Weight training, then cardio?

[FightingFit]

Hi lads,

I’ve been lurking here for some time, love this new Fitness section. I need a little advise on getting back in shape. I’m 29, 6’, 255lbs. Looking to get to 200lbs by July so I can then do the P90X programme.

I’ve started training since the New Year and lost 6lbs so far. I start the day with a mineral and vitamins drink, the kind that comes in tablet form that gives you an orange drink when dissolved in water, followed by 30-45mins of weight training, low weight – high reps. Then I do 10miles on the bike at about 13mph average. When I get back I have breakfast, usually a bowl of oatmeal and banana or else a hard boiled egg with two slices of wholemeal bread, no butter. Lunch is a bowl of tomato soup and two more slices of wholemeal bread, no butter. Dinner is either chicken breast or fish with salad and brown rice. I drink about 2-3ltrs of water a day.

So, questions time,

Should I eat first thing in the morning before exercise instead?
Should I do the cardio before the weights?
Is my current routine sustainable and is my goal of 200lbs in six months attainable with this routine?

Thanks in advance for any advice, and yep you guessed it, I’ll be 30 in July, hence the need for a shake up!

 

[chris223]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

As far as eating I would go with personal preferance
I do before and after the gym but my program is diffrent from yours.
If youre looking to shed weight only I would try more cardio
go for a swim. as far as losing 2 lbs a week that should be
a fair goal good luck I wouldnt wanna shed that much .
Let me know how you like the p90x program!

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Thanks for the reply varmint6,

What I’m trying to get out of this first stage between now and July is to lose the 60 odd lbs and build muscle endurance so I’ll have the best chance of completing the P90X. I’m doing the weight training for upper body endurance and to encourage my body to burn fat as opposed to muscle during the cycling. This is my theory anyway, I could be way off hence the need for advice.
I’d say the P90X will either break me or make me!

Have you done it yourself?

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Well first off the food aspect is the biggest part of losing body fat and though your eating does not appear to be bad , it is way way out of wack .
Nearly all of your calories , and theirs not many their , are comming from carbs , your getting very very little protein for sombody your size.

Since your training early in the day the diet would be easier to manipulate , i'm a big fan or doing fasted morning cardio BUT only if thats all your doing. Seeing that your weight training first then you definatly don't want to do that fasted.

I'd start off with a light breakfast , like 4 egg whites and a couple pieces of toast or a half cup of fruit then go workout , sip on a BCAA drink during your training and have a whey protein shake imidiatly after (30-40g protein) have a meal an hr or so after training , if you don't eat alot of food you can mix a couple scoops of protein powder in your oatmeal this will add very little volume but alot of protein , if your only eating 3 meals a day then for lunch have like 6 ounces of chicken or white fish or rinsed lean ground beef and 4 ounces of brown rice or sweet potatos and for dinner have 6-7 ounces of chicken , lean beef or salmon and a green salad or green veggies , on the salad dressing don't use a "low fat" they put a shit load of sugar in their to add flavor they took out with the fat , its ok to have fats with dinner , but you want little to no carbs with dinner , the green salad with say ranch dressing will add some fats to the diet (which are needed) and that will slow down the digestion allowing your body to feed off of it for longer
NOW
that is still a very low calorie diet , i would suggest adding a little snack between post training breakfast and lunch , 3-4 ounces of meat and a little fruit like half cup of pinaple or a green apple or banana , than after lunch snack another few ounces of meat and some almonds

 

[Sackett]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

diet #1
and why not start p90X now? it may be a bit more difficult at first but just do it, even if you cant keep up.
i did p90x for a while but liked hitting the gym hard a little better for my goals. but i do know p90x works if you stick with it.

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

JJones75;

Some good input there, I hear your point about losing body fat as opposed to losing weight but I always thought protein shakes and a high protein diet where for body builders. What I mean is, I understand you should cut carbs to lose body fat but I thought you would have to be lifting some serious weights to use up all that protein or else it will add to your body fat? I’m willing to give it a try though, at the moment I’m trying to keep cals to around 2000 per day. Would your high protein diet plus shakes increase that much?

