[Smiller264]

How often do you do weights and cardio weekly? How many days of each?

I keep getting mixed reports on what is ideal to loosing a weight at a slow healthy pace and building muscles. Some people say mostly weights with rest days, others mix equally, and my personal trainer now wants me doing mostly cardio on the days I don't see her so I can build up some more endurance.

So... I'm curious for those that focus on both cardio and weights, what is your "balance"?

[Shannon in ATL]

I try for three days of some kind of weight training, 3 days of cardio. Sometimes I do some cardio (stationary bike, kickboxing) on a weight day. On the straight up cardio days I don't usually throw strength training in (well, except for yoga or pilates, which some don't count as strength training.) If I find myself exercising only 5 days in a week it often ends up as 3 cardio, 2 strength because I'm trying to train for a half marathon.

How often do you see your personal trainer?

[LindaT]

I do cardio and weights 4 X a week and cardio alone once a week. My trainer wants me to do some cardio each day, but vary the workouts

[Eliana]

It depends on the decade! LOL!

I have recently stopped going with a 7 day week. Without paying attention to what day of the week it is, I cycle:

HIIT (high intensity interval training-cardio), weights, cardio, rest, HITT, weights, cardio, rest, etc.

There's no rhyme or reason to it except that I was making myself crazy trying to fit all that into 7 days while making sure I get the rest too.

[ubergirl]

I do cardio 5x a week and strength 3x a week-- so I often do cardio and strength on the same day. Is that bad?

I feel like I need the cardio more.

[Meg]

It's perfectly fine to do strength and cardio on the same day. Just do the strength first so your muscles aren't exhausted from cardio.

I do cardio every day (40 - 60 min) and lift 4 - 5 days a week. At my age (55), lots of exercise plus calorie control is the only way to keep my weight in the normal range. I couldn't do it with calorie control only. It's the same routine I used to lose the weight but then I just did a straight 60 min of cardio every day -- now I throw in some HIIT.

[patchworkpenguin]

I'm trying two shorter workouts a day instead of one long workout. Sometimes I don't feel I have time for the long workout {even though I always do}, so I thought this approach would help motivate me. {Sunday and Thursday are the exceptions} I did something similar to this last week, but this is what this week is supposed to look like, based on what did or did not work last week. Because I use exercise DVDs I made the generic rotation and picked out the workouts I want to use this week and stacked them on top of the DVD cabinet.

S- Total body cardio/weight circuit

M- Cardio + cardio + short abs {10min}

T- kettlebells + bellydance

W- kboxing + cardio + abs

T- Short lower body workout {30min Pilates, floorwork, ballet}

F- Upper body + intervals

S- step + cardio + abs

[Idealmuse]

I'm only doing strength 2x per week because of my training for endurance events.

Cardio 6-7x per week now. When I'm done with my longer events I'll probably add in more strength but right now it would take too much energy away from the task at hand.

[MakingSkinny]

Right now my schedule is:

Sun - Cardio, at least 1 hour
Mon - 20 min cardio followed by a 1 hour BodyPump class (weights)
Tues - 1/2 hour cardio while my oldest is at Kidz Club at church
Wed & Thurs - No gym due to evening commitments, so I try and get in some Wii fit/active, or at least heavy housework.
Fri - Cardio, at least 1 hour
Sat - 1 hour Sep class in the am, and 1 hour BodyPump class in the pm.

I would love to fit another Pump class, but unfortunately the gym schedule doesn't mesh with my family schedule right now.