Weights VS Cardio

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Dolcie89
Dolcie89 Posts: 33 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

Can anyone help me...I read something different every where lol!

I go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and do about an hour cardio and then a set of weights...!

I am trying to loose a stone and a half and also tone up my jelly belly and thunder thighs, can anyone tell me if what im doing is the most affective way or is there a better way to get quicker results?

:D

Replies

  • Liz55
    Liz55 Posts: 20 Member
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    I have heard and read that after 2 weeks your body becomes immune to the same work out; therefore you should change things up regarding your workout at least every 2 weeks. Good Luck :)
  • channa007
    channa007 Posts: 419 Member
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    From what I've heard from my trainer you're doing it correctly. On the other hand, wife recently started a kickboxing class instead loves it. Her hour workout is a burn of about 1000 calories and she gets rid of all the daily aggression. Each to their own.
  • Tereztaylor07
    Tereztaylor07 Posts: 200
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    I have started doing intervals in my cardio (2 minutes going really fast, 1 minute medium pace) and doing half the time. That way it's a more intense burn and I only do about 30 minutes. It's been working so far.
  • Loko_Ino
    Loko_Ino Posts: 544 Member
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    combonation of weight lifting and cardio is right.
    now it just takes time and patience.
  • corpus_validum
    corpus_validum Posts: 292 Member
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    Sounds good. Keep it up for a few weeks, and if you sense little to no progress, then switch it up (e.g. weights before cardio, HIIT). Thing is...keep the body guessing and undergoing new or increasing stress in order to grow muscles and lean out: body recomposition.
  • RoanneRed
    RoanneRed Posts: 429 Member
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    'A set of weights'? Think you'll need to give us a bit more detail about your resistance training to get useful feedback.

    I have read that you shouldn't do a lot of cardio before weights as it reduces the energy available to lift weights effectively - however, this was in a body building magazine so relates to heavy weights so it may not matter too much. The other aspect of this theory is that you use your body's glycogen stores doing weights and are then more likely to burn fat stores when you move on to cardio.
  • Dolcie89
    Dolcie89 Posts: 33 Member
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    Well i joined gym end of June and have lost absolutely nothing lol so i guess im doing something wrong...my aunty and i are using the same personal trainer and she did say to my aunty about interval training but i have to wait until she is off holiday to have my session...!

    I do do a body core class every sunday and it is soooo hard but i enjoy it as its different and you have more motivation to carry on...maybe i need to look at more classes to do and also switching up my workout!

    Just feel nothing is working but im sure it will start slowly...i hope it does!!

    Thanks guys!!
  • dm4fit
    dm4fit Posts: 3
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    Try 50% interval training for your cardio, 50% normal jogging. Real interval training is just a fantastic fat burner if properly done. Find some programs and push yourself. Might be difficult right after strength training. Try on your "rest days", you will get even more from interval training.
  • sandislim
    sandislim Posts: 264
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    I do mostly HIIT spaced out throughout the day with weights on alternate days, but I find my stamina is not as good, so I'm going to increase cardio by walking when I can fit it in. I think its good to train all areas of fitness - HIIT, strength, cardio, jumping - but some sports incorporate all of these things too.
  • Dolcie89
    Dolcie89 Posts: 33 Member
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    When i said a set of weights i do a combination of ab presses, hip abduction and hip abbundance, shoulder presses, bicep curls and i think thats all at the minute...need to talk to personal trainer as to which weights are best for results i want i guess!
  • White_Shadow
    White_Shadow Posts: 1 Member
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    An hour of Cardio followed by weights might be a little counter productive. Not sure how intense your cardio is but I would recommend light cardio warm up on weight training days (15 to 20 minutes). Extende cardio sessions burn muscle so one hour cardio followed by weights is kind of like sun tanning in the shade. Just my 2 cents!
  • Dolcie89
    Dolcie89 Posts: 33 Member
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    sorry i might seem really stupid but what is HIIT??
  • geqari
    geqari Posts: 2
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    You are on the right track :-) Make sure you keep switching up your weight lifting routine and cardio so that your body doesnt get used to the same thing all the time. Weights are great for increasing your metabolism. The more muscle mass, the better your metabolism. The only thing that rids the body of stomach fat is cardio. You can do a million crunches, which tighten and tone the ab muscles, but they will never be seen because the fat lies on top of the muscle. So, the more cardio, the better for the abs in the end. I strive for 45-60 min of cardio and 20 min of weight training. If I only have an hour for gym time I will go for 40 min of cardio & 20 min weights. I carry most of my weight in my stomach area and this has worked well for me to drop 50+ pounds. I do a different cardio everytime I go to the gym, so eliptical one day, cross trainer the next, a zumba class, always mixing it up. Make sure with the weight training that you allow your muscles to recover well. If you do arms monday, wait until wednesday or thursday to do them again to maximize the benifits.
  • SLLaurence21
    SLLaurence21 Posts: 7
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    Whether you do cardio or weights first should depend on your focus for that workout - whatever you do first will get the most energy and effort. If you do your weights first, you may be able to lift more and keep better form, but your cardio effort may be compromised afterwards.

