A few Questions????

[acatalina]

1.When trying to loose fat and gain muscle should you do it at the same time,or loose fat then gain muscle? Is there a better approach?
Or should you do it all together.There are alot of different opinions on this.

2.How do you prevent sore muscles? I have been doing your tapes for almost a year now and I am always sore(esp. the gym styles).

3.Is cardio every other day enough?

I work 8-10 hrs a day and i try to devote at least 1-to 1-1/2 hr. a day to some exercise.I have a really hard time doing an hour of weights then another 40-60 min of cardio in 1 day, so I rotate them .
Weights one day, cardio/ abs the next.

I usually do one series a week. Gym style, pyramids, pure strengh, intensity, slow & heavy. I change them for variation. I get bored with the same repetitive thing and i am a shop a holic with fitness tapes.
Your expert advice would be greatly appreciated.
There is so many conflicting ideas out there and I am going nuts trying to figure it out.

Since i am just average Anne trying to stay healthy and of course look good in a swimsiut this year.....(unlike last year)
Hope you are healing well, I quit buying other dvd's due to disapointment. No one holds a candle to yours....



Thanks,
Anne



http://www.picturetrail.com/acatalina

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Anne! You are right, there is a lot of conflicting stuff out there and it is hard to figure out the facts. In fact (hey, there is another fact, ha) many times you may never figure it out because just when you think you have, another study can show up and once again dispute your most current belief.

Ok, let me give you my take on your questions

1) I prefer to participate in cardio and strength training in the same time period. Both together strengthen your frame and give it proper and beneficial support from the ground up, both together assist in losing body fat and expending calories, and both together provide outstanding health benefits throughout your entire body. The KEY is to ease into both gradually. Start with LIGHT WEIGHT and LOW TO MODERATE IMPACT CARDIO. Every 3 weeks gradually increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of your workouts.

2) While muscle soreness (also referred to as DOMS), is not always necessary to prove a workout was effective, it is many times a by-product that lets you know you hit that muscle effectively. So having some muscle soreness can actually be quite motivational (even though it may not feel so good at the time, ;-) )

3) In most cases I believe cardio every other day is definitely enough, however, only you will know the answer for sure. It all depends on how much and what you are eating, your overall metabolism, your genetics, and more. All of these things can effect that answer so you will have to evaluate this closely and track your progress to find what works best for you.

4) You said you do weights one day and cardio/abs the next. This is a good plan but if it is not bringing you the results you are looking for then you will have to tweak it a bit. For instance, you said that you jump from series to series weekly. As much as you don't like to, perhaps you should try to stay with a series for about three weeks before switching so that you body can improve on its form, technique, weight selection, and overall energy output. Make sure your cardio presents a challenge and that you don't go into automatic pilot when doing it. For instance, if you always run on the treadmill for 30 minutes at 6.0, try doing an interval workout where you alternate a brisk walk or light jog with a fast sprint.

I hope I have helped clear some things up for you. Good Luck!

 

[acatalina]

Thanks, I really appreciate the input.
Anne