Cardio/Strength?!
Gymzie
Posts: 16
Hi everyone!
I have a membership at my local gym, and the machines available there are Elliptical trainers, treadmills, bikes (Idk what they're called), a stair machine, and lots of lifting machines as well. I'm not sure whether to start with lifting or cardio and how much of each should I do? Basically a plan I guess? Thanks all!
I have a membership at my local gym, and the machines available there are Elliptical trainers, treadmills, bikes (Idk what they're called), a stair machine, and lots of lifting machines as well. I'm not sure whether to start with lifting or cardio and how much of each should I do? Basically a plan I guess? Thanks all!
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Replies
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What are your goals?0
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If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.0 -
For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???0
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If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???
Well I want to lose 50 lbs and tone up afterwards basically.
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And yes, free weights sounds like a great idea 0
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Do both and for the weight loss it is diet. Cardio whatever you feel like doing and length of time really does not matter because it is the diet that ensures the calorie deficit. Lifting like about a beginner program to get started.
If you are interested in weighed cardio you can give the bear complex a try.0 -
Does your gym offer group classes for cardio? If so, that is a great place to meet people that may want to partner up doing your strength workouts so that you are not doing it alone.0
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If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???
Well I want to lose 50 lbs and tone up afterwards basically.
Get on a good full body strength training program while you eat at a slight deficit.
Waiting until after you lose weight to "tone" is not a great plan. What this means is that you will lose weight (fat and muscle) and then try to gain back the muscle you lost.
Doing the strength training while you lose will prevent/minimize the muscle loss.
Add cardio for health reasons or extra calorie burn if you want.
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mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???
Well I want to lose 50 lbs and tone up afterwards basically.
Get on a good full body strength training program while you eat at a slight deficit.
Waiting until after you lose weight to "tone" is not a great plan. What this means is that you will lose weight (fat and muscle) and then try to gain back the muscle you lost.
Doing the strength training while you lose will prevent/minimize the muscle loss.
Add cardio for health reasons or extra calorie burn if you want.
Great! Thank you for pointing that out. And I have a pretty dumb question, but does lifting weights help you burn calories just like cardio?
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Very very minimal. I wouldn't even try to count those calories burned from weight lifting...0
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I cannot preach enough the awesomeness that is strength training! I've lost about 85 lbs total thus far (almost at goal!), and I know my body comp would not be what it is if I had only done cardio or only eaten at a deficit or waited until I reached goal to start lifting. Yes, of course you can lose weight without strength training. But, look into beginner programs like strong lifts, New rules for Women, etc. They even have apps to help you keep track of days/workouts and how much you lifted so that you can progress. I am just so happy with the way I look now and I know it's because I added real strength training about 10 months ago.0
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As part of your membership they should include an induction and can set you up with a plan. They should show you safe and correct usage of all the machines.
Cardio do whichever one you like. Dont forget the rower. Learn how they work, how to set pace etc. Start low and what you can manage i.e 500m or 5 minutes and then slowly increase when you have more confidence. Ideally imo once you are sure you are safe (yoy shouldnt have any medical conditions) then increase it so you become challenged your heart rate is raised and ideal you get a bit of a sweat. Baby steps and always listen to your body to find the right balance of pushing yourself and safety.
Some people stick to one, or for variety do short stings on all. Dont forget any type of moving cna be good exercise so swimming, walking or any of the classes will help burn calories.
Weights/ resistance, then safety first. Everyone starts somewhere and you should focus on correct form that means doing the exercise safely and correctly. Injuring yourself is an absolute no no and can usually be avoided. Whatever repetitions you are doing then the last few should require some effort. As others have pointed out get a program, then take it with you to each session and tick them off.
Imo do weights before cardio as proper form is very important. the other reason to do weights and not cardio alone is because it helps reduce muscle loss as you lose weight and you should get a better toned body. I would have no problem to use the machines at the beginning and then adapt the program as you go along to use fre weights when you feel you wnat to move on.0 -
mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???
Well I want to lose 50 lbs and tone up afterwards basically.
Get on a good full body strength training program while you eat at a slight deficit.
Waiting until after you lose weight to "tone" is not a great plan. What this means is that you will lose weight (fat and muscle) and then try to gain back the muscle you lost.
