In this blog I hope to track my adventures in fitness, food justice, gardening and body acceptance. I will do so with a critical eye--examining how anti-fat bias, economics, class, sexism, urban (suburban and rural) development deprives us of satisfying movement, and how health is collective and personal.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Toning Before Cardio?
So, I was reading Jillian Michaels' book "Winning by Losing" and she mentioned that it was important to do your toning prior to doing a vigorous cardio workout. She recommends a five minute warm up, then a fast pace toning regime that can serve as both toning and cardio or just as toning prior to cardio. Lately, Mon, Tues & Thursday I go to the gym or I take a vigorous walk outside after work. My work schedule has its advantages and disadvantages, but a 7am start time married to a 40 minute commute does not encourage exercise in the morning (when I have the most energy and am more naturally inclined to workout), so I do evening workouts. Lately, I've noticed how hard it is to do toning after doing the elliptical. So, I'm going to have to figure out how to get toning mixed in with my days at work and then on Fri/Sat (sometimes Sun) do a serious toning regime mixed with outdoor walking or the home treadmill (we're probably going to dump the YMCA membership).
Anyway, Michaels' book has great instructions and pictures for a variety of exercises that you only need small equipment for or chairs/walls/exercise balls. Today I did:
Wall Squats
--5 reps counting to 10
--5 reps counting to 12
Lateral Shoulder Raises
--3 sets of 10 reps with 5lbs weights
Shoulder Press
--3 Sets of 10 with 5lbs weights
Summo Squats
--3 sets of 10 reps with chair
Pilates Pelvic Curls
--3 sets of 10 reps
Pilates Rolling Up & Down
--5
Pilates Single Leg Circles
--Each leg clockwise and counter clockwise for a count of 8.
Pilates Single Leg Stretch
--6 reps for each leg
30 minute vigorous walk outdoors.
Suffice to say, I'm feelin' it--all of it, but I think I'm on the right track. I do not easily gain muscle and I need to work at it and I need to work at it prior to cardio or else I'm spent.
Overweight people have tons of leg muscle, which is used to move us around. Yet, it is true that you must lose the excess weight to see the muscle definition. Keep at it. And don't let the fear of become musclar deteer you. You have to be very close to goal weight for that even to become a possibility.
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