Should I alter my workout?

alisonengland · April 2010

Hi, I need some advice. I am doing 40 mins of cardio plus 20 mins of weights and abs 5 times a week. I also do Jillians 30 Day shred 5 x a week as well. Each gym session, according to my HRM, I burn just over 500 cals. Jillian adds on another 200. This has been the case for 2 weeks. I burn the same amount, give or take a few cals and sweat and puff and ache. The weight loss is SLOW but I am trying not to get grumpy. I have read on the site that you ought to change your workouts regularly so the body doesn't get used to it. My question is that if I am still burning those calories each time do I need to alter my workouts? I do 25 mins on the eliptical trainer and 15 mins running. I don't feel that I am about to die but I feel that I have had a good workout.

Thanks! Ali

weidner · April 2010

Yeah, you need to alter to make trick your body. I always utilize the treatmill but I am constantly changing the program to either interval or weight loss or another program, I am also always changing the incline as well as the speed - as I do not want my body to get accustomed to any one setting and therefore I continue to lose the weight.

Hope this helps.

shanti108 · April 2010

Muscle weighs more than fat so If you are strength training, the weight loss is a little slower because you are gaining muscle mass at the same time. If you haven't already, try taking your measurements and use that as a gage. I would recommend adding high intensity interval training so your body is going out of your fat burning zone, which means burning more calories overall, which is what your body needs when trying to loose weight. Good Luck!

SimonLondon · April 2010

I am a treadmill addict!

I tend to do the following:

30 minute treadmill
-first 5 minutes going from level 6 (km) to 10 (warm up)
-next 5 minutes at level 10
- 2 minutes level 11
- 2 minutes level 12
- 1 minute level 6 (so I can drink :laugh: )
Then I repeat all but warm up

The next day I leave it at level 10 but ramp up and down the incline.

After the treadmill I either do rowing machine or weights. Sometimes I add Elliptical trainer in the routine on top of treadmill just to really freak my legs :laugh:

I will always do the treadmill but change the routine all the time. Keeps my body always guessing.

Today I knew I was going out tonight so couldn't go to the gym. Thankfully I have a gym in the building I live in and I'm very close to home so I ran back and then ran 20 minutes on level 12... hehehe I'm a gym addict :laugh:

lvfunandfit · April 2010

You should do more weight training if you can.... the more muscle you have the more calories you burn (even at rest). Switch up your cardio (try H.I.I.T --see more--> http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=HIIT)at the gym, throw in a spin or kick boxing class here and there. You only have 25 lbs left to lose according to your ticker. Sadly you are at the spot where the weight loss slows down. But the good news is, you don't have much to lose! Are you eating enough and often enough?

BullDozier · April 2010

I'm not a HRM expert, but I believe the number it gives you is a calculation based on your stats, and your heart rate while you're exercising. It's not going to be an exact number, and if you are consistently doing the same exercise, your body is becoming more efficient, and your HRM is most likely overestimating your calorie burn. Again, no expert, but that's my understanding.

You definitely should always mix up your routines. "Muscle confusion" is the whole idea behind Beachbody's P90X program (and I think others), where you get into a routine, then mix it up to keep the results coming. If you've hit a plateau, I'd definitely look at that.

Lastly, you are burning a LOT of calories. Make sure you are properly fueled. I haven't been around here long, but I've read multiple threads already about people hitting a plateau, and realizing they weren't eating enough, and when they started eating more, they restarted their weight loss. Not sure if that applies to you or not, but it is another thought.

Serenifly · April 2010

You should alter your work outs every 6 weeks! ..it's like a good conditioner, if you use it everyday, it's going to stop working it's magic on you!

You run on a treadmill, take it outside, through the woods
If you do Cardio 4 days a week, and lift weights 2 days a week ... reverse it! Do weights 4 days a week and cardio 2 ...

It's getting nice out (depending on where you live) Take up Tennis, or hiking ... change it up

Always always change it up

How about, every time you get a a hair cut, the next day you start a new routine!

alisonengland · April 2010

Thanks for all the advice! You guys are awesome :flowerforyou:
I changed my treadmill routine as suggested, did an incline of 3- that was tough! Upped my RPM on the eliptical and upped the weights reps. Now am going to eat some of those calories-DJDozier you are probably right; some days I don't manage to eat all the exercise calories so will go and stuff some more grilled chicken in my face!

Azdak · April 2010

You want to vary your training stimulus, but more to keep on making improvements in your fitness level than anything else.

The whole concept of "tricking your body so that it burns more calories" is total nonsense.

However, rotating between longer, less intense endurance workouts, medium tempo workouts and shorter, more intense interval workouts, progressively increasing the workloads, is a good way to keep progressing and avoiding overtraining.

I would not rely on your HRM too much as a gauge of how many "exercise calories" to replace, especially if you are using your HRM during strength training. I would replace no more than 1/2 the calories recorded during the workout and see what happens from there.

Should I alter my workout?

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