PT Recommended too much Cardio
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Replies
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OP, it does sound like you were being given a one-size-fits-all, poorly designed program. I'm going to agree with what everyone else has said. Make your life and your dog's life better by taking it on a 10 min walk before work and a 10 min walk when you get home. Work on slowly increasing that time or adding a third short walk.
Meanwhile, check out the link in @Penthesilea514 's post, there are even some body weight routines you can start with at home. Start wherever you can and just work on improving over time. Good luck!1 -
I started at 244 5'2" doing 15 minutes of cardio via a PT with the goal of working up to 30 minutes. It really didn't take that long. It doesn't have to be continuous just regular. At that time I could just make it the 15-18 minute walk to the bus stop when someone suggested maybe I would start walking to work (3 miles) - my though ha-ha NEVER! now I walk some days both ways. I know it is harsh when people say 'don't focus on what you can't do' but that is really what it comes down to. I have surprised myself in so many ways with what I can do. Be strong and true to yourself but give it an honest heartfelt try.3
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_dracarys_ wrote: »I stopped reading at "the personal trainer at Planet Fitness."
Seems awfully inexperienced.
Walking is great. I'd start there 30-40 minutes a day, even if it's just 10-15 minutes after every meal for now, then add one a couple of 20 min higher intensity sessions, running, cycling, rowing, find something you LIKE to do.
Strength training 3-4 times a week, not on the same days as your higher intensity cardio sessions.
Watch what you eat, it's 80% diet.2 -
you dont burn more fat doing cardio, you may burn more calories than say weight lifting, but fat is burned/lost in a deficit. if you overeat and do cardio till your brains fall out ,if you are still burning less than you take in you wont lose fat.1
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RhapsodyWinters wrote: »Okay, so I'm going back to the gym and decided that, while I'm losing weight via counting calories, I want to do some strength training and some cardio alongside it. The personal trainer at Planet Fitness seemed to know a lot more than the last person I worked with (spoke about specifics in regards to the different zones you get in cardio, and how to burn more fat when you're doing your cardio), but she also didn't have a clue on what MyFitnessPal is. Now I'm afraid that she thinks my only source of losing weight is the gym.
Current PT talked about different zones in cardio to burn more fat, or the last guy? If it's the current one then this is another red flag. The idea of "fat burning zones", etc has been debunked.
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I do about 100 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. It's mixed though, circuit training, jogging, walking, body weight training, all done without stopping so it keeps my HR between 110 to 150ish so it all counts as cardio. Nothing wrong with 30 a day, but I'd take at least one rest day a week from everything. If you're trying to lose weight I'd drop a bit of the weight training (not stop) if you have to but keep the cardio. Just my .02.0
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BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »RhapsodyWinters wrote: »Okay, so I'm going back to the gym and decided that, while I'm losing weight via counting calories, I want to do some strength training and some cardio alongside it. The personal trainer at Planet Fitness seemed to know a lot more than the last person I worked with (spoke about specifics in regards to the different zones you get in cardio, and how to burn more fat when you're doing your cardio), but she also didn't have a clue on what MyFitnessPal is. Now I'm afraid that she thinks my only source of losing weight is the gym.
Current PT talked about different zones in cardio to burn more fat, or the last guy? If it's the current one then this is another red flag. The idea of "fat burning zones", etc has been debunked.
Beat me to it!
OP if you find the idea of 30 minutes of cardio daunting build up to it. As the old expression goes "Rome wasn't built in a day", as others have pointed out your cardio could be walking or riding a bike or swimming etc .....something that you enjoy and that doesn't need to be done within the confines of a gym (I'm not a fan of treadmills but they are handy if the weather would otherwise keep you indoors, same with stationary bikes). It sounds like your PT may not be terribly knowledgeable (there are some "certifications" that are little more than a rudimentary on-line course)
You've gotten lots of great advice above....0 -
Go at your own pace. I'm the exact opposite though. When I was at 204 I STARTED with 2 hours of cardio every day. I have crazy patience, energy and stamina. That is just me though. I have gotten better at balancing my workouts. Right now sometimes I do 30 minutes and sometimes I do an hour and then weight training.