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Sackett;

I hear ya, that’s exactly what I had intended to do as soon as I discovered P90X, but after some hard thinking and a reality check I know it would break me in half right now and I’d never complete it. By getting the weight down to 200lbs and increasing my muscle mass and endurance I’d be giving myself the best chance of completing the programme. Us Irish are a stocky breed and I’m about as stocky as they come so if I got myself down to 200lbs you’d think there wasn’t a pick of fat on me. The plan would then be to use P90X to turn the last bit of fat to muscle while staying at 200lbs. I’m not interested in the “mirror muscles” as some call them. What I’m looking to end up with at the end of all this is endurance, agility and strength in that order.

 

[crazy bay]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: FightingFit</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Some good input there, I hear your point about losing body fat as opposed to losing weight but I always thought protein shakes and a high protein diet where for body builders. What I mean is, I understand you should cut carbs to lose body fat but I thought you would have to be lifting some serious weights to use up all that protein or else it will add to your body fat? I’m willing to give it a try though, at the moment I’m trying to keep cals to around 2000 per day. Would your high protein diet plus shakes increase that much?
</div></div>

Dont worry about protein turning to fat. What your body does not use it will piss out. Protein is a MUST! All real athletes supplement protein if they are not getting enough. Small amounts of protein at night (20-30 grams) can help you lose some fat as well. GET ON THAT PROTEIN! Its healthy.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/81/4/762.abstract

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1797987

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: crazy bay</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Dont worry about protein turning to fat. What your body does not use it will piss out. Protein is a MUST! All real athletes supplement protein if they are not getting enough. Small amounts of protein at night (20-30 grams) can help you lose some fat as well. GET ON THAT PROTEIN! Its healthy.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/81/4/762.abstract

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1797987 </div></div>

OK, sounds good. So shakes are the best way to add protein? Any particular brand or type?

 

[teknikallysekure]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Focusing on getting enough protein is a fundamental learning step for beginners. When you get the reccommended amount of protein in a day(which is significantly higher than what most people get) you're going to enjoy the high satiety of the protein, and your already extremely carb rich diet will dial back to something more reasonable.

Then the trick is to assure your fats and carbs are both coming from the correct sources.

After you've accomplished all that and are doing it with discipline it's time to start counting calories and dialing back to lose weight with the correct macronutrients.

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: COURAGEWOLF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Focusing on getting enough protein is a fundamental learning step for beginners. When you get the reccommended amount of protein in a day(which is significantly higher than what most people get) you're going to enjoy the high satiety of the protein, and your already extremely carb rich diet will dial back to something more reasonable.

Then the trick is to assure your fats and carbs are both coming from the correct sources.

After you've accomplished all that and are doing it with discipline it's time to start counting calories and dialing back to lose weight with the correct macronutrients. </div></div>

This is starting to sound more complicated than I first thought, but what the hell, I’m game. Besides, it’s my own damn fault I put the extra 60 odd lbs on in the first place, I don’t mind learning a hard lesson burnin them off. I always seem to end up learnin things the hard way anyway!

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Getting your protein from real food is the best way to get it if you can , the body will burn calories trying to digest it , thats a win win situation the same goes for the green vegitables , things like green beans , broccoli and spinach are semi catabolic , not in the since that they burn muscle but that they take more calories to digest than they offer.

you will actualy starve to death faster eating green beans than not eating anything!!

a low-no carb diet is a great way to drop fat realy fast but most folks suffer a rebound effect when they start eating normal again , so you want to allow your self to eat some carbs but from good sources and at proper times. again keep the carbs early in the day wehn your active then later in the day eat foods that are a little higher in fat and more vegitables.

Carbs cause an insulin responce , you want as little insulin presant in the body as possible when trying to lose fat especialy when your not active. Now all carbs cause an insulin responce but not all the same which is why bronw rice and sweet potatos are prefered , they are low on the glycemic index as are fruits like apples and bananas , also the body forcesses fructose differantly than it does sugars from other foods.

One thing i can't sress enough is !! STAY OFF THE SCALE !! if you're weight lifting.
if your concerned with the weight as opposed to the look then you will end up doing somthing dumb with your eating like stopping.
make no mistake , you have to reduce your calories to lose fat but cutting them to fat will also prevent fat loss.

