Hi...help needed!

My name is Marie and I am a cardio addict. I spend at least an hour running or on some sort of an elliptical machine. If I could, I would spend 2 hours a day in cardio.

If I get around to it, I will do 30-45 minutes of resistance training, circuit training, weights or ab crunches. Even though I burn around 400-650 calories a day doing this and clock around 3-6 miles a day, I was told that I am not helping my weight loss.

I was told to do 15-30 minutes a day of cardio by 2 minute intervals of high intensity and then low intensity.

I haven't any real time to get any other cardio or aerobic in, like tennis or yoga or anything. I haven't even gotten on the roller-blades this year. My 4 year old son's baseball, hockey and soccer are coming first.

Does anyone thing that this will boost my metabolism? How can I get more out of my work out? I only have 1-2 hours a day, the rest is at work or with my son.

Any suggestions on the weights, too? Gosh, wish weights didn't bore me so much.

Thanks for any advice.

Well I think its sillly to say cardio isnt helping your metabolism, ever seen a fat long distance runner?

Thats not to say you couldnt be doing other things to help MORE, Im just saying if all you find yourself willing to do is straight cardio for an hour a day...you GO GIRL.

I happen to be the opposite. I do weights 4 days a week and try to squeak in 30 minutes of cardio each day. I LOVE the weights and dread the cardio.

I think the real question isnt WHAT you do, as much as how much intensity you have in doing it. A good indicator is how much you are sweating. I am sweating pretty bad before I ever finish my first set of exercises. Usually, by the time I get to cardio (if I do get there) I am fairly soaked. If you are performing more than 10 minutes of exercise before you start sweating, well, I think you could be pushing harder.

I watch people do it all the time. 30 minutes on the treadmill and never break a sweat. Granted, I give them praise for getting out there and doing SOMETHING, but to me, if you are gonna exercise, get something out of it.

Yep, I break a pretty good sweat within 5 minutes. I'm an extremist and there's no shades of grey for me. By the time I get of the tread mill or elliptical I am soaking. I'm there to look pretty for the oposite sex.

Anywho....I was told by another girl at the gym that I am actually hindering my weight loss by expending all of this energy on cardio. She's big into weight lifting. I guess I just wanted more opinions about this. She told me that I really needed to study muscle groups and figure out what three weight lifting excerises I need for each. I have to admit...that's just a little bit too much for my brain to handle. I really admire her, she's got a great body, so I listen to her. But I don't want to be that buff. I do use the weights and I could probably push a Volkswagon a meter with me feet. But am not seeing the toned body I want.

What can I do to help MORE? Should really study each muscle and figure out what three exercises I need to do? My weight lifting is fairly planned....does it need to be better planned?

I'm so confused. Can't I just run like heck for an hour? It's so much more fun!

The best exercise for you is the one you are willing to do. If you are running all out for an hour, then you are definitely touching your muscles - it's not like you're just hanging out doing nothing to build muscle.

I AM one of those fat distance runners, though. It is absolutely possible to be a fat distance runner, although less likely to be a fast fat distance runner. If you go to a marathon, you will see many, many fat runners completing the distance, often ahead of their skinnier counterparts. Not just beginners, either - many people run for years with lots of extra padding.

I gave up long distance running a couple months ago just after running in a ten-miler to just do light swimming and resistance work because I'd struggled with losing weight while running and I'd heard similar things to what you are hearing. My metabolism went into overdrive immediately and I lost a lot of fat very quickly, especially belly fat which I'd struggled with for a long time. I lost 25 pounds in about a month and a half.

That experience has made me rethink my running goals and made me think long distance running had a less than optimal effect on my physique. I have started to run again but I am concentrating on repeats and intervals, short and explosive, and I am doing more bodyweight exercises like pullups. Essentially I am training for speed and power, not distance. I will complete a half-marathon this year, but before that I will concentrate on some shorter races and really push the power workouts over long workouts. I have heard it said that anything over 30 minutes really gives diminishing returns. For now, I have forbidden myself from running more than 2 miles at any one time.

That has been my experience, it may be a very different story for you, though. You weigh a lot less to lose than me.

