Weight training and Cardio questions

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wulfax
wulfax Posts: 93 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
A little background on me first. I started watching what I eat on September 1s, 2014 (weight at that time was 270.2 lbs.) and I started exercising on September 9th. In the beginning, I was just walking but on October 7th I started the C25k program and am now on W8D2. I am male, I just turned 40, 6’0” tall, and I currently weigh 241.5 lbs. My ideal body weight (based on past experience when I was in the military and fit, granted that was a 23 yr. old me, not a 40 yr. old me) is about 175-180 lbs. which means I have an additional 60-65 lbs. to lose.

A few weekends ago I went about bought a power rack, Olympic weight set, and a bench (hooray for pre-holiday sales). This past Monday (December 3rd) I started the stronglifts 5x5 routine. I picked this routine because I am married, have two young children, and between work and my commute I spend about 10-11 hrs. away from home and this routine should only take about ½ hr. - 45 minutes to complete (plus it purports to make you ‘real world’ strong, we shall see). I plan on doing this routine for 12 weeks then reassessing my situation.

Now on to the questions I have. While I don’t necessarily like running, I do want to keep it up. I have a goal of getting to a sub 30 min 5k and at my current pace, it is going to take me a long time. Currently my plan is to lift on M, W, Fri and run on Tue, Thur, and Sat. On my runs I do a 5k, I am still slow as heck and it takes me anywhere from 45-55 mins to complete them. I have seen many discussions about doing cardio with strength training. Many of the discussions are in generalities (meaning they use terms like ‘too much’ ‘a lot’ ‘moderate’) without actually giving numbers. So is the amount of running I want to do counterproductive with the weight training I want to do? I am not too worried about burn out, if need be, I will drop the run on Saturday in order to give myself 2 full days of recovery.

My second question is on caloric intake. Currently MFP recommends that with no exercise I take in about 1600 calories a day to drop 2 lbs. a week. While I have been dropping on average over 2 lbs. a week, this is not a primary goal for me, my level of fitness is my primary goal (i.e. I want to have endurance, be strong, and be able to run with my children). So while I normally take in more than 1600 (eat a bit of my exercise calories back) I usually try to take in less than 2000 in food. With my inclusion of weight training, should the way I look at my calories change? In addition, my goal is to take in around 140g or protein, as I continue lifting, should I be trying to increase that?

I know many of these questions and thoughts have been answered before, but everyone’s situation is different. Also, if you have any other points that you think I should consider I would appreciate your input. Thank you for your responses, I appreciate it.

Replies

  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    edited December 2014
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    As long as you are eating enough to fuel your workouts, and resting when needed (yes, that means you may need to take an extra rest day here or there and skip a workout,) then there's nothing wrong with your plan. 2000 calories sounds like a good target. If you start to drag, either rest more or eat more.
  • FitFitzy331
    FitFitzy331 Posts: 308 Member
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    For your calories, less than 2000 sounds really low for someone of your height and build. Since you have the set exercises you plan to do every week, try the TDEE method instead of MFP. Try one of these:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
    Given your stats and work out plans, both of these say that you should be eating between 2400-2600 calories a day. I'm doing a program similar to strong lifts and it made me hungrier than normal weight training so I'm slowly upping my calories (and still losing) Right now I'm at 1760cal/day and I'm a 5'4" 134lb female.

    As for the running, it really all does depend upon you. Listen to your body, if you feel like you shouldn't go for that run, then don't. If you need to ease up on the run, ease up. The idea of 3 days lifting, 3 days running doesn't sound like too much but it's also based upon your fitness level. I don't see a reason to not try this routine, if it's too much, then cut out a run day. If it seems fine, then push yourself on your runs a little more. Find the balance that's best for you.

    Good luck on your journey!
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    Running will help with the weightloss faster than lifting will. That being said it is good to keep up the strength training so you don't lose muscle as you are losing fat. Good Luck on your journey. I am down 100lbs from my max weight a little over 2 years ago.
  • LazyFoodie
    LazyFoodie Posts: 217 Member
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    Everyone is different so try it and see. If the cardio is too much, you will know (legs tired all the time, lifts stalling) and can adjust then.

    I did the same amount of cardio and did not eat more calories when I first started stronglifts. It was fine for a while when the weights were low. Then everything started stalling. Now I do less intensive cardio and eat a bit more.

    You will know if you should eat more or less based on whether your lifts are stalling and how much weight you are losing/gaining....
  • wulfax
    wulfax Posts: 93 Member
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    FitFitzy331 wrote: »
    For your calories, less than 2000 sounds really low for someone of your height and build. Since you have the set exercises you plan to do every week, try the TDEE method instead of MFP. Try one of these:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
    Given your stats and work out plans, both of these say that you should be eating between 2400-2600 calories a day. I'm doing a program similar to strong lifts and it made me hungrier than normal weight training so I'm slowly upping my calories (and still losing) Right now I'm at 1760cal/day and I'm a 5'4" 134lb female.

    Thanks, I will take a look at those. It is always good to get a different perspective. I am still on week 1 of lifting so all i feel at this point is a bit sore, not hungry. :smiley:
  • wulfax
    wulfax Posts: 93 Member
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    jrline wrote: »
    Running will help with the weightloss faster than lifting will. That being said it is good to keep up the strength training so you don't lose muscle as you are losing fat. Good Luck on your journey. I am down 100lbs from my max weight a little over 2 years ago.

    Thanks for the reply. At my heaviest I was 333 lbs. (health issues and depression combined). I went from there to 270 (about 60 lbs. loss) over about 10 years. Now I need to lose the last 60 lbs. I have had good results with the cardio but just based on how I feel I need to incorporate strength training.

    To be honest, the speed at which the weight comes off is not all that important to me any longer. I know that if I eat in moderation and exercise reguarly it will happen. The reason for these questions is that with the work I am going to put in, I want to maximize my efforts.

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