Too much cardio? Not enough weights?
kr1ssy23
Posts: 270 Member
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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You should always do weights first, then cardio.
But truly, it comes down to diet.0 -
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.0 -
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.
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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.0
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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!0 -
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:0 -
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).0
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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!!0 -
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.0
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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 great0 -
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.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!
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
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:
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 nutrition0 -
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!0
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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:0
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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.0
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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.
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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.0 -
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!0
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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 Specialist0 -
Thanks yall. It makes so much more sense now. Thanks so much!0
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You never said how long it's been since you could lose any weight, a week or month or what.
It seems 1300 calories for 50-minute workouts is too low...personally for that amount of working out I'd eat 1700.0 -
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!
K, opened diary...but like I said...Im not the best eater...especially the past few days0 -
You should always do weights first, then cardio.
But truly, it comes down to diet.
The big reason for weights first is that you risk injury (due to bad form) lifting after cardio. If you are tired your form will give way much sooner then it would otherwise, or before your muscles work as hard as they can.
I suggest weights first and also do less cardio, and maybe even do this on different days.
OP: you need to eat much more and the more you workout the more you need to eat to fuel your body0 -
I tend to build muscle quickly so I stick to low weights with high repetitions.
It is a complete myth that picking up heavy weights makes you too big or bulky. All it does is make you stronger and leaner and gives you awesome looking legs and arms. Women will not get huge muscles. This will not happen because you lack the testosterone. Come back and tell me when you can do curls with 45 lb. plates or squat 225 lbs. and I'll change my story. Pack it on as heavy as you can and still do 10 reps in a set. (with good form of course)0 -
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.
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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There was a small study a few weeks ago that debunked the whole "no cardio on strength day" thing.
My plan is the following:
5-7 minute cardio warmup
weights
20-30 minutes of cardio intervals (Sometimes I don't have the energy..so I do a steady state cardio)
or 30-45 minutes of circuit training0 -
i was doing cardio first and like yo usaid to tired to do weights and would only make 20 mins and i was done & this was being 2hrs in the gym. A friend who is a PT told me to warm-up 5-10mins do weights then do cardio at the end, or do weights first then cardio. I can last so much longer when I do cardio last. I feel like I can go all night. Hope this helps and also your food intake plays a big deal in losing. I am learning this once again been through this before just forgot alot of things. It's always good to have reminders.0
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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:
When I was doing low weights/high reps, I saw some increase in strength and a slight improvement in my body composition. Not much and since I was also losing fat, it was kinda hard to tell how much difference the weights were making to my body.
Once I switched to heavy weights/low reps, I saw an amazing difference. During the first month of it, I only dropped three pounds, I dropped an entire pant size.
Between the two, I would never do low weights/high reps again after seeing the changes lifting heavier makes. Not only strength and inches lost but, also, the revving up it has done to my metabolism. It's a good thing.
I suggest you give it a try. If you don't like it or the effects you get from it, you can always switch back.0 -
No wonder you are tired - you are absolutely not eating enough. You should up your base calorie and hit that target (including the exercise) - not leave a lot of calories on the table.
Also, Ninerbuff is totally correct in the timing of strength v cardio, but often it comes down to what you prefer. There is the 'optimal' regime, and then there is the one you will stick to. If the one you will stick to is the cardio after, then do that, but if you find that it is more enjoyable to do it the other way round, it is still beneficial (just maybe not quite as efficient).
Same with diet - if you stick to say 1600 calories a day for a year - that is much better than 1200 calories for 2 months. (Actually it is just better period, but thats a whole nother thread).0
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