New to a regular cardio routine

[lgschofield]

5 weeks ago I started ercising regularly and tracking my diet. I am a female; 43 years old 5ft 5 in. tall and weigh 215. I have approximately 50 pounds to lose.

For Cardio do 30 minutes on the treadmill every day. I start out
by doing a level 1 at about a 2.5 pace for 5 minutes and then gradually increase until I am at a level 3 and a 3.3 pace. Within the 30 minutes, I may job at a 4.0 or 4.1 pace for 1-2 minutes.

I do weight training 3 x per week. Does my cardio look ok for a beginner? A true HIIT training seems to difficult for me now at this weight.

[Boss Man]

You're fluctuating the pace of Cardio, which is fine, and the duration is fine, however I don't think you need daily Cardio. Aim for about 2-3 sessions a week, with the same duration and fluctuation aspect.

You're doing weights as well, so that's why you don't need to go to Cardio city.

You could rather than flucating the level yourself, try a level 2 interval, as you're going between 1-3 anyway, so a happy medium might work for you, just so you can get on with it, rather than manually altering it yourself.

I doubt the difference in efficacy or benefit would differ that much anyway. Although your way of doing it is certainly fine, for fluctuating the heart rate and reducing possible adaption for the body.

[ldematto]

Hi and Welcome! I was about your weight, never exercised before in my life - female a bit older than you. For the first 13 weeks my main goal was fat loss. I lost 26 lbs. and this is what I did - I don't mean to be contrary to what Boss said because I agree with him - but think initially the cardio everyday helps when you start out.

First I performed some floor exercises; leg raises, hip thrusts and oblique crunches. Then 30 minutes on the treadmill at about 3.4 mph. I started out at 20 minutes, increased to 30 and got to level 4 over time. Then did about 30 minutes of a weight routine.

Now - I do HIIT twice a week, Weights M-W-F and 1 day steady cardio 30 minutes. I do full body workouts primarily free weights (some machine assists) and am still losing weight, just not at the same rate - all with the help of everyone here at Shapefit who have me convinced to ignore the scale, that muscle weighs more than fat and my goals need to change.

I know it seems like a daunting task - my initial goal was to lose 61 lbs. - I'm at 35.5 now and my new goal is to lose another 15. Nutrition is key - working out without eating clean won't be as affective.

Good luck - you can do it! If I can help in any way please let me know! :)

[lgschofield]

Thank you to both of you. I plan to continue my workout and ignore the scale. I am working on eating clean and cleaning up my diet. I will come here for support . Endurance is something I need to work on and I think it will come in time as I exercise each day.

Thanks again!

[Boss Man]

No you don't sound contradictary. The only thing is, when someone is starting out, it is important not to overdo it, just like in any stage of the process.

3 days of weights and daily Cardio to me sound quite a lot, especially as the person is new to it, and if the 3 days weights and 2-3 sessions of Cardio are done right, and the two off days are not back to back, there is plenty of scope for positive change, without overdoing it.

Last thing needed is burnt muscle, and perhaps slightly elevated weight loss level, which could result in some left over loose skin.

Those are some reasons for my thinking. Certainly no worries at all Lu about what you said.

[lgschofield]

Thanks Boss Man for the advice. I will be sure to not take my two days off together and am considering not doing cardio every day. I have been at this for 5 weeks now and I am putting away the scale for a while because I actually gained 5 pounds!

I am fairly new to the whole workout thing although many years ago (probably 8 or 9) I did work with a personal trainer for a time. I was much thinner back then but I did learn how to perform different weight exercises which is good because I havent forgotten them.

I do hear a lot of people on this site talk about not using dumbbells and wonder why and what the difference is between them and 'free weights'. I am not using a gym membership but doing my training at home and have a treadmill, weight bench and several sets of dumbbells.

[ldematto]

Bossman is right of course - for me a bit of Cardio everyday got me pumped up! I needed that to get me going. But I was only dabbling at weights back then - mostly machines.

These guys have me totally off machines now - just a pull up assist and Smith now.

Anyway, just sharing my experience - you can't go wrong with the Bossman on anything! :)

[lgschofield]

Thanks idemato...I hear you...infact tonight I went ahead and still did my cardio...have a hard time letting it go because it does get me invigorated.

I love it that I found this site as I have a feeling I am going to learn so much about exercise!

[PandorasVise]

I don't know why anyone would say not to use dumbbells. That is all I use in my workouts. I don't want my strong arm helping my weak arm out.

