Cardio or weight training?

Do both. Given fairly generic objectives do a combination of CV and resistance work until you have more specific ideas of what you want to achieve.

It's not either/ or, they're complimentary.

When I first started back to they Gym I used a personal trainer that understood that I wanted to loose weight and tone rather than bulk up. The advice I was given was to always start with strength training, not with too much weight, but be able to do 12-15 reps per set and three sets per machine. I do three days a week working on Legs, Core and Arms then after strength training I go for the Cardio, at least 30 minutes each time and enough to raise the heart rate.

I've lost 6 1/2 lbs since June 1st doing a combo of both. I do a full body strength workout every other day and cardio almost every day. I only do 15-30 mins of HIIT, and always after lifting weights. Long endurance cardio like jogging for an hour has been proven to destroy your muscles so it's detrimental to strength training. Cardio and weights both burn fat- cardio while your doing it, and weights after as they increase oxygen uptake and raise your bmr over time. I have to say personally if your only going to do one I would do weights as it feels so good having my muscles nice and firm, and my butt looks rather amazing! (*kitten* to the grass squats, lunges deadlifts and butt lifts are the best!) And it's been less than 2 months, weights literally change the shape of your body! Go as heavy as you can for low reps, I only weigh 122 and I'm 5'1 so I'm definitely not bulky but my body is getting firm and it's amazing. Women don't have enough testosterone to get bulky unless they take steroids (female bodybuilders) and of course you can work out as much as you want but if your diet is crap you will be wasting your time, I do carb cycling, low carb on cardio only days, moderate to higher carb on strength days to aid in muscle recovery.

So how many days of weight training is recommended, and how long?

I do about an hour to hour and a half daily(but i take my time you could probably take 40 minutes). For five days. Cardio 3 days a week(mainly just fast walking).
Day 1: upper body
day 2: legs
day3: tris, bis, and back
day 4: butt and legs
day 5: upper body again.

Thats the run down of my workouts, i gotta look at my notes for specifics.

Start light and 3-4 sets of 6-10reps. Every wk increase weight and lower your reps. Does it make sense? But only switch to heavy weight once you are ready. Take it slow.

I only do it 3 times a wk(sometimes just 2 xs), but thats my choice, i could probably do more. Maybe some else can give some insight, but i go one day on and one day off. I only walk 2 miles, because i am already losing a lot of calories from nursing.

Both. I like both on everyday. But it all depends on your conditioning. HIIT is great cardio for slimming down. Weights for "building", even if you are female don't be afraid to lift heavy. It won't happen overnight and you can always stop building when you have enough muscle for your own liking.

jessef593 wrote: »

Both. Weights then cardio, or alternating days.

I personally prefer alternating days but I train for half marathons so during race season my runs get pretty long. The difference is that in the "off-season" I do core and upper body one day, run 5K or so the morning of the next day and then do legs that evening after work. And repeat. The extra day between doing legs and running keeps my legs from feeling dead right from the start of the run.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

as a matter of general fitness, cardiovascular work and resistance training are both important

Couldn't agree more, which is why I find time to do both each week. Usually 5-6 days of cardio and 2 days of lifting heavy. I prefer cardio more than weightlifting, though.

lift heavy light cardio

As someone mentioned above, don't be afraid of the weight training. Unless you are taking a ton of supplements and trying to look like a bodybuilder, you're not going to get huge just by lifting three times a week. Personally, I've been following and had great success with Mark Rippetoe's Starting strength program. With that and some light cardio I've already lost 10+ pounds, and I'm seeing strength gains every time I hit the gym.