Adding in strength training...questions.

[Roserae]

I've been doing cardio exercise for 6 weeks now. I'm up to about 8-9% incline and taking it slow on the mph due to plantar fascitis injury I incurred last year by walking too fast. So I walk mostly at 2.7mph, sometimes upping it to 3 mph. But for that amount of incline with all the weight I'm carrying, my heart rate gets plenty high and I feel my legs get a fair workout too.

Okay, for my questions. I'd like to add in some strength training and we have a bowflex machine. Mostly what I want to know is what is the minimum I can do and still be effective? How many days? Is two enough? Also, would like to know if it is necessary to do strength training to my lower body since I'm already walking on an incline on the treadmill and can feel it working my legs.

I just don't want to add too much too fast, or else I will burn out and quit. I'm an all or nothing kind of gal, I know that about myself, so I want to start slowly.

This is my plan: cardio 5 times a week for half an hour and then two days a week do strength training to arms, chest, shoulders, back and abs.

I still have 100 pounds to lose, so my biggest goal is fat burning. Thanks for any help. Any suggestions would be great. I'm a novice at exercise!

[Jake]

I'm on my way out the door but i'd like to give you a quick answer in case you needed it to be able to start your new plan tommorow. Hopefully someone can come along and add to this. Here is what you wanted as a basic structure for a plan with the bowflex added in, looks fine to me and you'll see some good success with it. The bowflex manufactors actually only recommended I believe it was 3 days a week for 30 minutes, so the 2 that you want to do will be just fine. Stay hydrated, good luck.

BowFlex:
2 times a week
30 minutes a day

Cardio:
5 times a week
30 minutes a day

[iyamamaschke]

I am not sure what type of equipment you have at home but in order to help you more I need to know what you have available or if you are using a gym.

Since you are new to the weight training it is so important to have good form until you have good form you do not want to lift really heavy weight cause you may injure yourself and that is not something you want.

As for the legs you want an entire body package as I would call it. Even know walking on an incline is good for the muscles to really target the individual muscles of the legs you need to incoporate leg exercises ito you routine. This is importnat. Think of those men who in the gym have a really buff upper body but cover up their legs cause they have no leg development. You want an even toned body so doing everything is important.

To start I would work out arm one day legs the other day for your 2 days of weight training.

On the arm day you want to do you. chest, triceps, back biceps, shoulders.

do 1 exercise for each muscle group and to start do 2 sets of about 8 lbs try to do 10-12 reps per set this should fatigue the muscle enough for you to start. I am not sure where you are at but 8 it usually pretty safe. I will put up a web sight that is really great at explaining exercises so that you can see proper form an exicution.

http://www.hardcorebodybuilding.com/exercises.htm

http://www.ironworkout.com/ at the bottom of this page on the lft there is exercises for each group to be sure you are doing them correctly.


For your leg day you want to incoperate, Quads, calves and hamstrings, and glutes which will most likely get worked out with the quads. Everyone has fairly strong legs and you will need to feel this out for you. Start out at about 10 lbs and work your way up. If it's too easy add some weight too hard drop weight. With legs you want to do 2 sets of 15 reps because this is your larges muscle group and is also the strongest.

I really hope this helps. If you ahve any questions feel free to PM me and I will get back to you ASAP. ok

Take care

Sarah

[snorkelman]

The bowflex manufactors actually only recommended I believe it was 3 days a week for 30 minutes, so the 2 that you want to do will be just fine.

Forget that. You should be doing weigh training 3 days a week. If you need a few weeks of two days a week to build up to it, okay, but don't wimp out.

You definately should do weight training with your legs. Your legs have HUGE muscles and when you work out large muscles, you get your metabolism going faster.

Always work out your legs. I would focus on large muscle groups such as legs, back and chest. do exercises that work more than one muscle. for example, squats and row are great exercises.

you said you do 30 minutes 5 days a week on cardio - that is great, but make sure that is all 30 minutes in your target hear range. This means your warm up and cool down do NOT count towards that 30 minutes (so you might actually be on the treadmill 40 minutes).

Why don't you change equipment and go from the treadmill to the bike or eliptical or stairmaster or something else? If your foot is holding you back, then change equipment. The eliptical probably would be best for your type of injury.

You mention that you think your heartrate is "plenty high." Is that onjective or subjective? You want to be in your target heart range, which is not always what you might think is plenty high. Maybe you ARE in that range, and that would be great.

[Roserae]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I work out at home, so my equipment choices are a treadmill and the bowflex.

As far as my cardio goes...I'd say 3 out of the 5 days are a full 30 minutes. These are the days that I don't use the machine's preprogrammed workout, which have a built in warm up and cool down built into them, those two days probably more like 20 minutes. That's a good point and I need to address that.

When I say "plenty high" it is subjective, because I haven't actually counted my heart rate. But I am breathing very heavy, sweat is dripping off of me and I CAN talk, but don't want to. I know this because my 3 year old likes to sit and watch me exercise and "chat". lol. What do they say? You should be able to talk, but not sing? Well, I'm barely able to talk. Quick one word responses. And, whenever I feel like the workout is getting easier, I go up on my incline and sometimes up on my mph. So, I really do feel my cardio is effective, I just may need to increase my time a bit on those other days. I'd really like to get be doing cardio at least 3 hours a week and right now I'm only at 2.5 hours...and really, as you point out, a bit under that.

I really do have to take it slow. It is hard for me, but I want to jump in there and do it all. But then I can't keep it up and I quit. If I just add a bit at a time I will get used to doing more and it won't feel like such a huge block of my day is all of a sudden devoted to exercise. I need to work up to it.

Okay, so I need to work my legs too. How about 2 days of upper body and one day on legs, since my legs get a workout every day? I'm really trying to find a way that my strength training doesn't take too long. I'm already spending 30 minutes on cardio. I'm willing to add in another 30 minutes to strength training on those days, but not more. I'm a stay-at-home mom and my daughter is pretty good about letting me exercise. But there are limits.

Thanks again!

[iyamamaschke]

I basically said 2 days to start cause you said you wanted to take it slow and if that is what you want that's cool at least you are doing it which is the main thing. I would after about 2 weeks work to 3 days per week alternating upper and lower body then you will have a full body workout and feel really great. It is important more than anything to start slow if you don't know exactly what you are doing. I would rather that then jumping in and hurting yourself. Please look at the websights for form and exicution so that you know you are doing the exercises right. When you know your form is good then you can start getting more virorous and can do it more. Right now you are learning so it's important to learn and do things the right way. I think this is most important when you are starting a new exercise regime.

I am proud of you for taking that step forward towards a healtier body. Weight training will help you achive your goals. Like I said any questions please PM me I am more then happy to help.

I have been lifting weights for basically 8 years I lifted 1 year with a professional bodybuilder so I know some about weight training. I am also not counting the years I did nothing when I say 8 years. I lifted from the time I was 15 of course I have gained a lot of exerpience from trial and error. LOL I don't want you to do that.

Take care and hope you love your workouts.

Sarah

[Roserae]

Thanks, Sarah,

The bowflex comes with a book that shows correct form, and in the past when I've worked out with it, I've followed the book closely to make sure my form is correct. It makes a HUGE difference in how difficult or easy the exercise is when you do the form correctly.

I probably will start with two days. Then work in another day later...I don't know! lol. I'm going to do crunches everyday after my treadmill.

Oh, and today I did the treadmill and actually counted my heartrate. The lowest sustained was 160 and the highest was 180, so I think that is pretty good. What's the formula? 220- your age is the maximum? So that would be 186 maximum heart rate? Then 75% of that? 140? Oooo, may have been too high? Hmmm. Well, I didn't feel bad, just breathing hard.