Cardio question

J

Jeanine

0
I have been doing a workout like this for the past week or so: 10 a.m. fast paced walk up & down hills for 30 min. Then in the evening (3days a week) i do full body weight training, then usually another 30 min. walk. The other days I will bike for an hour or so, or walk. From what I am reading here, though, that is too much cardio. My question is why is it too much? It's burning calories, and I feel like I am maintaining my muscle, in fact I am getting stronger because I can lift heavier & do more reps. I have been weight training since last November, and I have improved a lot.

Can someone give me some links to articles which explain why this is too much? I really enjoy doing it, and to me It is a great stress reliever. Thanks everyone!

Oh, by the way, I am a female, 40 years old, 127 lbs trying to lose about 7 lbs of fat.

Jeanine
 
More or less because the more slow, steady state cardio you do, the less effective it becomes as you get better/adapt to it.
then you have to go even longer to get the same returns, or, increase the intensity.
But you can only increase the intensity so far before you break the aerobic threshhold and start exercising anaerobically.

Now, it sounds like most of what you're doing is very light duty...walking, a bike ride...probably not even cardio since I doubt you're getting the heart rate up high enough for an actual cardiovascular workout.

I would start doing interval type cardio...bursts of high intensity, then tone it back a little, then burst again. Do that 3x a week for 20-30 mins per session. Much more effective than constantly doing slow, steady state cardio.

This article is a good read too.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/alwyn8.htm
 
Now, it sounds like most of what you're doing is very light duty...walking, a bike ride...probably not even cardio since I doubt you're getting the heart rate up high enough for an actual cardiovascular workout

Well, I am almost jogging and my heartrate goes between 128-154, sometimes as much as 165, and those are my walks. They are up & down hill, and I am sweating and out of breath. On my bike rides, my heartrate never goes below 135 or so, mostly 150-165 but on steep hills I can get as high as 184. Also these are up and down hills, and I am peddaling all the time. So to be cardio exactly how high is my heartrate supposed to get? I am 40 years old, and according to my heartrate monitor I am excersizing at 74-84 percent on my walks, and 84-102 percent on my bike rides.

So what you are saying is this is not cardio? Hmmm, it sure feels like it to me!

Jeanine
 
Last edited:
Well, Jeanine, this is my thought on this matter and it may go against what others think ... If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Everyone is different. If you are still improving in your workouts and do not feel "overtrained", keep doing what you are doing. This does seem like a lot of activity to me also, but it works for you. I would guess your diet is very good and you are getting enough rest to recover from these workouts. Just "watch" for signs of overtraining. Good luck with your goals. :)
 
Agree with jpc1058. Although your goal of losing 7 pounds will probably be met faster with more focused interval cardio training, weights and clean nutiriton with enough protein.

I'm not saying stop what you're doing... but if you hit a plateau it will be a good idea to focus in on a more specific plan to rid yourself of the 7 pounds. If you're happy with things and are reaching your goals... why change it? :D
 
Jeanine,
well your initial post made it sound a little laid back. your more detailed followup post makes it sound like you are working hard enough for your current fitness level. Hills are great for interval training since they have built in difficulty levels.

I would definitely focus more on cleaning up your diet and eating habits, and getting the most out of your full body workouts to ditch that fat. are your weight workouts mostly freeweights, or machines? Freeweights are where you wanna be, and mostly compound exercises like bench presses, squats, lunges, deadlifts, pullups, and shoulder presses.
 
Malkore, I use an olympic weight set & dumbells. I do everything on your list except the pullups, I have no where in my home to do those. I can do 3 sets of 8 squats with 90lbs, same with deadlifts. Lunges I do with 15 lb dumbells. Now granted I am pretty exhausted after weights, but that is why I only do them 3 times per week. I also do rows, shoulder presses, calf raises, and a bunch of other weight training. I just try to mix it up and do about 30 min. for each session.

Thanks for the help! I am working on the diet!

Jeanine
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top