Workout Schedual : which is better?

[AudiPorsche]

which is generally better

#1 Mon/Wed/Fri : work out upperbody followed by ~30mins of treadmill
Tues/thursday: work out lower body followed by 30mins of treadmill

Or

#2 Mon/Wed/Fri : workout upper and lower body
Tues/thurs: ~hour of running.


im interested in gaining strength and losing about 15lbs.

 

[kcklla]

The first one would be a better and safer idea but fi you really want to lose weight then I think you need to do more running but also getting stronger makes you heavier because muscles weigh more then fat

 

[b0mbrman]

I don't think I've ever seen anyone complain about having too much muscle weight...

 

[mastertech01]

I like plan #2, but always precede all your activity with a good stretch and warmup to reduce injury to yourself. Cardiovascular workout is just as important as muscular workout.

 

[AudiPorsche]

i know that i wont 'technicaly' lose 15 pounds,but i want to lose 15 pounds of fat.... replacing the 15lbs of fat with muscle is what i want.

 

[UFGator]

#2 is good...

or you can do upper boday one day and lower and cardio the same day.

#2 is fine though.

 

[JOSEPHLB]

Monday -- Chest / Biceps
30 - 45 minutes of cardio activity

Tuesday -- Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, etc)
30 - 45 minutes of cardio activity
This session of cardio can be important in a second way.. It also allows the flushing out of lactic acid buildup from the leg workout, which will in a result, lessen the effects of the soreness the day or two after the workout..

Wednesday -- 30 - 60 minutes of cardio activity
No weight training

Thursday -- Back / Triceps
30-45 minutes of cardio activity

Friday -- Shoulders
30 - 45 minutes of cardio activity

Saturday , Sunday -- REST

If possible, and time permits, doing cardio first thing in the morning is more effective... this is based on theory.
Blood sugar levels are lower in the morning, thus calorie burning is derived from other sources, being stored fat, instead of readily available carbohydrate enery sources

Its also very critical to monitor your weight loss. If you are losing more than 2 pounds a week, you are losing muscle mass in addition to fat, and you need to eat more.
Insure on a strength, muscle building program, that you are intaking more protein than the average person. Lots of turkey, chicken, fish, etc.

 

[AudiPorsche]

so if i lose weight while im strength training, that means my muscles are deteriorating?

 

[Angrymarshmello]

You should give your body some recouperation days so to speak, so I'd personally pick #2.



<< so if i lose weight while im strength training, that means my muscles are deteriorating? >>



Not necessarily. You do jack up your metabolism by strength training, which helps burn fat a little better.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Pay more attention to the tape measure and the mirror than to your weight. If you're a beginner, you will probably be able to simultaneously build muscle and lose fat for a while if you are serious about lifting weights. So the net result may be that you don't see much change in the scale, but you are drastically changing your ratio of lean mass to fat. And your diet is much more important than your workout routine with regard to fat loss. Workout #2 is probably better for a beginner.

 

[glenn1]

May i suggest a Plan #3?

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday: abdominals (crunches, situps, etc.) for 20-30 minutes followed by running or swimming (min 20 minutes)

Monday/Wednesday/Friday: additional later in day 30 minute upper body workout (free weights)

Saturday: 30 mins swimming (if possible)


You'll want to do aerobic exercise every day (taking Sundays or weekends off is fine) if weight loss is one of your main goals. Running is, quite simply, the best and easiest way of doing that (short of swimming, which might or might not be practical). Upper body work (anaerobic) should definitely fall second in importance until you've reached a reasonably high level of athletic health and metabolism. If on any given day, you can only either run or work out, you should choose to run.

 

[dawks]

Just a note.. Im not sure how many people realize this, but if you want to build up muscle, and loose any fat you have, your going to GAIN weight. (Unless you loose a huge amount of fat). Muscle weighs alot more then fat. I actually look at how much weight I've gain while I've been working out.

 

[JOSEPHLB]

Ok.. let me make one point..

Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat.

Are you telling me that ONE pound of fat, weighs less than ONE pound of muscle? I think not.. One pound , is one pound.

muscle size is smaller than fat.. That is what you mean.

scenerio:

Two People..

John Doe = 200 LBS , 20 % Bodyfat
Joe Doe = 200 LBS , 10 % Bodyfat

Joe will appear smaller, to the visual eye, due to the fact, muscle takes up less space, than fat. It will be obvious, Joe will be far more lean, sculptured, and hard compared to John.

 

[shaddow]

you might want to try working a different muscle group every day for an hr or so
high weight with less reps for muscle definition

 

[glenn1]

<< Just a note.. Im not sure how many people realize this, but if you want to build up muscle, and loose any fat you have, your going to GAIN weight. >>



To some extent, yes. That presupposes that the primary goal is muscle gain, rather than overall health and fitness. In my military days, my "ideal weight" where i had the overall best blend of speed, flexibility, endurance, strength, and power was about 170 lbs. (i'm 6'0", and needless to say, not a huge dude). When i'd bulk up for strength purposes in the gym, i would gain weight, sure... but i'd lose speed and flexiblity. During and after a mission, i'd lose lots of weight (being out in the desert for weeks at a time on limited water and rations will do that to you), i'd peak out my endurance, but strength and power would suffer (i'd generally come back from a mission ~145 or so).

Losing weight or gaining weight is not necessarily an end in itself. Maxing out your level of physical fitness and health is. Your body style might mean you may never be a slim (or buffed) dude, but you could peg the charts healthwise. I know plenty of chicks with an "athletic build" that look like they could lose weight, that are the healthiest individuals you could ever meet. The key is to not have unrealistic expectations.

 

[rickn]

Muscle is denser than fat. You can lose 15 lbs of fat, gain 12 pounds of muscle. In other words, dont let the weight scale fool you. Watch carbo intake, eat lots of protein and drink lots of water (REAL WATER, flavored drinks do not count)

 

[JOSEPHLB]

also ensure along with the addition of protein, you increase your fiber intake as well

If you dont, you'll be hurting.. no pun intended

 

[AudiPorsche]

im not exactly the fittest guy, so thats why i thought 30mins of running constantly would be easier....i doubt i could run an hour straight.

Would working out seperate muscle groups everyday of the weak give your better results thatn working out all muscle groups on the same day.

 

[isekii]

You should do cardio before you lift.. to get your heart rate going.. and the blood flowing..

I usually do about 1 hour of Cardio then lift.. for about an hour.. and then I finish up with a 30 min jog..

 

[JOSEPHLB]

doing cardio before running is not really recommended

Getting the heart going is good, but when you do cardio, you burn up all fuel sources; simple sugars/carbs , etc...
Thus resulting in a piss poor strength training workout afterwards