So Freaking Confused

[DrWahoo]

Okay some workout programs include cardio after weightlifting
others say that its bad to do cardio after weightlifting.

What's the deal. If your a woman trying to lose fat and you supposedly can't bulk up anyway does the above principle really matter ?

There aren't enough days in the week and I don't have the time to go to the gym twice a day to seperate my lifting and cardio do get in 3-5 cardio sessions a week.

Most women just "tone" and do cardio like 45 minutes a day, 5days a week.

Can anyon figure this out for me

[gym rat]

If you are still gonna lift and do cardio and can't get to the gym twice a day. do:

Mon:Lift
Tue:run
Wed
Thurs:run
Fri
Sat:run
Sunff

or if you can get to the gym twice, try and space them out around 8 hours.

Hope this helps

[ebon00]

It is true that excessive cardio after a weight session could limit the gains from the weight work. But unless you're after serious muscle mass this won't matter one bit. I personally do cardio after each and every one of my weight workouts (4 days a week) and although I'm not big I am halfway muscular and my lifting doesn't suffer. (You can see how I look here. Not impressive by any stretch of the imagination but it shows that you can build even while doing cardio.) In the end it all comes down to conditioning. The body is capable of handling a lot of stress, you just have to let it get used to it. So if you want to add cardio after your weight work start out slow. No high-intensity cardio and for no more than 15 min at a time. That alone will make a difference assuming all other variables are kept the same.

[phantom]

DrWahoo
You have a lot of options here.
1. Make your lifting schedule a 3 day split and do cardio on your off days.
2. Do cardio after your workouts on a three day split but limit the cardio to no more them 20 mintues. I would use the HIIT techniques.
3. You can do cardio work at home.

[CJNY]

Originally Posted by DrWahoo

If your a woman trying to lose fat and you supposedly can't bulk up anyway does the above principle really matter ?

Yes, it still matters because while you may not be able to add a lot of muscle anybody can lose some of what muscle they have through a poor training plan. The "toned" look results when a decent muscle mass starts to appear from beneath the diminishing layer of fat.

Ebon00's advice is basically correct, though. Unless you are approaching the limit of your potential it's probably not going to matter a great deal. Much depends on what kind of cardio you do. Once you have achieved a base level of cardio fitness, high intensity cardio seems to be more effective for fat loss in most people that the typical medium-intensity 45 minute stint on the treadmill or elliptical machine. It is diffciult to do this type of intense workout after doing an already exhausting strength workout.

Originally Posted by DrWahoo

There aren't enough days in the week and I don't have the time to go to the gym twice a day to seperate my lifting and cardio do get in 3-5 cardio sessions a week.

Try to set aside 1 or 2 days per week for some type of interval workout and no strength work. I think you will be pleased with the results.

Originally Posted by DrWahoo

Most women just "tone" and do cardio like 45 minutes a day, 5days a week.

If you want to look like most women then do the same. If you want to achieve more of what you are capable of then look to women with above-average fitness for your guidance.

Originally Posted by DrWahoo

Can anyon figure this out for me

Not really, but you can easily figure out on your own what works for you. Follow this simple rule: if you are making progress toward your goals then don't worry much about how your training is lacking. But if you find what you are doing just isn't getting you where you want to go then try some new ideas. It really doesn't take all that long to decide what is working and what isn't.

[Helene]

Most women just "tone" and do cardio like 45 minutes a day, 5days a week.

Ya most women lift 10lbs only for 20 reps db curls and do 45 mintues of cardio and stay soft and don't see changes and quit.

What you want to do is:

Start weightlifting heavy with minimal cardio 1-2 times a week (for the heart) on weight training days or seperate days. And eat maintenace or above. This is to build muscle. You have to eat enough to build muscle.

After when you have a decent amount of muscle, up the cardio (3 to 5 days) and eat a little under maintenance.

Do HIIT cardio or 30-45 minutes. switch it up.

"Tone" is not even a word. All it means is have a good amount of muscle with a low % of bodyfat. You can't "tone" a muscle..you can either make it grow or make it shrink.

[ajarvis]

I know how you feel. I don't have a lot of time to get to the gym either with my work schedule, I'm lucky if I can go four days. Personally I enjoy running more than lifting so I break it up like this:

Tuesday - Long run
Wednesday - full body weight workout making sure it's hard enough that I'm at least a little sore the next day
Thursday - Short run and Abs
Friday - Short run
Saturday (if possible) - weights

If I'm lucky that's what my week looks like. But I do weights on Wednesdays to make sure I at least get them in.