Good way or no?

athenaheim

My sister and I started going to the gym over a month ago. Just recently I suggested that we also do some strength to go with the cardio. Tuesday we did 35 mins on the elipptical and the 11 mins on strength.
Wednesday we did 30 mins on the treadmill then 10 mins strength.

My question is is this a good way to start out for beginners on weight lifting? Any suggestions are welcome.

melaniecheeks

What sort of strength activities did that include?

spoons81

I'm no expert, but I definitely recommend strength training along with cardio!

Dagoth

T-ten minutes of strength training? I mean it's a start but I'd say more strength training than cardio.

grawrrrr

Strength training is what burns fat! I do half cardio and half strength training.

75in2013

I am confused. How do you do "11 min" of strength? Which exercises did you do?

TR0berts

What sort of strength activities did that include?

Yes, this would be helpful.

But, realistically, no, you won't see much in the way of results the way you're doing it. If you want to lift, then lift. You're spending too much time on cardio before such a short lifting session. Start off with either body weight or light weights to warm up - or 10 minutes of light cardio max - then start lifting heavy.

As many others have mentioned in other threads, check out - sorry, don't have bookmarks, but you can use the search function - New Rules for Lifting for Women, StrongLifts 5x5, and/or Starting Strength. Even though StrongLifts doesn't advocate cardio, you can certainly add some in on the days you're not lifting. Just make sure you're able to recover. Since you're a woman, I'd recommend NRfLfW.

Hope that helps

angbunny22

definitely need strength!! And more of it......you'll burn more calories at the end of the day. Try alternating between the 2, i've read a lot of articles that this is a great way to burn more calories. Sprint all out hard as you can for 3 minutes or so, hop off do weights/reps, back on .....repeat.

75in2013

Strength training is what burns fat!

"Cardio" burns more calories than strength training.

LoraF83

To get good strength training results, I would recommend that you find a lifting program you like and stick with it for a few months. Check out Strong Lifts, New Rules of Lifting for Women, or ask a trainer at your gym to help you.

Most training programs take about 45 minutes to complete. You typically do them 2-3 times a week.

As far as cardio goes, 2-3 sessions a week for 15-30 minutes should be fine.

Both form of exercise help you burn fat and lose weight, but strength training is what will help you look better naked!

And edit to say that it's not all about the number of calories burned.

Jamie_Lauren

YES! But you need to do it for longer

Does your gym offer a free consultation with a trainer? If so, they can actually walk you around the gym and show you all the different weights and machines and write up a program for you to follow in your spare time.

Jamie_Lauren

Strength training is what burns fat!

"Cardio" burns more calories than strength training.

*sigh*

Strength training can be cardio too if you break a decent sweat and elevate your heart rate enough!

Anyways....cardio will NOT build muscle or shrink your body the way that strength training will.

cgarand

I recommend doing the strength training first. You have more energy and your form will be better if you aren't tired from cardio. If you are following a circuit for strength training I would try to do different muscle groups each day (back, arms, legs, etc) And, to get real benefit from it then challenge yourself with the weight and reps, you should feel muscle fatigue when you are done, and the next day you should feel that nice bit of discomfort (but should still be able to walk or lift your arms!)

I also think that whatever you do, even if it is 10 minutes, that is 10 minutes you weren't on the couch, 10 minutes that you are doing something good for your body, and 10 minutes a day adds up! Keep at it, you won't regret it!

athenaheim

Sorry I should have said that we do the weights that are at our gym all different ones. The only reason we did it for that short of time for the last two days is because we got to the gym so late that we didnt have much time to do much while there. We plan on going back today and tomorrow and we will be doing more weight lifting then the last two days.

athenaheim

Thank you. We did the arms and legs the first day and then the abs the second day. We are working into more. I did push myself on the weight and I defenitly felt it in my muscles. I will have to tell her that today we should try the strength first.

I recommend doing the strength training first. You have more energy and your form will be better if you aren't tired from cardio. If you are following a circuit for strength training I would try to do different muscle groups each day (back, arms, legs, etc) And, to get real benefit from it then challenge yourself with the weight and reps, you should feel muscle fatigue when you are done, and the next day you should feel that nice bit of discomfort (but should still be able to walk or lift your arms!)

