workout advice
 

I recently started a strength training program to go along with the cardio I've been doing for about a year now. What's the best way to balance the two? Should I do cardio and weights on the same day? If I'm working out 3-4 days per week, should I focus on more weights or more on cardio? I'm not looking to get jacked, just looking to tone up a bit and my main focus is on overall health.

Re: workout advice
 

Let me put you in touch with Sylvester Stallone

Re: workout advice
 

For what your looking to do start with a good 20 to 30 min. cardio first which will give you the best way to burn the calories. Then finish off with some weight lifting while switching from upper body to lower body lifting.

Re: workout advice
 

Since health is your main concern, it probably won't hurt to do cardio and weight training in the same day. Heavy cardio works against weight training though, so if you're doing both on the same day, stick to low impact cardio like bikes and elipticals.

Try to stay away from running completely. It's horrible for your knees and it can actually shrink your muscles from the constant impact. If you really like to run, do it on a beach or grass, and not on your weight training days.

Re: workout advice
 

I don't run, I've got a bum knee that flares up really easily. I stick to low impact stuff like elliptical trainers and I recently started doing the arc trainer which I think I like even more than the elliptical.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=firstdown;292619]For what your looking to do start with a good 20 to 30 min. cardio first which will give you the best way to burn the calories. Then finish off with some weight lifting while switching from upper body to lower body lifting.[/quote]

That's pretty much what I've been doing, I just wasn't sure if that was the right way to go.

Re: workout advice
 

It all depends on what you are trying to do. Are you trying to lose weight, gain muscles, or just maintain your shape?

Re: workout advice
 

If you go to a gym, take some time (while your working out) and observe the personal trainers that work out there. Pick out one that has the body type you would like to emulate (NO not her). Spend a couple of bucks on a few sessions. It will save you years of trial and error, especially with the world of (legitimate) supplements that make a difference. Most of all...take a little time to smell the roses-Good luck. Firstdown's info is good general stuff!

Re: workout advice
 

Honestly, you need to do your weight lifting first. If you do your cardio first, that takes away energy from your body overall, therefore you can't lift as much and cannot get as toned or jacked as you want.

Do all your weight lifting first, THEN do your cardio. Cardio isn't dependent on muscle fatigue, so even if you're tired from your weight lifting, as long as you try with the same effort, you'll burn the same amount of calories.

I do weight training at least two to three times a week and cardio EVERY DAY. If you're looking to tone up, doing thirty, preferably sixty minutes of cardio each day is the only way to get that six pack for the wifey. If you have protein shakes a couple times a day on your lifting days, you'll also probably start building a little bit of muscle. Don't do it every day or else you'll gain weight.

Re: workout advice
 

Also, what I mean by "it" is don't drink protein shakes every day. Also, make sure you work alternating muscle groups when you work out. If you're doing pushing exercises for shoulders, make sure you also do some pulling exercises. You wouldn't believe how bad your posture can get if you're only building one half of your body.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=Mattyk72;292623]That's pretty much what I've been doing, I just wasn't sure if that was the right way to go.[/quote]

Matty seriously read BODY FOR LIFE. He gives you the best and most efficient workout. I love it! Give me some serious energy.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=saden1;292631]It all depends on what you are trying to do. Are you trying to lose weight, gain muscles, or just maintain your shape?[/quote]

just tone up, stay healthy, maintain my weight

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=mredskins;292636]Matty seriously read BODY FOR LIFE. He gives you the best and most efficient workout. I love it! Give me some serious energy.[/quote]

I'll check it out, thanks

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;292633]Honestly, you need to do your weight lifting first. If you do your cardio first, that takes away energy from your body overall, therefore you can't lift as much and cannot get as toned or jacked as you want.

Do all your weight lifting first, THEN do your cardio. Cardio isn't dependent on muscle fatigue, so even if you're tired from your weight lifting, as long as you try with the same effort, you'll burn the same amount of calories.

I do weight training at least two to three times a week and cardio EVERY DAY. If you're looking to tone up, doing thirty, preferably sixty minutes of cardio each day is the only way to get that six pack for the wifey. If you have protein shakes a couple times a day on your lifting days, you'll also probably start building a little bit of muscle. Don't do it every day or else you'll gain weight.[/quote]

I do notice that when I do cardio first and then weight training, most of the time my weight training isn't as effective as when I just do weights.

Last night for instance I started with 25 minutes on the arc trainer, and when I hit the weights after I could barely get through 2 sets on each station, I was really whupped.

Re: workout advice
 

[QUOTE=mredskins;292636]Matty seriously read BODY FOR LIFE. He gives you the best and most efficient workout. I love it! Give me some serious energy.[/QUOTE]

Funny, I have it right on my desk. It talks about eating right and exercising, and it gives you a 12 week workout regiment. It's nice but it's geared more towards people trying to lose a bit of weight. If you already have an idea of what you want to do and just need a workout blueprint then Weight Lifting for Dummies is probably a better option.

Re: workout advice
 

[QUOTE=Mattyk72;292637]just tone up, stay healthy, maintain my weight[/QUOTE]

If you're eating right then do a little bit more lifting than cardio. If not, a little more cardio than usual but continue lifting the same. You really have find a balance.

Re: workout advice
 

Playing ball at Catholic, we had UMD's workout program...

It was basically run everyday... do a bunch of sit-ups, then alternate upper and lower body days. I remember that we started out with high reps and low weight and eventually worked up to high weight low reps... it had some formula where the starting weight would be like 15% of your max. The next week you'd be doing 30% etc...


That will do the job. I gotta find that little program I had, I'm getting all fat and out of shape...

I played tennis the other day, and I'm sore as shit. Sore... from TENNIS! F... that.


Side note: Tennis is fun as shit... does anyone know of any amateur tennis summer leagues? I'm either going to do Tennis or Lax this summer and haven't decided.

Re: workout advice
 

I also hadn't read your initial post very thoroughly. If you're looking for overall body health, you can always get someone to set you up a targeted circuit training program. That way you can get cardio WHILE you're lifting weights. I set one up for a friend and he dropped quite a few body fat percentage points while getting fairly toned up.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=RobH4413;292658]Playing ball at Catholic, we had UMD's workout program...

It was basically run everyday... do a bunch of sit-ups, then alternate upper and lower body days. I remember that we started out with high reps and low weight and eventually worked up to high weight low reps... it had some formula where the starting weight would be like 15% of your max. The next week you'd be doing 30% etc...


That will do the job. I gotta find that little program I had, I'm getting all fat and out of shape...

I played tennis the other day, and I'm sore as shit. Sore... from TENNIS! F... that.


Side note: Tennis is fun as shit... does anyone know of any amateur tennis summer leagues? I'm either going to do Tennis or Lax this summer and haven't decided.[/quote]

I love playing tennis too even though I suck. It's brutal on my knees though.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;292633]Honestly, you need to do your weight lifting first. If you do your cardio first, that takes away energy from your body overall, therefore you can't lift as much and cannot get as toned or jacked as you want.

Do all your weight lifting first, THEN do your cardio. Cardio isn't dependent on muscle fatigue, so even if you're tired from your weight lifting, as long as you try with the same effort, you'll burn the same amount of calories.

I do weight training at least two to three times a week and cardio EVERY DAY. If you're looking to tone up, doing thirty, preferably sixty minutes of cardio each day is the only way to get that six pack for the wifey. If you have protein shakes a couple times a day on your lifting days, you'll also probably start building a little bit of muscle. Don't do it every day or else you'll gain weight.[/quote]

Hey, I've just started back doing some weight lifting and I'm trying to put on some weight as opposed to tone up or maintain; I'm pretty lean. My question is, how often should I drink protein shakes or weight gain if I'm actually trying to put on some weight? Secondly, could anyone recommend a good weight gain protein powder that I should be using?

Re: workout advice
 

[QUOTE=Mattyk72;292641]I do notice that when I do cardio first and then weight training, most of the time my weight training isn't as effective as when I just do weights.

Last night for instance I started with 25 minutes on the arc trainer, and when I hit the weights after I could barely get through 2 sets on each station, I was really whupped.[/QUOTE]

I'm a big believer in doing cardio last for that reason.

Re: workout advice
 

I was on my college swim team, we had a strict routine. Swimming itself is an interesting exercise just because it's cardio and resistance training all in one. Think about it, every direction you move a body part meets the resistance of water.

This may not be practical because it's not that easy to get to a pool, and you won't be working out 20 hours a week, but the basics were every afternoon we'd swim for 3 hours, focusing on various things each day. On Monday and Wednesday mornings, we'd swim for 60 minutes (mostly sprinting) and do about 30 minutes of ab work. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, we'd ride exercise bikes for 10 minutes, and then start lifting weights for 60 minutes or so. The weight was kept low and we did a lot of reps, all free weights (helps increase and test range of motion).

Fridays was just a 3 hour swim practice. Saturday morning was usually an organized team activity, like mandatory ultimate frisbee or something with the coach yelling at us not to be lazy.

Doing all that, we were darn cut, but never real jacked. Which is what we were going for, we were swimmers.

But if you can get to a pool to swim for 30 minutes and then do 30 minutes of weights right afterwards, I've found that to be a real good way of staying in shape.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=12thMan;292675]Hey, I've just started back doing some weight lifting and I'm trying to put on some weight as opposed to tone up or maintain; I'm pretty lean. My question is, how often should I drink protein shakes or weight gain if I'm actually trying to put on some weight? Secondly, could anyone recommend a good weight gain protein powder that I should be using?[/quote]

If you're trying to put weight on...stay away from cardio...put on the muscle you want then trim down later. I drink two a day, one in the morning and one right after a workout. Its also good to take the protein in with some sugar, like a banana, milk, or peanut butter. You also need to be eating a lot of good quality food. I have found that eating around 5 to 6 times a day helps a lot. Your work outs should include low rep high weight sets...like as much as you can lift. As far as specific types of protein, I can't help you. I just buy stuff for taste haha. Other supplements are good though. Glutamine and creatine both help a lot. Just make sure to cycle off for a couple weeks after about a month or so. I hear NO-Explode works pretty well...I was taking Amped for awhile, and it really worked. I went into the gym ready to tear somebody's head off every day...anyway...find what works for you and good luck!

Re: workout advice
 

Our trainers always advised warming up with a cardio exercise before lifting weights. Something about blood and oxygen need to be flowing to the muscles before giving them their beating by lifting weights.

You lose efficiency with your workout if you ask your muscles to lift weights without a warmup first. It's like starting your car on a 20-degree day, and trying to drive it 60 MPH right away.

Re: workout advice
 

If you don't want to drain yourself too bad, maybe just start with 10 minutes of situps, pushups, and jumping jacks or something like that. Just to get the blood flowing first. It's better than starting lifting without any warmup.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=12thMan;292675]Hey, I've just started back doing some weight lifting and I'm trying to put on some weight as opposed to tone up or maintain; I'm pretty lean. My question is, how often should I drink protein shakes or weight gain if I'm actually trying to put on some weight? Secondly, could anyone recommend a good weight gain protein powder that I should be using?[/quote]
It kind of depends on your metabolism.

I would drink a protein shake before my lift, and before I went to bed (2 scoops in a glass of milk) and could barely do anything but tone. It was probably because I did so much running that I couldn't keep any weight on, but I was tone as hell. I always maintained 185-190 lbs no matter how much I lifted. It sucked.

Now I'm a solid 207, but that's from no running, no lifting, and just being lazy. It's a pretty sweet workout plan.

I would recommend going to Costco if you have a membership. It's cheaper there. If you can't find it there, any vitamin shoppe or GNC will have it. Anyways get the "whey protein" (no whey!). It's like 23 grams of protein per scoop, and definitely get the chocolate, or chocolate mint flavor. Anything else tastes nasty.

