fitness question?

Good for you! I started at the gym at 106kg (233 lb) and it was dang hard. It was hard being so overweight and unfit plus it was embarrassing that I'd let myself get that bad. 6 months on I'm still going to the gym 5 days a week, lost 20 kg (44lb), and am the fittest I've ever been. I dreaded going to the workouts for the first month then it got slightly easier as I got fitter and lost some weight. You should be real proud of yourself - getting there is an achievement in itself. People need to do whatever works for them and everybody seems to have a solution. Some people say lost weight first, then do weights, other says you can do it at the same time.

Don't push yourself too hard at the start and burn out or injure yourself. Personally I would just concentrate on cardio for the first 4-6 weeks till your fitness has increased and you've lost some fat. It definitely helps to do strength training as well but you don't need to start doing it all at once.

I was absolutely knackered for the first few weeks - so make sure you drink plenty, eat well, and get 8+ hours sleep a night. Best of luck.

Hey I am working out at the gym and they had this guy that was telling me it was good to warm up on the treadmill or ellpitcal and then go to the machines and do the reps and then get back on the treadmill and do 45 mins because your heart rate is already up and thats when u will be burning fat... Is that true or do any of you have any suggestions on what to do.. I am also like 264 lbs and it is really hard because I am so not used to working out and it is hurting my back should I just keep on doing and it will get better or lower the weights on the machines...?? Let me know need some advice because I do not want to give up but this is my 2nd day lol.... And its been forever since I worked out...
I also have a work out buddy and she was in the air force and also going to school to be a nutritionest so she is going to be really good for me... She is a very sweet friend and also goes to our church..

First of all, the "guy" is just repeating a commonly-believed falsehood, so you can do your exercise in any sequence you want.

This is your 2nd day, which means you shouldn't be doing 45 min of anything just yet.

Divide your total exercise goal into smaller chunks on different machines -- like 10-15 min on each. Work on building up your endurance.

For now, the strength training goal is to learn proper form and allow your body to adapt to the new routine. 2 sets of 12-15 reps is fine. Keep it simple and stick to exercises that work big muscle groups--machines are fine at this point as well. Choose weights that are light enough to pay attention to form, but are heavy enough so that you should not be able to do more than 15 reps.

After 2-4 weeks, you can start pushing a little harder--both on cardio and strength. It's best to start at a comfortable level and increase with frequent baby steps at first. After the intitial adaptation, your body will then be ready for more challenging and focused efforts.

It's a good idea to mix it up, but take it easy at first. As someone up there said, don't do 45 minutes of anything just yet. I'd start out with 10 minutes on the elliptical/treadmill to get your heart rate up and your muscles limber and then switch to weights that are *comfortable* for you. If your back hurts and isn't just pleasantly sore, ease up a bit. After you do your weights, do another 15-20 minutes on the elliptical/treadmill.

If that feels too easy to you, you can always add time/weight as you progress, but it's best to start out slow. Good luck.

I have the best success with losing when I combine weights with aerobics (I love the DVDs put out by "The Firm"), so I think this will be a good program for you.

cardio is much better than strength training for loosing weight, that probably why he said that. i would reccomend doing cardio then do your strength training. cardio should come first for people trying to loose a lot of weight.

Errr...no