[CakeBatter]

I have been working out for a while now. On and off for the last year and most consistently for the last 4 months. However when I say working out I mean cardio. I haven't been doing any weight training and resistance training mostly because I am so effin pooped after my cardio. But now I am to the point of running a little over miles (pretty comfortably i might add) and I need to step up my toning. I have Taebo (the whole set) bootcamp and some other series and I also have resistance bands. I don't necessarily wanna lift weights in the gym for two reasons: 1. There a kazillion machines and I don't really know where to start or I would have to get one of the training sessions and 2. There so many freakin ppl that you can't fluidly go from one machine to the next. Can I use the resistance bands and the Taebo DVDS to compensate weight training to tone up? ...at least for a while???

[AnAbsoluteDiva]

Yes you can.

[MonteCristo]

Ashlan - It is recommended that you do weight training before cardio if you do them the same day. Otherwise you will be worn out from the cardio, and not be ablt to give your full effort to the weight training.

[junebug41]

Weight training before cardio, as Monte Cristo said.

I prefer free weights (not machines) and resistance bands and yoga.

Weight training can be tricky if you have never done it. Just make sure you're paying attention to form so you're working the right muscles and not getting hurt Sign up for a session or two with a trainer to show you the ropes.

[CakeBatter]

Thanks ladies. I have actuallty lifted weights in the past (with a trainer) but I figured i know what machines do what I just don't what I need i guess. I know I am officially NOT making sense. I most definitely gonna do resistance then cardio and see how that works for me. I think I am gonna stick with the bands and Taebo for awhile instead of weight machines because there is just too many ppl and I will way too frustrated.

[brooksrm]

Here's the hour long workout my personal trainer taught me. I did it last night with a buddy (I wrote it down so I'd remember everything to do on my own).

Materials used: Arc trainer (similar to elliptical, easily substituted for any cardio warm up), stability ball, hand weights (she started me on 5 lb), a small stability ball (can be subbed for a pillow), a floor mat, a step, and a BOSU ball (can be substituted for a step or nothing at all).

