how much cardio to you ladies do?
FluffyDogsRule
Posts: 366 Member
I wish I could search inside the group, but can't...I'm sure you've discussed this before.
I just finished week 5...I've been running 4 miles 3xs a week. It was easy until this week. The weights are getting heavier and I'm finding my runs are absolutely affecting my lifting performance...and vice versa.
However, my goal is to reduce body fat, so maybe I don't care that my lifting is suffering?? Thoughts on how I should prioritize?
Other things to know...I'm not usually running on lifting days. And running keeps me SANE...it is therapy for me...so I don't really want to quit...but I want to focus more on what's going to get my body looking better (body fat down) so I guess I'll suck it up and do whatever you ladies advise.
Thanks in advance!
Kate
I just finished week 5...I've been running 4 miles 3xs a week. It was easy until this week. The weights are getting heavier and I'm finding my runs are absolutely affecting my lifting performance...and vice versa.
However, my goal is to reduce body fat, so maybe I don't care that my lifting is suffering?? Thoughts on how I should prioritize?
Other things to know...I'm not usually running on lifting days. And running keeps me SANE...it is therapy for me...so I don't really want to quit...but I want to focus more on what's going to get my body looking better (body fat down) so I guess I'll suck it up and do whatever you ladies advise.
Thanks in advance!
Kate
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I'm running too and have just started SL. From what I've read, you should concentrate more on lifting than cardio to reduce body fat. That means cutting your running down. I know, I know. you don't want to, but if you really want to lower body fat, LIFT LIFT LIFT!
I was running 3 days a week using a couch 2 10k app and was in week 9 of 14, but started SL last week. I didn't want to hurt myself by doing too much. So I ran tuesday, lifted full body wednesday, rested thursday, then lifted workout B today and ran a mile. I feel awesome. Lifting is very empowering. I'm probably going to cut my running to 2 days a week and lift 3.0 -
I don't really do any cardio, maybe 20minutes of HIIT a week if I'm lucky. But I hate running, so it's easy for me.
I walk my dog though, just to get out in the sunshine!
But 12 miles a week sounds like a lot. Maybe reduce to 8 or 10? See how you feel0 -
I've been in flux these past few weeks because I stopped producing milk for my son. 300-500 calories no longer spent. That means upping my cardio or lowering my calories. I do minimal cardio anyways. Just enough to increase circulation to mitigate DOMS when I have it. I also splurged with the celebrations I've been having lately (son's b-day, lunar new year, V-day). I hopped on the recumbent bike while I watched TV. Very light effort, though. Logged 123 cals. I definitely focus on lifting over cardio. More bang for my buck.0
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I do 20-30 minutes 2-3x a week after my lifting sessions. Stronglifts leaves me exhausted. Ain't nobody got time for a *kitten*-ton of cardio.
I change up my cardio between walking, jogging, elliptical, etc. I'll sometimes do intervals, but I've backed off from HIIT.0 -
Have a look at the triathletes thread in this group - we have to do cardio and trade off against the lifting performance loss. There's several approaches covered in that thread.0
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Thank you!! I'll check out that thread now!
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Have a look at the triathletes thread in this group - we have to do cardio and trade off against the lifting performance loss. There's several approaches covered in that thread.
Okay, sounds like I'm doing pretty much what others are doing schedule-wise...well, except that others are doing way more! Lol. Guess I'll just suck it up and if my body doesn't adjust, I'll have to cut back on one or the other. Geez, with the nice weather approaching, I know I'm gonna want/need to be out running more than 3xs a week. Maybe I should focus on strength until then. Anyway, now I'm rambling.
Thank you!!0 -
This is week 4 of SL..... I do HIIT (high intensity interval training) 10-20min sessions 3x a week. I like the "therapy" of the cardio as well. I find that I burn more and get better results with the HIIT, and it's shorter periods of time so it's nice! I don't feel like it's effected my SL0
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You said, "However, my goal is to reduce body fat, so maybe I don't care that my lifting is suffering?? Thoughts on how I should prioritize?"
If your goal is to lose fat, I would think stronglifts would help you lose fat a lot quicker than running. That's just my opinion but lifting has a much longer burn than any cardio does.0 -
You said, "However, my goal is to reduce body fat, so maybe I don't care that my lifting is suffering?? Thoughts on how I should prioritize?"
If your goal is to lose fat, I would think stronglifts would help you lose fat a lot quicker than running. That's just my opinion but lifting has a much longer burn than any cardio does.
there was a thread on the fitness boards about this exact thing, so i read that as well. i think i'm gonna cut back to 2 xs a week running, at least for the time being. i really want to do SL the right way and i have already seen results. once spring hits i may readjust, we shall see. thanks, everyone!! 0 -
I freaking love cardio and warm weather so I plan to wait until I'm on an intermediate plan where it should not affect my lifting as much (theoretically.) Then in the winter I can switch to mostly lifting again, because it's cold and gross outside. Wendler's 531 focuses on one of the four lifts a workout. You can lift 4x/week doing the main lift+accessory lifts, you can lift 4 times and just do the main lifts, you can do 3xWeek and rotate through all four lifts, you can lift twice a week and do 2 lifts per workout, etc.