You want to push your limits a little at a time. Don't rush it.0 -
I think I am about the 10th person to say it but use your dog walking as cardio, don't waste your time in the gym doing it if there are other more enjoyable places that you would rather be. For me personally I HATE getting up in the morning but every day that I am able to force myself out of bed for a light 30 minute stroll I feel better throughout the day. My mood is better, seems like my mind is sharper and I am definitely more awake and ready to face a hectic day at the office. Walking is something that I used to consider to not be real exercise. Boy was I wrong. I love my walks now and try to get dropped off a few kms from my apartment and walk home after work too. I bet your dog will be happier too if you can get out and take him for a couple nice walks a day.1
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Sorry it took so long. Lots of stuff going on in my personal life. To everyone suggesting I walk my dog, I would love to do that but am not really allowed to as per vet's orders. My dog has a luxating patella and some early signs of arthritis. If she gets any exercise outside of short potty walks, she's limited to swimming. Currently she's on joint supplements and canine-specific pain medication for when she throws out her knee due to the luxating patella. I feel awful for her, but I try to get her swimming at a river that's about 20-30 miles from where I live every weekend. (I get a bit of swimming in too, though it's only leisure swimming.)
I did have that meeting with the trainer, and she had fixed the schedule to ease me in. It gave me a lot of mobility so that I can leave the gym on my terms. She told me to do some cardio every day and choose a 1-2 from each section and alternate which workouts I do. She said she wanted me to try and do abs every day because they would help with balance and posture? This is how the schedule looked as she gave it to me:
Workout Name
(3 sets of 10 reps for all except the abs. Abs are 3 sets of 15)
Overhead Press
Arm Curl
Lat Pull Down
Arm Extension
Rear/Fly Delt
Row
Chest Press
Back Extension
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Calf Extension
Leg Press
Hip Abductor
Hip Adductor
Abdominal
Ab Crunch
Torso Rotation
(These only after a few weeks when you're ready to implement them)
Plank - 1 Min Total
Side Plank Dips
Hanging Leg Raise
Toe Ups
Reverse Crunch
___________________________________________
Sit Down Bicycle -
Zone 1- 124 to 134 2 to 3 mins
Zone 2- 143 to 153 0 to 90 Secs
Zone 3- 162 to 172 0 to 30 secs
Alternate between these zones for 20-30 Minutes
OR
Select a workout option on machine for 20 minutes
So using this chart she gave me, I worked out a plan for myself that uses at least 20 minutes cardio every day (maybe 10-15 if my legs get too sore), and a few workouts from each category. This is how mine looks (it's a screenshot from my spreadsheet). I may remove the abductors on Tuesday and Thursdays depending on how I feel after doing a full week's workouts next week.
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still unclear why such a focus on abs....why are you doing abs everyday???1
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RhapsodyWinters wrote: »Sorry it took so long. Lots of stuff going on in my personal life. To everyone suggesting I walk my dog, I would love to do that but am not really allowed to as per vet's orders. My dog has a luxating patella and some early signs of arthritis. If she gets any exercise outside of short potty walks, she's limited to swimming. Currently she's on joint supplements and canine-specific pain medication for when she throws out her knee due to the luxating patella. I feel awful for her, but I try to get her swimming at a river that's about 20-30 miles from where I live every weekend. (I get a bit of swimming in too, though it's only leisure swimming.)
