Lifting Weights/Target Training to Lose Fat/Weight - HELP!

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deniseg31
deniseg31 Posts: 667 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a question for y'all! So here's a little backstory...4 years ago I had lost 60lbs. by counting calories and doing cardio. Lots of cardio. I am unfortunately one of those people that lost motivation and got lazy and therefore ended up gaining 50 lbs back.

Last week I joined a gym and had a one-on-one training session with a trainer and she kicked my butt! I was in pain for days. Good pain. She of course told me that the only way for me to lose weight properly was to gain muscle in order to speed up my metabolism and that way the fat would start coming off. She then went on to say that if I didn't hire their training services I wouldn't lose the weight. Well, as much as I would LOVE to have a trainer I can't afford one so I researched a couple of places online and I came across bodybuilding.com and this morning I started day 1 of a 12 week training program. The first couple of weeks there is no cardio involved (Week 1 only has 4 days of lifting) but I feel like I NEED to do cardio even if it's just on the days that no lifting is involved.

Those of you that have lost weight successfully doing weights/target training....do you also incorporate cardio into your routines somehow? If so, how much cardio? How often? Please indulge me. I really want to do this right this time around.

Thank you.

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I do 10-20 mins cardio on elliptical at high resistance before every gym session which incorporates squats, push-ups, lunges as well as bodyweight exercises and weights

    If you wanna do cardio you should, use it as a warm-up or separately

    There are lots of books too..Strong Curves and New rules of lifting for woman are but two
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    I am glad you didn't fall for her sales pitch in term of needing their services. Cardio is good for the heart but you can lose weight just fine if you never do a minute of cardio because weight loss is about a reduction of calories (calorie deficiency). Weight training burns fat/builds and strengthen muscles but controlling the food you eat is the ultimate key to weight loss. If you enjoy cardio then do it but it’s important to understand the way it all fits together.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I wouldn't go back to your trainer anyway. Other than newbie gains, you cannot gain muscle in a calorie deficit. However, lifting is important to retaining your lean body mass while you lose weight.

    The only cardio I do on my three lifting days, unless it's a day I'm off work and need to do something, is a 10-minute warmup and 8-minute cooldown on the treadmill. Two other days I'll do whatever cardio I want (walking or elliptical), and one I try to plan on a HIIT session on the elliptical
  • NextPage
    NextPage Posts: 609 Member
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    I also do both weight lifting and cardio (mostly spinning, some elliptical). I think if you do long sessions of cardio you may not have enough left in the tank for lifting so I would cut back on these. Otherwise doing both is a good idea. I would also check out http://www.niashanks.com/ for information on lifting.
  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,709 Member
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    First of all, I'm glad you knew better than to believe the trainer! You can absolutely lose weight and get healthy without a trainer. I realize they are in the business to make money, but still...

    Anyway, yes, I primarily lift but I do 30 min. cardio sessions 3 - 4 times per week, depending on my schedule. They are purely elective, however. I like to get my heart-rate going and a good sweat happening a couple times a week just for health / stress reasons.

    Stick with your weight training program and add in cardio as you see fit, as rabbitjb mentioned. Your diet is much more important than cardio, IMHO.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    deniseg31 wrote: »
    I have a question for y'all! So here's a little backstory...4 years ago I had lost 60lbs. by counting calories and doing cardio. Lots of cardio. I am unfortunately one of those people that lost motivation and got lazy and therefore ended up gaining 50 lbs back.

    Last week I joined a gym and had a one-on-one training session with a trainer and she kicked my butt! I was in pain for days. Good pain. She of course told me that the only way for me to lose weight properly was to gain muscle in order to speed up my metabolism and that way the fat would start coming off. She then went on to say that if I didn't hire their training services I wouldn't lose the weight. Well, as much as I would LOVE to have a trainer I can't afford one so I researched a couple of places online and I came across bodybuilding.com and this morning I started day 1 of a 12 week training program. The first couple of weeks there is no cardio involved (Week 1 only has 4 days of lifting) but I feel like I NEED to do cardio even if it's just on the days that no lifting is involved.

    Those of you that have lost weight successfully doing weights/target training....do you also incorporate cardio into your routines somehow? If so, how much cardio? How often? Please indulge me. I really want to do this right this time around.

    Thank you.

    Pish posh. What a silly trainer.

    I started out with a 50/50 mix of strength training and cardio. My cardio was mostly steady state running with some walking. Now I do 2 days of cardio and 4 days of strength. The cardio is generally somewhere in the 30-45 minute range. I do it on days when I am not strength training, which leaves me one day of complete (no exercise) rest.