Finally, If they have those special protein drink things (to help you mix up the protein) GET IT! It's awful chugging down chunky sludge. Your best bet is probably mixing it in a blender with some ice cream and milk... excellent protein shake.

I think in general the formula for gaining muscle mass is to take in as much protein in grams, as you weigh in pounds. If you weigh 200, make sure you have a 200g protein intake everyday. I could be wrong, maybe it's half, so do your research, but it's something like that.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=RobH4413;292685]It kind of depends on your metabolism.

I would drink a protein shake before my lift, and before I went to bed (2 scoops in a glass of milk) and could barely do anything but tone. It was probably because I did so much running that I couldn't keep any weight on, but I was tone as hell. I always maintained 185-190 lbs no matter how much I lifted. It sucked.

Now I'm a solid 207, but that's from no running, no lifting, and just being lazy. It's a pretty sweet workout plan.

I would recommend going to Costco if you have a membership. It's cheaper there. If you can't find it there, any vitamin shoppe or GNC will have it. Anyways get the "whey protein" (no whey!). It's like 23 grams of protein per scoop, and definitely get the chocolate, or chocolate mint flavor. Anything else tastes nasty.

Finally, If they have those special protein drink things (to help you mix up the protein) GET IT! It's awful chugging down chunky sludge. Your best bet is probably mixing it in a blender with some ice cream and milk... excellent protein shake.

I think in general the formula for gaining muscle mass is to take in as much protein in grams, as you weigh in pounds. If you weigh 200, make sure you have a 200g protein intake everyday. I could be wrong, maybe it's half, so do your research, but it's something like that.[/quote]

Thanks. I do have an extremely fast metabolism. In fact, I'm right around 5'11". I probably should weigh around 160-165lbs, but I'm hovering around 150 lbs right now.

Yeah, I was actually checking out the 'Whey' proteins just yesterday. I agree on using the drink mixers. I think I'm going with 'Whey' unless someone recommends something else. And when I'm done, I'm taking Fred Smoots job!!

Re: workout advice
 

how the hell do you guys find the time to do all this? this is definitely a young mans board

Re: workout advice
 

I have gotten back into training in the last two months and have had realy good success with a sort of alternating pattern.

MWF - Cardio hardcore. I started at 30 minutes on the elliptical or bike and now depending on time will 45. If I had the time I'd do an hour.
TTh - Weights hardcore. I'll do some real light cardio first just to keep the metabolism rolling and then do a significant weight routine. Malcolm is right about the alternating muscle groups. It will help with overall tone too to tone symetrically.
Sat - I do a combo of both. I have more time so I do 300 cardio and then a comparable weight routine.
Sun - Off

The key is to commit to it for the long haul. If you do then even if it takes a while within a year you'll be in seriously good shape.

Re: workout advice
 

[QUOTE=FRPLG;292714]I have gotten back into training in the last two months and have had realy good success with a sort of alternating pattern.

MWF - Cardio hardcore. I started at 30 minutes on the elliptical or bike and now depending on time will 45. If I had the time I'd do an hour.
TTh - Weights hardcore. I'll do some real light cardio first just to keep the metabolism rolling and then do a significant weight routine. Malcolm is right about the alternating muscle groups. It will help with overall tone too to tone symetrically.
Sat - I do a combo of both. I have more time so I do 300 cardio and then a comparable weight routine.
Sun - Off

The key is to commit to it for the long haul. If you do then even if it takes a while within a year you'll be in seriously good shape.[/QUOTE]

After a certain time I find that I have alter my routine because my body adjusts. This is specially a problem after winter hibernation. Every three weeks I alter my workout pattern to keep my body from adjusting.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=dmek25;292699]how the hell do you guys find the time to do all this? this is definitely a young mans board[/quote]

LOL I hear ya. I'm good for 3-4 days per week. I just don't have the time to work out every day.

Re: workout advice
 

[QUOTE=dmek25;292699]how the hell do you guys find the time to do all this? this is definitely a young mans board[/QUOTE]

Oh come on, unless your work two jobs or 16 hour workday you have the time! Sometimes it's just easier to sit at home watch TV though. :)

Re: workout advice
 

[QUOTE=saden1;292729]After a certain time I find that I have alter my routine because my body adjusts. This is specially a problem after winter hibernation. Every three weeks I alter my workout pattern to keep my body from adjusting.[/QUOTE]

I do alter what weights I do every time. Both which machines or free weights I do as well as order.

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=12thMan;292675]Hey, I've just started back doing some weight lifting and I'm trying to put on some weight as opposed to tone up or maintain; I'm pretty lean. My question is, how often should I drink protein shakes or weight gain if I'm actually trying to put on some weight? Secondly, could anyone recommend a good weight gain protein powder that I should be using?[/quote]

What you really need to check out is the actual protein grams per serving. Just find out that's consistent with the rest. I work out with a guy who spends fifty bucks per five pounds for protein powder while I only spend twenty. In the end, his tastes better than mine, but they both work the same.

To those who are saying cardio prior to weight lifting, I won't say cardio, I'M saying to stretch like any normal person would. Just make sure the blood is flowing, but don't get your heart rate up into the cardiovascular zone by any means. A good ten minutes of stretching should be enough for anyone. Again, it depends on what you want. If you want to bulk, take in a large amount of protein and something to help you synthesize it, and make sure you do lower reps, higher weight to build muscle.

Re: workout advice
 

[QUOTE=12thMan;292675]Hey, I've just started back doing some weight lifting and I'm trying to put on some weight as opposed to tone up or maintain; I'm pretty lean. My question is, how often should I drink protein shakes or weight gain if I'm actually trying to put on some weight? Secondly, could anyone recommend a good weight gain protein powder that I should be using?[/QUOTE]

I've been pretty consistent with the whey protein by Gold Standard- you definitely need to look for the word "whey" like people have mentioned here... the protein is filtered isolates and has less stuff like fat, etc. I get the 10 pound bag b/c it's a good value, but you can check out a smaller bag to test it for yourself (and only get chocolate... i hear the other stuff is nasty).

[URL="http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=63"]Good Value[/URL]

Invest in a blender too- hand shaking leaves the shake in clumps...

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;292753]What you really need to check out is the actual protein grams per serving. Just find out that's consistent with the rest. I work out with a guy who spends fifty bucks per five pounds for protein powder while I only spend twenty. In the end, his tastes better than mine, but they both work the same.

To those who are saying cardio prior to weight lifting, I won't say cardio, I'M saying to stretch like any normal person would. Just make sure the blood is flowing, but don't get your heart rate up into the cardiovascular zone by any means. A good ten minutes of stretching should be enough for anyone. Again, it depends on what you want. If you want to bulk, take in a large amount of protein and something to help you synthesize it, and make sure you do lower reps, higher weight to build muscle.[/quote]


Good word. I'm just getting back into the swing of things so I'm going to be in full swing in a week or two.

Another question: Would you work lower body on separate days than uppper? And if so, if my focus is upper body, how many days a week would you recommend, provided that you're going for mass as opposed to being fit or 'looking' good?

Re: workout advice
 

[quote=itvnetop;292893]I've been pretty consistent with the whey protein by Gold Standard- you definitely need to look for the word "whey" like people have mentioned here... the protein is filtered isolates and has less stuff like fat, etc. I get the 10 pound bag b/c it's a good value, but you can check out a smaller bag to test it for yourself (and only get chocolate... i hear the other stuff is nasty).

[URL="http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=63"]Good Value[/URL]

Invest in a blender too- hand shaking leaves the shake in clumps...[/quote]


Cool. I went into a GMC just yesterday and checked out a huge jar/jugg. It was like $27. At any rate, that seems like the name most here lean toward.