Fitness beginner: Cardio (and strength) 4health?!

Posts: 64
5/11/11 10:21 A

Great information given. Saving for future reference.

SparkPoints: (7,128)
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Posts: 14
5/10/11 11:04 P

Thanks a lot for your replies! :)

I'll go on with my current training while reading more about Yoga/Pilates and then I'll see how it goes.

Posts: 12,418
5/9/11 10:00 P

Try the body fat table at www.new-fitness.com/body_fat_measuring.htm
l for a guide as to how to interpret bodyfat percentages.

If you are getting a bit of muscle soreness, back off the intensity of your workouts a little (eg. fewer reps). Your body should adjust in a couple of weeks to the new demands you are making of it, but in the meantime, perhaps take it a little more gently.

M@L

Posts: 6,059
5/8/11 11:38 A

To answer your question concerning ideal body fat for women the standard is 18% to 20% I believe. Too low a body fat percentage in women has a negative effect on their menstrual cycles. The muscle soreness is to be expected if you have not been using those muscles before and should abate as you continue. Each time you add a new exercise or change your programme you will experience some muscle soreness.

I am not sure that Pilates requires formal instruction if you can obtain a good quality DVD or text on the topic. I have an electronic text on it which is very self explanatory. The same is true of yoga. With regard to stretching make sure you do it after your workout not before. A recent study by CDC found that stretching before will not prevent injury or reduce soreness.

Here are two URLs for Spark teams you may find fit your needs.

Resistance Band and Bodyweight Training
www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individ
ual.asp
F.I.T. Females in Training
www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individ
ual.asp

Edited by: SERGEANTMAJOR at: 5/11/2011 (10:51)

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Posts: 14
5/8/11 5:04 A

Hello everybody!
Thanks so much for all the great advice!! Really appreciated :)

It took me some time to answer, because after reading your suggestions I went off to get some more information and stuff. It's still confusing because there are so many contradicting things out there, though.

In the end I decided to do the following:
3x/week: cardio (aerobic, step aerobicc, sparkpeople 10min. cardio videos): 30-40min.
2-3x/week: strength (for now using my own body weight / basic exercises / whole body training): 15-20min.(?!)
3-5x/week: stretching (maybe yoga and/or pilates): 10min.

Do you think that's too much for a female beginner?

I also had a look at the popular Bodyrock.tv website and it does look super intense to me. Nothing for beginners, I think. Also, if I look at her body, it scares me off. I definitely don't wanna look like her! :(
I'm already very slim and only want to get rid of my body fat and replace it with some muscles for better overall health.
In the 3 weeks I've been doing my workouts now, I already can see a few muscles coming through, esp. my thights (because even before starting I biked every day to work and stuff), so I'm a bit worried to look like her in the end (as she's saying that all she used to get where she is now is those workouts ...).

I'd love to try yoga or pilates. As I can't decide at the moment, it won't hurt to try both. I heard they go together quite well anyways. Especially for Pilates, though, I read that you only have the benifits if you do the exercises right which requires a trainer! I don't have one, and I also mentioned before that there's no gym nearby.
Is yoga safter to try alone at home?

To stretch everyday for a few minutes for more flexibility is okay, right? It's not gonna hurt my body, is it?


Some more beginners' questions (sorry):
1) Doing the sparkpeople whole body strength training for beginners I got quite a bad muscleache. Only in one part of my body, no idea how those muscles are called. Beneath my shoulders, alongside my upper body line ... pretty sure that came from the push-ups I did, although I did the "light version" with my knees as supporters! Should I stop doing push-ups and rather do something else/lighter until my upper body gets stronger??? If so, what would be a good alternative then?

2) Body fat:
I have a body fat scale and I know these aren't 100% accurate, but I was just wondering if 26/27% of body fat for a 30yr old woman who didn't do any workout in the past few years is a lot?! I wanna reduce it, but what would be a safe level then? I don't wanna go below a healthy fat level *gg*

Somebody mentioned the Spark Team: "Resistance Band and Bodyweight Training"
I couldn't find it anywhere, so if I could have the direct link to that team, it would be awesome!


I think I'm gonna get a resistance band and a fitness ball / Swiss ball for now and skip the rest.
Though I've seen plastic dumbells in the 100yen store that you obviously can fill up with water. That would be an option, too.

I also recently got a hula hoop. It's heavy (1,7kg) and huge and it has massage nobs and magnets that will help your blood circulation. It's difficult as it hurts like hell and people kept complaining that they got bruises at first, but after a week or so it got much better and then it helped them a whole lot. I'm still not sure if something that gives you a lot of bruises is really good for you?!


Wow, that was long.
Thanks for reading and I really appreciate and advice you can give me.
Thanks so much :D

Posts: 12,418
5/1/11 11:08 P

The fitness plan generator (linked to above) is an excellent place to start.

You don't need any equipment to strength train - you can get in a great workout using just your own bodyweight for resistance. Spark's Exercise Demos contain lots of suggestions.

But if you are looking for equipment, I agree with the suggestion of resistance bands - these are cheap, extremely versatile, and take up virtually no storage space.

