cardio v weights for fat loss

pinksultana · July 2009

so we all know by now that we need to keep building up our muscles to replace muscle lose throgh weightloss, and so they get stronger more for increased calorie burning uring resting...

well im a tad confused by what I should focus on or my fat loss plan - cardio burns the calories, an weights build the muscle - what ratio of each should we do? I do have trouble with cardio due to an ankle injury atm an so can only do limited stints on stationary bike, or light walks - am interested in upping my weight training whilst at this stage so im at least doing something beenficial until overcoming this injury but then ive hear that too much weights or doing weights every other day can be harmful due to overtraining and may not allow muscles to rebuild themselves which is the overall point of the wgith training....

thouhts people? on days when i focus n weights - what is an appropriate amount of training - like 6 types of weights - heavy sets until fail - plus core work like plank, push ups, crunches, squats???

xxPINK

hiddensecant · July 2009

One thing you can do is alternate strength training with biking/walking. That way you wont have to worry so much about overtraining since you'll always have that cardio buffer in-between. You definitely don't want heavy strength training every day. Not even bodybuilders do that!

Kudos on the strength training by the way ... women don't do enough of it around here it seems.

like 6 types of weights - heavy sets until fail - plus core work like plank, push ups, crunches, squats???

If you look up strength training, you'll end up with quite a few workout suggestions. Just take the one that looks like the most fun or reasonable depending on your situation and equipment.

BrendaLee · July 2009

Unless you're looking to bulk up, you should do your strength training with very light resistance and lots of reps. I use a 3.3 lb dumbell and work each area until I can't do another rep with good form. For my lower body, I use only my body weight.

Cardio one day, strength (and cardio) the next. Interval (bursts of cardio in between your strength) training is great too- your heart rate stays up the throughout the entire workout.

Check out this free 20 minute interval workout video: http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/fat-burn-8205

That's probably not doable with your ankle, but something to keep in mind.

havingitall · July 2009

I'm not looking to bulk up and my trainer has me using as heavy a weight as I can handle. When I get good at it, he ups the weight again. This will not make me bulk up as women are not made that way. What it is doing is giving me strong muscles and awesome tone.

hiddensecant · July 2009

Yeah, I did 90 days of lifting heavy on P90X and the only muscle I'd prefer to be smaller are the triceps ... They're just the biggest muscle in the arms so they will be the first ones you notice. But my arms definitely got smaller and I'm the only one who notices my triceps, hehe.

Iceprincessk25 · July 2009

A good rule of them is doing like 2 sets of 10 or 12 with a weight that makes the last couple reps difficult. When you can get through all of those no problem add another set and do 3.

When you can do all 3 sets no problem it's time to up the weight.

You're body needs something that's called Progressive Resistive Exercise or else it adapts REALLY quickly.

You're a woman so you're not gonna look like arnold any day soon. Don't be afraid of the muscle!

I have a ton of exercise pictures I can send you if you want that we use in the clinic. PM me with your email if you want them. :bigsmile:

mrsyac2 · July 2009

I do 45 minutes of cardio and then 45 minutes of weights when I work out-

I have a 4 day split.

Monday- Chest and Tris- cardio
Tuesday- Legs-Abs
Wednesday- Back and Bi's
Thursday- Shoulders and Abs
Saturday- Legs and ABs

I do cardio on all those days as well- I do a quick 15 minute warm up then hit the weights hard- when I am finished my weight training I go knock out my cardio and then I am done-

Weights are great because Cardio burns calories as your doing it but stops when you stop- weight training burns calories even after you finished-
Don't be afraid to lift heavy either- so its okay to move away from the 5 and 10lb weights

As for your ankle you can ride a bike to get your cardio in or a rowing machine.

mrsyac2 · July 2009

Unless you're looking to bulk up, you should do your strength training with very light resistance and lots of reps. I use a 3.3 lb dumbell and work each area until I can't do another rep with good form. For my lower body, I use only my body weight.

