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Question
25 Jan 2006
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WHICH ONE : WEIGHT TRAINING OR CARDIO
Hi There
I am quite limited to my time at the gym. I maybe get there for 3 days a week, at the most 45 minutes each. I would like to tone my body but I seem to have been doing the same thing for about 10 years. Is it better to do 20 minutes cardio followed by the weight training or is it better to do one day (45 minutes) of cardio, then the next weights, etc. Also, is it better to do more reps of lighter weights or heavier weights for less reps.
Thanks
I am quite limited to my time at the gym. I maybe get there for 3 days a week, at the most 45 minutes each. I would like to tone my body but I seem to have been doing the same thing for about 10 years. Is it better to do 20 minutes cardio followed by the weight training or is it better to do one day (45 minutes) of cardio, then the next weights, etc. Also, is it better to do more reps of lighter weights or heavier weights for less reps.
Thanks
FitnessDoc
Hi YCA
I think that for toning, if you are at your target body weight, then an equal balance between the two is best. If you need to lose weight, then cardio is without doubt much better, because it simply burns more fat by increasing the meatbolic rate more. Now, as for how to put it all together, I would suggest that you do one day of only cardio, and two days of combination. I do think that a fourth day will make an enormous difference, if you can find it, because at the moment you actually train less than you rest. A fourth day suddenly means training more than resting and that changes a lot around. So if you can find it, do that.
As for what you should do, I suggest lighter weights, but not so light that you hardly notice. They have to be heavy enough to produce results. I would say you should do 3 sets of 12 repetitions, and on the last 4 or 5 reps of the third set, you should really feel fatigued. Not dead tired, but you should feel it.
Good luck
I think that for toning, if you are at your target body weight, then an equal balance between the two is best. If you need to lose weight, then cardio is without doubt much better, because it simply burns more fat by increasing the meatbolic rate more. Now, as for how to put it all together, I would suggest that you do one day of only cardio, and two days of combination. I do think that a fourth day will make an enormous difference, if you can find it, because at the moment you actually train less than you rest. A fourth day suddenly means training more than resting and that changes a lot around. So if you can find it, do that.
As for what you should do, I suggest lighter weights, but not so light that you hardly notice. They have to be heavy enough to produce results. I would say you should do 3 sets of 12 repetitions, and on the last 4 or 5 reps of the third set, you should really feel fatigued. Not dead tired, but you should feel it.
Good luck
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