  • Ishtancon
    Ishtancon Posts: 14 Member
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    The trainer was correct that building muscle does increase your resting calorie burn. However as many have already commented there is no requirement to use a trainer. I will say that the right trainer can help some people by providing an outside look at your workout and diet and modivation, but I would walk away from one that fed me some BS like you described.
  • deniseg31
    deniseg31 Posts: 667 Member
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    Thank you all for your responses. The trainer was so nice throughout the training up until she whipped out the contract and then she quickly changed her attitude with me. I will definitely incorporate cardio into my routine and on my days off going forward and I will also watch what I eat trying my best to stick to fresh clean food. I am glad I asked. Best of luck to everybody on their goals this 2015!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I think that it depends on your reasons for doing cardio. I run. I enjoy running and I enjoy running races. Strength training is second to running for me even though I know it's important, I enjoy it and I love the way it makes me look and feel. However, running will always come first.

    If you had a cardio exercise you felt about strongly then you could do them 50/50 or more cardio than strength. However, if you're doing cardio simply to burn calories then I'd say take a second look at it. You don't need it unless the calorie deficit you're on makes you want to gnaw your arm off. Then, burning more calories through cardio will allow you to eat at a level where you're both losing pounds and satisfied.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    deniseg31 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your responses. The trainer was so nice throughout the training up until she whipped out the contract and then she quickly changed her attitude with me. I will definitely incorporate cardio into my routine and on my days off going forward and I will also watch what I eat trying my best to stick to fresh clean food. I am glad I asked. Best of luck to everybody on their goals this 2015!

    Denise, if you want to lose weight you need to make sure you are eating fewer calories than you burn. The easiest way is to weigh and log everything ...eating clean is no guarantee of calorie defecit ...also if you are weighing and logging you can incorporate everything you love to eat / drink in your overall diet and not feel bereft

  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    deniseg31 wrote: »
    .do you also incorporate cardio into your routines somehow? If so, how much cardio? How often? Please indulge me. I really want to do this right this time around.

    Thank you.


    However much you want, for the most part. Some do it on their off days; some like to completely rest on their off days, so they do it after their strength training. It sounds like you're doing Jamie Eason's LiveFit - it seems a bit long, so I'm guessing you wouldn't have much time afterward to fit in cardio.

    Also, if you've chosen a routine, and it doesn't have cardio at first (but will later) - then I'd recommend not adding cardio at this time. Follow the plan as it is.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
    edited January 2015
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I do 10-20 mins cardio on elliptical at high resistance before every gym session which incorporates squats, push-ups, lunges as well as bodyweight exercises and weights

    If you wanna do cardio you should, use it as a warm-up or separately

    There are lots of books too..Strong Curves and New rules of lifting for woman are but two
    Picking up one of those books or even The Lean Muscle Diet, would be a great way to develop a foundation of knowledge.

    Also I would suggest starting with the stickies like Calorie Counting 101 or So you want a nice stomach



  • deniseg31
    deniseg31 Posts: 667 Member
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    TR0berts wrote: »
    deniseg31 wrote: »
    .do you also incorporate cardio into your routines somehow? If so, how much cardio? How often? Please indulge me. I really want to do this right this time around.

    Thank you.


    However much you want, for the most part. Some do it on their off days; some like to completely rest on their off days, so they do it after their strength training. It sounds like you're doing Jamie Eason's LiveFit - it seems a bit long, so I'm guessing you wouldn't have much time afterward to fit in cardio.

    Also, if you've chosen a routine, and it doesn't have cardio at first (but will later) - then I'd recommend not adding cardio at this time. Follow the plan as it is.

    Yes, that I have currently started Jamie Eason's LiveFit. This morning all I did was 7 minutes on the elliptical before the weights and 7 minutes after the weights and that was it. Her plan does incorporate cardio around week 3 or 4 I can't remember which.

  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
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    It's too bad you had an unpleasant experience with the trainer. I lost my weight without a trainer, but then I went to see one for a recomp (and intentionally gaining some weight/muscle). I've been seeing him for almost a year now, and I'm SO happy! I agree that a trainer is not necessary for weight loss, but you may enjoy the right trainer and achieve goals you never thought imaginable.
  • hamoncan
    hamoncan Posts: 148 Member
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    You can't go wrong so long as you do something! Everyone seems to have a different blend of cardio and resistance training. Some only do one or the other. Just get fit. Doing what you like and makes you feel good gives you by far the best chance for success.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    I worked out with a trainer years ago a=to develop form and technique. Now I train myself. I read a lot (FitnessRX for Women, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Oxygen are good, informative magazines) and talk to people at the gym.

    Weekdays I warm up for 10 minutes on an elliptical with arms or the rowing machine. Then I lift for about an hour. Then I do about 15-20 of HIIT training. Then I stretch.

    Weekends I do everything for a bit longer. I just have more time.

    I wear a HRM for everything and track my lifting using JeFit (love the web app). Days I don't lift I do HIIT training, trying to build my endurance. Sometimes I'm just too sore. So I HIIT and then I stretch.

    Foam rollers are awesome and can really help prevent some of that soreness. :smiley:

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