Question about cardio, Finding a good blend of cardio/strength

W

Whitney

0
I am in my 3rd week of working out 5 X/week and am still finding my perfect fit.

my 1st 2 wks looked like this:
Mon: pilates, kickboxing
Tues: Treadmill for 20 min., lower body
Wed: Cycling for 45 min
Thurs: treadmill. upper body
Fri: cycling

I am cutting out the cycling and changing it to this:
Mon: pilates, kickboxing
Tues: Lower body, 10 mins on elliptical
Wed: HIIT on treadmill, 20 mins
Thurs: upper body, 10 min elliptical
Fri: HIIT on treadmill, 20 mins

* My main question is... on my 2 cardio "HIIT treadmill days," is this enough for that day? is there anything else I should do? Should I squeeze in some light upper/lower body weights on those days??

TIA for your advice!!
 
just HIIT is fine on those days. HIIT, when done correctly, is enough.
 
what are your goals?

keep everything you do focused towards what your aims are? there's no point throwing in 'light' weights if they're not needed - in fact i can see little point in doing them to fill time, just make sure you work hard enough when you do your regular weights program.

you may also find it more productive to not do cardio post-weights, as you're just going to be breaking down lean tissue. instead try to separate them (am - pm) or just drop it all together.

personally, i cant really see the benefit of 10 mins cardio after weights, you do plenty of cardio with your kickboxing and HIIT. if you're working at the necessary intensity you'll need the rest.
 
Woohoo thanks everyone!!
You're right, MB1, I am pretty beat after my HIIT cardio... OK I am kinda assuming what I am doing is HIIT. Any advice is appreciated. I am running on the treadmill for 5 min. at a 5.3 speed, then I jack it up to 7.3 for 20 seconds, then go back to 5.3 for 1 min., 7.3 for 20 sec., back down for 1 min., 10 times. I actually couldn't make the full 10 sprints so I started at 6, my 2nd time did 7, then I sprint at the end for however long all of the skipped sprints would have added up to. Does that make sense? Then a few mins of cool-down...
flyinfree- I decided to cut out the cycling because I think I was doing too much cardio and for any cardio I am going to pack in, I prefer the treadmill. For 1, my major target areas are my butt and thighs and I *heard* that standing cardio is much better for this than sitting cardio. Also, I would LLOOOVE to run a marathon by the time I am 30. I am pretty much starting my exercise routine out of nowhere at the age of 23 after having my 2nd baby 3 months ago so I have a lot of work ahead of me.
benelson101- I would love to cut out that 10 mins on the elliptical if it's not really needed. I def need to step up my weights a little more. My goal is 6 weeks, to keep going 5X/day. I took before pics and I am done w/week 3 so I am still figuring out what is needed to reach my goals and I am ready to start pumping things up. I am 5'7", right now I weigh 130-135. I def. want to get down to at least 125 but I have never had much muscle my whole life so am wondering if I will be weighing more than I am used to when I reach my physical-looking goal, with all of this weight training etc.

Sorry I am rambling-info overload. I am really excited about my new healthy lifestyle and I love the support I get on this website!!!! Thank you sooo much!
 
Whitney, I am an active cyclist and for butts (glutes) and thighs (quads), I am a firm believer in cycling (upright or spinner, not a recumbent style) and squats. I have never felt the same muscle fatigue in those muscles from running.
 
I'd suggest moving to a full body workout three times week. As it is now, you're only strength training your upper and lower body once every 7 days. With full body workouts you'll be better able to see progress. Something like Tues, Wed and Fri provided you have an A workout and a B workout.
 
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