I'd pass on the 1 kg weights - you can substitute common household objects (eg. a milk jug full of water) for weights in this range. It's probably until you are looking at 5 kg's that dedicated weights become worthwhile.

M@L

Posts: 6,059
5/1/11 4:16 P

Reflecting my extreme bias I advocate resistance bands over dumbbells. They will give you more flexibility and are less of a hassle to store. The ball being mentioned is in fact a Swiss ball, they come in different sizes to match your height. Not sure why you have no room to use your jump rope.I have not been in country in Japan in over 50 years but any room with a standard height ceiling ( in the US that is 8' or 2.4M)should allow you to use a jump rope. You only need it long enough to clear the top of your head by 4 to 6 inches and you only need to get 1 inch off the floor to allow the rope to clear under your feet.

You can also develop a programme of bodyweight exercises for strength. The point to take into consideration is the strength or resistance work provides more health benefits that does cardio and you can construct a strength programme which also has cardio benefits.

The Spark team "Resistance Band and Bodyweight Training" has exercise programmes and links to additional programmes.

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5/1/11 1:13 P

For home strength training in small spaces... I agree that resistance bands could be a good option if you want something inexpensive and that does not take too much space in your apartment. You can usually find a set of three with varying resistance for a reasonable price. Some come with handles and ankle cuffs that make it a little easier to use. You can vary the resistance on a band by where you hold it so it can always be adjusted to challenge you. You want something that provides enough resistance that your muscles feel tired after your specified reps (usually 8-15 depending on the program). If you small weights do that, they are a good starting point but you will outgrow them very quickly.

Posts: 579
5/1/11 6:18 A

It sounds you have come to the right place for advice. Since you will be workign out at home, your primary resources will be the internet and possibly DVDs. This site has fantastic videos for both cardio and strength so I highly suggest lookign at them for inspriration.

I would suggest resistance bands instead of dumbbells. Because you will naturally need different weights for different exercises (right away your biceps are stronger than your triceps so you need different weights). Also, resistance bands are more "storable" if you have space limitations.

I second getting a stability ball (another name for a fitness ball). They are great for helping strengthen your core.

Since you will be working at home, I suggest looking at the website www.bodyrocker.com. She does HIIT circuit training which is a great complement when you start running.

SparkPoints: (28,096)
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5/1/11 5:23 A

Hi,

it seems you have a lot of questions on your mind! First off, you're right -- some strength workout will be needed besides the cardio.

For the equipment you listed, I would do the following changes:
- Order dumbbells that go higher than 1kg. I would consider a set that you can expand with plates up to at least 5kg each, preferably 10kg each. I know you may not need that much now, but it's better to have the option for the future.
- Get a gymball. You can do all kinds of exercises on- or with one, plus they double for a weight-lifting bench (or an office chair for that matter!).
- Optional stuff include a chin-up bar that you can screw to a door frame, small items that can be stored easily (powerball, resistance band or grip trainer)

Once you have what you need, there's a world full of exercises that either use your body weight for resistance or that you can do with that home-equipment set. To begin with, start with a weekly full-body workout and later if needed do a split-routine. This plan generator will help you create one:

www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_plan_
generator.asp

Later on you can try to find more exercises either from here at SP, or e.g. exrx.net.

Finally, you mentioned wanting to become more flexible. That is a good goal and stretching is certainly one way. In fact, you should do stretching after workout even if you don't care about flexibility!

But for other ways to become flexible, see if you can locate a good Pilates-, stretching-, Yoga- or Core-exercise regime. You don't need a DVD, as the Internet is full of free alternatives (including Youtube if you really prefer to see the exercises on video).

SparkPoints: (7,128)
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Posts: 14
5/1/11 12:51 A

Hello!

This is my first time writing here.
I recently joined sparkpeople and so far I really like it here.

I used to be quite sporty when I was younger (until jr. high/high school). The last few years I haven't done anything at all, though.
I'm 30 years, female, 1.74m, 59kg.

I don't wanna lose weight (though 2-3kg would be nice).
My main goal is to become fit (again) for a better health condition. Currently I don't have any health problems, but I just feel it's time to start things again.
I also want to get my body into shape.

The reason for posting is that I'm not sure how I should plan my training.

Thus far I've started with some light cardio, mainly aerobic and step aerobic for 30 minutes around 3-4 times a week.
I also want to start running soon. 5K program at first.

My equipment:
Aerobic stepper
jump rope (can't use it inside, no space)

will order:
heart monitor
1kg dumbbell x2
fitness mat
hula hoop

I do not have access to a fitness studio or a gym at all. I live in a foreign country (Japan) where I don't always understand the language which makes things more difficult in many ways anyways.

I've googled it a lot, but still haven't found a good answer.
What I could get so far is that cardio alone is not sufficient?
I also need to do strength training? Sparkpeople's fitness tracker also suggests that, right?
I just have no clue where to start.
What kind of strength training should/can I do with almost no equipment? How often? How can I combine this with my cardio?

I also want my body to become a bit more flexible, so I guess streching sessions would be good as well?

I guess I just need to get an idea how my beginner's training plan should look.

I hope you guys can give me some good advice.

Thanks a lot in advance!