Going to try doing longer cardio sessions.

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  • sccet
    sccet Posts: 141 Member
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    how about spending 45 mins doing some strength training instead?
    Dis one.

    *nods*

    Troof.
  • ErickTheRedMFP
    ErickTheRedMFP Posts: 3 Member
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    The way to train to increase endurance would be to start doing one longer workout a week, increasing the time by 10 min or so each week. Do start eating something once you go longer than an hour. This will certainly improve your fitness level.

    Doing this more than once a week isn't efficient. On other days you would want to increase intensity by doing intervals as others have suggested.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Well, I'm just trying to lose alot of weight ATM. I am 268, and want to get down to 200, then later 180lbs. I am eating 1500-1800 calories a day. I would like to gain muscle also, but my main focus right now is losing weight. I am lifting weights as well as the cardio, wanted to increase cardio though

    Here's the thing...your calorie goal already has a weight loss deficit built in. Exercise is awesome, but not necessary for weight loss here. Exercise for fitness, heart health, endurance, strength...use your diet for weight control. When you do a lot of exercise, you have to be able to fuel it...if you don't fuel it, you're actually creating bigger problems for yourself.

    Just be patient...set fitness goals for yourself that have nothing to do with weight loss...you will thank yourself later. Also, weight lifting should be of equal if not more focus if you're talking about burning fat...building lean body mass burns more fat than all of the cardio in the world. Notice, I'm not saying calories...I'm talking fat...lean body mass burns up a lot of fat calories long after your workout is complete. Cardio pretty much just burns those calories when you're working out. The focus of your cardio should be heart health and overall cardiovascular fitness, not burning a bazillion calories.

    Remember that weight loss is slow...it should be...slow is the only way to do it safely and in a healthy manner. Just be patient with it. I workout 6 days per week...I do 3x weekly of intense cardio (30 minutes Aerobic HR zone)...3x weekly of light cardio (30 minutesin fat burn HR zone) and 3x weekly heavy lifting. To date I've lost 20 Lbs (some of those before MFP) and I've done it by controlling what goes into my body, not killing with cardio.

    Just to emphasis the solution above as best direction.

    And you are also in unique position early on here for that lifting to make some great improvements while burning fat, and dropping weight.
    That will be much more difficult if not impossible later on, without purposely gaining weight to gain LBM. And that might be mentally hard to accept and do, even if you need it.

    So keep that cardio at heart health levels, 30 min 3 x weekly is all you need, aerobic level where you can talk intermittently, but not singing even if you wanted to.
    Get that lifting in 3 x weekly for 45 min, and enjoy the body transform.
  • rolley89
    rolley89 Posts: 13
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    Good luck, I'd also suggest upping your intensity instead of the duration. Example go hard/fast for 45 seconds to a minute and then recover for a minute and repeat 20 times, see how you go :)


    I agree ^
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
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    Are we talking, in your original 50 minutes, just jumping on and pedaling or are you aiming for a specific RPM or speed? Have you tried intervals? At first a minute slow and a minute fast aiming for a specific measurement, you may find interval work will be just as good and leave time for other pieces leaving you less likely to get bored of the bike.
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    I just read this article - the big message is with cardio you lose muscle at the same time as weight - and that is not a good thing.....
    More muscle - more fat loss in the end.....personally I look at it this way - I want to lose fat - not weight.....I started at over 300lbs - and have done at least 3 weight sessions a week - now up to 5.....

    http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Lifestyle/TipoftheDay/496/_Do_Weight_Training_If_Your_Goal_is_To_Lose_Fat_and_Keep_it_Off.aspx
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    how about spending 45 mins doing some strength training instead?
    Dis one.

    *nods*

    agrees!
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    I did the same thing. It helps when u move up 10 minutes a day so u don't dust yourself!
  • jamimari777
    jamimari777 Posts: 101 Member
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    Maybe you don't like strength training. And I won't push that on you. But perhaps instead of doubling your low impact cardio, step it up a notch, provided you are able to do so health-wise. Do some HIIT or something that takes a little more oomph. You may not want to go for 90 minutes if you're doing something like that.

    Good suggestion!
  • morielia
    morielia Posts: 169 Member
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    Why not climb hills for 45 minutes instead? When I can't ride my bike out on the road, I'll put the stationary on a hill program (the one I like the most is called Around the World) and set it to level 15. After 45 min to an hour, I'm tapped out.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Well, I'm just trying to lose alot of weight ATM. I am 268, and want to get down to 200, then later 180lbs. I am eating 1500-1800 calories a day. I would like to gain muscle also, but my main focus right now is losing weight. I am lifting weights as well as the cardio, wanted to increase cardio though

    if that is your goal then you might want to do three days a week total body work out srength training and then cardio on two off days for about two months then back off cardio even more and go for more strength training...

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