Doing the strength training while you lose will prevent/minimize the muscle loss.
Add cardio for health reasons or extra calorie burn if you want.
Great! Thank you for pointing that out. And I have a pretty dumb question, but does lifting weights help you burn calories just like cardio?
You will burn calories lifting, not as much as cardio.
Nothing wrong with doing cardio as well.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
you can try TDEE method by filling your deets into one or both of those calculators
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mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???
Well I want to lose 50 lbs and tone up afterwards basically.
Get on a good full body strength training program while you eat at a slight deficit.
Waiting until after you lose weight to "tone" is not a great plan. What this means is that you will lose weight (fat and muscle) and then try to gain back the muscle you lost.
Doing the strength training while you lose will prevent/minimize the muscle loss.
Add cardio for health reasons or extra calorie burn if you want.
Great! Thank you for pointing that out. And I have a pretty dumb question, but does lifting weights help you burn calories just like cardio?
Its not a dumb question but like jusayange says its not much. You do burn calories from the activity and from the repair/recovery process but its not a huge amount.0 -
mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???
Well I want to lose 50 lbs and tone up afterwards basically.
Get on a good full body strength training program while you eat at a slight deficit.
Waiting until after you lose weight to "tone" is not a great plan. What this means is that you will lose weight (fat and muscle) and then try to gain back the muscle you lost.
Doing the strength training while you lose will prevent/minimize the muscle loss.
Add cardio for health reasons or extra calorie burn if you want.
Great! Thank you for pointing that out. And I have a pretty dumb question, but does lifting weights help you burn calories just like cardio?
Its not a dumb question but like jusayange says its not much. You do burn calories from the activity and from the repair/recovery process but its not a huge amount.mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »If you want to lift - i suggest getting a beginner plan like New Rules of Lifting which you have to commit to 3 x week i believe and then do whatever cardio you prefer.
like the poster above said, what are your personal goals? that will help determine what you should be doing.For strength training look to use free weights, not machines. Using free weights will strengthen your core much more efficiently. Cardio training is whatever you find interesting -- do you like to run, bike, swim ???
Well I want to lose 50 lbs and tone up afterwards basically.
Get on a good full body strength training program while you eat at a slight deficit.
Waiting until after you lose weight to "tone" is not a great plan. What this means is that you will lose weight (fat and muscle) and then try to gain back the muscle you lost.
Doing the strength training while you lose will prevent/minimize the muscle loss.
Add cardio for health reasons or extra calorie burn if you want.
Great! Thank you for pointing that out. And I have a pretty dumb question, but does lifting weights help you burn calories just like cardio?
You will burn calories lifting, not as much as cardio.
Nothing wrong with doing cardio as well.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
you can try TDEE method by filling your deets into one or both of those calculatorsAs part of your membership they should include an induction and can set you up with a plan. They should show you safe and correct usage of all the machines.
Cardio do whichever one you like. Dont forget the rower. Learn how they work, how to set pace etc. Start low and what you can manage i.e 500m or 5 minutes and then slowly increase when you have more confidence. Ideally imo once you are sure you are safe (yoy shouldnt have any medical conditions) then increase it so you become challenged your heart rate is raised and ideal you get a bit of a sweat. Baby steps and always listen to your body to find the right balance of pushing yourself and safety.
Some people stick to one, or for variety do short stings on all. Dont forget any type of moving cna be good exercise so swimming, walking or any of the classes will help burn calories.
Weights/ resistance, then safety first. Everyone starts somewhere and you should focus on correct form that means doing the exercise safely and correctly. Injuring yourself is an absolute no no and can usually be avoided. Whatever repetitions you are doing then the last few should require some effort. As others have pointed out get a program, then take it with you to each session and tick them off.
Imo do weights before cardio as proper form is very important. the other reason to do weights and not cardio alone is because it helps reduce muscle loss as you lose weight and you should get a better toned body. I would have no problem to use the machines at the beginning and then adapt the program as you go along to use fre weights when you feel you wnat to move on.
Thank you all! I appreciate it
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For the "calories burnt" question, I log my lifting as 1 calorie. Doesn't matter if it's 30 minutes, or 2 hours.
Cardio, I'll log.
Reasoning: lifting isn't going to burn a lot compared to cardio, and that's not why I lift.0
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