redgirl1974's Journal, 25 April 2016

I don't know what weightlifting program you've been following, but I'm a huge fan of strong curves. It's out of a book you can buy online, or you can look up the workouts that have been posted on forums. It's a lifting routine that's geared towards creating a 'feminine' physique.  

Are you trying to lose weight or become Ms. Olympia? 

Ive been doing research of cutting fat and its the opposite. lay off the cardio and do weights 2-3 times a week. Cardio is walking and maybe 1 sprint a week. But im not for running for miles and miles.... You end up hungrier and just eating more. You can be successful at fatloss lifting and walking on off days 

+1 Caloric Restriction + Lifting Heavy = Max FAT Loss. Gym time can be reduced by reducing cardio and (probably) by reducing your number of sets, but lifting heavier.  

For example - http://www.leangains.com/2012/10/train-like-man-look-like-goddess.html 

I do HIIT when doing cardio - alternate sprints with slowing down to catch your breath - they say we burn more calories in less time. I do lift 4 days, too. 

Redgirl, you might be on to something - trying to out-train a poor diet never works (I've tried again and again and again). And yes, it can lead to over-training, setting you up for exhaustion or, even worse, injury. That said, I partially agree with some of the responses above. Keeping or building muscle mass is key to burning fat. I'm thinking a middle-path is best (and it kind of sounds like that's what you're proposing for yourself already). Keep up the resistance training enough to at least maintain your muscle mass, but introduce cardio for additional fat burning (and significant health benefits!). Just keep it reasonable. And that "boxiness" you mentioned, might turn out to be the result of body fat over muscle, rather than just muscle alone. Hope this isn't annoying. Please forgive if so. I struggle with the resistance / cardio / diet balance all the time. Best of luck!  

I want to lose weight 1st but I also lift bc since I lost 100 plus lbs I have a lot of flab and lose skin. SO I lift 4-6 days a week and I all though I dont lift heavy, I lift a lot.. does that make sense? Meaning Ill so 3-5 sets of the same thing and work the same muscle with 3-4 different sets.Ex, biceps Ill do 4 different types of exercise, 4-5 sets of 8-12 each. I work 2-3 muscle groups a day and TRY and do cardio but try is the key word bc if Im pressed for time, I skip the cardio and this is what Im trying to change. If I do the cardio 1st then lift only what I have time for cutting back the number of sets/reps.. and this just for a few weeks until Im a fat burning machine.. does this make sense and is it a good idea..  

Now, this is just what I’ve read, but it’s my understanding that lifting heavy and doing compound moves will build/maintain muscle mass and help you lose fat more than cardio can. It will also shorting your time in the gym drastically 

Here's a link to the program I follow (there are excel spreadsheet links in the post) 

https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/3dg1b1/here_are_the_correct_strong_curves_workouts_in/ 

Congrats in the loss, BTW!  

+1 Notelaine. BTW, Lifting heavy does not mean lifting a billion pounds, or becoming a lunk. What it does mean is "progressive overload." Increasing your top set every session, by at least a little bit. Look around your gym. Do the people you see slogging the treadmill day after day and working away on those nautilus machines have the body you want? 

I have to agree with Notelaine and Jimmiepop to some extent. Once you've achieved basic fitness (which it sounds like you have), lifting heavier (say 8 reps per set heavy enough that you only have one or two more reps in the tank at 8) is probably more effective than doing more reps with lighter weights. Especially if you give compound movements first priority. But going back and looking at your original post more carefully (sorry), it does look to me like you're probably overtraining. Of course, I don't know how you're breaking down your various resistance workouts, but for what you seem to be trying to achieve, 3 or 4 resistance workouts a week should be plenty (really, if you set it up right, 3 is probably enough). You could then devote more time to cardio (and remember, even a brisk walk can be cardio). Taking it a little easier, in terms of frequency, might actually give you better results. 5 or 6 resistance workouts per week is probably too much. 

what I mean when i say I think Im over training is Im training too hard for too long and Ive had some injuries lately.. bursitis, pulled hammy and calf.. so not sure if that's the correct definition but that's what I mean when I say it and Ive been lifting since Aug 2015..and Im at a standstill SO I feel like if I flip flop and work more cardio for a while, let my muscles rest some , then come back like a hurricane.. Im thinking a week or two. I feel like lifting heavy gears me towards more strength, which is all good but not my focus right now.. I just want to mix it up and burn some fat .. LOL  

Muscles weight more than fat. Check your body fat