This is a myth and why a lot of women are afraid of weights-

I leg press 240lbs and I am not getting bulky-

I hit the weights hard and I don't look bulky actually the complete opposite I look smaller than what I really am because of muscle. I also have an acceptable body fat % but I want it lower.-

I lift weights very seriously and have gained much respect from the men in my weight room because I am not afraid to hit the weights hard. 3.3lbs isn't enough of a challenge for your body-

cdwinters · July 2009

My trainer has me set up to where I do a 10 min warm up and then do weights everyday (alternating between upper and lower) and then do my cardio (45 mins). She says that by putting the weights in there it actually increases the amount of fat that is burned by my 45 mins of cardio. She also says that women do not bulk up unless they are taking supplments so not to worry about the amount of weight you are lifting. You want to lift enough that you can finish 3 sets of 12 with some effort...once it gets to easy you need to up the weights. I originally stated with just doing my cardio each day and did not see a lot of results. I have seen all of my weight loss since I started doing the weights and the cardio together.

Poison5119 · July 2009

Unless you're looking to bulk up, you should do your strength training with very light resistance and lots of reps. I use a 3.3 lb dumbell and work each area until I can't do another rep with good form. For my lower body, I use only my body weight.

This is a myth and why a lot of women are afraid of weights-

I leg press 240lbs and I am not getting bulky-

I hit the weights hard and I don't look bulky actually the complete opposite I look smaller than what I really am because of muscle. I also have an acceptable body fat % but I want it lower.-

I lift weights very seriously and have gained much respect from the men in my weight room because I am not afraid to hit the weights hard. 3.3lbs isn't enough of a challenge for your body-

For some people beginning a fitness routine from the ground up, 3.3lbs of weight is a perfectly acceptable place to begin.. To encourage others to overdo it could halt the entire process due to an injury. Please exercise caution when giving that kind of advice.

BrendaLee · July 2009

Unless you're looking to bulk up, you should do your strength training with very light resistance and lots of reps. I use a 3.3 lb dumbell and work each area until I can't do another rep with good form. For my lower body, I use only my body weight.

This is a myth and why a lot of women are afraid of weights-

I leg press 240lbs and I am not getting bulky-

I hit the weights hard and I don't look bulky actually the complete opposite I look smaller than what I really am because of muscle. I also have an acceptable body fat % but I want it lower.-

I lift weights very seriously and have gained much respect from the men in my weight room because I am not afraid to hit the weights hard. 3.3lbs isn't enough of a challenge for your body-

For some people beginning a fitness routine from the ground up, 3.3lbs of weight is a perfectly acceptable place to begin.. To encourage others to overdo it could halt the entire process due to an injury. Please exercise caution when giving that kind of advice.

Thank you!

stormieweather · July 2009

I exercise 3x a week at the gym and keep a log of the exercises I do; the intensity and weight. I do a 5 min warm-up, then my strength training. I alternate upper and lower body and I include a couple of abs moves in both routines. I do 2 sets of 10 reps and as soon as I can do them all without straining, I up the weight. Immediately after, I do 30 mins of cardio, alternating treadmill, elliptical, and cycle, at as difficult a pace as I can manage. This part of the workout takes me about an hour. However, I often spend 15 mins in the steam room followed by a quick dip in the whirlpool, then a handful of laps in the pool.

In between trips to the gym, I try to do either power walking in the evening or dancing or something. Just to have some exercise on my non-gym days.

In the month or so that I've been following this routine, I've noticed a huge increase in my stamina and energy. Just having the energy to move instead of sit and rest or veg on the couch is worth it to me!

gemiwing · July 2009

Define- 'bulking up'. If you mean you don't want to look like you're in a weight lifter competition then I wouldn't worry about it. That requires much more training/diet than what most people would do when simply lifting weights.

I lift weights- upped weight w varied intervals- and I'm not bulky. I'd have to be a power lifter and eat tons tons tons more protien lol I'd buy stock in egg whites.