I also think that whatever you do, even if it is 10 minutes, that is 10 minutes you weren't on the couch, 10 minutes that you are doing something good for your body, and 10 minutes a day adds up! Keep at it, you won't regret it!

athenaheim

I will have to speak to them about this. But since it is the YMCA I bet they do. I however cannot afford to have a personal trainer.

YES! But you need to do it for longer

Does your gym offer a free consultation with a trainer? If so, they can actually walk you around the gym and show you all the different weights and machines and write up a program for you to follow in your spare time.

Cranktastic

Here are some links to a few simple strength programs...These are compound moves that work your body most efficiently while you gain strength..



Google Mark Rippetoe videos on youtube and watch for form.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs
http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

newcs

Here's what I've been doing (and been happy with the results over the past month or so):

Mon/Wed/Fri: 30min on the treadmill, 10min of ab work (various types of crunches, planks, boat pose)
Tues: 3 sets, 12 reps, 7.5lb dumbbell in each hand (45sec rest between sets): chest press, row, tricep kickback, alternating bicep curl
Thurs: 3 sets, 12 reps (20 for calf raises), 7.5lb dumbbell in each hand (45sec rest between sets): alternating shoulder press, squats, bent arm side raise, lunges, calf raises

I started with 5lb weights but you could go lower to 3 or something if you need to...whatever makes the last set difficult but not impossible.

It's also important to change up your routine. I meant to only do this one for 3 weeks but with holidays and stuff, I haven't gotten a new one yet. My plan is to start a new one next week but still do Mon/Wed/Fri cardio & abs, Tues chest/back/arms, Thurs shoulders/legs

mmapags

Strength training is what burns fat!

"Cardio" burns more calories than strength training.

While cardio burns more calories during, the overall effect of strength training for reducing fat while maintaining lean mass has been proven. I've attached an article from nerd fitness that adresses this and references studies that have looked at this. In one there was a diet only group, a diet plus cardio group and a weight training, diet and cardio group. The cardio group lost only slighly more than the diet only group. The diet plus aerobic plus weight training group lost significantly more weight and more body fat.

Both aerobic training and strength training have value but it is the addition of strength training that is most optimum for fat burning. To the OP, 11 minutes is just slightly better than not at all. I would recommend you research some of the other options people have posted for strength training. My personal favorite is Starting Strength by Mark Rippletoe. A balanced routine would include something like a 10 minute cardio warm up and 45 minute strength routine 3x per week and then some low to moderate intensity cardio a couple of time per week on alternate days. I am a fan of doing my strength and cardio on different days for energy and recovery reasons. Also, to some degree, the hormonal impacts of strength and cardio work against each other.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/01/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-intervals-or-weight-training/

Jamie_Lauren

I will have to speak to them about this. But since it is the YMCA I bet they do. I however cannot afford to have a personal trainer.

YES! But you need to do it for longer

Does your gym offer a free consultation with a trainer? If so, they can actually walk you around the gym and show you all the different weights and machines and write up a program for you to follow in your spare time.

I can't afford one either, but my gym happened to offer this which really got me started and made me feel much more confident about using everything on my own.

athenaheim

I will look into it later thank you.

I will have to speak to them about this. But since it is the YMCA I bet they do. I however cannot afford to have a personal trainer.

YES! But you need to do it for longer

Does your gym offer a free consultation with a trainer? If so, they can actually walk you around the gym and show you all the different weights and machines and write up a program for you to follow in your spare time.

I can't afford one either, but my gym happened to offer this which really got me started and made me feel much more confident about using everything on my own.

75in2013

Strength training is what burns fat!

"Cardio" burns more calories than strength training.

*sigh*

Strength training can be cardio too if you break a decent sweat and elevate your heart rate enough!

*sigh*

"Cardio" can be strength training too. You just need to set the resistance high enough.

Oh wait ... then it's not cardio anymore.

