We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Routine Advice- From five years of cardio to strength training 😬

cazzybear1740
cazzybear1740 Posts: 20 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I've always done body weight and free weight training at home but alongside running long distance and tempo, etc. Now I want to focus on strength training over cardio to build more muscle. I've always been happy with my weight (apart from at Christmas time 😁) so don't want to lose any weight.

Now I do 3 days full body strength training a week but would like to do 4 days. I am struggling to fit that in with a rest day and still do some cardio. (2x4mile runs/1xhiit bike sessions a week). I would like to replace a cardio day with another strength training day but as I do full body workouts I know you need to let your muscles repair. Should I cut one cardio day and have two rest days a week or do two days in a row of full body workouts?

Thanks for reading...apologies for my first rambling post 😁

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    if you want to do 4 x strength training, why not find a programme with a 4 day split?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Rest and recovery are not the same thing, your muscles need recovery if your workouts are sufficiently challenging but they don't necessarily need rest.

    You could maybe consider switching to alternate days (so 7 a fortnight rather than 6 a fortnight) or a programme written as a 4 day split. That may be a better bet to dovetail with your hardest cardio training so that it's not following heavy leg work in the gym.

    What you "should" do depends on your priorities and the compromises you are prepared to make. Thinking about which of your cardio days gives you the biggest return for the time invested versus the least reward would suggest which ones to drop.



  • cazzybear1740
    cazzybear1740 Posts: 20 Member
    Thank you for your replies. That's really helpful. I think a split would be better. I never thought of rest and recovery as different things. Which makes me feel better about running the day after a strength day.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories