New member with questions.......... - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

liftinokie · 09-17-2002, 05:03 AM

Hi All!
I'm a new member and that this is a great site. I'm lifting with weights and machine three days a week and speed walk 6 days on a treadmill. My goal is loss of fat and to build up somewhat. I have 2 questions. How long should I rest between sets? I work out for about an hour doing an overall body workout. Also at 48 years old can I still build muscle? I have been working out for about 4-5 months now and notice I don't get over soreness and get stronger as quickly as when I was younger!

someguyinhis20s · 09-17-2002, 08:54 AM

liftinokie,

It is entirely possible to build muscle at your age. But most people cannot burn fat and build muscle at the same time. One requires adding calories and the other requires cutting back on them. So you need to pick which one to focus on first. The Weight Issues section of this site has a ton of information on fat loss.

I'm also trying to lose fat and am weight training. Here is the plan I follow:

I do light cardio for 5 minutes to warm up.
I do one warm-up set of 12 reps at a light weight.
I then do 4 sets using a weight I can only do for 10-12 reps.
I rest 90 seconds between sets.
I never workout for more than an hour.
I weight train 3 days a week, alternating with my cardio days.
I do chest/shoulders/triceps on Day 1, legs on Day 2, back/biceps/forearms on Day 3, ab work on all three days.
I take one day per week to rest.

The idea here is to work to the point your muscles are burning. You want that lactic acid buildup cause it'll eventually lead to fat mobilization.

wfy trainer · 09-19-2002, 12:51 PM

Hi. I own an online personal training business and have a few tips for you.

That is awesome that you are speed walking 6X per week! However, you may want to add in some different cardio so that your body doesn't get adjusted to the same routine. Doing the same thing all the time can make your body find that it doesn't have to work as hard. I would suggest mixing it up. Adding in other activities: maybe jogging, biking, jumping rope or even speedwalking/jogging (for example a split of 5 minutes walking followed by 1 minute of jogging). Even just varying your speed walking routines would help -- so that you aren't doing the exact speed/incline/distance every time you get on the treadmill.

How often you should rest between sets really depends. If you are working the same muscle in a row then you should probably rest at least one minute between sets. However, if you are working different muscles you can probably rest just 30 seconds. Plus, if you do it this way and reduce your resting time, you will also get some cardiovascular benefits.

You definitely can still get stronger at your age! Lifting weights is a great idea because the main reason people's metabolism slows as they get older is because they lose muscle as they age. If you are not getting sore at all, then you may not be lifting properly. When you reach your final rep of each exercise, it should feel very difficult to complete it. If it doesn't you may either be doing too few reps or using too light of weights.

Hope this helps.

liftinokie · 09-21-2002, 11:52 AM

I thought that was a good idea on the treadmill. So I did 10 min. walking then 5 min. jog, 5 min. walk, 5 min jog and so on. I was surprised how out of shape I am!!! I wasn't winded jogging, my legs were tired! When younger it was the opposite. Afterwards my legs were very sore on the outside where they meet my hip. All I have done for my legs has been the speed walking and leg extensions on a machine. So now I have added squats and leg curls. The squats feel good