suzyshop1
04-26-2007, 04:48 AM
I walk on the treadmill twice a day. 1/2 hr each time for a total of an hr.I find it difficult to walk for up to and hr,45 mins seems to be my limit for right now.Which would be better for me to do struggle to do the 45 mins ,or would it be better for me to do the hr but break it up into two 1/2 hr segments.Im a 50 yr old female who needs to lose about 50 pds.For my age im pretty strong.Im thinking about resistence training,but i dont want to go overboard.I have a weight bench and weights.How many days should i weight train ,should i do any cardio on those days too ?I wouldl appreciate any replies.Take care.:blob_fire
Sponsor
Naxis
04-26-2007, 05:23 PM
Based on your stats, if you're just starting out do not do weights and cardio on the same day. Try a moderate weight training workout 2 or 3 days a week with at least 1 day between them and do cardio on the "off days".
If you want to start a weight training workout (which would absolutely be beneficial) you might want to start with just 3 compound exercises for at least a few weeks until you're comfortable with exercising and are a little more conditioned. If you do presses, rows, and bodyweight squats (to the best of your ability), you'll be hitting all the major muscle groups each workout. Try to do three sets of each with 12-15 reps per set. That shouldn't completely wipe you out or make you too sore, but will give you a good foundation and help you build some lean muscle which will ultimately help you lose weight. If you think you can handle it, use a weight that you can only do 10-12 reps per set - the last rep should be tough but not to muscle failure. After 3-6 weeks, you can expand your workout to isolate muscles like biceps, triceps, shoulders etc. if you wish.
For cardio, if you can do 45 minutes straight, that will probably be more beneficial than breaking up the session into two shorter sessions. Once you get your heart rate up and burn off your blood sugar, thats when your body taps into fat. If you have to go through the initial glucose burning phase twice, you're spending less time burning fat overall. It should be a bit of a struggle, so if it's kind of tough, that's good. If it actually hurts (joints, lungs etc) then two sessions is better than hurting yourself. :)
If you want to start a weight training workout (which would absolutely be beneficial) you might want to start with just 3 compound exercises for at least a few weeks until you're comfortable with exercising and are a little more conditioned. If you do presses, rows, and bodyweight squats (to the best of your ability), you'll be hitting all the major muscle groups each workout. Try to do three sets of each with 12-15 reps per set. That shouldn't completely wipe you out or make you too sore, but will give you a good foundation and help you build some lean muscle which will ultimately help you lose weight. If you think you can handle it, use a weight that you can only do 10-12 reps per set - the last rep should be tough but not to muscle failure. After 3-6 weeks, you can expand your workout to isolate muscles like biceps, triceps, shoulders etc. if you wish.
For cardio, if you can do 45 minutes straight, that will probably be more beneficial than breaking up the session into two shorter sessions. Once you get your heart rate up and burn off your blood sugar, thats when your body taps into fat. If you have to go through the initial glucose burning phase twice, you're spending less time burning fat overall. It should be a bit of a struggle, so if it's kind of tough, that's good. If it actually hurts (joints, lungs etc) then two sessions is better than hurting yourself. :)
luzon
04-27-2007, 08:41 AM
Hi there,
You could try interval training on your treadmill ,it is more interesting and the time goes quicker , you also burn , according to all the latest research more calories , which also continues after you have finished exercising for a good length of time . You can do less time , say half an hour ,the first and last five min's a medium paced warm up and cool down ,in between alternate between very fast and a bit less fast ,say one minute really flat out , this can be sprinting , or using the incline to make it very difficult , then a two or three min's pretty fast .As your fitness level improves you can go for a ratio of one to two , or even one to one !
Don't forget to stretch at the end and take at least one day off a week .
Miri
You could try interval training on your treadmill ,it is more interesting and the time goes quicker , you also burn , according to all the latest research more calories , which also continues after you have finished exercising for a good length of time . You can do less time , say half an hour ,the first and last five min's a medium paced warm up and cool down ,in between alternate between very fast and a bit less fast ,say one minute really flat out , this can be sprinting , or using the incline to make it very difficult , then a two or three min's pretty fast .As your fitness level improves you can go for a ratio of one to two , or even one to one !
Don't forget to stretch at the end and take at least one day off a week .
Miri