For the ladies that are mostly toning....

debrahbeger
debrahbeger Posts: 34 Member
edited December 3 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello. I am 5'7" 138 lbs with 20.8% body fat. I am starting to focus more on toning and less on fat loss.... I was just wondering how much Cardio do you guys do?? And how many calories are you eating??? For the past year I've been at 1300-1500 calories (to loose 1 lb per week)and doing 20-30 min of cardio everyday with about 30 min of weight training. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to add more calories or if I need to be doing that much Cardio.

Replies

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    How did you measure your bf%? What lifting program are you using?
  • tjones0411
    tjones0411 Posts: 179 Member
    I'm 5'6, 127-129 lbs. I do about 75 min of cardio 2x per week. The rest of my routine is focused on strength training. I eat around 1400-1500 cals usually
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    If you are at a weight you are comfortable at, you can completely cut out cardio if you want and just do strength training to increase definition. Some cardio is good for your heart and lungs however.
  • debrahbeger
    debrahbeger Posts: 34 Member
    tjones0411 wrote: »
    I'm 5'6, 127-129 lbs. I do about 75 min of cardio 2x per week. The rest of my routine is focused on strength training. I eat around 1400-1500 cals usually

    Do you do any kind of cardio warm up before strength training on the other days??
  • debrahbeger
    debrahbeger Posts: 34 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    How did you measure your bf%? What lifting program are you using?


    I used the body fat calipers. Everyday I hit a different muscle group and I try to do a couple of machines and a few free workouts or free weights.
  • tjones0411
    tjones0411 Posts: 179 Member
    debrahbeger wrote: »
    tjones0411 wrote: »
    I'm 5'6, 127-129 lbs. I do about 75 min of cardio 2x per week. The rest of my routine is focused on strength training. I eat around 1400-1500 cals usually

    Do you do any kind of cardio warm up before strength training on the other days??

    I don't. I stretch lightly, but otherwise just jump right into lifting.
  • ericar21
    ericar21 Posts: 71 Member
    I'm 5'6 119 pounds. I've always just done about 20-30 min of cardio but the past few months I've uped it a lil more to 45-60 min. I usually ate around 1200-1400 calories but because I'm working out more im eating about 1500-1800 a day and I am definitely losing weight faster. I don't think I was eating enough calories before with all the cardio and strength training I was doing.
  • debrahbeger
    debrahbeger Posts: 34 Member
    tjones0411 wrote: »
    debrahbeger wrote: »
    tjones0411 wrote: »
    I'm 5'6, 127-129 lbs. I do about 75 min of cardio 2x per week. The rest of my routine is focused on strength training. I eat around 1400-1500 cals usually

    Do you do any kind of cardio warm up before strength training on the other days??

    I don't. I stretch lightly, but otherwise just jump right into lifting.

    Oh okay, thank you!!!
  • alyssagb1
    alyssagb1 Posts: 353 Member
    I don't really do much before weight training, other than stretching. I usually do 15-20 minutes of cardio (Dance, Run, Video etc - Mostly the priors) after weight training. - Which will last anywhere from 30-45 minutes. I then ensure I walk 10k steps a day (MAYBE burning an additional 215 cals) I generally eat anywhere from 16-1800 calories everyday. (Weigh 138 - 5/9, BF% - Unknown, by comparison about 24-25%)

  • cglouie
    cglouie Posts: 33 Member
    I'm 5'8" 133 lbs. For the past year, while I was losing, I did 60 mins cardio session 2x/wk and 2 strength training sessions per week. I've been maintaining for a month now and I've completely cut out cardio, other than 5-10 mins on the treadmill for a warm-up during leg days. I don't bother with a cardio warm-up on upper body days. Now I lift 4 days/wk and generally eat 1800-2000 calories/day.
  • debrahbeger
    debrahbeger Posts: 34 Member
    ericar21 wrote: »
    I'm 5'6 119 pounds. I've always just done about 20-30 min of cardio but the past few months I've uped it a lil more to 45-60 min. I usually ate around 1200-1400 calories but because I'm working out more im eating about 1500-1800 a day and I am definitely losing weight faster. I don't think I was eating enough calories before with all the cardio and strength training I was doing.

    Thats exactly what I am worried about!!! That I am not eating enough calories for how much I am working out... BUT I'm scared to up my calories because I don't want to gain weight back.
  • debrahbeger
    debrahbeger Posts: 34 Member
    cglouie wrote: »
    I'm 5'8" 133 lbs. For the past year, while I was losing, I did 60 mins cardio session 2x/wk and 2 strength training sessions per week. I've been maintaining for a month now and I've completely cut out cardio, other than 5-10 mins on the treadmill for a warm-up during leg days. I don't bother with a cardio warm-up on upper body days. Now I lift 4 days/wk and generally eat 1800-2000 calories/day.

    When you upped your calories did you gain any weight?? And on your strength training days about how many workouts are you doing/ about how long are you at the gym??
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    You sound like your doing great. If want to tone more, I wouldn't change anything but how much your lifting. If it gets easier, it means it is time for a change.
  • debrahbeger
    debrahbeger Posts: 34 Member
    Nadine_A_Saad wrote: »
    You sound like your doing great. If want to tone more, I wouldn't change anything but how much your lifting. If it gets easier, it means it is time for a change.

    Thank you :)
  • fleur23xx
    fleur23xx Posts: 37 Member
    edited September 2016
    I keep my cardio to a minimum, maybe 15-20 min 2-3x a week in the form of HIIT workouts. I do like going on long walks though, but I don't think I can count that as cardio. I am 4'11.5" weigh 105 lbs and I eat anywhere from 1500-2000 depending on workouts and hunger. I try to eat around 1500 on my rest days, but that doesn't happen very often because I get hungry, lol. The amount of cardio you are doing seems alright, I don't think you need to do more.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I am currently recomping. I lift 3-4x per week. I don't do any cardio other than walking. I'm not tracking right now but I am nursing so my cal intake is pretty high and probably not helpful for comparison even though I am also 5'7"
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Like others said, the best thing is to find a good strength training routine that you like and do that 2 to 4 days a week. I started at 3-4 days a week. And sometimes go down to 2 days a week for maintenance. I'm a dancer, so I get cardio from that. But, it's variable. Depends what I am working on. Sometimes I dance in an intensive cardio way for four hours. Other times it's gentle like flow yoga. Other times working on lifts. And I walk/hike to get around or for stress relief because it feels good to me or to spend time with my husband walking and talking. I like to walk while talking. Yoga is also good for stress relief. The most important thing is to choose options you find sustainable for yourself. Or switch it up if you get bored.
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