Cardio vs strength

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raiderangel
raiderangel Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone!! I am 51 years old and I am finally losing weight, after years and years (I mean decades) of trying and giving up right away! I have been watching what I eat and I'm on the treadmill at least 3 times a week for 1 hour sessions! I never imagined myself doing this but I must admit it feels so good!! I have lost 40 pounds since mid January! And I would like to lose more!! Since I have only done cardio, I don't know if I should just continue cardio by itself. Some people say I should be doing some strength training. What do you think? And if I do add strength training, what do you suggest? I'm not into going to the gym. I've been doing it all at home. Thank you! Ready for your suggestions!!!

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  • tiggerlove
    tiggerlove Posts: 225 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Add strength training to ur cardio, it will tone u up and also help to burn more calories. I also do my workout at home. There a lot of dvd's out there or maybe YouTube. Add me as a friend if you like. Good luck.
  • raiderangel
    raiderangel Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks What do type of strength exercises are you doing or suggest?
  • jblankenbush17
    jblankenbush17 Posts: 9 Member
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    Hey, I used to think cardio was the only thing to help me get into shape, but a friend of mine told me that the more muscle I build the more fat gets burned.. some at home exercises to tone and build muscle could be push-ups, tricep dips, planks, squat variations, and lunges. There's so many great options that you could do with just your body weight!
  • JennD71
    JennD71 Posts: 3 Member
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    Any of the free YouTube videos are great. I use dumbells at home and use the YouTube videos by Fitness Blender, Autumn Calabrese and Bodyfit by Amy.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Both men and women suffer from age related muscle loss and (more prevalent in women) a decline in bone density. Those two reasons alone should be enough to fill the gyms across the land (or sell lots of home fitness equipment).

    You can go a long way towards preserving lean muscle mass with body weight exercises (check out You Are Your Own Gym) and weight lifting can help a lot with bone density. Many of the indignities that are heaped upon us as we age can be mitigated through exercise and we get to both look and feel better!
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
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    Hi, first of all, congratulations on your weigh loss! That's awesome!! I also prefer working out at home and use my treadmill, elliptical and stationary bike for an hour. I started doing YouTube free workouts through fitness blender in addition to my workouts. I try to do just the 10 min ones for arms, legs and abs and also love the free Denise Austin and her daughter, Katie Austin also has some 10-15 min workouts that are great! Also toneitup workouts are good. Bikini body mommy is also good. I like these short but very effective workouts and my tone and definition are what I was looking for. Of course weight loss and fat reduction is what helps to be able to see the defined muscle and you sound like you've done just that!! So now you can show off your smaller frame with defined muscles that aren't bulky in any way. That's not the look I was going for at least, lol. Best wishes and hope this helps you.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Add some strength training. It's ok to reduce the cardio to 20-30 minutes daily. I did cardio for 30 minutes 5 days weekly along with some body weight exercises, squats and pushups, and saw improvement in strength, cardiovascular fitness, and weight loss. Then, I stopped doing cardio for a month. I just stopped. Today I resumed doing cardio on the same treadmill at the same program. My cardiovascular fitness had declined. 31 days ago the program occasionally got my heart rate as high as 160 beats per minute. Today the program rarely got my heart rate as low as 160 beats per minute. So, don't just stop cardio. It's too good for you.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    If you have access to a gym with free weights, you could look into a beginner program like stronglifts 5x5 or strong curves. If not, there are many videos on YouTube that incorporate hand weights. I love The Firm videos, exerciseTV, Jillian Michaels, etc.

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