cardio vs. weights.....help!!! Don't know what to do!!!!

[fitmomofone]

Hi everyone...hopefully someone out there can help me!!! Since late Fall, when we switched to cable and I had Fittv finally, I've been addicted to CAthe's workouts. I have always worked out 7 days a week. I have a gym quality elliptical trainer and treadmill in my home, a weight stack,free wieghts, stability ball....many tapes. I also take classes at the gym, mainly spinning, which I love. I have always loved cardio, but I enjoy weight training too (just NOT pushups!!!). Anyway, I just turned 47, and never had the best metabolism. Now it's just getting harder. I eat fairly healthy and clean (I'm sure I could do better), and work out at 6am before work 5 days a week for about 75 minutes and then both days on the weekends. I also have all of the Turbo Jam workouts. Now, I'm looking to lose the last 5 lbs (as always) and really lean down my lower body which is a big problem area. This morning I did MM, but I feel like whenever I don't do any cardio, I'm not burning enough calories that day (I know... a little bulimic). What do I do? One day cardio, one day full body workout, alternating? Or one body part per day alternating with cardio....I'm willing to go out today and buy all of the Gym style workouts (I just got legs) if I should do a split routine and alternate cardio. It seems that is what they do in Body For Life....any advice....anyone???????? PLease! Sorry this sounds like a rant, but I really want to make some gains here.

 

[sunnyside]

Hopefully you'll get some help from others here.

I got great fat loss results doing Cathe's CTX series for a month. It's one body part a day followed by a short intense cardio, for 5 days and one day of legs. (You could use the Gymstyles as a one body part a day rotation as well as a split.)

I also got great fat loss results doing a Slim Series rotation for a month. This is a total body 5 days a week with one leg day using very Light weights, and give a moderate cardio effect. But they are tough.

These rotations are totally different from each other. I think that is key. You need to change what you are doing. Shake things up!

I find that adding in a couple of interval workouts a week helps alot.

Don't forget to rest or take an easy day or have a recovery (low intensity workouts) week. The body needs to repair it's self at some point. ;-)

Also, if you haven't heard of Cardio Coach, they are great audio workouts to use for intervals on the cardio equipment that you have. www.cardiocoach.com

 

[glogal1]

Janet: sunnyside gave you some GREAT suggestions and advice. As a matter of fact, I'm kinda in the same boat as you. This month of April, I started the SS and adding a 30min cardio everyday. Well, in 5days, I've already lost a pound! It may not seem much, but for me, it's WONDERFUL! I think sunny side is correct and saying we need to change it up and do some cardio everyday.

I want to do cathe's CTX rotation very soon!

Good luck!
take care
Gloria

 

[tillard]

First and foremost you need a rest day!! That's a must . You're body does just as much work while recovering as it does while it's working. You may be in a scenario wherein your body's scared to let go of that last 5 lbs for fear that it won't have anything to live off of due to all of the energy expenditure you're requiring by all of that exercise.

I know it's a weird suggestion, but sometimes less is more, especially when it comes to the last few pounds. I would suggest alternating weight work with cardio work...one day cardio, one day a full body workout. Or if you did a split set, have your weight days, along with 3 days worth of cardio and your one scheduled rest day. The same would ring true for one body part a day, have 3 days of cardio. Try and make one of those days a harder cardio day...aka interval training, or HIIT...like an Imax. The other cardio days being more steady state cardio. Then just play around with things as you try and figure out what scenario works best for you...full body workouts, split set training, one body part a day, endurance weight work vs. strength training, etc, etc.

There's a great post on the Ask Cathe forum by a woman that was working out nonstop and took Cathe's advice on slowing down a bit. It's titled something like "balance and moderation"...something like that. Read it, it was very enlightening!!

Good luck to you!!

Deni

 

[fitmomofone]

Thanks so much for the replies!!!! I have always been interested in purchasing the advanced slim series, but then again, the follow up to power 90 looks good too...I really don't know what to do. I would think the basic slim series would be a little too intermediate for me, but maybe enough if I added 20 minutes or so of cardio as you suggested...I don't have CAthe's CTX...at $89.99 I opted not to purchase it. I just added spinning again on the weekends...I'm a little too obsessed to give up even one day of working out. But it's funny...one of my friends here said if I rested a bit, I might lose some weight, and that I don't eat enough for all the calories I'm burning. I tend to nibble too much, so I think my "food amnesia" has been part of the culprit in my inability to drop the last few pounds. When you say Cathe's CTX rotation, do you mean using that particular dvd? I tried to find a CTX rotation on the rotation forum, but maybe I missed it. CAn you tell me where it is? How does this sound for a rotation....alternate days of PLB and PUB with cardio, doing maybe 2 days of PLB one week and then one day the next week?