I've posted this before, but since it seems to be a common issue I'll repeat it Most of my body can handle squatting 3xWeek while adding 5lbs a session+ elliptical after lifting+1 spin class/week. My joints could not though. I've since decided to focus just on lifting 3x week and using a recumbant bike for my warm up and cool down. I think once I taper off on weights and/or am not squatting 3x week it'll be much easier to keep up with a cardio program. 0 -
fitree, i'll be following you when warmer weather hits!! i'm sure i'll be asking you for advice on exactly how i can keep up "intermediate" lifting and wendler while enjoying the crap out of running in the sunshine!!!0
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Because you love running, you should keep running. In *Theory* as your body gets more used to running those mileages, as long as you don't start increasing your speeds or times it should affect you less.
But everyone is different in terms of how well they recover from a lot of exercise. 4 mile runs aren't ridiculously long, and working out 6 days a week for 45 minutes isn't either.
If you're willing to hold the running steady you shouldn't have trouble making progress on the lifting. You made it sound like this is very normal mileage for you, in which case I'd actually suggest you take a look at your caloric intake and macros first,then evaluate if you still need more restdays. You could always drop down to 2 days a week of running instead of 3, or 2 days of lifting instead of 3 (if you care more about the body recomp than the running, I'd recommend you drop the running).0 -
Because you love running, you should keep running. In *Theory* as your body gets more used to running those mileages, as long as you don't start increasing your speeds or times it should affect you less.
But everyone is different in terms of how well they recover from a lot of exercise. 4 mile runs aren't ridiculously long, and working out 6 days a week for 45 minutes isn't either.
If you're willing to hold the running steady you shouldn't have trouble making progress on the lifting. You made it sound like this is very normal mileage for you, in which case I'd actually suggest you take a look at your caloric intake and macros first,then evaluate if you still need more restdays. You could always drop down to 2 days a week of running instead of 3, or 2 days of lifting instead of 3 (if you care more about the body recomp than the running, I'd recommend you drop the running).
yeah, 4 miles is "easy" for me...i mainly do it for my mental health...i'm not sure what you mean by "look at my caloric intake" and maybe needing more rest days...meaning i may be eating too much and that's why i'm needing the cardio?? That's totally possible...I love to eat. Lol. I absolutely care more about body recomp, so I think I will drop to 2 days until warmer weather, then I'll see where my lifting and body is and reevaluate.0 -
I have been focusing on lifting and swimming and neglecting my running since December. I went out for six miles today and it really showed! Part of it was that it was a good 15 degrees warmer than it has been today, but it is also just that I have lost endurance/long distance speed while focusing on strength and sprint speed.
However, I still think I'm a better runner for lifting, and a lot less likely to get injuries that could completely sideline me. It's just a trade-off. You most likely aren't striving to be a competition powerlifter or a marathon-winning runner, so train in a way that makes you happy. I'm following the "more lifting in the winter" model, but I'm still going to make sure to lift at LEAST once a week during "running season."
ETA - The other thing to consider is... yes, lifting creates a longer lasting burn. However... I find that I'm hungrier and need to eat more when I'm focusing on lifting. So... it sort of balances out. It's hard to say, but I think I lost more when I was focusing on running.0 -
Because you love running, you should keep running. In *Theory* as your body gets more used to running those mileages, as long as you don't start increasing your speeds or times it should affect you less.
But everyone is different in terms of how well they recover from a lot of exercise. 4 mile runs aren't ridiculously long, and working out 6 days a week for 45 minutes isn't either.
If you're willing to hold the running steady you shouldn't have trouble making progress on the lifting. You made it sound like this is very normal mileage for you, in which case I'd actually suggest you take a look at your caloric intake and macros first,then evaluate if you still need more restdays. You could always drop down to 2 days a week of running instead of 3, or 2 days of lifting instead of 3 (if you care more about the body recomp than the running, I'd recommend you drop the running).
yeah, 4 miles is "easy" for me...i mainly do it for my mental health...i'm not sure what you mean by "look at my caloric intake" and maybe needing more rest days...meaning i may be eating too much and that's why i'm needing the cardio?? That's totally possible...I love to eat. Lol. I absolutely care more about body recomp, so I think I will drop to 2 days until warmer weather, then I'll see where my lifting and body is and reevaluate.
I actually think maybe she means you might not be eating enough...or with the right macros.
I run...although this crappy winter has mine tapered back to almost nothing since I hate running the treadmill. But, I know what you mean. I would think...progress wise, you won't be able to maintain a steady progress with both at the same time. Meaning...it's probably unlikely or really hard on the body to add speed/miles continually each week AND continually increase your weights each week (especially on squats).
