Low intensity cardio + weight training - Am I doing it right
nattiepeach
Posts: 40 Member
Hello! I have been chatting to a few 'fitness experts' trying to find out what is the ideal workout for me to lose weight. Generally, I've been told that weight training and low intensity cardio is the key.
I count calories, using myfitnesspal.com of course, and aim to net 1200 a day. For strength training, I do pilates and yoga, once a week each, as well as weight machines at each work out. I alternate arms+legs and core/abs.
In terms of cardio, I used to burn 300 calories a session doing running or elliptical, and would always do it as fast as possible, as I get a bit bored doing one exercise for long periods. My trainer and a friend who studies sports science have both advised me that to burn fat, it is better to do a slower exercise like incline walking or slower elliptical at a higher difficulty, for a longer period. I am now doing 40mins elliptical (level 5-8) and 40 minutes incline walking (incline 6-8 speed 5-5.5km/hour) which burns about 650 calories. This is much more than I used to burn, but I feel like I am not working as hard. I only break a light sweat and am not out of breath at all. My heart rate is between 130 and 160 while exercising (I am female, age 23, weight 75kg). Am I doing the right thing or should I be working harder? I am still creating a 1000 calorie deficit a day, but will I still lose weight if I am not sweating and panting?
I count calories, using myfitnesspal.com of course, and aim to net 1200 a day. For strength training, I do pilates and yoga, once a week each, as well as weight machines at each work out. I alternate arms+legs and core/abs.
In terms of cardio, I used to burn 300 calories a session doing running or elliptical, and would always do it as fast as possible, as I get a bit bored doing one exercise for long periods. My trainer and a friend who studies sports science have both advised me that to burn fat, it is better to do a slower exercise like incline walking or slower elliptical at a higher difficulty, for a longer period. I am now doing 40mins elliptical (level 5-8) and 40 minutes incline walking (incline 6-8 speed 5-5.5km/hour) which burns about 650 calories. This is much more than I used to burn, but I feel like I am not working as hard. I only break a light sweat and am not out of breath at all. My heart rate is between 130 and 160 while exercising (I am female, age 23, weight 75kg). Am I doing the right thing or should I be working harder? I am still creating a 1000 calorie deficit a day, but will I still lose weight if I am not sweating and panting?
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Replies
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yep you will.0
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Great post, I've got a few years on you (40!) but I've been thinking the same thing. If I do a decent hill walk, my lungs are really aching so I kind of feel like I'm not getting fitter from my gym work, but sticking at the lower intensity as I've been told to do for fat burning. Be interested to read the answers to this :-)0
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If you have a heart rate monitor, you can make your workouts more efficient by mixing it up. Get your HR up to your fat burning zone, then a few bursts in the cardio zone. Both burn fat and overall it's the only way to really train IMO. Otherwise, your efforts and calories burned become subjective. A decent entry level Polar or MIO is worth it for the $$.
You're on the right track!! Keep up the good work. Just make sure the 1200 cals a day isn't too low and you eat at least SOME of your exercise cals so your body doesn't go in starvation mode.0 -
I mix up weight training with higher intensity intervals as I've read quite a bit about steady state cardio not being much use for weight loss. Can't remember the links to all the articles I've read but you might find this one interesting.
http://graemethomasonline.com/ladies-cardio-sucks-for-weight-loss/0 -
Yeah, from what I've read on about.com in a lot of articles about fat loss for body building (although that's not what I'm into at all, the principle of fat loss is the same I think), they say that the general concept to keep in mind is calories in and calories out. Obviously it is a little more complicated, like the fat burning zone etc, but from what I understand, if you're creating a deficit, you will lose weight. Yay!0
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You're on the right track!! Keep up the good work. Just make sure the 1200 cals a day isn't too low and you eat at least SOME of your exercise cals so your body doesn't go in starvation mode.
She says she's eating 1200 net, so I assume she's eating some of her exercise calories.0 -
Yes and no on the fat burning. It's rather a big myth that is pervasive and hanging on it would seem.
A great link on heart rate myths here: http://www.heartzones.com/blog/?p=125
Basically, you have to train for YOUR body. A good trainer should look at your numbers with many workouts and create a plan that works best for YOU. And as you get in to better shape and slim down, training more, your training should also change along with HR targets for YOU.
