Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

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Old 03-20-2011, 02:47 AM   #1  
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Default Lifting with out cardio?

This may seem like an odd question but...will I look strange if I lift but don't do any cardio?

I really like lifting and have a couple physical challanges that makes cardio waay less enjoyable- I have HS which means sweaty friction is a bad bad thing. I like walking and the elipticle well enough but I'm starting to study for a super difficult grad school entrance exam while having a full time job which means that m non work/studying time is going to be very limited and Iwant to spend time on something that I get the most value out of emotionally as well as physically and I honestly just like lifting more.

I'm definitly thinking of foldingin more cardio in June (after the test- unless I have to re-take) and I realize resistance training won't create as much of a calorie deficit but honestly my fear is that I will somehow look strange with bulkier muscles under quivering layers of fatsorry for the typos and massive run on- I'm writing this on my phone in bed with insomnia.
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Old 03-20-2011, 01:42 PM   #2  
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G - 1 short answer to your Q: absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long answer: A few things...1 weight training DOES burn as many calories as cardio. Weight training burns calories while you train, but you also burn calories for up to an hour AFTER you're done lifting.

Weight training is more effective in changing your metabolism, IMO (and I think somewhere you can find actual scientific research to back that). Muscle takes more calories to maintain while at rest. When your body has more muscle, you burn more calories even as you sleep.

You can also achieve a cardiovascular benefit by lifting the way I will describe below, but first some basic training on liftin...1. Exercise large muscle groups first. Smaller muscles that are fatigued first won't be able to safely support the bigger muscles if you do it backwards, so bench press before you do triceps, for instance. In order to build muscle, you have to fully fatigue it. Don't bother doing every machine once. Do 1 set of ten to 12 squats at a weight you cannot lift more than 15 times. You will do 3 to 5 sets of this exercise before moving on to the next large leg muscle group.

Here's how to get a cardo benefit from weight training using the very most basic principles listed above: No rest in between sets...that is, no rest for your cardio system. When you lift, your heart rate and breathing rate increase to supply 02 and blood nutrients for the demanding muscles. Yes, the particular muscle group you just worked needs 60 seconds of rest, but your cardio system does not. So your next set will be immediate but another large muscle group in the body.

For instance, start with 10-12 reps of squats (did you know there's over 600 muscles in the body and the barbell squat works at least 300 of them?) and once the set is done, go immediately to chest press. Go back and forth between the two for 3-5 sets. Then do a different large muscle group like leg presses and lat pull downs or pull ups. Repeat sets. Then go for smaller groups of muscles alternating upper and lower with NOT a minute of time rest in between.

If you're not breathing heavy with your heart rate up, you may be dead! jk

This method is more effective than running to increase your cardiovascular efficiency. You burn calories, get out of the gym quicker AND burn calories just driving home. Be sure to look up recommended nutrition immediately after exercise. I currently use a protein shake designed for nutrition in the hour immediately following exercise.

Sorry for the huge post, but I hope it helps you!!
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Old 03-20-2011, 07:58 PM   #3  
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wow, this helped ME and I didn't even ask the question! Thanks!
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Old 03-20-2011, 10:19 PM   #4  
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Thanks! That was reassuring. I'll definitely work on that to get the best of both worlds


I'm glad you brought up lunges- it made me remember that I can do a good lower body workout at home. I don't do much weighted lower body work- except for the Leg Press and honestly I don't even press my own body weight so I think it worth the time in the gym.
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Old 03-21-2011, 10:33 AM   #5  
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G - there are TONS of ways to do lower body without weights at home.

Try this - every time you have to go up stairs, go up and down 3 times.

Every time you have to go any where in the house, lunge there or squat, step squat, step.

I just posted my boot camp work out for today in the boot camp section of support under "chicks up for a challenge" page 7 thread 2. Lots of plyometrics = good for legs and cardio.

If you can't find it, PM me and I'll give you the low down.

Good luck!
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Old 03-21-2011, 01:13 PM   #6  
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while supersetting MAY be appropriate, especially for the OP, one must remember it is Not ALWAYS an appropriate way to train..... no one way works for everyone, in other words. If I, meself personally, do a *metabilic* type workout wth supersets, my body gets extrememly stressed out (hormonally) and will not allow me to lose fat...... In fact, it may be th last thing a smaller conditioned female wants to do if trying to lose weight.

As i said above, this is NOT the case with the OP, and is really a good idea--- i just dont like it when people thik that working out, in any style is a one-size fits all approach, ya know?
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Old 03-21-2011, 02:32 PM   #7  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkroyer View Post
while supersetting MAY be appropriate, especially for the OP, one must remember it is Not ALWAYS an appropriate way to train..... no one way works for everyone, in other words. If I, meself personally, do a *metabilic* type workout wth supersets, my body gets extrememly stressed out (hormonally) and will not allow me to lose fat...... In fact, it may be th last thing a smaller conditioned female wants to do if trying to lose weight.

As i said above, this is NOT the case with the OP, and is really a good idea--- i just dont like it when people thik that working out, in any style is a one-size fits all approach, ya know?
TOTALLY agreed. IDK which post you were referring to but my 1st post answered her question about doing only weights. Somewhere in here I had posted that I noticed fat gain after my job required me to lead the metabolic classes, leaving me not enough days in the week to recover from weight training. So I had to give that up. I had a different demand for my body and I ate more. I'm trying to remember if I ate more on purpose or if I was just hungrier. Either way, I ate more. I have been adjusting my diet for a couple of weeks now and I'm back to what's normal for me.

One thing I want to point out, too, is that while not every way to exercise gives everyone the same results, if you're burning more calories than you're honestly eating, there will be a weight loss. Lifting weights will undoubtedly increase your muscle percentage while burning calories which in turn, causes you to burn more calories.

I sometimes question the long term value of metabolic work out. If, after 3 months of NOT doing heavy weights but religiously all-out doing metabolic only, and I see negative results, I have to question this. Why is this so? Like I said, I ate more. Now that I have that adjusted, I am back to being an experiment in progress and will know the answer in about 6 more months!

And mind you, the answer will be mine alone coz every body is different.
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Old 03-21-2011, 02:38 PM   #8  
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I do primarily resistance training workouts and find that I get a great cardio workout as well because I do circuit training where I move from one move to another. I lift at a fairly slow pace (2 seconds down, 2 seconds up) but move rapidly from one exercise to the next. My heart rate stays about 140-150BPM and I break a good sweat. I don't think you have to run or bicycle in order to get a cardio benefit.
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