SO confused about what cardio to do for weight/fat loss ?!!

O

outofshape

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Hi

I'm finally getting into a routine this year for exercising after having a lazy Jan and not ending up exercising at all for a whole month!

I have a goal of losing as much weight as I can in the next 7 weeks for my bridesmaid occasion (ideal is 14 lbs) - but also and more importantly to get into a proper routine for long term to keep the weight off!!

I am totally confused as to what to do in terms of cardio though- do I do 3/4 days a week of 45-60 min sessions at between 70-90% of my MHR (max heart rate) ie steady cardio - or do I aim for 3 sessions of my interpretation of HIIT in a week?
I am also going to do weight sessions on the other 3 days with 1 rest day to start to build up some much needed muscle... I feel like I have no muscle strength at all!

Last week I tried a gym instructor's program (made for me after a 2 min conversation) of - HIIT for 10 mins (treadmill power walking/slower walking)
then a weight circuit of upper body with just 1 rep of the weights
then HIIT(eliptical) for another 15 mins
then another weight circuit
then a final HIIT of 10 mins (bike) and while I got through it- it completely wore me out SO much I couldnt make it back to the gym for about 4 days after!
I'm not that fit either so that was too much for me I think!!

This week I'm aiming at doing interval training and pushing myself for 30 secs then recovery for 1 min on say the bike for 10 mins and then fast walking on incline 2 for 1 min and then incline 8 for 1 min for 20 mins....(warmup of 5 mins)
I can't do running by the way...dodgy knees!! power walking is as near as it gets!

Could someone please point me in the right direction- should I continue to try to do my version of interval training (and for longer or does that sound right?) or should I go with steady cardio until I get a bit fitter?

I've decided to start light weight training to help build up the muscle and keep any fat off while I try to lose the weight/fat (and also build up strength to finally shake my 3 year on and off bouts of RSI in both arms/shoulders)

I am concious of my 7 week deadline looming.....


ANY advice is realllllly appreciated please!!

oh and I'm 27, female, 5ft 9" and weigh currently 145 lbs (after losing about 7lbs in last 2/3 months- wasn't monitoring properly!)

THANKS so much in advance for any comments :)
 
The magic will be in your diet more than exercise.

There's no magic in HIIT over SS or vice versa. They both have pros and cons.

I'd probably stick with one session of HIIT and the rest SS coupled with 2 days per week of full body strength training.
 
I've lost nearly 80 kgs (or 176 pounds) in the past two years and I have to say the biggest contributor to that has been spin or cycle classes (called RPM in Australia) - excellent interval training and you don't have to thik about it - you just do what the trainer tells you. Closest thing to fitness in a pill! Good luck.
 
what exactly are spinning classes? I hear only good things... also I'm going more for losing fat and getting lean without building much muscle, should I avoid the bike and using much resistance on the eliptical?? I currently do about 50 minutes of eliptical (different incline intervals) and 45 minutes of bike 5 times/week as well as light weight training 2-3 times/week.
 
Hello,

If you want to drop weight, start eating right!!!! Diet is huge.

You can over exercise so be careful not to push your body to hard.

It sounds like you are kinda on the right track.

I workout 6 days a week with a range of SPAM

but remember, unless you are eating the right foods your body will find it hard to drop the excess fat. More than likely you will see results but nothing compared to what you could achieve with the right diet.

Research into a healthy plan, no crash diets or quick fix products. Go for the lifestyle change and watch your dreams come true..

Good luck
 
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Thanks. I definitely know I eat right, besides any information I've read I've also learned alot about biochemistry and physiology throughout my education and am very confident I'm eating the right way for my goals. My problem is I seem to be building more muscle than I'd like since I havn't mastered how to get leaner without bulking up.
 
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For my body, I found jogging (especially jogging up hills and/or up stairs) burns my "extra" fat the fastest. I do stationary bike (spin sessions) every day but find too much circle motions during single session hurts my knees. Jogging up/down 15 flights of stairs for 30 minutes @ 3 times per day hurts my knees much less. Doing "the stairs" raises my cardio, opens my lungs and seems to squeeze the extra water out of my system. Doing TM at 3.5 mph "fast walk" for 5 minutes and 4.5 mph "super fast walk" for 10 minutes (repeat 3.5 to 4.5 mph speeds) for 45 minutes makes my body sweat as well. My buddy at work cannot do a TM. He says the visualization of standing between 2 rails, spinning belt under his feet and no forward motion makes him dizzy. Too dizzy. Thus, he does more stationary bike session (compared to TM sessions). My son does 10-15 miles on his roller blades. He simply slides them on and "away he goes". This is his favorite exercise.

We each have our own favorite cardio increase / 'calories burn' exercise. If you can, pick a few different exercises that "you" like to do every day / every other day. If one's exercise is "fun", one does it for longer period of time. Win-win on both battle fronts.

Hope some of these ideas help your body as well....

.
 
thanks so much for the replies- as its ended up my routine has been a COMPLETE mess the last 3 weeks between travelling and being sick!

I haven't actually made the gym for 2 weeks at the moment due to a bad kidney infection last week and now I have a rotten cold...I'm feeling so crap coz I NEED to exercise yet feel too weak and tired too :(

How soon do people think its ok to hit the gym after being sick and run down a bit? I'm wondering if I should just go today even though I'm shattered and have a bit of a sore throat/cough- am I just making excuses to myself (wouldn't be unheard of!!)

One other question I have is - do you think an hour of walking quite fast is ok to replace a cardio session at the gym? I was doing that a few times the week before last when I couldn't make the gym...
 
> do you think an hour of walking quite fast is ok to replace a cardio session at the gym? I was doing that a few times the week before last when I couldn't make the gym...

If one's body cannot do a fast cardio exercise (due to injury or lack of energy), then fast walking is better then nothing. As a suggestion, do "fast walk" for a few days. If your body is ok at this level, then perhaps fast walk 1 city block + jog 1 city block during the same session. Do this for a week or so. If your body is still ok, then do more time of faster cardio exercises. Or other fast paced exercises. Like skipping rope, walking (or jogging) up stairs, stationary / spin cycle or other fast paced exercises. Always remember to "feel your body". If it pains, immediately stop the fast pace exercise. Wait a few more days (for body to further recover) and try again. Only your body can advise when "its ready" for hard cardio sessions again.

Hope this helps...

.
 
If you feel too weak and tired to exercise, then don't, cause that will only make you feel worse and you won't be able to get back to the gym for longer. Take a couple days and when you start to feel better, go to the gym, and take it easy on the first day back to see how you feel. That's probably the right way to go about it...although it seems as though if I wake up with a cold and go to the gym and do light exercise, I feel better throughout the day, than I would've if I skipped the gym. Everybody's body is different though...
 
Just went through the same thing. I had a killer 6week cold that sapped me of EVERYTHING!!! When I had the engery, I was hacking so bad, I could not do it. Just getting back into it now.
 
thanks guys!

still haven't made it back yet this week but I was hopeful for this morning...didn't sleep a wink and had doc's appt so didn't make it again- I might do a light session this evening instead...
 
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