Awesome article written by Mark Allen, who basically wrote a lot of books on training and HRM's: http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460
"3. To lose weight, exercise in the fat-burning zone.
“The fat burning zone is one of the worst concepts ever created in the fitness business,” says Carl Foster, Ph.D. and past President of the American College of Sports Medicine. Used by cardio-equipment manufacturers as a button that you can press on a treadmill or elliptical, it uses the worthless formula 220-age to set a low zone from about 65%-75% of your estimated maximum heart rate (useless). Low intensity exercise burns low amounts of calories. Hence, the fat burning zone can actually make you fatter unless you train at low intensity for long periods of time."
I hope that helps!!! BEST OF LUCK! Sounds like you are on a great route to fitness. Keep it up!!0 -
Yeah, from what I've read on about.com in a lot of articles about fat loss for body building (although that's not what I'm into at all, the principle of fat loss is the same I think), they say that the general concept to keep in mind is calories in and calories out. Obviously it is a little more complicated, like the fat burning zone etc, but from what I understand, if you're creating a deficit, you will lose weight. Yay!
Awesome! I love that you're researching this stuff. Fantastic!
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You're on the right track!! Keep up the good work. Just make sure the 1200 cals a day isn't too low and you eat at least SOME of your exercise cals so your body doesn't go in starvation mode.
She says she's eating 1200 net, so I assume she's eating some of her exercise calories.
I missed that. Thanks. 0 -
I mix up weight training with higher intensity intervals as I've read quite a bit about steady state cardio not being much use for weight loss. Can't remember the links to all the articles I've read but you might find this one interesting.
http://graemethomasonline.com/ladies-cardio-sucks-for-weight-loss/
Aha this was another one about sprint training vs steady state http://graemethomasonline.com/important-training-lesson-go-hard-then-go-home/
Now I'm not trying to say these articles constitute proper scientific studies but they give a starting point if you are interested.0 -
Thanks for all the encouragement everyone. I guess that its a good idea to mix things up, interval training, slow cardio, resistance etc... And a good, low calorie diet of course. Yes, I am eating most of my exercise calories by the way I am a food lover, so all these calories burnt in the gym is a nice bonus for me. I try to keep it low fat and healthy most of the time, but I must say I love it when I can afford a choccie here and there! xxx 0
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Sounds like you're doing well, I think it is good to mix it up too, keep your body guessing. The odd treat is important too, this has got be a change you can keep up in the long term.
Good luck :happy:0 -
The program you have been given is not a bad place to start, even if the reason given (i.e. staying in the "fat burning zone") is wrong.
First, one aside: a calorie burned is a calorie burned, regardless of whether or not there is a fitness training effect. Even though you don't feel like you are working hard, you are still burning some significant calories. Long-term, it's best to work on improving fitness as well, but one (burning calories/losing weight) doesn't require the other (increased fitness). Ideally your program should work at both.
Endurance cardio combined with resistance training is a good place for beginners to start. First of all, it allows you to burn a good chunk of calories. Secondly, it's easier on your body, allowing your body to adapt to the new physical stress of your exercise routine. Thirdly, I think it can build self-confidence (hey, I CAN do this whole "workout thing").
As you progress, you will get increased benefits from including some higher-intensity interval training into your routine. "Higher-intensity" is a relative term. At first it might mean just adding 4-5 sixty-second intervals into your routine where you work 10% harder than usual. Then you can build up from there.
Strength is the same thing--there are benefits to higher-volume, lower-intensity resistance training at first, gradually including some higher-weight workouts into your routine.0 -
The weight training is vital. Especially lifting heavy.
I, however, would disagree completely on the long duration low intensity cardio. You would be much better served by Interval Training of High Intensity Interval Training. For that matter the whole idea of the "fat burning zone" being a better place to workout is faulty. No matter what level you workout at you will burn calories from various different sources. In that lower intensity range (fat burning zone) of the total calories burned you will burn a larger percentage of calories from fat, but, and this is important, you burn very few calories. At a higher intensity you will burn a lower percentage of the total calories burned from fat, but you burn a lot more calories so that even at the lower percentage you still burn more fat. I don't know about you but I don't have an hour every day to slow boring cardio, not to mention the increased danger of repetitive stress injuries because you are spending so much time doing this. You can burn a similar amount of calories in 20-30 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training, and you will burn more fat though it. You may want to google a good article on this called "The Dark Side of Cardio". For that matter just compare pictures of marathoners to sprinters like the one below. Which body would you rather have?
