Okay - so I'm not new to working out with weights - but I'm trying to get back into things and really want to get it right.... I mean i know i can't be perfect instantly, but always aim high!

So first question:

I read in the body for life plan - the lifting they suggest goes like this:
Select one exercise and conduct five sets with it, starting with a set of 12 reps, then increasing the weight and doing 10 reps, adding more weight and doing 8 reps, adding more weight for 6 reps. Then reduce the weight and do 12 reps. Immediately perform another set of 12 reps for that muscle group using the second selected exercise.

So will this be more effective than, say, doing three sets of twelve reps at the same weight?

Second question:

The program recomends only 1 day of lowerbody, 2 days of upperbody, and two days of cardio. I would have chosen 2 days of lowerbody, 3 days of upperbody and 6 days of cardio. Am I on the right track here?

Also - - how much cardio is enough? Is aiming for 30-45 minutes of moderate cardio everyday enough? I hear stories of people doing hours and hours of cardio and it's really just not me!

Any tips would help

Yes, you will get stronger faster by increasing the load. Working with the same weight is great for muscle maintenance, but if you are always working with a weight with which you can complete that many reps and sets, you won't see as much muscle gain.

Nope- you have to look at a two week period. The program specifies alternating lower body/ upper body lifting days, so that over a period of two weeks, you have 3 of each.

Hours of cardio??? Who? The BFL program calls for 20 minutes of INTENSE interval training every other day. Personally, that wasn't enough cardio, or there was too much food for me. The intensity level that you should aim for is really dependent on your current conditioning. If you can do 45 minutes of moderate steady state cardio, try 30 minutes of more intense, with intervals of higher intensity, then recovery periods.

But all this is really dependent on what your goals are. Are you trying to lose weight? Build muscle? do both?

Mel

Sarah,
I am no expert but I recall from reading various sources that recommended amount of cardio is 30 minutes 3x a week. I do cardio every other day (I run on treadmill) but recently I started having problems so I had give myself two days in between. I am going to stick out till the end of August (I am a real stickler for being able to check off an item on my list - I need to complete my 65 miles) and I think I will start doing cardio on set days (most likely Tue, Thur, Sat) so that I don't have to get up at 5:30 a.m. Monday mornings - that is really the worst. :-)
I don't think that you need to be doing a cardio every day, make sure you give yourself at one day of rest a week.

Hmmm....i just hear about these people that run in the morning and also at night and it makes me think that I need to do that to burn the fat! But I really don't even like cardio I much prefer weights!

I just had a friend offer to send me the BFL book - yay! Hopefully this will help me understand the program alot better!

Mel - I feel that 20 minutes wont be enough for me either - I don't like limiting my food intake too much, cas I find it mentally doesnt pay off for me (Ill eat twice as much later!) so i need to up the cardio a bit to burn off the extra food!

Whenever I'm lifting to gain some weight, I hit each body part twice a week. As for cardio, I tend to do 20-30 mins after I lift because at that point my metabolism is already running hot. And hours of cardio seems unneccesary to me. You only burn calories while performing cardiovascular exercise and then once you stop you stop burning calories. But with weightlifting the metabolism is elevated for 24-36 hours, that's why I like to emphasize total body workouts when trying to lose weight.

In addition to BFL, I'd recommend checking out the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's a really good book about weight lifting and strength building and helps clear up a lot of the myths around building strength.

I've found that there's some overlap in the programs ... as well as some difference. But both are really educational and informative.

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Thanks! I had a look last time I was at the book store and it's all either "how to get super model legs" and that kinda crap (which i just cant take seriously) or like Pilates and stuff - which is cool, but I want some serious muscle building going on!

GriffoGrub - thats a good idea. I tend to split my cardio, do 15 and then 15 cas I get bored, but it kinda makes sence to do it all whilst the metabolisms all burning fat already huh?

Hi Sarah, did you get the book?
I'm starting BFL tomorrow and was wondering how it's been working for you.

I know I sound like a broken record, but there's no need to do hours of cardio per day to lose weight, gain strength, improve your blood profile, reduce your heart attack risk, or whatever other goal you have in mind. In fact, at some point -- esp. among highly trained people -- cardio and strength training work at cross purposes, because your body breaks down muscle to fuel the aerobic exercise. This is why many athletes have bulking phases and cutting phases: they train and eat to build muscle in the former, and train and eat to lose fat in the latter.

I also find that, for me, doing a lot of cardio makes it much, much harder to "eat clean." And, it doesn't take all that much food -- even "good" food -- to offset the number of calories you'll burn in an hour of treadmill work.

Interval work is a good idea, as is mixing up what types of cardio activities (swimming vs. jogging vs. biking) you do and at what intensity.

Remember, more is not better, better is better!

Be strong,
Kim

I want that on a T-Shirt!

Hours per day?? Where would you find the time? As a successful weight loss maintainer-7 years and 5 kids later, you absolutely do not have to spend hours doing cardio. Spend up to 30 minutes, but make it high intensity. And you don't need to go to the gym even (what a time saver) or purchase expensive equipment. Jump rope, do sprints, step ups, burpees or star jumps 30 secs to a minute hard with a short 'rest' interval. Repeat for 20-30 minutes. You will burn heaps of calories during the workout and for hours afterward.
Which brings me to another point, weight training only burns extra calories for hours afterwards if it is done with intensity too. I see so many people, particularly women with their light barbie weights going through the motions day in day out. They don't look any different, don't get any stronger or fitter and are pretty much wasting their time. Lift heavier weights girls. You will not get huge muscles! Combine bodyweight exercises with weights circuit style. A great time saver that results in fat loss, improved muscular endurance and strength and a better body shape. Of course, you must train hard no matter what you do. Goodluck with your weight loss.

I struggle to lose weight. I am in menopause, am 44 years old and have been sedentary for while. I find that must do intense cardio for an hour a day for up to 6 days a week to make the scales budge..and this is while eating clean and between 1400-1700 calories a day. How much cardio is considered to be too much? Two weeks ago, I started weight training with the machines. I'm excited to see what happens with the scales.

Rhonda,

Have you looked into HIIT? (High Intensity Interval training). It can give you an intense workout in much less time. I'd recommend looking at some weight lifting books like Body For Life or New Rules of Lifting for Women. Many of us are doing New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Seconding Nelie's suggestion. I only do ss-cardio for 30 mins after weight lifting sessions. The rest of hte time I do 20-30 mins of HIIT cardio and it works much better for me than an hour+ of regular cardio.

Check out the Body for Life or New Rules books.

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Hi Rhonda, definately make high intensity cardio a big part of your program to lose weight. If you have been seduntary for a while and can do high intensity cardio for an hour, I doubt you are actually going high intensity enough. High intensity is really high and shifts fat like you wouldn't believe, go as hard as you can for 30 seconds (like you couldn't keep it up any longer) then go easy for 30 seconds. Repeat for 20-30 minutes after warming up well.

Weight machines may not be the best way to shift fat either. If you want to use weights, learn how to use the free weights for a bigger calorie burn and make sure you are pushing yourself. If the last few repetitions of each set are not very hard, you won't be acheiving much.

Try circuit training too. You can do exercises with weights, but I love doing bodyweight training for heaps of variety no equipement required. Do it in front of the telly if you want.