1) Warm up: 10 minutes on arc trainer or any cardio to get the muscles warm so you don't hurt anything. You don't want to just jump into weights or resistance with cold muscles.
2) Stretch: Calves, quads, reach for toes, arms (across the chest, then that one where you stretch your triceps by stretching your elbow over your head?)
3a) Arms. Grab your hand weights. Get on the balance ball and roll forward til only your neck and shoulders are on the ball. Bridge position. This is when you keep your butt and tummy flat, pressing toward the ceiling at all times. Squeeze your buttcheeks the entire time. First, with your weights in hand, do chest presses. Start with hands at shoulders and press the weights straight over your chest until they touch. Note: For all exercises here on out unless otherwise mentioned, do 3 sets of 12.
3b) After 3 sets of chest presses, do 3 sets of hammer curls on the ball. Start with your elbows at your sides (touching!) and curl up to your shoulder in a hammer press. (It's like a bicep curl with your hands facing you). When you curl back down, don't straighten your arm all the way, but keep some resistance for your triceps.
3c) After 3 sets of hammer curls, start again in the same position you started hammer curls. Only this time, keep your arms straight and reach all the way over your head and back down to starting position. 3 sets. Stretch arms again.
4a) Abs. Bring the ball over to a wall. Walk it back so when your lower back is on the ball, your feet are on the floor but toes touching the wall, knees bent slightly. I'll mention because I noticed this with a friend--when crunching up, keep the ball and legs steady, and use your abs for the work. She was bending her knees and rolling the ball under her with each move. First, 3 sets of 12, crunch forward and touch your fingers to the wall with each crunch. If you're not feeling it (I have strong abs under all my blubber so I complained at first that I felt nothing), walk the ball back a few more inches and keep trying until you feel it in your abs.
4b) Side crunches. Stay near the wall. Get on your side on the ball and scissor your legs out. I don't know how to explain than to say put your top leg forward and your bottom leg behind you, keep them straight, and use the wall for balance. With the ball under your side, crunch up and touch the wall like before. You can put your wall hand on your hip between wall touches. I know I butchered this explanation... 3 sets on each side. It will burn.
4c) Jack knife. Lay down on the mat. Put the SMALL stability ball or pillow between your ankles. Stretch your arms straight overhead. Crunch your legs (straight) and arms (straight) overhead, pass the ball or pillow from feet to hands, and bring it to the ground over your head. Then crunch back up, pass it back to feet, and down. This is 1 rep. My trainer had me do 2 (not 3) sets of 8 (not 12). I prefer to do this before leg exercises, because it involves upper leg strength and to be frank, my trainer's order was different and I couldn't complete the 2nd set when my legs were sore and tired first.
5a) Legs. First, hold on to a chair or a bar or something at your side for balance. With your right hand on your hip, bring your right leg straight at about a 45 degree angle from your body. Make circles in the air (I aimed for dinner plate size, but for more burn, make it slightly larger). 12 forward and without putting your leg down, 12 backward. 3 sets on each leg.
5b) Lunges. I did these on the BOSU ball at the gym (It's like a half stability ball on a sturdy base). You can do this on a step also, or just on the floor. Stand a good distance away from the BOSU ball and lunge forward into the middle of the ball, and then stand up. 12 lunges on one leg, 12 lunges on the next. 3 sets each.
5c) Step exercise 1. You can modify this as needed, but your heart rate will probably skyrocket on these last 2 exercises. You can do a basic step, but I did a knee-raise step, alternating knees on every other step. My trainer put 3 lb weights in my hands and when my left knee was up, I was to punch (with the weight) across my body with my right arm. Vice versa. 3 sets 12. On my own, I did this without weights. Less of a shoulder workout, but the cardio and legs made up for it in my opinion.
5d) Last one! Very hard, but if I can do it with my weak knees and all, you can too. Turn the step so the short end is facing you and it's all longways in front of you. Get on it. Jump down straddling it, and jump back up into center. 3 sets 12. You can do jumping jack arms if you want to, I didn't. Also, at home, jumping jacks would substitute it perfectly.
6) Stretch out everything one more time and relax!

This was a long winded post, but I did it because it feels like a thorough workout and it's mostly stuff you can do at home with materials you may already have. And as I tell my friend that I work out with, it's silly to pay for a training session when you have a friend who can take notes and tell you exactly what was in hers.

[jahjah1223]

Right now im going to lay off the cardio and only do it 2 times a week , im going to do yoga,pilates ,weight training, ab work and the bands .

[mandalinn82]

You might also consider getting a weight training video that'll give you an idea of basic form with free weights. The woman who does the show "Workout" on Bravo (Jackie Warner) has a One-on-One training series that I really like...basic weight training moves with cardio intervals thrown in. It's really pretty easy to follow but makes a point of helping you maintain good form. It's a cheaper, at-home alternative to the gym/trainer route.

Even better - try to find someone to watch you doing the video and tell you if your form is good...unless, of course, you have a mirror...then you can watch yourself!

[Iconised Ghost]

i also prefer free weights- the machines freak me out, im scared i'll kill myself on them xD My gym does a free weights 50min class which is awesome, yours might offer something similar, they show you how to do it and keep you pumped throughout the whole thing.

[katie3181]

CakeBatter: I'd say that the bands and Taebo would be fine for now until they get too easy. Then you'd have to try something different.

brooksrm: Thanks for posting your training session! I'm just getting back into weight training and that is a great work out for me to start with.

jahjah1223: Just curious why you are laying off cardio for now. Is it because of recent reports that say weight training plays more of a role in weight loss than cardio? Do you think cardio played a big role in losing the 30 pounds you've already lost? (Great job on that by the way)

[CakeBatter]

Thanks everyone for the advice and posted workouts. I am gonna to the band and DVD's and incoporate Booksrm workout. I hopefully I will have this thing down pat soon enough.