Help with fitness plan!

[Nicole786]

Hey guys,

I'm working on my fitness routine and i need a little help. I'm deciding between two different regimes. Help me chose which is better for my body!

Option 1:

20 Minute Cardio (Run with soccer ball)
20 minute strength training (with help from sparkpeople and weights)
Monday, Wed., Friday, (and/or Sunday)

Option 2:
40 Minute Cardio (Monday, Wed. Friday)
40 minute strength training (tuesday, thursday, saturday)

I would rather do option 1, but a coworker of mine told me that it wouldn't be good for my body. He's no expert, but i'd like to get a bunch of opinions, i really wanna be on a fastpass to thin! Also, i have asthma, so i think running for 40 minutes, although i know i can do it, would take a lot of strength. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Luthien_Rei]

Hi Nicole!

20 minutes of Cardio won't be "bad" for you, but you don't start burning fat until the 20 min. mark. So it's better than not doing anything, but if your goal is to burn fat and tone muscle then I would extend your cardio time to atleast 30 mins.

As far as the weights go, you are either using enough resistance to tone and build muscle (so you burn more calories) or you're not. Start with low weights and slowly build up the number of reps and weights that you can handle. When I do weights I don't time myself so I don't know how long I do them for. Think of weights in terms of reps and resistance, not time. I hope this helps!

 

[ohMom]

well, what happened to a day of rest and recovery mid-week?? your muscles need it honestly.

it's hard to answer not knowing your fitness level now? are you just starting??

why not something like:

M - 40 mins cardio

T/Th/S -- 30 mins cardo and 20 mins strength, 5 mins stretching

F- active recover day like yoga or pilates

wed -- recover day -- off

 

[Nicole786]

well, what happened to a day of rest and recovery mid-week?? your muscles need it honestly.

it's hard to answer not knowing your fitness level now? are you just starting??

why not something like:

M - 40 mins cardio

T/Th/S -- 30 mins cardo and 20 mins strength, 5 mins stretching

F- active recover day like yoga or pilates

wed -- recover day -- off

My original plan was to do Monday, Wed. Friday, Sunday 30 minutes cardio/20 minutes weights. I Like the plan youve suggested though, however, i have a difficult time because of scheduling reasons to workout on tuesdays and thursdays. I will take it into consideration after i experiment the first couple of weeks with different routines! thanks for the input!

 

[Nicole786]

Hi Nicole!

20 minutes of Cardio won't be "bad" for you, but you don't start burning fat until the 20 min. mark. So it's better than not doing anything, but if your goal is to burn fat and tone muscle then I would extend your cardio time to atleast 30 mins.

As far as the weights go, you are either using enough resistance to tone and build muscle (so you burn more calories) or you're not. Start with low weights and slowly build up the number of reps and weights that you can handle. When I do weights I don't time myself so I don't know how long I do them for. Think of weights in terms of reps and resistance, not time. I hope this helps!

thanks for the suggestion! Actually, i meant to put 30 minutes cardio, but i guess i forgot lol.

 

[JMD]

20 minutes of Cardio won't be "bad" for you, but you don't start burning fat until the 20 min. mark. So it's better than not doing anything, but if your goal is to burn fat and tone muscle then I would extend your cardio time to atleast 30 mins.

No offense, but this is completely incorrect. Not burning fat until the 20 minute mark is a complete myth. There are way too many variables so set a firm number like 20 minutes. Its different for everybody and also depends on the intensity of the exercise. Also, "toning" muscles is a myth as well. There is no such thing as "toning".

Personally, I like short, intense cardio sessions, like high intensity interval training (HIIT). I don't have time for long workouts on the treadmill. And the current fitness trend is leaning away from long steady-state cardio, since most new studies show that it is not as effective as HIIT-type workouts.

Its tough to give you any advice on a fitness plan without knowing what your goals are, and your current level of fitness. I think all plans should revolve around strength training, and fit your cardio in when you can. Strength training will burn a ton of calories, and will help build muscle while shedding body fat. Your goal should be to change your body composition and not just reduce your body weight.