Janine

I know of a great full body weight lifting routine that is ONLY SIX MOVES. I've been doing it for almost a year now and have had GREAT results.

I used to be like you - unless I was sweating my brains out on the treadmill (or what have you) for 1.5 hours EVERY DAY - it just didnt' feel like I was doing a damn thing.

It took me a VERY LONG TIME to wrap my girly brain around the fact that I did not NEED to do that.... especially every day, and especially not that long.

Once I started the weight training routine, I fell in love with it. I still wanted to do cardio, so I did 1/2 hour after weight training. Then I started realizing that I really didn't need to do cardio at all. Now I weight train every two days and do 10 minutes of cardio afterwards. Nothing huge either, just a 4.0mph walk or something on 6% incline.

The results I've gotten from the weight routine alone is so %(^*! awesome I could just CRY!

The only way you will bulk up and look like that trainer is if you EAT LIKE A PIG and TRAIN LIKE A FOOOOOOOOL for MONTHS. Trust me - you have to eat like a pig - at least 2K cals OVER your maintenance - EVERY SINGLE DAY.

August 20th will be the year mark that I started weight training and will be putting before and afters in my pics. I am not rocked, and I can't see my fookin' abs yet, but I am TIGHT. Nothing jiggles when I walk (okay, my butt still needs work.. come on, I *AM* almost 40!) and I can honestly say that if this is as good as it's going to get, then Mama dun be proud!

My cousin actually said that I looked "amazing" last month.

Ya know I've been flying high on THAT compliment since! Ha!

Just yesterday, one of the trainers at my gym came up to me while I was doing my bent over rows in the weight room and said "Julia, you know, a year ago you were here every day on the stairmaster or treadmill for an HOUR, doing sprints and intervals - now, you're in the weight room all the time and I don't see you doing any cardio! You look FANTASTIC. Seriously Julia, all the trainers and I are just in awe."

Yeah, ya know I floated outta THERE with a big head.

Weight lifting can be daunting and totally overwhelming when you think you have to work every muscle group one by one. Shit, you'd be in the gym all freakin' day.

6 moves - work at your own pace with weight that is HEAVY to YOU. When it gets easy, increase the weight. It's that simple.

By next summer you will be running on the beach in a bikini and NOTHING will be moving.

Julia

Okay-Julia.....where can I find this full body weight lifting routine that you're on? You look great! (By the way, we also go to a "Day Out With Thomas" )

Both of you have really helped me. I guess I am recognizing the errors of my ways now.

Many thanks!
Marie

Hey, Ghoulia, you look great! I agree and forgot to put it in my previous post that I think isolating muscles as the woman at the gym suggested is not such a hot idea. When you use your whole body you will be safer in the long run, I think. I am also interested in this 6 movement workout. Can you post?

I don't think you were in error doing all that running, but if you are not training to run long distances or race the training is pretty much useless. I would never tell someone who wanted to complete a marathon not to run as you were running - it is necessary for that sport. But if that is not your goal, it doesn't make any sense.

Good luck with your new routine!

It's nice to be the star at the gym, huh, Julia? I am the current star at my gym.

Janine

Thanks girls!

Janine - exactly - with regards to the running. Sure, if you're a runner and you like running and you've got a marathon goal or even just a personal goal, then by all means RUN. But if one thinks that they're going to lose oodles of weight BY running and sweating buckets because by sweating it shows that one is "doing something" - then it just ain't gwonna work. But yes, people who LOVE running (my uncle is one of them!) then run, RUN!

Yes, it IS nice to be the star at the gym. Especially since that same trainer told me to "mix up my routine" a bit.

Nope, sorry, like it - if I go heavier, my muscles won't get used to it.

Marie - here is the link to the full body routine: http://builtblog.wikidbody.com/2007...e-body-workout/

Let me know if you have any questions about it. I was totally clueless on how to do any of it, and even brought DIAGRAMS to the gym, on paper, with stick figures doing the moves! HA!

Julia,

Thanks for the link!

I had to re-read your original post. It's only really six moves?

Cardio AFTER the work out? There's no good reason to do cardio prior? This is what I am reading and may need reprogramming here. Warming up by STRETCHING????
Really?

It's only three days a week? Julia, didn't this make you panic?

