Too much cardio? Not enough weights?

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kr1ssy23
kr1ssy23 Posts: 270 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So Im finding that when I go to the gym, I usually do about 20 mins on the elliptical (thats all Ive been able to build myself up to) and then I hit the treadmill for about 30 mins before hitting the weights. By that time, I feel so drained that Im not spending as much time with the weights. Im trying to lose about 70 lbs so Im busting my *kitten* no matter what Im doing. My weight hasnt done much of anything after the 6 lbs I did lose. Ive been losing .3 here and then gaining .3 there and I know its probably muscle gain right? Anyways, my question is....is there such a thing as too much cardio? Maybe I should limit and switch off every time I go and do one or the other and then the weights? Im only able to get to the gym 2-3 times a week with my circumstances but hopefully that will change in the next few weeks. Opinions are appreciated! Thanks! :)
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Replies

  • free2live72003
    free2live72003 Posts: 186
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    bump
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    You should always do weights first, then cardio.

    But truly, it comes down to diet.
  • bethmac_va
    bethmac_va Posts: 65
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    I'm far from an expert so just take what I say with a grain of salt. I had a trainer tell me to only do about 5 minutes of cardio to warm up, then start the weights. I do think that's too much cardio beforehand.

    He also said a few minutes afterward would be ok too but best to do cardio on non weight days. I've been told the opposite as well. My issue is that weights burn me out so quickly I'm too exhausted for cardio the next day! I need to find a balance.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Don't do your cardio first. A little warm up is fine, but any exercise you do will first use up your glycogen stores. That glycogen should be used for weight lifting (for ATP/CP production) and will have you doing a more efficient workout. Cardio done after to tap fat stores.
    So lift first, then cardio after.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Leslie85
    Leslie85 Posts: 265 Member
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    Well, I'm no expert for sure, but it might be beneficial to cut down on the cardio so you can hit the weights a little harder. Weights are the best way to build muscle, and muscle burns calories. So maybe try doing just one or the other- either the elliptical OR the treadmill and then hitting the weights.
  • avega12
    avega12 Posts: 17
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    The number key is diet, what are you eating? Then, as I've been told by trainers, you should have non-cardio day's where all your'e doing is strength training, and on cardio day's you should do 45mins to 1hr of cardio. Adding cycling classes or zumba style classes can be on your cardio day's just to change it up, also, it's not about how much you can lift but the intervals! I tend to build muscle quickly so I stick to low weights with high repetitions. Hope this helps!

    If you'd like a sample schedule of what you would do to train for a marathon, google Hal Higdon, it's a balance between running, cardio and strength training!

    Good luck!
  • bethmac_va
    bethmac_va Posts: 65
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    Cardio done after to tap fat stores.

    So, then it is ok to do weights and 30 minutes on an elliptical right afterward? I feel like if I'm already there, I should keep going as long as I can. The trainer I talked to told me not to because I'd have used up all the glycogen in my muscles. I just like being efficient. :bigsmile:
  • grandmeem
    grandmeem Posts: 28
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    I know I do it all wrong but it works for me. Monday & Wednesday I do around 30 minutes on the elliptical then 25 minutes of weights on my legs and hips. Tuesday and Thursday I do 30 minutes elliptical (or cross trainer) then 25 minutes upper body weights. Everyday I do approximately 45 minutes of warm up at home before going to the club doing abs, push ups and a variety of other "floor" exercises. Friday is 60 minutes of elliptical. Since July of 2010 I've lost over 70 lbs with only 2 more lbs to go to reach my goal weight. I have more defined muscles than I ever have in my life (I'm 50).
  • kr1ssy23
    kr1ssy23 Posts: 270 Member
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    I know I do it all wrong but it works for me. Monday & Wednesday I do around 30 minutes on the elliptical then 25 minutes of weights on my legs and hips. Tuesday and Thursday I do 30 minutes elliptical (or cross trainer) then 25 minutes upper body weights. Everyday I do approximately 45 minutes of warm up at home before going to the club doing abs, push ups and a variety of other "floor" exercises. Friday is 60 minutes of elliptical. Since July of 2010 I've lost over 70 lbs with only 2 more lbs to go to reach my goal weight. I have more defined muscles than I ever have in my life (I'm 50).