I am going to be running a half marathon in September...so my 'training' for that will start the first week of June. At that point, I'm thinking I'm going to switch to an intermediate program and do a push/pull/legs split routine. I haven't decided quite yet. I do know that I most likely will not be able to squat 3 days per week while adding weight at the same time as increasing my miles weekly. So....for the last 4-6 weeks of my half training, I fully expect to solely maintain my strength gains and work on increasing once the run is over.0 -
I quit smoking 3 years ago in November, and became much more concerned with my cardiovascular health at that point. (And got really pudgy for me.) I get shin splints while running, so I actually used my gym membership, and did work on the arc trainer an average of 4-6 times a week. I worked up to about an hour at a session, but maybe once a week I'd get in 90 minutes or 2 hours. I pretty much did this for 3 years straight falling off the wagon a few times for a month or two at a time, but being able to pick it right back up with no problem.
I moved in Sept, and took some time before I got my gym membership transferred and what not, but I was getting back to the gym 3 or so times a week for a month or so before I started lifting and doing fine on the arc trainer. When I switched gyms so I could start lifting the gym only has ellipticals, but after an awkward first 10 minutes I was fine for an hour on the elliptical after my first easy lifting sessions. My HRM was saying I burned 600+ calories, and I wasn't even breathing hard.
Once my squats started getting a bit heavy (95#) I started having trouble with my knees (I did take a couple spin classes in this time frame which probably didn't help.) I took a week off then scheduled a session with a personal trainer who said my form was on point, and the knee pain was probably from venturing into slight over-training territory.
I guess I'm just posting this so Kate, or anyone reading, doesn't feel like they should automatically have an easy time doing x activity that they are used to. Just wanting to offer a real life example of how the theory should work but sometimes doesn't. Some reasons why I might be the exception to the rule: I did switch from an arc trainer to an elliptical- while they are very similar they are not the same. I'm still pudgy, and extra weight is hard on the joints. It could be the spin classes, although I am used to cycling in the summer, I only took 2, and it's supposed to be good for your knees.0 -
Because you love running, you should keep running. In *Theory* as your body gets more used to running those mileages, as long as you don't start increasing your speeds or times it should affect you less.
But everyone is different in terms of how well they recover from a lot of exercise. 4 mile runs aren't ridiculously long, and working out 6 days a week for 45 minutes isn't either.
If you're willing to hold the running steady you shouldn't have trouble making progress on the lifting. You made it sound like this is very normal mileage for you, in which case I'd actually suggest you take a look at your caloric intake and macros first,then evaluate if you still need more restdays. You could always drop down to 2 days a week of running instead of 3, or 2 days of lifting instead of 3 (if you care more about the body recomp than the running, I'd recommend you drop the running).
yeah, 4 miles is "easy" for me...i mainly do it for my mental health...i'm not sure what you mean by "look at my caloric intake" and maybe needing more rest days...meaning i may be eating too much and that's why i'm needing the cardio?? That's totally possible...I love to eat. Lol. I absolutely care more about body recomp, so I think I will drop to 2 days until warmer weather, then I'll see where my lifting and body is and reevaluate.
I actually think maybe she means you might not be eating enough...or with the right macros.
I run...although this crappy winter has mine tapered back to almost nothing since I hate running the treadmill. But, I know what you mean. I would think...progress wise, you won't be able to maintain a steady progress with both at the same time. Meaning...it's probably unlikely or really hard on the body to add speed/miles continually each week AND continually increase your weights each week (especially on squats).
I am going to be running a half marathon in September...so my 'training' for that will start the first week of June. At that point, I'm thinking I'm going to switch to an intermediate program and do a push/pull/legs split routine. I haven't decided quite yet. I do know that I most likely will not be able to squat 3 days per week while adding weight at the same time as increasing my miles weekly. So....for the last 4-6 weeks of my half training, I fully expect to solely maintain my strength gains and work on increasing once the run is over.
Yeah that's what I meant. High levels of activity need a lot more calories, and MFP's calculation in particular is calibrated for very inactive individuals with lower LBM than an active person (because modern people have become so sedentary that the one they use IS more accurate for an average population), so my active friends and I often find it to be set too low.0 -
I quit smoking 3 years ago in November, and became much more concerned with my cardiovascular health at that point. (And got really pudgy for me.) I get shin splints while running, so I actually used my gym membership, and did work on the arc trainer an average of 4-6 times a week. I worked up to about an hour at a session, but maybe once a week I'd get in 90 minutes or 2 hours. I pretty much did this for 3 years straight falling off the wagon a few times for a month or two at a time, but being able to pick it right back up with no problem.
Have you had gait analysis and got a properly fitted pair of running shoes? That's usually a good step to avoiding shin splints.0 -
I do cardio 1-2 x a week. Lifting is my priority.0