    The main thing for continued weight loss and toning though is to mix it up as much as possible. If you do the same cardio every time, followed by the same weight exercises, your body will quickly adapt and you will plateau and stop seeing results. I prefer to do cardio first, but make myself do weights first every now and then to keep things different.

    I read Women's Fitness which has a whole load of different toning exercises to try every month, so it never gets boring with the same old exercise. I also really enjoy making up my own cricuit training sessions. Mix it up between upper body exercises, low body exercises, abs and a few cardio moves, and keep any breaks between exercises/sets minimal - great for an all-in-one toning and cardio workout

    And Tereztaylor's interval training tip is a great one too....interval training is supposed to be the most efficient way of exercising, but I find it really hard to motivate myself for this so don't do it as much as I should.
  • kasmir8199
    kasmir8199 Posts: 507 Member
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    I got amazing results with doing a 5-10 cardio warm up, followed by 30 mins weight training, followed by an additional 45-60 mins cardio. Just make sure you get your calorie intake in each day (and eat back the cals you burned form exercise). don't be afraid of heavier weights either. They won't turn you all masculine, but will get you more lean muscle mass to burn any stored fat a lot faster. Proper form is key! And eat something within an hour post-exercise. :)
  • Starleng1
    Starleng1 Posts: 142
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    Mixture of both is the best for the long run. But you do need to change it up.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    Here's the deal. How much you eat will determine whether you lose weight or not. Nutrition is 70-90% of the battle. People wrongly believe "oh, I'll go run a mile and get fit". wrong.

    Now....exercise will assist you in your weight loss battle and, more importantly, toning up once you have burned enough fat to see your muscles. muscle does help boost your resting metabolism so doing weight training (and I don't mean sets of 20 with little weights, but intense weight training that builds muscle fiber) will help you burn some more calories while resting. but it takes time to build enough muscle fiber for this to matter as far as fat loss.

    another benefit from exercise is that you get to eat more calories because you should be eating back your exercise calories. sooo...if you are having trouble staying under the MFP number, do some exercise to boost that number a bit.

    there are, of course, other non-scale benefits of exercise including cardio health, improving your blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. I'm not telling you to skip exercise, but exercise is not as important in fat loss as some folks would have you believe.

    but, really, your nutrition plan...both # of calories and types of food....are going to determine how much you lose WAY more than what exercise you do. with that in mind, instead of stressing over the type of exercise you are doing and whether its the best exercise to do....find an exercise program that you enjoy because you're more likely to stick with it.

    for me, I lost my first 23 pounds without ANY exercise. I was just eating better and cutting certain things out. I added exercise because I wanted to begin toning up and, once I lost that first 23, I felt like I had the energy to exercise.
  • dragonflydi
    dragonflydi Posts: 665 Member
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    sorry i might seem really stupid but what is HIIT??

    High Intensity Interval Training :)

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