One thing you can do is find someone at your gym (or friend whatever) who has a physique that you aspire to and ask them about their training. Not to copy them, per se, but do gather data on their workouts so you can see what type of results happen from their workouts.

mrsyac2 · July 2009

Unless you're looking to bulk up, you should do your strength training with very light resistance and lots of reps. I use a 3.3 lb dumbell and work each area until I can't do another rep with good form. For my lower body, I use only my body weight.

This is a myth and why a lot of women are afraid of weights-

I leg press 240lbs and I am not getting bulky-

I hit the weights hard and I don't look bulky actually the complete opposite I look smaller than what I really am because of muscle. I also have an acceptable body fat % but I want it lower.-

I lift weights very seriously and have gained much respect from the men in my weight room because I am not afraid to hit the weights hard. 3.3lbs isn't enough of a challenge for your body-

For some people beginning a fitness routine from the ground up, 3.3lbs of weight is a perfectly acceptable place to begin.. To encourage others to overdo it could halt the entire process due to an injury. Please exercise caution when giving that kind of advice.

I didn't say go bench press 200lbs- what I did say is 3.3lbs isn't enough of a challenge for your body- A gallon of milk weighs 8lbs

What I was saying was don't be afraid to lift weights- Also I was clarifying the myth that was being stated that lifting makes you bulky.

So if anyone should use caution when giving advice it would be to make sure your giving correct advice.

mrsyac2 · July 2009

For the record-

The woman that look so big and huge like men most likely have used enhancements- such as steroids. Because woman don't produce no where near as much testosterone as men for getting big huge muscles.

For the ones that don't use enhancements (and yes there are some that are natural builders) they have spent years and hours upon hours in the gym-

sandy429 · July 2009

For the record-

The woman that look so big and huge like men most likely have used enhancements- such as steroids. Because woman don't produce no where near as much testosterone as men for getting big huge muscles.

For the ones that don't use enhancements (and yes there are some that are natural builders) they have spent years and hours upon hours in the gym-

AMEN!!

Iceprincessk25 · July 2009

3.3 lbs is a good starting point but it's NO WHERE near where you should stay. That's a weight that I would use when someone is injured. Maybe okay for lateral raises, bicep curls, etc. but definitely NOT enough weight if you're holding it while squatting/lunging.

If you are starting out I'd maybe use that for like a week.....and that's if you have no muscle strength at all.

5 lbs would be better but you're going to adapt to that quickly if you keep up with it.

I have 5#, 8#, 10#, and 20# dumb bells at home so I get the wide range and am able to change it up. I very RARELY use the 5#.

hiddensecant · July 2009

3.3 lbs is a good starting point but it's NO WHERE near where you should stay. That's a weight that I would use when someone is injured. Maybe okay for lateral raises, bicep curls, etc. but definitely NOT enough weight if you're holding it while squatting/lunging.

It really depends. I mean, you're talking about someone who has over 100 lbs to lose. So lunges and squats without weights are going to be more than enough.

Though I do agree that 3 lbs is only good as a starting point. Once you can reach 15 reps easily, it's time to find something heavier.

ck2d · July 2009

I do weights as a warm up for cardio. I do some quick stretches and then go to the weights. I only do a few reps and sets - 15 minutes or so in total - and then I do cardio work.

keiko · July 2009

3.3 lbs is a good starting point but it's NO WHERE near where you should stay. That's a weight that I would use when someone is injured. Maybe okay for lateral raises, bicep curls, etc. but definitely NOT enough weight if you're holding it while squatting/lunging.

If you are starting out I'd maybe use that for like a week.....and that's if you have no muscle strength at all.

5 lbs would be better but you're going to adapt to that quickly if you keep up with it.

I have 5#, 8#, 10#, and 20# dumb bells at home so I get the wide range and am able to change it up. I very RARELY use the 5#.

I almost PM to ask this but thought others might want to know the answer too. I see some people who lift fast and others who lift slow. Which is the best way?

cardio v weights for fat loss

Replies

Categories