I did have that meeting with the trainer, and she had fixed the schedule to ease me in. It gave me a lot of mobility so that I can leave the gym on my terms. She told me to do some cardio every day and choose a 1-2 from each section and alternate which workouts I do. She said she wanted me to try and do abs every day because they would help with balance and posture? This is how the schedule looked as she gave it to me:
Workout Name
(3 sets of 10 reps for all except the abs. Abs are 3 sets of 15)
Overhead Press
Arm Curl
Lat Pull Down
Arm Extension
Rear/Fly Delt
Row
Chest Press
Back Extension
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Calf Extension
Leg Press
Hip Abductor
Hip Adductor
Abdominal
Ab Crunch
Torso Rotation
(These only after a few weeks when you're ready to implement them)
Plank - 1 Min Total
Side Plank Dips
Hanging Leg Raise
Toe Ups
Reverse Crunch
___________________________________________
Sit Down Bicycle -
Zone 1- 124 to 134 2 to 3 mins
Zone 2- 143 to 153 0 to 90 Secs
Zone 3- 162 to 172 0 to 30 secs
Alternate between these zones for 20-30 Minutes
OR
Select a workout option on machine for 20 minutes
So using this chart she gave me, I worked out a plan for myself that uses at least 20 minutes cardio every day (maybe 10-15 if my legs get too sore), and a few workouts from each category. This is how mine looks (it's a screenshot from my spreadsheet). I may remove the abductors on Tuesday and Thursdays depending on how I feel after doing a full week's workouts next week.
Most of those exercises should be chunked.
Keep
Overhead Press
Lat Pull Down
Row
Chest Press
Leg Press
Back Extension
Reverse Crunch And if this is on the hanging chair, It goes here.
Ab Crunch
Torso Rotation
Plank - 1 Min Total
Hanging Leg Raise
Toe Ups--I don't know what this is.
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That is awful. She should under no circumstance tell you to just pick something and do it. IMO, you'd be better off following Lyle McDonald's Basic Machine program, progressing as you can.1
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Personally I'd find a new PT, just the thought of trying to do hanging leg raises at 240lb with no training is making my eyes water. To give you a clue, I'm 160lb and am learning to do them, so far I do leg raises on the floor and am learning to actually hang from the bar, which really is the difficult bit. First few tries it felt like my shoulders were going to dislocate, I couldn't imagine how it would have felt 60lb ago (and I've been lifting heavy for me for the last year).2
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Personally I'd find a new PT, just the thought of trying to do hanging leg raises at 240lb with no training is making my eyes water. To give you a clue, I'm 160lb and am learning to do them, so far I do leg raises on the floor and am learning to actually hang from the bar, which really is the difficult bit. First few tries it felt like my shoulders were going to dislocate, I couldn't imagine how it would have felt 60lb ago (and I've been lifting heavy for me for the last year).
I agree with this.
The routine this trainer has outlined for you isn't a good one even despite the fact you are 240 lbs and 5'4. But keeping that in mind this seems like too much. Way too much and not efficient either as far as the strength training exercises she has you doing.
If you are determined to go with this OP, don't get frustrated/upset if this turns out to be too much for you.
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I suggest you don't need a training.... run the program strong curves or starting strength (3 days/week strength training) and do cardio on off days if you want. use the trainer to help with form on the lifts, but no reason to run a program as they laid out. a beginner is much better off doing a 3 day full body routine as opposed to splits.
Yes, this^
1. You already know you can lose weight with your calories in/out. That's awesome.
2. At 243 lbs you already have all the muscle you need to look fantastic at a lower body fat.
3. What you want is to keep (not gain) the muscle, and lose fat. You've got the lose fat part handled.
4. You need two things to keep muscle on a calorie deficit, sufficient protein and strength training (lifting heavy things) Strong Curves or Starting Strength are excellent suggestions for what you need. Check them out and spend the money on these instead of your personal trainer. They should only cost you about 45 mins, 3 times per week. Plus travel time.
The amount of protein you need to keep muscle (in addition to your strength training) is tough to say. I normally say 1g/lb of protein per lb of bodyweight, but that's far too much for you since it should really be based on your actual muscle mass. Shoot for 1-1.5 g/lb of actual muscle.