    Wow, thats awesome. Congrats on ur weigh-loss!! :)
  • louis1981uk
    louis1981uk Posts: 2
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    Couldn't agree more with all the comments above I have lost just over 2 stone and haven't set foot in a gym, I do light jogging and long walks and some basic free weights at home. Weight loss if pure calories vs burned energy, end of story. I always underestimate my exersize and overestimate my food and never try to cheat or fool myself. You won't lose weight and be able to eat rubbish and thats just the bottom line, you could do no exercise and lose stones or hammer the gym 4 days a week and gain a tonne, food is much, much, much more important.
  • kr1ssy23
    kr1ssy23 Posts: 270 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies. Im not gonna lie and say Im the best eater. I pretty much eat what I want but in servings. I dunno...seemed to be working at first and then it just stopped. I do have room to work and change bad habits. MFP said to eat around 1200 calories a day so Ive been trying not to eat over those 1200 no matter what I eat but then Im thinking that maybe Im starving myself? Maybe change it to 1300? I usually try to eat back my exercise calories also, but even last night after the gym, I was just ready for bed. I know Im not doing all this the way I should, but Im still really new to this and really dont know what Im doing lmao.
    Ill try hitting the weights first and then doing cardio. Maybe Ill find my balance. Thanks for the responses. You guys are great :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    The number key is diet, what are you eating? Then, as I've been told by trainers, you should have non-cardio day's where all your'e doing is strength training, and on cardio day's you should do 45mins to 1hr of cardio.
    You can do cardio on strength days. If a strength program was 20-30 minutes long (average) a 30 minute cardio session wouldn't hurt.
    also, it's not about how much you can lift but the intervals! I tend to build muscle quickly so I stick to low weights with high repetitions. Hope this helps!
    Incorrect. It does matter how much you lift. Inadequate resistance doesn't help to condition the muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Cardio done after to tap fat stores.

    So, then it is ok to do weights and 30 minutes on an elliptical right afterward? I feel like if I'm already there, I should keep going as long as I can. The trainer I talked to told me not to because I'd have used up all the glycogen in my muscles. I just like being efficient. :bigsmile:
    That's good that you used up your glycogen by that time. If you always burned glycogen, then fat stores would never be tapped for energy consumption.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • louis1981uk
    louis1981uk Posts: 2
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    Just try and keep a really honest diary for your calorie intake and make sure you aren't missing anything, every mouthful, every sweet or chocolate shared with you by a friend, each drink you have - everything. Thats what I found in the early days, the little nibbles and snacks I forgot I had during the day was what was killing me. Its true you will gain a little muscle and this will weigh more than fat. If you struggle to keep an accurate record I would carry around a notepad or use the mobile app or something and get in the habit of recording everything, and overestimate the food you have eaten. I personally wouldnt try and eat what I burn at the gym because to me (other than the improved wellness and fitness) there is no benefit to the exercise. I would set yourself a realistic calorie target use the food diary on here to total ALL your food intake and count your exercise on here as well which will be added to your available daily calories. As rough rule of thumb though 3500 calorie deficit (or 500 per day) will drop you 1llb of body fat per week and I know from experience thats true. I recomend selecting your lifestyle as sedentary on the profile (even if itsnot) then adding all the activities you do on daily basis as exercise. For me I feel more in control that way as I have some pretty sedentary days and some really active ones, you cant generalise that much i dont think! Good luck though and well done on what you have achieved already the more you do the more you'll want to do more, keep at it!
  • avega12
    avega12 Posts: 17
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    Well, sounds like you should be trainning me!!! All of the info shared by me has been given to me by certified trainers...guess I just shouldn't trust or pay trainers anymore :sad:
  • RichardAceves
    RichardAceves Posts: 29 Member
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    My son-in-law is a trainer and he has me doing 10 minutes on the bike as a warm-up, then my weight training then I go back and do 10 min on the stairmaster and 30 min on the bike. He also has me eating a Clif Bar 2 hrs before I go to the gym. ( They taste GREAT) I have lost 43 lbs in 4 1/2 months! (37 lbs since I have been on MFP which he told me to do) We all hit rough spots just keep looking towards your goal.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Listen to Niner, he knows his stuff. But just in case you didn't get his message, here's what I would recommend.

    Keep your same workout but change the order!!!!

    5-10 minutes to warm up, then hit the weights. Go as heavy as you can to really deplete the glycogen stores. Then do the treadmill and elliptical. By depleting the glycogen with the weights, then the body will use more fat for your cardio.

    What you are doing now is depleting your glycogen with your cardio so you don't have the fuel the body needs for the weights. Heavy weight training uses primarily glycogen/glucose for fuel and can't pull from fat stores like the cardio can. Fat stores are utilized more for longer duration activities and after glycogen is used to fuel activities because the body needs some of the by products of glycogen usage in order to burn fat. So, cardio after weight training will always burn more fat then cardio first. One of my professors favorite sayings was "fat burns in a carbohydrate flame" because of the way the body uses fuel. So, go with the way the body likes to use fuel and you will have an easier time of fat loss.
    16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
    9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
    Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
    ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
    NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    Start with weights first then...

    Or do 15mins as a warm-up, do weights, and then jump on the bike or treadmill as a cool down for another 15mins.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
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    Open up your diary. My guess is the weight fluctuations have more to do with diet than exercise. You can't gain 3lbs of muscle in a very short time, it just doesn't happen that way!
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Well, sounds like you should be trainning me!!! All of the info shared by me has been given to me by certified trainers...guess I just shouldn't trust or pay trainers anymore :sad:

    It's not that you shouldn't trust trainers, its that you have to check their credentials. Not all certifications are created equal. When you hire a trainer, you should interview them and make sure they have more then just a weekend or internet certification. Look for actual college degrees and the top certification agencies. ACSM, NSCA, ACE are the ones that are considered the top 3, but there are other good ones. Do your research on the certification they have to make sure it meets your standards. Don't base your opinion of a trainer on how they look because genetics can play a big part of that and won't necessarily mean they know what they are doing.
    16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
    9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
    Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
    ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
    NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

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