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freckles50 · 01-04-2010, 08:51 AM

My cardio choice is the eliptical trainer. Which is better: 40 minutes of continuous exercise on the eliptical once a day OR 30 minutes twice a day? I'm a beginner and figure 30 minutes would be a bit easier on me...to start, but maybe I can get more benefit from it by doing it twice a day. Opinions? Thanks!

Juice3154 · 01-05-2010, 11:42 AM

Your body needs to rest. It floors me how many people I see that come to the gym and all they do is "cardio". Day in and day out and their body never seems to change. Think about it....marathon runners look very very skinny and unhealthy in my opinion. But look at olympic sprinters. They are ripped. Why is that? Because when you sprint it releases a different chemical in your body that burns fat faster then traditional "cardio" and does it for a longer period of time after you are done. It also releases a different chemical that helps your body build muscle faster.
So I would say if your going to do something. Lift Mon, Wed, and Fri, and do windsprints for 8-10 minutes at the end of each workout. And don't think your going to bulk up by lifting weights....You won't.

freckles50 · 01-05-2010, 05:59 PM

I do weights also. Upper body one day and lower the next. I was just wondering if it was better to do 40 continuous minutes or 30 minutes twice a day. Thanks for the advice!

webkrawler · 01-06-2010, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juice3154

It floors me how many people I see that come to the gym and all they do is "cardio". Day in and day out and their body never seems to change..

As a person who only does cardio I can say that I really don't care that
my body never changes. But, it did change. 3 years ago I was just
over 300 lbs and now I am 160 and I overhauled my diet and did only
cardio (mainly walking 3-5 miles per day) to get this way.

Yeah, I know weighs can help but they just have never appealed to me and
I was reaching my goals without doing them.

I recently joined a gym and use the cardio, medium intesitity usually (low
impact) to keep my calories in check and I know its doing good for my heart.

Maybe one day I might venture on the other side of the gym to try to
weights. But, for now, I just don't have the interest. And everyone says
I look good the way I am so I am happy.

Also, cardio is easier I think. Even if I walked over to the other side
of the gym today, I wouldn't know where to start. I haven't time
to use all their equipment (they have A LOT of weight machines)
and I am unsure how to use most of them effectively and for how long
and etc. Sorry if I sound dumb. Cardio..I just walk on the treadmill
or use the bike or the elyptical and its easy.

Juice3154 · 01-06-2010, 12:52 PM

Well I am glad that you have had success doing only "cardio". That is wonderful news. I don't know how much muscle mass you have on your body now but if you build some muscle you can eat more calories throughout the day because your muscle burns the calories a lot faster then a body with a high body fat percentage.

Also cardio is training of the heart. So that means if your a person who gets on a treadmill and sets the treadmill for lets say 7 mph for 30 minutes your heart is only being trained at 7 mph. When a person has to put more stress on their heart they get tired quickly. So if a person were to have to sprint they may only be able to sprint at 10 mph for 30 seconds then have to stop because their heart isn't use to that work load its only use to the work load of 7 mph day in and day out.

People who do lift weights are also getting a cardio workout in. I don't know if you notice how many of the weight lifters are huffing and puffing after doing a set with heavy weights. That is training the heart or "cardio" at all different ranges. So by doing sprints you are training your heart at much higher workload levels allowing you to perform at a higher level when needed.

But again no matter how much a person lifts and runs but doesn't have a good nutrition plan they aren't going to see results until they eat healthy!

Also freckless50 to touch on your question again...if I were you I would have 1 high intensity cardio session per day. If you are going to do low to moderate intensity levels then I would do two sessions per day but don't burn yourself out.

webkrawler · 01-06-2010, 02:29 PM

Oh yes, I am very well aware I could burn more calories with more
muscle..

I have lost a lot of muscle mass but I am not scrawney. I am 6'1".

My typical cardio is about 4.2mph with a 10 incline (whatever that number
idicates) for 25-30 minutes and then some bike and elyptical time.

I have to admit my New Year's resolution has been to maybe creep
over and try some of the weights to gain a bit more muscle..I think
its about time. It is daunting, though, to figure it out.

I have 3 hours of "training" that came with my new gym membership
(without paying for a more expensive membership) so I am going
to try to get it figured out with a trainer there.

But, not all of us worry that much about our muscle mass so
that is why many of us just to cardio.

freckles50 · 01-07-2010, 06:52 AM

Webkrawler, I agree that doing weights isn't as appealing! I always stuck to cardio only, even though I knew that weights were beneficial. A few years ago I worked with a personal trainer to learn how to use free weights. I now work with a video: Kathy Smith's "Lift Weights to Lose Weight". It's hard! But, I do what I can. I do upper body one day and lower the next. I do the abs everyday. Kathy's workouts aren't very long, so are a good way to get started. It would be so easy to give up, because every muscle in my body hurts! In the past I've always given up, but this time I'm determined to stick it out. I assume if I'm persistent, it'll get easier and I'll get results. Maybe I'll grow to like it! I guess it all takes persistence and dedication...at least in the beginning! I'm going to be 60 years old this year and I want to get my body back in shape. Juice3154: Thanks again for the advice! I feel that the 2 30-minutes sessions are best for me right now. As I progress, I hope to be able to do just one high intensity session. Adding the weights has been enough of a committment for right now! Baby steps... Thanks again!

mod-anon · 01-08-2010, 06:50 AM

This thread is for answering the questions posed by the original poster, freckles50. Please stick to the topic and address the concerns of the original poster. Please start a thread of your own to discuss your own questions.

I have moved the latest post of webkrawler to a new thread:
"More protein needed?"

alakazou · 01-26-2010, 11:28 AM

Go for 30mins twice a day, and go for little more intensity than normal for perhaps half of the 30mins. Work it out gradually as your body adjusts to it. Then go for 40mins twice a day.

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