 

[Dylan in AZ]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

My dad lives by the idea that by eating a small snack when he wakes up in the morning will kick start his motabolizm. Not sure how true this is but it sounds like a solid rout to go if its true.

 

[chris223]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

No im not doing the p90x although two of the guys in the office are.
My opinion on the bike is somewhat skewed I prefer to run or use one of the other cardio options . my own reality is im about 15 pounds of fat in my gut that I could lose before the summer but have very little desire to do so. other than hitting my abs 3 times a week and at that rate I should lose the fat in about 35 years! But seriously the gym in my opinion is alot like shooting you got ipsc guys precision guys
carbine guys its all personal as why we go to the range or gym I feel doing something is better than nothing in most cases . With my job
if I can get in the gym 4 times a week I feel good
If I could go more I would than again im almost 40 and married
so the days of worry about how I look are behind me and ymmv.
good luck...

 

[DISMAS]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Hardest thing is sticking with a routine. You have to be pretty religious about your workouts and diet to see the changes you want. Kick start your metabolism in the morning with a good breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, that kind of thing. You'll eat less throughout the day if you do this. Plus eggs and bacon are just awesome.

 

[northman77]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

First your questions:
1.Have a protein shake and some cereal or oatmeal an hour or so before your workout. You need energy or you'll gas out.
2.Break your cardio into 2 parts, before and after your workouts. I like 15/15 or 10/20.
3.55 pounds is going to be tough, the last twenty will probably take the most time.

Diet and exercise. I dropped from around 310 down to 275 in a month and a half doing this while still gaining strength. YMMV

Diet
-Drink stupid amounts of water, you gotta hydrate like a motherfucker. I drink over a gallon a day easy.
-Severely cut down on <span style="font-weight: bold">all</span> fast/processed foods/soda. -Get like 2 big tubs of good quality no-carb protein powder, and chug that shit like 3 times a day, have like a triple scoop shake and some dry cereal or oatmeal or nuts instead of a meal.
-Eat alot of lean proteins, long lasting carbs, and green veges for your meals.
-Get a good multivitamin to supplement, this is especially important if your skimping on the veges. I like animalpak but its pricey.

Exercise
-Add 15-20 minutes of moderate intensity cardio before and after your workouts.Break it up into segments.
-Lift low rep,heavy weights, do alot of compound exercises like cleans, presses, bench, squats, deads, and pullups. These boost metabolism like crazy. Free weights all the way.
-Get a spotter/gym buddy to help keep you motivated.
-Drink <span style="font-weight: bold">shitloads</span> of water.


Stay heavy on the protein and water, cut out the shitty food and hit the gym hard and supplement it with cardio before and after.

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Thanks for all the replies lads, I'm going strong. I started at 261lbs two weeks ago. I switched to a low carb high protein diet last week and I'm down to 251lbs today so it seems to be working. Food cravings are gone so I'll keep going and see where it ends up.

 

[djkest]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Yeah, I am currently on a high-protein low-carb diet. I only do protein shakes after I do weight training.

I wouldn't do shakes 3 times a day, that is a lot of excess calories that may impede your progress.

Intersting that you are in Ireland. I was just there 3 months ago. Nice people, but they didn't seem to have much of an affection for firearms. I don't know what the local laws are, but it seemed it would be hard to own them in that country.

ETA: I did some weight training in Ireland and all the weights in kilograms was hard to adjust to!

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: djkest</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah, I am currently on a high-protein low-carb diet. I only do protein shakes after I do weight training.

I wouldn't do shakes 3 times a day, that is a lot of excess calories that may impede your progress.

Intersting that you are in Ireland. I was just there 3 months ago. Nice people, but they didn't seem to have much of an affection for firearms. I don't know what the local laws are, but it seemed it would be hard to own them in that country.

ETA: I did some weight training in Ireland and all the weights in kilograms was hard to adjust to! </div></div>

I’m only taking one 40g whey protein shake per day straight after exercise. I get the rest of my protein from egg whites, boiled chicken and baked fish. To be honest, I thought I’d be sick of “chicken with salad” or “fish with salad” by now, but every time I sit down to eat its like the best meal I’ve ever tasted.

Yea, firearm ownership in Ireland is a real test of your commitment to the sport. A combination of bad media spin and anti-gun politicians has left us gun owners firmly in the minority. The only good thing about the crap we have to go through to own one is it means only those truly dedicated shooters are left, as the posers tend to give up at the first hurdle.

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Don't limit yourself to just chicken and fish , mix it up a little , you can brown 93% lean ground beef and rinse it then it will have about the same fat content as chicken breast. Mix some 5-6 ounces of ground beef with some semi cooked broccoli and it makes a satisfing meal.

Also i woulden't worry with boiling your chicken as your on a low carb diet nut a low fat diet , having some fats is good and what little bit chicken has in it already isin't gonna hurt you , bake it or grill it. Keeping things a little differant will keep you from getting bored with your diet and if that happens its VERY easy to fall off the wagon

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JJones75</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Don't limit yourself to just chicken and fish , mix it up a little , you can brown 93% lean ground beef and rinse it then it will have about the same fat content as chicken breast. Mix some 5-6 ounces of ground beef with some semi cooked broccoli and it makes a satisfing meal.

Also i woulden't worry with boiling your chicken as your on a low carb diet nut a low fat diet , having some fats is good and what little bit chicken has in it already isin't gonna hurt you , bake it or grill it. Keeping things a little differant will keep you from getting bored with your diet and if that happens its VERY easy to fall off the wagon </div></div>

I hear ya. I seem to have a high tolerance for eating the same thing day after day but I’m sure I’ll get bored at some stage and then I’ll start to mix it up. Also, there’s about five weeks left in our deer season and my freezer is empty so I think its time to fill it up again! I hear venison is the best red meat you can eat?

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

venison is very very good meat providing that they are free ranging and haven't been fed from a corn pile the last 6 weeks. The meat is very lean and the little fat it does have is good fats that will help your body

 

[no1ryno]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

if u want to get leaned out study up on carb cycling and dont forget to get your healthy fats in if your going low carb cause your body will want to slow its motablism down and doing just stright cardio for an hour at a time a few times a week will burn off that fat alot faster than that P90X crap.

carb cycling with healthy fats and solid cardio not split up but sustained for a good 40 minuts to an hour is THE best way to cutt fat period!

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RYNO</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
carb cycling with healthy fats and solid cardio is THE best way to cutt fat period!</div></div>

Theirs alot more to it than that depending on your body type

 

[no1ryno]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

jjones 75 ive seen some of your posts in the fitness section here and think you know more than most of the other guys on here on these subjects with haveing said that, "proper" carb cycling to my knowledge and experiance will work for anybody reguardless of body type, it has been proven so for years in competative body building and other circles. but many people have different aproches to it, for example there is another thread on here i stumbled on to by Trooperbrian i think it is and he gave a sample diet of what seemed to me to be carb cycling was completely different than what i would do. i follow what Justin Harris preaches on this method along with a couple other guys.

 

[DamnYuppie]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

I would second the idea of just starting P90X now. Your starting weight and conditioning will not determine whether you stick with it or not. Whether you complete it or not will be based solely on your mental fortitude and personal dedication.

Yet I would recommend trying out the Zone diet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_diet

Nothing makes me lean up faster then that diet. You can do all the cardio you want but you will not lose weight and really firm up unless your diet is right. In fact the diet is far more important then all the exercise combined.

I have not seen it mentioned in this thread but you may also want to try out CrossFit: http://crossfit.com/
I have been doing it for several years and am very pleased with the results. The best part about it is the community, you will work out much harder in a group then you will by yourself. I am not saying forgo P90X for CrossFit; but I know many people who completed P90X then did CrossFit and got more out of CrossFit. Of course the great caveat about CrossFit is it depends on the facility you go to, yet the vast majority are really good. The affiliates all usually run free weekend classes so people can see what it is like. Try finding one in your area.

Good luck on getting in better shape, my health insurance premiums thank you in advance!

Brian

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

RYNO , your right but having clairified that some people take differant approaches to it. I for one and super carb sensitive so cycling my carbs only comes in once every 5-6 days and that consist of several meals being very high in carbs then right back into a low to no carb diet and the only reason for these carb days is that i need to semi refill the glycoen stores or it'll take several days for me to fill back up, and the week of a show their is a major carb load very early in the week just to ensure that i can "fill" back up
I've worked with Justin a little and have worked with Shelby Starns a fair bit also both like the carb cycling , it was with Shelby that we realized that i coulden't get realy lean until i eliminated my carbs , even having 200g every second day would make me hold fat so he put me on a full ketosis diet for 14 days and after the 4 day the fat melted right off. The guy i use from my prep work now Alex Azerian likes to keep carbs in the diet all the way through but nearly eliminates fats , i could not get nearly as lean on his diet the first time i used him but now we know what works.

Everybody is differant in the way that their body responds to the amount of carbs , some carb cycling works great others can lose alot of weight on very little fats and some carbs , but i have never seen anybody that could not get realy lean by doing very very low to no carb diets , the trick is to reintorduce them slowly and make a health diet/lifestyle change or you will rebound like a superball.

the trouble with doing a no carb diet is that people want to look at the scale to much , when they get off the diet and start eating some carbs the "weight" will creep back up , this is simply the muscles filling back up with water , you ahve to use the mirror as your guid , not the scale.

 

[no1ryno]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

ok i was a little bold in my carb cycling works %100 of the time statement. but i will refrase what i said i still believe it can get anybody lean unless you have to go the extra step and do the keto diet to get lean enough to compete or you have some rare body chemestry thing going on. but JJones if you have had the fortune of actually working with Harris or shelby i can assume u know more than I so i will yeald in this argument.

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Its just that everybody is differant and what seperates good trainers from bad ones is that a good wone will pay close attention to what the macros are doing to your body and adjust accordingly and not just put you on some cookie cutter diet. I have a good friend that payed Dave Palumbo ALOT of money to prep him for a show and he diden't get anything differant than the diet that can easly be found on the web , the last 6 weeks ended up comming down to having to use ALOT of cardio and radical diet drugs , he ended up comming in very flat and depleted. My buddy is the type of guy that can eat 300g carbs right up to the show with no problem. He has since been working with Shelby and having great gains.
I actualy carb cycle in the off season to grow and do it semi daily , the first half of the day i'll get in 250-300g carbs with only trace fats up till 3pm then after that its just protein and fats with no carbs , this allows me to stay semi lean and add some quality muscle.

So everybody is differant and need to "refeed" or carb up at differant rates , personaly the leaner i get the more i have to carbs up , every 4 days or so then a full day somtimes two of carbs so i guess in effect that is carb cycling but its dont to keep the muscles full more so than to stimulate the metabolism.

I highly reccomend that if your serious about losing alot of body fat or putting on muscle or doing both at the same time that you hire sombody that has alot of knowledge on nutrition and exactly what does what and why so that they can taylor your diet to you , some trainers are very expensive Justin Harris is one of them but he is realy good at what he does , Shelby Starns is another thats about half as much and i feel just as good!! and their are some other guys like Phil Hernon who are realy cheap ($250 a year) but are a bit harder to work with and don't expect to be spoon fed but the knowledge you gain will last a lifel time. I wuld bet that the $500-$800 a year you spend on a trainer would be saving you more than that on buying supplements you don't need to foods that arn't working and so on.

 

[KarlSG]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JJones75</div><div class="ubbcode-body">a low-no carb diet is a great way to drop fat realy fast but most folks suffer a rebound effect when they start eating normal again , </div></div>

Even better.

Make low carb the permanent choice, fill up on other foods so you don't feel hungry.

And Never ''eat normal'' again= problem solved forever.

 

[JJones75]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KarlSG</div><div class="ubbcode-body">[Even better.
Make low carb the permanent choice, fill up on other foods so you don't feel hungry.
And Never ''eat normal'' again= problem solved forever.
</div></div>

I agree , even when i get higher carbs their not that high and mostly comes from fruit and sweet potatos

This is my third meal on the day and will also be meal 4
10 ounces baked chicken breast mixed with 1.5 cups green beans, 4 ounces sweetpotatos , 4 ounces fresh pineapple
yields around 75g total protein , 45g carbs and only 6-7g fat

 

[SoftWingPrimerDot308]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

You'll never get down to that weight , even in 4 years time.
Want to really meet your goals !!
Then try running on a track.......
It's gonna be a pain in the rear , but you should get up to 2 miles (8 laps) , two times per week in about 3 months.
All that cardio bike does is exercise your lungs , nothing more.
If you're concerned about the weight training , using nothing BUT dumbbells , instead of traditional smith machines....it will force your body to adjust and you'll soon have the drive to work out for 2 hours at a time.
Don't eat anything before working out , if you're trying to lose a gut , but eat a protien bar and drink atleast 1 quart of H20 before & during this time.

 

[UKDslayer]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Looks yummy - and pineapple has bromolein which aids in digestion.

You've got some pretty good advise here but...one question to the OP is I didn't see asked is how long did it get you to go from your ideal weight to where you are now? If you been there longer, you are more likely to encounter more "plateaus", and a professional nutritionalist, esp. if you can get it covered by you insurance by doc referral would be ideal to get you past them. Its going to make a difference in how quickly you can lose it...and possible alter the best approach to carbs/protein diets...also do you have a family cardiac history? Cholesterol checked? Fasting blood sugar? May not want to be too, too aggressive first without getting a good physical. As far as the PX90, there is no reason to not start now, my understanding is, what you can't do, you can't do and that's OK. If they are doing 20 reps on the DVD and you only put out 15 or even ten what is important is making an attempt at every single exercise. If you have to hit pause, do it, just get through the whole session.

I had a good friend (female) who yo-yo'd for years on diet - girl strong as you guys (yes passed EMT & firemen school including being able to carry 150lbs), but did resort to gastric bypass to knock her weight down for good. Someday, hopefully we can learn more about the brain-GI connections (leptin research) and avoid the knife, which has up to a 2% mortality.

BTW - I'm not suggesting surgery at all in your case, but you want to hear an amazing story - Nate Newton of the Cowboys front line in the '90s & early 2000's, weighed 380's playing, went to over 400 lb. when he stopped playing but kept the same diet - had a "gastric sleeve" procedure in February 2010 and is now down to 220lb. now...but he IS making the lifestyle style too, including working out 4-5 hours/day. There was a show on TV recently about the early mortality (as in VERY early) of NFL linemen when they retire...

 

[Sgt. 0811]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Loosing weight is 70% diet. No matter how you cut it.

Cardio helps but as you do it you're body gets used to it so it's important to change your cardio up a lot, and make sure you really work at it, not just go through the motions.

Weights- are for building strength but as you build strenght you build mussel and you're body requires more fuel to power the mussel so as long as your diet is good it helps burn fat too.

A proper diet should be eating small meals 5 to 6 times a day, never eat till your full, eat lean foods rich in protein low in fat and suger. low carbs and carbs should be in the form of vegitables or fruits same for sugars, whole sugars in fruits are so much better for weight loss than partial sugars like processed sugars, corn syrup and such.

The diet is the hardest part IMO but pays off so much more than cardio and weights
Example- I usually run for at least an hour a day in the morning plus an hour to two hour a day workout in the afternoon. If my diet sucks, my results are next to nil. but when I am on a proper diet the lbs melt off even when I cut back on cardio like now since its snowy and shitty out. I'd rather eat better than freeze my sack off running, it actually works better

 

[djkest]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sgt. 0811</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Loosing weight is 70% diet. No matter how you cut it.

Cardio helps but as you do it you're body gets used to it so it's important to change your cardio up a lot, and make sure you really work at it, not just go through the motions.
</div></div>

I can attest to this. I was doing 8 hours of cardio a week (6 hours of it was intense) and I lost weight very slowly. In 6 months I lost 16 lbs. I lost 18 lbs in 2 months on a low-carb diet with very little exercise. Now, I am attempting to do both, control my diet and increase my exercise. I think I have hit a barrier weight if that is possible, need to get below it.

 

[Lindy]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

You have to walk or run more than 30 miles to burn enough calories to lose a pound. From that fact, it's pretty obvious that you can't lose weight easily only through exercise.

 

[Casey Simpson]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Burn the candle at both ends in this case.
Drink lots of water, consume no or little sugar. The fat isn't as big of a problem as we've been taught; its the sugar, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup, lactose, sucrolose, sucrose and the like.

 

[ikalli]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Like others have said you need to attend to your diet! Its the most important part, you should try to set your macros for the same amount each day and eat proteins each meal. What has worked best for me when I need to lean down is keep these macros:
Protein : 50%
Carbs : 25%
Fat : 25%
Best sources for these would be
Protein: Chicken, tuna, protein shakes
Carbs: Only eat complex carbs, no white sugar!
Fat: You want the Omega fats 3-6-9, good source is from Salmon.. Also from nuts.

Your diet is in the right direction but not complete, you should cut out all bread from your diet. Also try to split your meals into 6 meals a day. Stick with the oatmeal in the morning, have a high protein snack at 10, get a good lunch (I like having chicken or fish for lunch with rice), at 14-15 a high protein snack, dinner again chicken or fish with rice and then always have proteins before bed.
You should try protein shakes, they save your life. (I like having my breakfast as follows: Protein powder, 70gr oats, low fat joghurt in a blender, faster and better tasting than oatmeal IMO

)
Notice that if you lower your calorie intake by 500calories a day you will lose 1lbs per week from that.

You also need to exercise to help speed up the process, when leaning down I will do 60min of cardio each day, I usually never bike (Burns much less calories than running). If I'm not to beat I will take abs and other core exercises after cardio. I do cardio in the morning and then weight lifting in the afternoon (I only weightlift mon-wed-fri).

As for the 55 lbs goal in 6 months it can be done but you need to work alot to achieve that goal!

 

[FightingFit]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Thanks Lads, I hear and appreciate everything everybody’s saying.

Let me tell you where I’m at now after nearly six weeks. I started at 261lbs and I’m now down to 246lbs, but to be honest I’ve lost interest in what the scales are telling me and I’m now only interested in how I look and feel. I’ve dropped two jeans sizes, had to put four extra holes in my belt and put on a noticeable amount of muscle on my shoulders, arms and legs. My gastro and reflux problems are gone, my back aches are gone, hell the wife says I’ve even stopped snoring and best part is I’ve only just started down this road and I already feel like I’m 21 again.

Exercise:
Mon – 10ml cycle
Tue – 1hr on the weights
Wen – 2ml run
Thur – 1hr on the weights
Fri – 10ml cycle
Sat – 1hr on the weights
Sun – Hit the range.

Diet, with some variation:
1 - Breakfast – 3 boiled egg whites, 1 slice wholemeal brown bread.
2 – Snack - 50g Whey shake straight after exercise.
3 – Lunch – 1x baked tuna steak, 1x baked salmon steak, 1x tomato, chick peas, brown rice, lettuce.
4 – Snack – Medium sized handful of almonds.
5 – Dinner – 2x Grilled chicken breasts, lettuce, 1x tomato.
6 – Snack – Medium sized handful of almonds.
Add about 3ltrs of water per day and a multivitamin supplement.

If you asked me what I thought is having the biggest effect? Definitely, 100% I’d say it’s the diet. Switching to a low carb high protein diet has been the life changer for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the exercise, especially the weight lifting which is becoming addictive.

So, after nearly six weeks what has been the biggest change? Definitely mentality. I started this with a goal of losing 60lbs and getting a bit fitter in six months. Now my goal is an ongoing one of maintaining a positive and mature mental attitude towards diet and fitness. I’ve learned that the physical results will come eventually as long as I maintain the right mental attitude.

I’d like to take this opportunity to say a BIG THANKS to JJones75 for steering me in the right direction. I took it all in, applied it and its working. The man knows what he’s talking about, simple as.

The next thing on my list is to get my 3RM numbers up. I think I may have gone fitness mad!

FightingFit.

 

[FALex]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

there seems to be quite the dichotomy with the cardio before or after weight training issue. From what I know, cardio before a workout helps to stimulate the production of testosterone, thus enhancing one's capability to weight train. On the flip side, doing it post weight training aids in the burning up of lactic acid thereby helping your body recover quicker with less soarness. I try to switch it up, do one day of pre-workout cardio then another day of post-workout cardio. Seems to work great.

 

[Km22]

Re: Weight training, then cardio?

Many pro athletes tend to run first, then lift. However, if I was your trainer, I'd probably have you lift first then run, so all of your cardio goes to the fat-burning stage. But again, it goes down to personal preference.