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Lower intensity cardio does something different for you than higher intensity workouts, but I've seen the best fat loss results doing both kinds of workouts.
Lower intensity (feels "fairly easy" and you just break out into sweat) cardio increases the size and number of your body's mitochondria, the fat-burning engines in your cells. As a result, your body learns to burn fat instead of sugar. Your improved metabolism now works better for your hard workouts, too. You can get totally healthy on lower intensity workouts, but it's harder to build muscles and create calories deficits without taking up a lot of time.
Intense workouts (both strength and cardio) burn high total calories, are time-efficient, and are effective at all sorts of good hormones and age-reversing processes going in your body... BUT they put you at greater risk of injury and overtraining, so you have to be careful, and it's good to get a trainer or instructor for your higher-intensity workouts. Since there are so many benefits to high-intensity workouts, it's easy to skip the lower-intensity ones, but athletes who skip the lower-intensity workouts often experience poor performance and injury.
So... I like mixing up intensities in training something like this:
1-2 days very intense strength training / per week
1-2 days moderate strength training + fairly easy cardio / per week
1 day intense cardio (intervals or steady high pace)
1 day long, fairly easy cardio (like a long run or a hike)
get enough rest & sleep
don't eat too much :-)
Hope that helps!0 -
For that matter just compare pictures of marathoners to sprinters like the one below. Which body would you rather have?
Just wanted to note that there is a HUGE genetic difference between the two runners in this pic. It's best an illustration of the different type of muscle fibres which are present in each individual.
Their physique isn't a direct correletion to them training as for sprinting or endurance, but more accurately, their muscle type disposition that they were genetically predisposed with allow them to be elite at that specific activity.
The guy on the left can lift weights til the cows come home, but you'll never see him looking like a Mr Olympia. IN the same way, the guy on the right can run 18 hours a day, and he'll always have round shoulders and arms because that's how his muscle attachment are already laid out.0 -
This is an extremely interesting thread and I have had many of my own questions addressed. Thanks for asking and thanks for all the great info!0
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Lower intensity cardio does something different for you than higher intensity workouts, but I've seen the best fat loss results doing both kinds of workouts.
Lower intensity (feels "fairly easy" and you just break out into sweat) cardio increases the size and number of your body's mitochondria, the fat-burning engines in your cells. As a result, your body learns to burn fat instead of sugar. Your improved metabolism now works better for your hard workouts, too. You can get totally healthy on lower intensity workouts, but it's harder to build muscles and create calories deficits without taking up a lot of time.
Intense workouts (both strength and cardio) burn high total calories, are time-efficient, and are effective at all sorts of good hormones and age-reversing processes going in your body... BUT they put you at greater risk of injury and overtraining, so you have to be careful, and it's good to get a trainer or instructor for your higher-intensity workouts. Since there are so many benefits to high-intensity workouts, it's easy to skip the lower-intensity ones, but athletes who skip the lower-intensity workouts often experience poor performance and injury.
So... I like mixing up intensities in training something like this:
1-2 days very intense strength training / per week
1-2 days moderate strength training + fairly easy cardio / per week
1 day intense cardio (intervals or steady high pace)
1 day long, fairly easy cardio (like a long run or a hike)
get enough rest & sleep
don't eat too much :-)
Hope that helps!
+1 for the general principles. Endurance training enhances your interval training and vice versa. It's not an "either/or" issue, regardless of how many extremists try to make it one.0 -
For that matter just compare pictures of marathoners to sprinters like the one below. Which body would you rather have?
Just wanted to note that there is a HUGE genetic difference between the two runners in this pic. It's best an illustration of the different type of muscle fibres which are present in each individual.
Their physique isn't a direct correletion to them training as for sprinting or endurance, but more accurately, their muscle type disposition that they were genetically predisposed with allow them to be elite at that specific activity.
The guy on the left can lift weights til the cows come home, but you'll never see him looking like a Mr Olympia. IN the same way, the guy on the right can run 18 hours a day, and he'll always have round shoulders and arms because that's how his muscle attachment are already laid out.
