strenght training along the way vs waiting til goal wt

Start weight training now.

You cannot 'solidify your fat'.

I am doing both. Muscle build up means faster burning of calories.

Strength train now! It will really really really help when you get closer to goal! Trust me! Cardio to enhance overall cardiovascular health.

Do both, but forget the light weight higher reps and the specific muscle exercises. Lift heavier weights, ones that challenge you to do 8-10 repetitions, and do compound exercises, that is, exercises that use multiple muscle groups like squats, deadlifts, rows, overhead presses and the like. This would require using free weights, but they will do more for you than all the biceps curls and leg extensions you could do would. They work all the supporting muscles as well and the prime movers. For example, a weighted squat will work you legs primarily, but it will also work you core and a bunch of other stabilizer muscles as well. Those are what will give you are tight, toned body.

Do it NOW! I think of it this way. Say you spend 5 hours working out a week. It takes you 6 months and you reach goal weight. THEN, you now want to "tone" so now you have to spend an additional amount of time, say another 4-6 months doing strength workouts to build muscles. Why not just split the workouts-some to do fast burns of CALORIES and build stamina, heart health and then others to build the muscle beneath the fat. Wouldn't it be better to be burning the fat and be able to SEE muscles underneath them than have to build them all up later? Also, building muscle makes you stronger which will increase your performance in cardio stuff as well.
Also, "weight" is nothing but a number, so if you reach your goal "weight", you may still not be happy with how your body is SHAPED. The only way to RESHAPE your body is with building muscle. Here is my fav article on the topic: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

So I'm just wanting some opinions, perspectives, experiences, etc. I have at least 60lbs to lose, id like 80-90lbs. I'm doing cardio 5 times a week and thought I should incorporate some strenght training (light weight higher Rep on machines that target specific. Area s of the entire body.) I'm afraid of having a lot of loose skin (ive had 2 babies but I'm still fairly young, 23) and thought strenght training along with cardio will help with skin or flabbiness. However some friends have said I should wait until I'm close to my goal weight and then tone as to not "solidify my fat". If this is true when should I start strength training? Help!!

I had the same theory before... as to focus on weight loss, then work on toning because it was all seeming too overwhelming, but this time around, i am doing both... ALL OR NOTHING LADY :happy: My reasoning this time around is, that I do not want to get like I did before, got to my GW, and then realized I had alot more work to do still... with toning 'n all... and then slowly started to gain some back! I think this time around having a better physique will also help me not gain back, because I will have more muscle to help keep the burn going... PLUS... because I measured all over, I am not as consumed (still a work in progress) with the scale...PLUS... less chance of sagging skin & thinking I might better focus on tone & long lasting health rather than just a number that fluxuates too much! I Jillian Michaels 30 Day shred... I really like it because 1- it's only 28 minutes/day & 2- that still allows me to do my walking/occasional jogging.... I think cardio & strength are the way to go!! Good Luck!!!

start last week

an hour of roller blading earns 600 calories, 10 mins, 100 calories... or more! depends on ur weight :-)

I looked better at 142 with muscle than 139 without muscle. It's never too early to start.

Bump

I've been curious about this too! Thanks for posting it!

"solidify my fat".

Think of it this way: train and tone your muscles NOW, and then when you get rid of the fat, you'll have a nice, toned body, instead of being "skinny fat." Tons of people do cardio-only routines, and when they reach their goal weight, they are the same exact shape/bodyfat % as when they started... Major bummer. . Anyway, you need weights and cardio together to lose weight and reshape your body. Start NOW!! You won't regret it!

Think of it this way: train and tone your muscles NOW, and then when you get rid of the fat, you'll have a nice, toned body, instead of being "skinny fat." Tons of people do cardio-only routines, and when they reach their goal weight, they are the same exact shape/bodyfat % as when they started... Major bummer. . Anyway, you need weights and cardio together to lose weight and reshape your body. Start NOW!! You won't regret it!

I would really love to know what your routine is because your back and arms are looking good.

I would really love to know what your routine is because your back and arms are looking good.

Fri 03/23/12 02:25 PM

Thanks, I'll tell you what I've been doing, but there are many ways to get results, and I'm not pretending to be an expert. This is my 2 1/2 month progress from using moderately heavy training combined with cardio. I'm about halfway to my original goal, but really I don't care as much about the weight as how I look and feel, and how my clothes fit



Firstly, as to diet, mine is not perfect by any means, but I try for 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat (it's just MY preference). I get 125-150 gm of protein a day, and I eat 6-7 small meals (2 of those meals are protein shakes with fruit). I average about 1700-1900 calories a day.

For cardio, I just do the elliptical machine mostly. I do 45-60 minutes of elliptical every day, either by itself, or following my weight training sessions. There's nothing special about the elliptical, you can do whatever you want. I choose the elliptical because my knees get messed up if I try to run and my gym only has ellipticals, treadmills, and bikes. I wish they had a stair stepper...sigh...

Weight training is 5x a week. I work my upper body at the gym, and I work my legs at home with a DVD, but since you're asking about my back, I'll share my upper body routine. For each bodypart, I choose 4-5 exercises, and do 4 sets of 10-15 reps each (usually working in supersets because I like to go fast). I rest very little, but I do try to lift heavy, as heavy as I can without cheating form. I never do the same workout twice, and my goal is to get SORE. My training split is like this:

Monday: Back/ calves, cardio
Tuesday: Chest/abs, cardio
Wed: Biceps, cardio
Thurs: Triceps/abs, cardio
Fri: Shoulders, cardio
Sat or Sunday: Abs and cardio

As I said I work legs at home while my son naps. I use a DVD called the Butt Bible, which is basically just strength training for legs using lots of squats, lunges, etc.

That's pretty much it. I work really hard at the gym (no talking, socializing, long rests), and I really try to focus my mind on what I'm doing (the mind-muscle connection). It feels great to see results, and I can't wait to see my muscles when I get a bit more of that fat off. I wish you all the best, now get out there and make it happen!!

Strength training builds lean muscle tissue. It's that lean muscle tissue which continues helping burn calories even when you are at rest. However do remember this as well CARDIO is KING for weight loss, STRENGTH training is QUEEN. You need the King and Queen to build a kingdom....

^^^^^ what Antoniosmooth said....I've never heard this analogy before... LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!