Cardio Vs. Strength

[morgs]

I have a question that I just can't seem to get a straight answer on. I have been doing Cathe work outs for about 12 weeks now and LOVE the results, however, I still have this annoying 'jiggle' in my midsection that I can't seem to get rid of. I really want to work hard to get rid of it ( I do the Kick, Punch & Crunch Series about 4 to 5 days a week. ) Some people tell me that to get a tight mid section and to blast flab you need to do more cardio ,some people tell me that it's all about ab work/strength & weight training; Others say it's all diet. I am a very healthy eather, and do the stability ball ab segment about twice a week along with the intermediate and advanced work outs in the series stated above. My goal is to achieve a TIGHT mid section like Cathe's. What's the best advise for this type of goal ?

PS: I'm willing to work even harder to get it !

 

[DirtDiva]

No doubt every woman will respond differently to exercise routines, but the only way to see the abs is to loose fat all over. I believe you have to attack it from 3 angles. First, eat clean. If I really want to loose fat, I write everything down that I eat and keep a journal watching my carbs, proteins and fats. I'm 5'9" and can take in 2100 calories a day. I usually eat more because I'm pretty active. So that leads me to the next angle. If I'm going to do cardio indoors, its going to be HIIT cardio. I rarely do steady-state cardio. If I'm outdoors its mountainbiking for 2 hours which I can count on loosing 800 to 1,000 calories easy. The third angle is weight lifting and core work. I have a full set of dumbells, several barbells and a home gym along with most of Cathe's weight-lifting dvds, and truthfully, I love lifting to Cathe's dvd's better then using my home gym.

Mix it up also. Don't do the same thing over and over. I also rely on cardio nearly everyday, not under 45 minutes. But this is what works for me. Don't loose weight too quickly, you are loosing muscle with the fat. The best results are always 2 or less pounds a week.

Last winter I was surprised that I gained 16 pounds over my cycling weight from the previous summer. How does that happen! Yup, age and peri-meno, whatever, it happened and I wanted it off by this spring. I still have 4 pounds to go but sometimes I wonder if I want that little endurance sac to melt away completely.

So I relied on HIIT cardio 5 or more times a week
Lifting weights three times a week
Eating clean and recording everything.

That is what worked for me. And...there were other little things here and there, the right supplements, plenty of water, plenty of sleep, trying to keep the stress down.

 

[morgs]

Awesome Advise

Thank you for the great advise. After carefully evaluating my food intake the past two weeks and work out routine, I realize that I need to step up the cardio, lay off the carbs ( amazing how many are in just one can of soup ) and you ARE right, the right combo of weights also helps. I looked back at my works outs' which I also track in my food diary and realize that I need to step up my cardio by about another half hour and work in about two more days of weights ( ugh ! ) . Excellent examples in your response, thank you again ! I'll update everyone on my results.

Morgs