Increasing muscle mass

Txnurse97
Txnurse97 Posts: 275 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm starting to think more and more about working to increase my lean muscle mass. I've lost a lot of weight, but I still have probably another 20-30 pounds to go until I get where I want to be, weight wise. Right now, my workouts consist of a lot of cardio (4x/week for at least an hour at a time, sometimes more), and 2-3 times a week some CrossFit/plyometrics/strength training (usually with my trainer but I'm trying to do some on my own too.)

Should I be concentrating more on strength and less on cardio? Or since I still have a decent amount to lose (I'm 5'5" and 191) should I just keep doing what I'm doing now, concentrating mostly on cardio?

I definitely need to talk to my trainer about this, but I know I could get some valuable information from mfp members too.

Replies

  • ishtar13
    ishtar13 Posts: 528 Member
    I started with over 55 lbs to lose and I primarily do strength training.

    I still have about 30 lbs to go.

    I only do light cardio a couple times a week, primarily I lift heavy.
  • RyanWilson1993
    RyanWilson1993 Posts: 409 Member
    Cut back on cardio and focus more on the weights
  • jawheb
    jawheb Posts: 295 Member
    You can stil do cardio, I would split it up. Maybe 3 days a week of cardio and 3 days a week lifting. Cardio is what will shed the weight off fast! Your trainer can lay you out a plan for sure. Eventually you won't have to do as much cardio once you hit your goal weight. Then you can really focus on toning up the muscles!
  • dmitch795
    dmitch795 Posts: 3 Member
    Increasing the strength training is a good idea (at least 2 times a week) , doing this in conjunction with cardio will help you lose the weight and build the lean muscle mass that you are looking for. Definitely, get with you training to get the most out of the strength training and cardio mix...
  • woodsygirl
    woodsygirl Posts: 354 Member
    Increasing your muscle mass will help you reduce your body fat and make you look awesome :)

    Start your workout with weights, then do cardio after or on different days.
  • GabeSpain
    GabeSpain Posts: 29 Member
    If you want to increase muscle mass, you should concentrate more on strength. I would not stop doing cardio, however, because it is a good way to tone your body and lose fat so that your muscles become more defined. When doing weights, if you actually want to increase muscle mass, you should do more weight with less reps. If you just want to tone your body/muscles, you should do less weight with more reps. Don't stop doing that cardio though, it really makes a difference!!
  • GabyG69
    GabyG69 Posts: 213
    I want to know about this too.. I am about 10-15 lbs. away from reaching my goal weight but I am flabby all over!! Should I lift heavy with lower reps or lighter with higher reps? Do less cardio and more training or... ?? Everyone says something different so I am really confused :/ Thanks!

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