Ladies - How do you balance cardio and strength training?

garnet116
garnet116 Posts: 144 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Suggestions please. I am female, would like to loose around 18 pounds and tone up.. specifically arms and midsection. I like to run once or twice a week, 3 miles on average. I started taking a class at the gym that combines kickboxing with core/stability.. this class is so friggin hard! Lots of floor work and push ups.

Anyway, if I want to lose weight, I need cardio, right? But I know that muscle burns more calories than fat...so...

So should I run 2x per week? or 3? And besides the 2x a week kickboxing/core class, should I add another day of strength training? Maybe spend one day targeting arms/shoulders? The class has a lot of ab work.

What do you think? What do you guys do?

Replies

  • chels0722
    chels0722 Posts: 465 Member
    I workout 4-5 times a week with at least 2 complete rest days. At least 3 of those 4-5 days I do strength training and only 1-2 of those days are pure cardio. You definitley don't need to overload in cardio to lose fat. I find that stength training has done more for my body than cardio ever did. It all depends on the kind of person you are. The kickboxing class you spoke of sounds like a good start! Maybe even add some weight and resistance training to your routine.

    Overall I think you are off to a great start!
  • garnet116
    garnet116 Posts: 144 Member
    I I find that stength training has done more for my body than cardio ever did.

    Oh that's good to know! Do you think I should do any strength training on the days that I run? I would only run for maybe 40 minutes or so.
  • chels0722
    chels0722 Posts: 465 Member


    Oh that's good to know! Do you think I should do any strength training on the days that I run? I would only run for maybe 40 minutes or so.

    Some people do, and say that it works great for them. I personally don't. I don't feel the need to because my strength training days are usually pretty intense. I definitely wouldn't do a complete strength routine before a long bout of cardio, but some people do. You could try both ways and just see what works for you :)
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
    I focus on strength and let the cardio take care of itself, usually. Right now I'm doing C25k and it's a big pain in my butt because it cuts into my lifting time.

    Anyway, you should be aiming to get in at least three strength days - if you do them on the same day as cardio then do your strength first, and keep the cardio reasonable - before I started the C25k, I never did more than 20 minutes (not counting warmup/cooldown) twice a week. Your kickboxing class counts as cardio or circuits, but if you enjoy that and the running, keep up with them and look for a good full-body program you can do two or three times a week. I wouldn't lift on the same day as kickboxing, but you might be able to get away with it if the class is super easy for you. (Probably best not to, though.)
  • drivermarshy
    drivermarshy Posts: 134
    i do a 5 min warm up, strength training for 30 mins, HIT for 20 mins then 5 mins stretching. tend to train 2 days on 1 day off. has helped me cut down from 175lbs to 130lbs at present. have been down to 124lbs but currently trying to build a little more muscle so eating more :)
  • Liftnlove
    Liftnlove Posts: 235
    Actually, you do not "need" cardio at all to lose weight. You can lose weight solely by eating less food. Cardio has other health benefits, but it is purely optional for weight loss.

    That being said, I did choose to do a lot of cardio to lose weight. I'd prefer to workout like crazy in exchange for being able to eat more food. I like to eat...a LOT.

    I did 30-60 minutes of cardio every single day, including the days I lifted. Now I lift 5x a week, and I still do cardio 7x a week because I like to eat...it's how I choose to get my calorie deficit, but if you ate less, you wouldn't have to do any cardio to lose weight.
  • Bssh
    Bssh Posts: 123
    I don't do alot of strength at the moment but like you I want to increase it. My plan is to run/speed walk to the gym (which is about 30 min run/walk away) then do my weights workout then run/walk back 3-4 times a week.

    I agree that you don't need to exercise to lose weight. I lost loads of weight just focussing on food, no exercise. But exercise makes you feel strong and muscle burns more calories at rest.
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    My cardio is stationary biking, which I do three times a week. 2 half hour rides followed by a half hour to forty five minutes of lifting (opposite of how you're "supposed" to do it, but I haven't noticed a difference,) then 1 hour long ride by itself and my fourth session is usually a whole body lifting session with a 10 minute ARC machine warmup. So I guess I'm at the gym 4 times a week total.
    Timewise, I stay at home, so I go to the gym by myself early in the morning two days of the week before my hubby/kids wake up and then schedule in two mid-mornings where I can take my younger kids to the childcare service at the gym.
    I also do 2 half hour yoga sessions, but I space those out during the week at nighttime at home and they're more for my relaxation/flexibility than for strength or cardio purposes.

    My advice is to make a list/schedule of three times a week that you can get in an hour-long session. (half cardio, half lifting Then try it for a couple weeks and change it if needed. =) Good luck!
  • kellxbelle09
    kellxbelle09 Posts: 17 Member
    I I find that stength training has done more for my body than cardio ever did.

    Oh that's good to know! Do you think I should do any strength training on the days that I run? I would only run for maybe 40 minutes or so.

    I started adding in a 20 minute strength DVD (jillian michael's) after 40 mins on the elliptical, 3-4x a week, and have seen major results! I bought a pair of jeans 2 weeks ago that are already too loose! :)
  • Today414
    Today414 Posts: 118
    My plan is to lift, then 20 min cardio 3 days a week, 2 days a week yoga (cuz I LOOOVE yoga) and then 2 rest days.