Didn't you panic to get off the tread mill? OH MY GOSH...

Tell me it will be okay, Julia....tell me

Today, prior to weight lifting, I did interval cardio on the tread mill. 2 miles high/3 minute low intensity. You are (and this link) says it's not necessary?

OH MY...did you have trouble making this type of transition?

Hang on Julia,
No crunches or anything else. I just wanted to get this in my head. Do you do anything else other than that above post? I know that I am sounding mental, but I am about ready to give up an addition here.

I start tomorrow. You know the saying, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I've been insane for five years now!

Thanks for your help-Janine and Julia.

Any words of comfort prior to me giving up my addiction would be greatly appreciated.

Marie

Marie - yes, the whole concept of weight training and no 10 hours of cardio seriously messed with my head. I'd been doing tons of cardio for 20 years and then to switch to basically none was NUTSO. I could NOT comprehend that "just" weight training would work.

I never warm up before weight training, but I do stretch now after my 10 minutes of cardio on the treadmill AFTER weight training. They say that if you do cardio first, then you won't be able to use your muscle's full potential cuz you already kinda tired them out with the cardio.

OH, when I first started out a year ago, I did the routine every other day. I jussssssssssssst started every two days because now I am seriously lifting heavy and I don't need to do it every other day, and, my body needs the extra time to repair. My a$$ is still killing me from my workout on TUESDAY.

Yes, only six moves:

Goblet Squats
Romanian Dumbbell Deadlifts
Negative Chins
Arnold Presses
One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Low Incline Dumbbell Presses

As far as abs go, in the beginning I did nothing for them because the negative chins absolutely WRECKED that area - so, no need. But now I do some situps on the decline bench and a 35lb plate.

You could start off on the decline bench with NO weight and do some situps/crunches there if you wanted to.

I know how you're feeling about the cardio - I really, REALLY do -and even though I was doing the training every other day, on my days "off" I would go for a run with my 3yo in the stroller. Not far, and not run all the time, run/walk two miles. No big deal. Then I stopped that too when I noticed that all it was doing was making me hungry. I mean sure, it's good for your heart and all, but ya don't need THAT much.

I figure that after you do the weight routine and you feeeeeeeel it the next day (you know, when you're crippled and can barely sit on the toilet?) then you'll get over the cardio thing. However, it did take me a good 9 months to wrap my head around it.

March was the first time I experimented and called it "No Cardio March". And gee, you know what happened? I broke my stall of 119 for a YEAR AND A HALF and even saw 113 about 3 times! No shit! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Feel free to post in my journal too if you have questions.

Mama's here! I will hold your hand!

And, if you're feeling really adventurous... you could come over to my weightlifting board and start a gym log and a journal.

The ladies over there are the BIGGEST HELP EVER and will give you more information/help than ANY personal trainer ever could.

I'm so glad Galatia (also on this site too) told me about it. At first I was skeered, but then I posted. So glad I did. If I didn't, I'd be forking out the money to a personal trainer at Bally's and doing all kinds of horseshit moves that don't do crap!


Julia

LISTEN TO GHOULIA!!!!!!!!

She turned me on to this 3 months ago and it changed my life! I actually have muscles now and a 25.5" waist, thank you!

I will forever love my Julia, Built and Dane for being so informative...SO LISTEN UP Cardio JUNKIES!

Julia is right on!!! I took up weights in February and have not looked back.

Everyone keeps telling me how slim I look even though due to medication changes the scale has gone up (that's a whole n'other story). However it proves to me just how much weights sculpt your body.

You will become addicted to weights. They give you such a sense of accomplishment.

Lifting is THE BEST.

Cardio can really mess with your body's metabolism also.

"Any words of comfort prior to me giving up my addiction would be greatly appreciated. "

I gave up running and lost 25 pounds in 1 and a half months while retaining my muscle - that's not comfort enough? Seriously, it will be hard to adjust but you can do this.

Alright Ladies, today I try it-starting today. Fortunately, I already do some of the exercises and weights on that link.

Julia, I have a gym log. Where is your weight lifting board?

I want to tell you how much I appreciate your knowledge and help. Thanks a million!
Marie