hi,
i started weight training exercises a month ago. i got the exercise plan from www.freetrainers.com, which has a plan for people who don't own a gym membership. so i do everything at home, with a set of 5lb dumbbells (i started out with 3lb rocks!!). if it helps, i'll give you my stats and exercise and diet examples..
i'm a 24 year old female trying to gain muscle and lose body fat. i'm only 118lbs, but i'm also 5'1", and my body fat percentage is higher then i would like. while my weight has gone in between 110-120 for years, my body fat percentage has always seemed the same. i think i have a low metabolism, even though i always eat 6 small meals a day, and i get full very fast so i've always eaten small portions. i eat tons of vegetables and fruit, whole and pita bread, cottage cheese, shredded wheat, soup, salads, veggie burgers, tofu etc...ive been cutting back on meat and experimenting with vegan cooking, though i'm not vegan, i'm not even vegetarian, i just love to cook like i am.
my weight training program has me working out 3 days a week doing 4 sets of: pushups, side laterals, back, bicep curls, tricep extentions, crunches, squats, calf raises. sets 1 and 2 are 15 reps, set 3 is 12 and set 4 is 10.
before i started this program i was running 1 mile 5 days a week. i stopped because i hate it and ive been dancing for hours on the weekends. 1 mile is nothing, and it probably does nothing wither....people say that 3-10 miles is a good run, but i can barely handle only 1 mile......i have asthma. not just from exercising, but from various allergy sources as well. running always acts up my asthma. I have read by tons of people on forums that HIIT is a great cardio exercise that helps you lose body fat better then running long, lower intensity jogs. I tried it, and my asthma was really bad while I was exercising, and also for 30 MIN!! after!! even with my inhaler.
so.......what should I do about cardio??
are there any other exericses that help achieve higher metabolism and lower body fat?
i started weight training exercises a month ago. i got the exercise plan from www.freetrainers.com, which has a plan for people who don't own a gym membership. so i do everything at home, with a set of 5lb dumbbells (i started out with 3lb rocks!!). if it helps, i'll give you my stats and exercise and diet examples..
i'm a 24 year old female trying to gain muscle and lose body fat. i'm only 118lbs, but i'm also 5'1", and my body fat percentage is higher then i would like. while my weight has gone in between 110-120 for years, my body fat percentage has always seemed the same. i think i have a low metabolism, even though i always eat 6 small meals a day, and i get full very fast so i've always eaten small portions. i eat tons of vegetables and fruit, whole and pita bread, cottage cheese, shredded wheat, soup, salads, veggie burgers, tofu etc...ive been cutting back on meat and experimenting with vegan cooking, though i'm not vegan, i'm not even vegetarian, i just love to cook like i am.
my weight training program has me working out 3 days a week doing 4 sets of: pushups, side laterals, back, bicep curls, tricep extentions, crunches, squats, calf raises. sets 1 and 2 are 15 reps, set 3 is 12 and set 4 is 10.
before i started this program i was running 1 mile 5 days a week. i stopped because i hate it and ive been dancing for hours on the weekends. 1 mile is nothing, and it probably does nothing wither....people say that 3-10 miles is a good run, but i can barely handle only 1 mile......i have asthma. not just from exercising, but from various allergy sources as well. running always acts up my asthma. I have read by tons of people on forums that HIIT is a great cardio exercise that helps you lose body fat better then running long, lower intensity jogs. I tried it, and my asthma was really bad while I was exercising, and also for 30 MIN!! after!! even with my inhaler.
so.......what should I do about cardio??
are there any other exericses that help achieve higher metabolism and lower body fat?
posted by:
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SF Bay Area
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Re: i have asthma!!
Tue, October 16, 2007 - 8:53 AMlet me review: 118 lb, and you are 5'1".
Take a step back and look at the big picture for a moment.
I don't see a problem with your size. You sound like you're a great size. If anything, i would worry that you are worrying too much about your size.
That said, you can probably get away with elliptical training or cycling for your cardio. Can you do HIIT on any cardio equipment of any kind?
Can you manage your asthma with an inhaler?
Are you measuring your bodyfat with a bioimpedance monitor (like Tanita and her ugly friends)? If so, throw it away - it's highly inaccurate and prone to skew if you are dehydrated.
Weight training, protein intake, and managing your diet will help you manage or reduce your bodyfat. Keep in mind that a healthy bodyfat for women is anywhere in the 15 to 25% range. If you're in that range, you don't need to stress. Stressing about it will put you in the unhealthy bodyfat range. Do not go there, it's not good. Especially if you are young and you ever expect to have children.
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Re: i have asthma!!
Tue, October 16, 2007 - 9:25 AMHave you told your doctor this problem when you do HIIT? Maybe the perscription of your inhaler needs to be changed.
When I do HIIT, I need to use my inhaler, but it does not last 30min afterwards. To me that is scarry, please talk to your docotr about your workout plan and what is going on. My asthma is only active when allergy season is here and some days I do not need it when I am doing HIIT. Everyone is different.....