    Just waiting ever so patiently for my PT session so I can learn some stuff!
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    For a balanced workout plan, you should do cardio 1-3 times a week.

    Personally I lift 4-5x a week (3 upper body, 1-2 lower body) and do cardio 1-2 times a week.
  • missADS1981
    missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
    weight training with very little cardio here.
  • weloveourboys
    weloveourboys Posts: 133 Member
    Hate weights; only cardio for me. All I do is run. And I eat 2200-2400 calories a day. And I'm super lean with very low body fat. (Sorry I don't log as I do not need to log but I'm happy to share what I eat if people ask me).
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    I run T, Th and S. I'm doing a 5K training program, right now my runs are only 1.25-1.5 miles, but that's going to move up next week, I think. I also sometimes do .5 miles on Sundays. M,W,F I lift. I'm doing Madcow's 5x5 (without the accessory work). On the days I run, I do a core (usually Pilates or Pilates "inspired", but not always) workout and sometimes some yoga or more Pilates. On lifting days, I usually do some HIIT or other quick cardio after I lift and some yoga or stretching.
  • MissMeg95
    MissMeg95 Posts: 8
    I haven't got gym access, so I use full body bodyweight training (which works as I'm a beginner) 3x a week, HIIT twice a week and a longer endurance session once a week, each on different days. Strength training is by far my favourite, but I do like the general fitness benefits from the cardio, plus I'm not advanced enough yet to really warrant doing a split of more than 3x a week for strength.
  • salsadancer10
    salsadancer10 Posts: 3 Member
    I do cardio and strength training 3-4 times a week. I don't belong to any gym, found most of the gyms are too expensive. I found some wonderful DVD that have really motivated me with both cardio and strength. For you ladies who may be interested, I found the Lotte Berk DVDs. I've been working out to them up to 4 times a week for the past two weeks and I already feel the difference. Check it out and let me know what you think?
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
    I've just started a new plan of alternating months of strength training and cardio focus. I love the weights, but can get bored after a while, so I'm hoping this helps.

    Right now I'm in a strength training month, so I'm doing Stronglifts 5x5 MWF, and cardio on Saturday (a 30-55 minute TurboFire video) . Sometimes I will end up doing a little jump roping during my weight workouts if I have to wait on my husband to finish up his sets. that's really it for cardio

    For cardio months, I'm planning to flip my schedule, doing cardio MWF, and doing the StrongLifts workouts (maybe with no weight progression) on TTh. Saturday/Sunday will be a barbell circuit workout or a hike.

    I also walk 2-3 miles during lunch every weekday that the weather permits.
  • azwen
    azwen Posts: 237 Member
    I do my "full" workout three times a week: weight lifting (alternate legs, chest/triceps, back/biceps focus) followed by cardio (lately, walking a 5k on the treadmill at an incline). I will usually do just cardio once or twice a week more. On non-workout days, all I do is walk and play with the dog! (I was taking horseback riding lessons, but my teacher had to quit.) I hike occasionally when the weather is nice.

    My goal is 25% body fat. I'm at 32-33% now. I'm getting stronger, which is so cool! I probably have 15 lbs. of fat to lose.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    I'm also female. I lift HEAVY weights 3 days per week and do cardio 2 or 3 times per week on my non-lifting days. For cardio, I do DVDs at home like Jillian Michaels, The Firm, Tae Bo, etc.
  • adreeea
    adreeea Posts: 47 Member
    bump to read later
  • life99joy
    life99joy Posts: 4 Member
    30 min elliptical and 2-3 circuits of NMTZ 6 days a week - pounds keep coming off!
  • garnet116
    garnet116 Posts: 144 Member
    Actually, you do not "need" cardio at all to lose weight. You can lose weight solely by eating less food. Cardio has other health benefits, but it is purely optional for weight loss.


    Ok, that's good to know. I don't think I can rely on diet, though. I really am trying to eat clean but I am just not the best at it. I'm ok with portion control.. I just make some lousy choices... so I will most def. need to do some cardio
  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
    I focus on strength training, doing Stronglifts 5 x 5 on Mon Wed and Fri. On other days I do light cardio only, either walking on treadmill or long walk for the dog.

    I am losing 1 lb a week consistently just doing this .
  • mryak750
    mryak750 Posts: 198 Member
    i do a 5 min warm up, strength training for 30 mins, HIT for 20 mins then 5 mins stretching. tend to train 2 days on 1 day off. has helped me cut down from 175lbs to 130lbs at present. have been down to 124lbs but currently trying to build a little more muscle so eating more :)

    ^^^^This has given me the most success
  • YepLilly
    YepLilly Posts: 129 Member
    I guess it all depends on your schedule and what options you have available. A balanced approach usually works the best for me. I do 2 days of weights, 2 days of cardio, 1 day of circuit training (half weights, half cardio), 1 rest day (do nothing), and 1 day of either yoga or rest. On very busy weeks, I try my best to at least get 2 days of weights and 1-2 days of cardio.
  • garnet116
    garnet116 Posts: 144 Member
    Thanks for all the great advice everyone! :)

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