If you have 40% body fat (I'm just guessin'), your muscle will be 243 - (243 * 0.4) = 146 lbs or so. So you'll be eating a lot of protein if you want to keep all your muscle.
What you could do is figure out what you're ideal body is. Maybe it's 150 lbs and 25% body fat. That would mean you'll need to retain 112 lbs of muscle, so you could just eat 120 grams of protein per day and call it good.
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I suggest you don't need a training.... run the program strong curves or starting strength (3 days/week strength training) and do cardio on off days if you want. use the trainer to help with form on the lifts, but no reason to run a program as they laid out. a beginner is much better off doing a 3 day full body routine as opposed to splits.
Yes, this^
1. You already know you can lose weight with your calories in/out. That's awesome.
2. At 243 lbs you already have all the muscle you need to look fantastic at a lower body fat.
3. What you want is to keep (not gain) the muscle, and lose fat. You've got the lose fat part handled.
4. You need two things to keep muscle on a calorie deficit, sufficient protein and strength training (lifting heavy things) Strong Curves or Starting Strength are excellent suggestions for what you need. Check them out and spend the money on these instead of your personal trainer. They should only cost you about 45 mins, 3 times per week. Plus travel time.
The amount of protein you need to keep muscle (in addition to your strength training) is tough to say. I normally say 1g/lb of protein per lb of bodyweight, but that's far too much for you since it should really be based on your actual muscle mass. Shoot for 1-1.5 g/lb of actual muscle.
If you have 40% body fat (I'm just guessin'), your muscle will be 243 - (243 * 0.4) = 146 lbs or so. So you'll be eating a lot of protein if you want to keep all your muscle.
What you could do is figure out what you're ideal body is. Maybe it's 150 lbs and 25% body fat. That would mean you'll need to retain 112 lbs of muscle, so you could just eat 120 grams of protein per day and call it good.
146 pounds of lean mass at 5'4", shes SWOLEEEEEE0 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »I suggest you don't need a training.... run the program strong curves or starting strength (3 days/week strength training) and do cardio on off days if you want. use the trainer to help with form on the lifts, but no reason to run a program as they laid out. a beginner is much better off doing a 3 day full body routine as opposed to splits.
Yes, this^
1. You already know you can lose weight with your calories in/out. That's awesome.
2. At 243 lbs you already have all the muscle you need to look fantastic at a lower body fat.
3. What you want is to keep (not gain) the muscle, and lose fat. You've got the lose fat part handled.
4. You need two things to keep muscle on a calorie deficit, sufficient protein and strength training (lifting heavy things) Strong Curves or Starting Strength are excellent suggestions for what you need. Check them out and spend the money on these instead of your personal trainer. They should only cost you about 45 mins, 3 times per week. Plus travel time.
The amount of protein you need to keep muscle (in addition to your strength training) is tough to say. I normally say 1g/lb of protein per lb of bodyweight, but that's far too much for you since it should really be based on your actual muscle mass. Shoot for 1-1.5 g/lb of actual muscle.
If you have 40% body fat (I'm just guessin'), your muscle will be 243 - (243 * 0.4) = 146 lbs or so. So you'll be eating a lot of protein if you want to keep all your muscle.
What you could do is figure out what you're ideal body is. Maybe it's 150 lbs and 25% body fat. That would mean you'll need to retain 112 lbs of muscle, so you could just eat 120 grams of protein per day and call it good.
146 pounds of lean mass at 5'4", shes SWOLEEEEEE
Another option for protein is to aim for 0.8 grams of protein per lb of goal weight. so if your goal weight is 130 lbs, you should aim for 104 grams of protein0 -
I suggest you don't need a training.... run the program strong curves or starting strength (3 days/week strength training) and do cardio on off days if you want. use the trainer to help with form on the lifts, but no reason to run a program as they laid out. a beginner is much better off doing a 3 day full body routine as opposed to splits.
