The Strength Training Critic Blog

I have a lot of weight to lose and hear conflicting info as to what helps you burn fat the fastest. Some say cardio, some say weight training. Should I focus more on one than the other?

Do both equally. Cardio does burn a great amount of calories. However, that doesn’t mean weight training is without benefit.

Weight training strengthens and builds muscle (although women don’t get bulky at all unless they’re on steroids).

An added benefit of increased muscle mass is increased metabolism which burns fat even faster, meaning weight is lost faster.

Doing a combination of both cardio & weight training will give the best results.

I am a traveling musician and would like to be able to work out on the road, but find I am having a hard time performing one core exercise in particular. Is there any good, HIGHLY PORTABLE piece of workout equipment allowing me to perform pulldowns with a progressively increasing weight (starting at about 100 lbs.) along with the rest of the most basic of the weight-lifting exercises? Thanks!

How about resistance bands? You can probably do an exercise equivalent to pull downs with the bands, like putting them on your feet and pulling up!

Talk about extremely light weight and portable…

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I work in my own business and do not have time to go to the gym throughout the day, and have no energy for it at night. As part of my job I walk dogs several times a day, so my cardio is good, but I have no way to do any strength training. Any suggestions??
- Clarification: I would like to know ways I can do strength training at my job – exercises that build muscle and such…

yeup 2 ideas, work out before work, i know it sucks but you gatta want it

if you can’t do that

make sure you getting 20-30carbs in the morning (starchy, like half a grapefruit with 6eggwhites 2 yolks). this will spike your insulin and you will get a good glycogen store for the day which should give you more energy to do it at night. a protein shake before and after lunch (2hrs) will help a ton as well.

other than that i don’t know what your looking for here, you basically said you want to do strength training but you cant.

I want to buy an exercise equipment for my home. i have a small room so take in mind that it can’t be too big. I dont want a sitting machine but i would like a cardio type thing that would lose the weight/tone my stomach, abs, thigh, ass…. basically i would like my body to be awesome for a bathingsuit. lol.
obviously i dont want something expensive. in fact i was thinking of getting something off of amazon or craigslist or soemthing

THANKS!!!

You don’t want to sit, yet a rowing machine will be the best for what you want. Maybe you should reconsider.

I’ve been training for about 3 months now and I have lost about 2.5% body fat but I am curious about what are some good excersizes/machines/intensitys on certain machines to burn fat.

Also any stretches for post workout?

its good to stretch before and after a workout…before is critical to prevent injury especially as you age….good cardio exercises include: running, walking, jogging,,hiking, the eliptical, the stationary bike(and regular bike) and swimming..lifting weights also helps you burn fat but cardio is probably your best bet…but be sure to do a combination of both…a good stretch that most people dont do is called the seal stretch..it stretches the lower back..the abdominal rectus.. and the seratus….its improves posture too….make sure you do stretches correctly..they are not meant to put you in pain….and also dont move fast when stretching..you could really do damage to your muscle spindles…. much luck with reaching your goals

I want to strength train my way to a 6pack nothing but strength training exercises and keeping my calories low..That would be my cardio, and over time have it come off that way. Possible?

Well the general rule is muscle cells burn far more calories than fat cells even at rest, sure you probably know that. You’d probably need to eat healthy and not undergo too much of a calorie deficit to keep your muscles growing. As for the 6 pack, we all have a 6 pack, just got to get rid of the fat so y’can see it!

So in short: more muscle = more fat burning potential.
be sure to use heavy weights and actually challenge your muscles and give them a chance to rest.

edit: For more effective fat loss from your entire body you should target the larger muscle groups (legs, chest, back) and do more complex exercises like squats and push-ups. Squats (with weights) are fantastic