UCWIDT?

cedarghost

Don't look at it by the time you spend doing it, but by how many repetitions you do and at what weight you do them at. Also, if you don't have much time, 15 minutes or so of lifting is fine if you do metabolic resistance training http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/metabolic-resistance-training-build-muscle-torch-fat.html
That is GREAT for burning fat.
Bottom line, if you like cardio do it, but lifting is much better for burning fat and you have the added bonus of retaining lbm as you lose.

hdjjones

I go to the Y as well and they have a 12 week program where they start you on cardio and then after 3 or 4 weeks do an orientation on the weight machines. In this program you are given I think 3 or 4 consultations with one of their trainers. They set you up with a weight training program. You record your progress as you go.

runfatmanrun

I'm no expert, but I definitely recommend strength training along with cardio!

This.

75in2013

While cardio burns more calories during, the overall effect of strength training for reducing fat while maintaining lean mass has been proven. I've attached an article from nerd fitness that adresses this and references studies that have looked at this.
[...]
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/01/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-intervals-or-weight-training/

Thanks for the link. Here a direct quote:

Cardio doesn’t have as nearly as stressful an impact on your body, so you can go for hours and hours and hours and do it again the next day (provided your body is in shape).

Medhi over Stronglifts highlights this uber-important fact in a great post called Why HIIT Is NOT Better For Fat Loss. Essentially, because you can only do so much HIIT or weight training, you can only burn so many calories before your body wears out. If time isn’t a factor for you, and you don’t mind spending more time in the gym on a daily basis, you can burn way more calories doing steady cardio than with just 30 minutes of weight training three days a week.

mmapags

While cardio burns more calories during, the overall effect of strength training for reducing fat while maintaining lean mass has been proven. I've attached an article from nerd fitness that adresses this and references studies that have looked at this.
[...]
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/01/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-intervals-or-weight-training/

Thanks for the link. Here a direct quote:

Cardio doesn’t have as nearly as stressful an impact on your body, so you can go for hours and hours and hours and do it again the next day (provided your body is in shape).

Medhi over Stronglifts highlights this uber-important fact in a great post called Why HIIT Is NOT Better For Fat Loss. Essentially, because you can only do so much HIIT or weight training, you can only burn so many calories before your body wears out. If time isn’t a factor for you, and you don’t mind spending more time in the gym on a daily basis, you can burn way more calories doing steady cardio than with just 30 minutes of weight training three days a week.

Way to cherry pick the quote. So, your point would be what? Yes you can burn more calories in a week doing cardio. That does not equate to fat loss. It can also include lean tissue loss. Additionally, most weight routines are longer than 30 minutes 3x per week. Double that is more like it. Take a look at this quote that you didn't select in your cherry picking:

"The weight training group lost 21.1 pounds of fat (44% and 35% more than diet and aerobic only groups respectively). Basically, the addition of aerobic training didn’t result in any real world significant fat loss over dieting alone."

Guess you missed that part.

AnvilHead

...Thanks for the link. Here a direct quote:....

Here's a different link for you to read:

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

In this study, the results showed that both groups (cardio only and weights only) significantly improved their Max VO2. The cardio group, while losing more weight overall, also lost a significant amount of lean body mass. The strength training group lost NO muscle mass and their RMR increased, while the cardio group's RMR showed a decrease.

mmapags

...Thanks for the link. Here a direct quote:....

Here's a different link for you to read:

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

In this study, the results showed that both groups (cardio only and weights only) significantly improved their Max VO2. The cardio group, while losing more weight overall, also lost a significant amount of lean body mass. The strength training group lost NO muscle mass and their RMR increased, while the cardio group's RMR showed a decrease.

Nice work!

mygrl4meee

I will have to speak to them about this. But since it is the YMCA I bet they do. I however cannot afford to have a personal trainer.

YES! But you need to do it for longer

Does your gym offer a free consultation with a trainer? If so, they can actually walk you around the gym and show you all the different weights and machines and write up a program for you to follow in your spare time.

Hi. The YMCA can at least show you how to use the machines if you have any questions. I know I need to start doing strength training but I just feel weird about all the men in there. Also, just not sure I have the time to do it and zumba that I love doing.

athenaheim

I called and one of the trainers will be calling me after 3 when I get off work.

I go to the Y as well and they have a 12 week program where they start you on cardio and then after 3 or 4 weeks do an orientation on the weight machines. In this program you are given I think 3 or 4 consultations with one of their trainers. They set you up with a weight training program. You record your progress as you go.