

bcattoes

130-150 at 5'5" is a healthy weight unless you are extremely muscular. More muscular than most women ever get. And dropping at or near that range is probably more important if you carry your weight at top as fat in the hips/thighs does not raise your risk of disease the way abdominal weight does.

You should always do cardio because it's good for your cardiovascular system (hence the name). Strive for at least 30 min of cardio at least 3 days a week. That is the medical recommendation to lower disease risk. But strength training is also important so do both.

jodee126

Continue doing cardio and strength training, both are good for your overall health cardio for your heart and strength training for your bones. As far as how often, or how much that's up to you. I think most recommend 3-4 times per week. As far as the BMI goes, I don't like that system. It doesn't take into account how much muscle or fat you have, it simply goes by weight. I think you should maintain a weight you feel comfortable at. Good luck!

LeidaPrimal

Hi, as your weight changes, your weight loss also changes its quality.
The principle is that you do not really want to lose weight, you want to lose fat. As you lower your body fat, it becomes more difficult to continue to lose fat and retain muscle mass. To keep more muscle mass and continue to lose fat, the cardio and strength workouts will need to be adjusted to what will be the most time-efficient and muscle sparing for your body.

You are luckier than most women because you said you do not store the cursed lower body fat. I would suggest that you
1. Keep your outdoor walking for pleasure and general well-being. Nothing stimulates a human being better than a walk outside.
2. Consider switching your weight lifting program from high-rep low weight a-la Ripped 1000 & JM to a routine that is either muscle volume building that will give your bigger muscle (moderate weight, moderate reps) or strength building that will give you tighter muscle and better strength (high weight, low reps). Whichever routine you chose, the main 5 big compound lifts is the best, with all the isolation stuff left for a small vanity post-workout segment. Starting Strength or Strong Lifts 5x5 are good starting programs for a beginner. You will need to drop the DVD style workouts because for most females they are super-good at shredding muscle mass, giving the women (just look at the Ripped 1000 or Insanity participants) the look of dried fish that was out of the water for too long, rather than a vibrant athletic look. Men look great. Women look like they are gonna collapse & there is nothing left from their upper body musculature.
3. Add the intense cardio intervals no longer than 20 min in total duration no more than 3x a week OR go to 1 to 2 sprinting all out workouts a week (depending on your lifting handling 2 will become impossible at some stage).

LorinaLynn

Both.

I alternate heavy weight lifting with running.

neverstray

The BMI is pretty accurate. We have gotten used to looking at bigger people and we think that's normal and ok. But it is not. It is unhealthy. It's not about how you appear, but more about your health and how your body functions. Above 150 for your height is simply not healthy, at least not ideally healthy.

You should do both, cardio is good for the heart, lungs, and all your insides. Strength training is good for the muscles and strength, and, IMO, is more of a fat burner than cardio. You should try to do both.

Just keep at It.

WendyTerry420

Definitely keep up with the cardio. Like bcattoes stated, 3 days a week for 30 minutes each is sufficient, even if it's just walking. It's good for your health.

I have been doing JM 30 Day Shred and have been successful at shedding fat. It seems to be doing me a lot more good than when I was just jogging. Also, if you haven't been, you might try body weight exercises. (push-ups, pull-ups, etc)

I think it's just as important that you use a program that works for you and is convenient as it is to try to figure out the perfect program. But there is no doubt in my mind that combining strength training with cardio, whether it's part of the same workout doing circuit training or whether you separate them and alternate. Both of them together are the best way to achieve your goals.

jealous_loser

The BMI is pretty accurate. We have gotten used to looking at bigger people and we think that's normal and ok. But it is not. It is unhealthy. It's not about how you appear, but more about your health and how your body functions. Above 150 for your height is simply not healthy, at least not ideally healthy.

You should do both, cardio is good for the heart, lungs, and all your insides. Strength training is good for the muscles and strength, and, IMO, is more of a fat burner than cardio. You should try to do both.

Just keep at It.

BMI is not accurate. Body fat % is a better judge. BMI does not take a lot of things into account.

To answer the post, I would add in more muscle building work out, JM is a good starting point, but maybe try a lifting routine with some HIIT?

WendyTerry420

You will need to drop the DVD style workouts because for most females they are super-good at shredding muscle mass, giving the women (just look at the Ripped 1000 or Insanity participants) the look of dried fish that was out of the water for too long, rather than a vibrant athletic look. Men look great. Women look like they are gonna collapse & there is nothing left from their upper body musculature.

:noway:

Hmmm, well I must be a man then and didn't know it. No wonder I am so much stronger now...must be all that muscle I got rid of...oh wait...what?

AmberJo1984

I would continue doing both cardio and strength. Switch them up, though. Both are essential for a healthy lifestyle.... I would think this is true even after you reach your goal weight.

And, I would try to get down to the 130 - 150 range. However, work at building muscle too, where you won't look anorexic. Without seeing you in person, I couldn't know for sure; but, I doubt you would look sickly at that level.

mercymarque

I thank you all so much for your comments and will continue with the cardio and add more strength training to my routine... As for the push-ups. I don't have that much upper body strength. I will have to start lifting heavy to build strength in my arm I so need to tone.

mercymarque

I am going to lose the 26 pounds to get down to the 150 but I probably won't go for the 39 pounds to get in the 130 range. Once I get to my goal. I will continue to exercise as I love it so much. It is truly a stress relief for me and it gives me time away from my kids and husband. Love them but need time away from them too.

jealous_loser

I thank you all so much for your comments and will continue with the cardio and add more strength training to my routine... As for the push-ups. I don't have that much upper body strength. I will have to start lifting heavy to build strength in my arm I so need to tone.

You can make push ups easier by doing them with your face half elevated a bit. I was doing them on a box for about 2 months, now I can do them on the floor, no problem Just make sure the step/box/whatever is stable and against a wall or something or you might curb stomp yourself!

mercymarque

Thanks for the tip. I have done wall push up in the past just not on a consistant basis. JM don't play with all her planks and stuff... just going to push through