Yes, this^
1. You already know you can lose weight with your calories in/out. That's awesome.
2. At 243 lbs you already have all the muscle you need to look fantastic at a lower body fat.
3. What you want is to keep (not gain) the muscle, and lose fat. You've got the lose fat part handled.
4. You need two things to keep muscle on a calorie deficit, sufficient protein and strength training (lifting heavy things) Strong Curves or Starting Strength are excellent suggestions for what you need. Check them out and spend the money on these instead of your personal trainer. They should only cost you about 45 mins, 3 times per week. Plus travel time.
The amount of protein you need to keep muscle (in addition to your strength training) is tough to say. I normally say 1g/lb of protein per lb of bodyweight, but that's far too much for you since it should really be based on your actual muscle mass. Shoot for 1-1.5 g/lb of actual muscle.
If you have 40% body fat (I'm just guessin'), your muscle will be 243 - (243 * 0.4) = 146 lbs or so. So you'll be eating a lot of protein if you want to keep all your muscle.
What you could do is figure out what you're ideal body is. Maybe it's 150 lbs and 25% body fat. That would mean you'll need to retain 112 lbs of muscle, so you could just eat 120 grams of protein per day and call it good.
See this is the info I need. That's exactly what I'm wanting. Keep muscle burn fat. My body fat as per a calculator available on spotebi, using weight, waist, hip, wrist, and forearm, is 28.8% (weird because I feel like I have more body fat than muscle).
Which I'm sure it's calculating incorrectly bit I front know accurate/reputable sources
And dear lord that is a LOT of protein needed. I'm struggling really hard to get as much as possible and try to get protein in every meal. I even have protein bars but I can't eat them every day because I'm on an extremely strict budget since I had to get a new used car when mine practically blew up. I'm able to spend like $50 a month and meat is so expensive here.0 -
RhapsodyWinters wrote: »I suggest you don't need a training.... run the program strong curves or starting strength (3 days/week strength training) and do cardio on off days if you want. use the trainer to help with form on the lifts, but no reason to run a program as they laid out. a beginner is much better off doing a 3 day full body routine as opposed to splits.
Yes, this^
1. You already know you can lose weight with your calories in/out. That's awesome.
2. At 243 lbs you already have all the muscle you need to look fantastic at a lower body fat.
3. What you want is to keep (not gain) the muscle, and lose fat. You've got the lose fat part handled.
4. You need two things to keep muscle on a calorie deficit, sufficient protein and strength training (lifting heavy things) Strong Curves or Starting Strength are excellent suggestions for what you need. Check them out and spend the money on these instead of your personal trainer. They should only cost you about 45 mins, 3 times per week. Plus travel time.
The amount of protein you need to keep muscle (in addition to your strength training) is tough to say. I normally say 1g/lb of protein per lb of bodyweight, but that's far too much for you since it should really be based on your actual muscle mass. Shoot for 1-1.5 g/lb of actual muscle.
If you have 40% body fat (I'm just guessin'), your muscle will be 243 - (243 * 0.4) = 146 lbs or so. So you'll be eating a lot of protein if you want to keep all your muscle.
What you could do is figure out what you're ideal body is. Maybe it's 150 lbs and 25% body fat. That would mean you'll need to retain 112 lbs of muscle, so you could just eat 120 grams of protein per day and call it good.
See this is the info I need. That's exactly what I'm wanting. Keep muscle burn fat. My body fat as per a calculator available on spotebi, using weight, waist, hip, wrist, and forearm, is 28.8% (weird because I feel like I have more body fat than muscle).
Which I'm sure it's calculating incorrectly bit I front know accurate/reputable sources
And dear lord that is a LOT of protein needed. I'm struggling really hard to get as much as possible and try to get protein in every meal. I even have protein bars but I can't eat them every day because I'm on an extremely strict budget since I had to get a new used car when mine practically blew up. I'm able to spend like $50 a month and meat is so expensive here.
Eggs are great sources of protein and pretty cheap and versatile to use in different types of cooking. Tuna cans are pretty cheap as well.1
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