effects on muscles

[MNpineapple210]

I have recently started an exercise program and have seen good results so far. I simply have one question before I know what direction to go from here. When I lift weights I target half my muscle groups twice a week each (4 days total) and on the fifth day do straight cardio for the whole workout. The schedule looks like this:

thursday - chest shoulders triceps quads upper and lower abs
friday - back biceps hamstrings glutes and obliques
saturday - rest
sunday - chest shoulders triceps quads upper and lower abs
monday - back biceps hamstrings glutes and obliques
tuesday - straight cardio
wednesday - rest

When I lift I do so at a very high pace in an attempt to keep my heart rate above 80% preferably 85%, this way I am getting the cardio benefits as well as muscle toning benefits. I then "fill in" cardio after the lift to fill up to one hour of cardio training total for the workout.

My question is this: With my results I have been seeing I have obtained the desire to run (as opposed to my favorite elliptical machine). Running is a challenge for me and usually works over my hamstrings and glutes pretty good. Is it a bad idea to run for as much as my legs can stand on the straight cardio day being that it falls one day after the hamstring and glute lift day. I have never really considered cardio to be specifically damaging (in a good way, breaking down the muscles) to any one part of the body, but running at my body weight (321 lbs) seems to do the trick. Am I just being overly conscious on this issue or should I continue to choose cardio options that put less stress on specific muscle groups?

Thanks for the help!

MNpineapple210

 

[Steve]

I have recently started an exercise program and have seen good results so far. I simply have one question before I know what direction to go from here. When I lift weights I target half my muscle groups twice a week each (4 days total) and on the fifth day do straight cardio for the whole workout. The schedule looks like this:

thursday - chest shoulders triceps quads upper and lower abs
friday - back biceps hamstrings glutes and obliques
saturday - rest
sunday - chest shoulders triceps quads upper and lower abs
monday - back biceps hamstrings glutes and obliques
tuesday - straight cardio
wednesday - rest

That's not a bad way of organizing your training. Essentially it's pushing, pulling, rest, pushing, pulling, cardio, rest.

When I lift I do so at a very high pace in an attempt to keep my heart rate above 80% preferably 85%,

That's fine if you're looking to focus on caloric expenditure and conditioning.

However, if you're looking to maximize muscle gain or maintenance, that's not at all optimal. In this latter situation, weight training isn't meant to be cardio. It's meant to provide a sufficient stimulus for muscle growth and/or maintenance while losing fat.

If you turn weight training into a cardiovascular activity, you shortchange your ability to use heavy enough weights, which in turn leads to insufficient loads for muscle growth/maintenance.

Make sense?

this way I am getting the cardio benefits as well as muscle toning benefits.

See above.

Also, there's no muscle toning. At least not in the context implied. A muscle either grows or it doesn't. Being toned is a function of losing fat while growing or maintaining the muscle your currently have.

And as noted above, if you're not providing sufficient tension, the muscle isn't going to grow, period.

My question is this: With my results I have been seeing I have obtained the desire to run (as opposed to my favorite elliptical machine). Running is a challenge for me and usually works over my hamstrings and glutes pretty good. Is it a bad idea to run for as much as my legs can stand on the straight cardio day being that it falls one day after the hamstring and glute lift day.

Depends on the intensity of the running. You seem to be under the impression that if a muscle is working, it's going to have a positive response. That's not the case. In order for there to be a positive response, a muscle has to work above a conditioned threshold, meaning you must surpass a threshold of intensity that the muscle is unaccustomed to if it's going to change in a way you're happy with.

I have never really considered cardio to be specifically damaging (in a good way, breaking down the muscles) to any one part of the body, but running at my body weight (321 lbs) seems to do the trick. Am I just being overly conscious on this issue or should I continue to choose cardio options that put less stress on specific muscle groups?

Couple of things here...

I didn't realize you were 321 lbs. I'm responding as I read along. That said, circuit training the way you are with weights may be okay for the time being.

Secondly, if you're dead set on running (which I'm not sure I'd advise that given your weight... I'd stick with low/no impact modalities), simply cut back in your leg resistance training.

You could do something like:

Monday: Upper body
Tuesday: Cardio - moderate intensity
Wednesday: Lower body
Thursday: Cardio - moderate intensity
Friday: Upper body
Saturday: Cardio - mod to high intensity (depending on your level of conditioning)

 

[MNpineapple210]

A little more backstory...I started four weeks ago at 350 lbs and have lost 14, 9, and 6 pounds a week respectively to get to 321. I am a former college football player with a lot of muscle mass to start with and have never lost my overall conditioning from those days (stopped playing about 3 years ago).

I used to strictly weight train to gain maximum muscle through maximum tension (high weight low-med reps) but now am starting at higher reps (12-15) with weights I struggle with for the last 5 or so reps. I am in no way a "typical" 321 pounder I am in fairly good shape cardiovascularly, just not body composition wise, nevertheless I still have stress on my hamstrings and glutes when running distances over 1/2 mile and speeds over 6.0 mph.

For today (my cardio day) I am going to run on the treadmill as much as possible, hopefully for the whole hour workout, we will see. I will check back when I get home from the gym.

 

[MNpineapple210]

By the way I do want to have an emphasis on cardiovascular output, as well as muscular endurance, as opposed to muscular strength. I have trained with the best of them and know how to build muscle, but want to be normal size and I want to lose body fat and be fit. I dont want to get weaker, but am pretty satisfied with my level of strength.

Another by the way I did go to the gym yesterday and walked .4 miles then ran 2.0 miles at 5.5 mph then did 4 cycles of walk .15 miles at 3.5 run .25 miles at 5.0 then did about 15 minutes of an elliptical machine for my hour long cardio workout. I pushed myself very much as this distance (2 miles) was difficult to complete and I was pretty winded at its completion. The good news is that I did not feel much strain or soreness in my hamstrings of glutes which was my main concern.

For what it is worth I have come to enjoy this workout schedule and will probably continue on it for the forseable future and will probably look for a new conceptual focus for my workout program when I get to about 250 pounds, which is a ways away (65 pounds). When I get to around 250 pounds not only will I have lost 100 pounds but I will also be the weight I was in 9th grade and looking for context to my body, since I have never really been that size as an adult. Thanks for your time and insight Steve, it has helped a lot to be able to verbalize my thoughts on paper (tech paper at least) and expose the weaknesses and strengths of my direction of my fitness program.

MNpineapple210