I am using the ChaLean X weight program and use dumbbells. It is a 3 month program and I think it is working for me. You get 3 videos a week, for 4 weeks, then 3 new videos for 4 weeks and then 3 new videos for 4 weeks. Since the videos are changing up, by the time I can start remembering all the lines they say, the videos change. It also some with several cadio, abs, and stretching videos. I alternate weight and cardio days, with two days off a week but not in a row. I also walk daily. I stopped using the cardio videos because I took up kick boxing and that is more cardio than I need but I like it too much.


Your weight will come off. Just don't let your weight get in the way of doing whatever you want. I was once 240 when I took up tennis. Right now I am 190 and the only fat person taking kickboxing. Everyone else has a green belt or black belt and it can be a struggle to keep up but the feeling you get when you finish something like that is awesome.
~Patty

[Boss Man]

Sometimes Dumbbell exercises like Bench Pressing, may be a little problematic for people training alone, just incase not having a partner or spotter causes problems, when a possible accident occurs.

This is the only real issue with Dumbbells, other than using them for stupid things like Wrist Curls, so there's no reason not to use them, apart from training at home, when it's better to use a disc based system, as it's cheaper and easier.

[Seminole]

I j ust started this week and have gained 1 LB and I was like what is up with this but glad to see I am not alone

Thanks Boss Man for the advice. I will be sure to not take my two days off together and am considering not doing cardio every day. I have been at this for 5 weeks now and I am putting away the scale for a while because I actually gained 5 pounds!

I am fairly new to the whole workout thing although many years ago (probably 8 or 9) I did work with a personal trainer for a time. I was much thinner back then but I did learn how to perform different weight exercises which is good because I havent forgotten them.

I do hear a lot of people on this site talk about not using dumbbells and wonder why and what the difference is between them and 'free weights'. I am not using a gym membership but doing my training at home and have a treadmill, weight bench and several sets of dumbbells.

[lgschofield]

Hi! Well for what it is worth from another newbie...dont give up! I am seeing lost inches definately and today I drug the scale out (I couldnt stand it) and actually saw a 3 lb weight loss. It didnt really get me excited because I have been at this for almost 6 weeks now! That is not even a pound a week! I am just wondering how long it will be before I see a big drop in the weight.

However, I do see the inches going away...I have clothes fitting much loser and pants/shorts that I can actually slide off without unzipping! This is the only thing that has kept me going on the routine day-after-da.

[Boss Man]

Don't foreget, some of that result could be down to some muscle gain, so don't view 3lbs lost in 6 weeks as a slight understatement, as in some cases it's not.

[dkforman]

Hello! I am new to this site also and this is my first post. On Jan 10, I weighed 193.4# and today I weigh 160#. I am 5'3. I lost most of my weight mainly by counting calories, eating every 3-4 hours and making better food choices. I allow 200 cal for breakfast,300 for lunch, 400 for dinner and healthy snacks in between. I often eat Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones by Weight Watchers and though these are not ideal, they are convenient and it allows for calorie control. I do eat extra fruit and veggies as my snacks and am a little concerned about the sodium content of these meals. I drink 2-3 bottles of water each day.
In the beginning, I spent 1 hour a day, 3 days a week on the treadmill. After my first 18#, I got lazy and figured out that I could lose weight without exercising. I have lost a total of 20 inches overall and my pant size is 6 sizes smaller which thrills me but I cannot lose the rest of my gut or my flabby thighs! Since my initial 10# loss, I have consistently lost 1-2 pounds a week. This past week I joined the gym and I am terrified that I will stop losing weight because I will gain muscle mass. I am a nurse and know that is not altogether true but am still very worried. I joined the gym on Wednesday and met with a fitness trainer on Thursday. Overall, she said my diet is fine but that I need to add a protein shake after working out. She said that I can do cardio 6 times a week and weight training every other day. I also started a yoga class. I am addicted to this website and have learned so much in a short time. For example, I have learned that I need to increase my calories on the days I work out plus add more protein. I have been eating 1000-1200 cal/day for a very long time. I added an extra protein snack after exercise this week because I was starving. Obviously, I need to listen to my body:)
I don't think that it is realistic for me to expect to be at the gym 6 days a week but want to go 3-4 days a week. I work 11A-11P every weekend and those will have to be my days off. On Wed, I spent 30 min on the treadmill at a 4.5 incline, 3.2 mph. I spent 10 min on the bike, about 30 min on the weight machines and an hour in Yoga. And yes, I could still move on Thursday. Thursday, I just did cardio and Friday, I did cardio for 30 min and weights for 30 min.
I want to lose 20 more pounds and I want overall toning paying special attention to my gut and legs. I really don't know what I need to do to get there. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Thank you!
Kathy

[swanso5]

if you train with wts, you might not lose wt but you'll lose fat for sure so you'll look better anyway at the very least

make those cardio sessions interval training too (alternating hard and easy intervals)

or maybe this:

www.uponlinetraining.com