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Strength training and cardio? |
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If you do cardio and strength back-to-back, whichever you do second is going to suffer. Good form is important for both safety and effectiveness when you strength train, and it is harder to achieve good form when your muscles are already tired from cardio. So if you must do them back-to-back, ST first is the better way to go. But if you space them out (eg. morning and evening), your body will have time to recover, even if you do them on the same day. Very long periods of cardio are going to tend to burn muscle - even more so if you don't strength train. 30 minutes of cardio probably doesn't fall in this category. M@L
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
| current weight: 178.0 |
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I have a workout checklist broken out into categories: A. Treadmill -- walking B. Recumbent stationary bike C. Yoga stretch and core/abs fitness D. Weight training Abs/Core E. Weight training Upper body F. Weight Training Legs/Butt What's the most important thing for me? Not overdoing it so I can't do it tomorrow. I do A & C everyday, at least a little. I try to do A, B, C, & D everyday -- weather and body permitting. I try to alternate E & F each day. YMWV
Edited by: BOPPY_ at: 2/11/2013 (23:45)
| Pounds lost: 119.9 |
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I'm not an expert at all, but SP recommends doing ST on alternate days (at least if you are working the same part of the body) rather than every day. I aim for 5 days/week of cardio, mostly treadmill, doing between 2 and 3 miles/day. I do ST 3 or 4 days/week, so sometimes it's the same day as cardio, other times not. SP recommends that if you are doing both cardio and ST the same day, you should do the cardio first.
Eastern Time Zone
| Pounds lost: 16.0 |
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It's really great to have such helpful responses! Thank you to each who took the time! I've also wondered to what degree I'm "shooting myself in the foot" to do both cardio & ST in the same day. I' have shortened the amount of time I do cardio on ST days, and treat it somewhat like a longer warm-up.
"We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible."
~C. Malesherbes~
"Your mind will be like its habitual thoughts; for the soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts."
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD)
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sounds like what you are doing is working. It is true that too much cardio is not good when strength training. I was running 22 miles a week and I was told by several weight lifters that I was doing to much cardio to build serious muscles. Sounds like what you are doing is just right.
Terri
| current weight: 117.0 |
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There's a lot of debate on this topic, and ultimately you should do what works for you. Try switching it up and see if it makes a difference. Personally, I do some light cardio & stretching for 10-15 minutes prior to weight lifting to warm-up my muscles, but nothing that wears me out. That way, I start getting benefits right from the start of my lifting. It's probably safe to separate your strength and cardio days. Many recommend 48 hours of rest between strength training sessions.
"I have a personal relationship with food. I love it, but it's on the fence about me." ~Kathy Griffin
"If there was a famine, we'd be the last to survive." ~My mother
| current weight: 137.8 |
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Dear Mrs, I visited your sparkpage, and noticed your ticker. You've lost nearly 25 pounds in 10 weeks. Sounds to me like your are right on track. I suggest you keep on doing what your doing because it's working. I always go by the old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If you want to ramp up your exercise, then by all means split your workout between cardio days and strength training days. Remember to warm up those muscles on strength training days with at least 10 minutes on the bike or the treadmill and do some stretching. I would also suggest tracking your nutrition and exercise using the Sparkpeople trackers. These are great tools for not only documenting your trek to a healthier you, but they can also help you be more EFFECTIVE with your nutrition and exercise by showing you what is working for you and what isn't. Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. Jonny Mac
Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels and looks.
| May Minutes: 0 |
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Mrs - this is one of those questions you're going to get a LOT of different answers/opinions on--but I would agree. It really comes down to which methodology lets you put the very most into each workout.
For a long time, I did cardio on my strength days, at least to some extent. As I got into more difficult strength training routines, I found that if I did cardio first, I was "wearing out" near the end of the strength sessions and couldn't lift as much as I thought I should. Or, if I did the cardio after the strength I only had the energy to plod along on the treadmill---which isn't of much benefit in the long run.
After doing some research, I decided to do strength 3 days, and do cardio on separate days. That way, I can go all out on what I'm doing and then go home.
Try splitting your cardio and strength days, and really up the intensity (not the duration). If you're not worn out after your cardio sessions, up the intensity next time. When you do strength, make sure you're lifting heavy enough to get to fatigue. If you can do more than 15 reps with good form, you need to up the weight.
Give that a try for a month or so and see how it works for you.
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Whether the caloric deficit is calorie restriction, exercise or both, muscle will be sacrificed. You can mitigate muscle loss with the following items: 1) Strength training with progressive overload 2) Keeping protein intake high 3) Keeping the calorie deficit reasonable (aim to lose about 1% of your body weight per week). These are rules of thumb, not absolutes. The amount of muscle you can lose goes up as your body fat lowers. Essentially the body will grab the most available fuel source when the deficit is extreme. When body fat is high, fat is the most abundant source. As you lean out, muscle can become more of an option.
Current Program bb531.wordpress.com/about/ "The skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches, as opposed to him who asserts and think that he has found" - Miguel de Unamuno. "In god we trust, all others bring data." "You can't make people smarter. You can expose them to information, but your responsibility stops there." - Rip
| current weight: 5.0 over |
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