Not to mention that you are looking at EXTREME examples of each type. The individuals in these pictures are not training for either fat loss or health. They are training to achieve an ELITE level of athletic performance--unattainable by 98% - 99% of the population.
Kenyan marathoners don't lift weights -- for no other reason than extra weight, even in the form of muscle, is a detriment to their performance. They run three times a day--run, nap, run, nap, run. No one would advocate that lifestyle for either health or weight loss--yet that extreme is constantly used by the HIIT cultists as an example of "the dark side of cardio".
That picture comparison is intellectually dishonest. People can achieve results through a variety of means. If someone doesn't like to do endurance cardio, there are plenty of pathways to follow. It will have pluses and minuses, just like any other program. Different people have different abilities and needs at different stages in their program. It wouldn't make sense to tell a young, fit person who has 10lbs to go to reach their goal weight to do "fat burning" workouts 5 days a week. It is equally shortsighted to tell obese beginners who are just starting out that "high intensity interval training is the only way to burn fat", something I have seen repeated on this and numerous other fitness forums.0 -
I thank those of you that are advocating balance. I think we all need more balance in our lives.0
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While the pictures are extreme example, the reality is doing lots of endurance long duration low intensity cardio not only takes a lot of time, but it tends toward endurance type bodies that are more typified by the marathoner than the sprinter. BTW, even with the different body make-up, if a marathoner changed how they trained they would change how they looked, Maybe this gentleman would never look like the sprinter, but at the same time, how his body looks is as much a result of how he trains as it is how his body is designed. Just so you know I do long duration cardio with cycling, but it is a small part of my exercise and it is certainly not done at a low intensity. If I am going to ride for an hour, I want to cover some territory and get in some good speed. I am simply not convinced that long duration low intensity training is of greater benefit than more intense less duration exercise.0
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While the pictures are extreme example, the reality is doing lots of endurance long duration low intensity cardio not only takes a lot of time, but it tends toward endurance type bodies that are more typified by the marathoner than the sprinter. BTW, even with the different body make-up, if a marathoner changed how they trained they would change how they looked, Maybe this gentleman would never look like the sprinter, but at the same time, how his body looks is as much a result of how he trains as it is how his body is designed. Just so you know I do long duration cardio with cycling, but it is a small part of my exercise and it is certainly not done at a low intensity. If I am going to ride for an hour, I want to cover some territory and get in some good speed. I am simply not convinced that long duration low intensity training is of greater benefit than more intense less duration exercise.
First of all, it's not an either/or question--you are not restricted to one type of training over another, and it's not like if you choose one type you are dissing the over. This is such a tedious argument.
To say "how his body looks is as much a result of how he trains", may be technically true, but it is still an absurd statement to use as being emblematic of endurance training. The guy runs something like 150 miles a week. Are you implying that that is the same as doing 3 or 4 endurance cardio sessions of the type that most average exercisers are likely to perform?
It's not a question of "greater" benefit. There are different types of training for different situations and for different people. It is another tool in the toolbox. If the only tool ever used is a hammer, then all problems are treated like nails.0 -
Thanks again for all the info, very interesting. I think what is most attainable for the average person like myself is a good balance to keep it interesting and manageable.
I think what I would like to do is alternate high intensity interval sessions, and slow cardio sessions (although they take time, I don't mind doing them as they feel easier and I usually watch a tv show which passes the time). This, combined with weight machines/resistance training and pilates or yoga once a week, seems like something I could stick to and not get bored with.
Also, I'm doing pretty well sticking to my diet. To 'keep my body guessing', along with the mix of exercise, I eat 1200-1400 calories on days I don't work out, and 1200 + exercise calories on the days I do. I reckon that's enough trickery to fool my body while creating a decent deficit of about 800 - 1000 calories a day.
Also, keeping goals in mind and visualizing is a great help. I have a holiday in Thailand in November planned, by which time I would like to lose 15kg (realistically about 10kg). It's really encouraging to picture myself in a bikini on a beautiful Thai beach. Have any of you read the Gabriel Method? Although I don't rely fully on his principles to lose weight, I think a lot of what he says about visualizing can make a huge difference and help keep one on track 0
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