Looking for the word “fast,” or “in 4 days,” aren’t you? Not going to find it here. I know – I’m such a party pooper. Remember when your grandmother told you that “nothing worth having comes easily?” My friends, I’m afraid grandma nailed that one.

Standing in line at the neighborhood Walgreens the other evening (buying milk, if you must know), I counted no fewer than five products at the checkout – all promising to help you lose weight FAST, melt fat while you sleep…I half expected to see one that read, “Sneeze, and lose 5 lbs instantly!” The sadder part is that people buy vats of this stuff, and expect it to work!

So, now that you understand your best ally while on your mission to lose weight, tone up, improve fitness, etc. is TIME, how much time does it take to get you where you want to be?

It depends.  I promise – the ambiguity stops here. Let me elaborate. Age, weight, current fitness level, exercise history, level of commitment, motivation, consistency, and exercise mode (whether you are doing all cardio, all strength training, or a combination of both), all affect the end result(s).

Given that there are so many variables at play, let’s start with your goal in mind.

Are you hoping to improve your overall strength? If you 8-10 exercises and you do them correctly, lifting enough weight to completely fatigue the muscles in 8-12 repetitions, and you strength train 2-3 times per week, you will likely see visible results in a six or seven weeks. (ACE Fitness Matters, July/Aug 2009)

Are you training for your first 5K? If you have done little to no cardiovascular exercise up to this point, give yourself at least 8-12 weeks to train. Start slowly, doing walk/run intervals for 15-20 minutes per cardio session, gradually increasing the time until you can sustain a bout of cardio for at least 30 minutes without stopping. I recommend applying the 2-5% rule for progressing cardio programs. Read more about that here…  If you consistently stick with a three to four-day per week routine, you will notice that at the three month mark, the cardio sessions will seem much easier (you’ll feel less breathless, muscles will take longer to fatigue, and your resting heart rate may start to decrease).

Are you stiff as a board and hoping to someday be able to touch your toes? Flexibility is largely genetic, however you can improve your joint range of motion and relieve muscle tightness with a focused stretching routine, two to three times per week. Your routine should include all of the major muscles, especially the ones that are overused. For example, if you sit for long periods during the day, your hip flexors and hamstrings are likely tight. And I always recommend stretching the lower back. Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds, and ideally, perform two sets of each stretch. You should see improvement within three or four weeks.

It is important to note that once you reach the level of fitness or flexibility you desire, you have to continue to exercise/stretch, or your hard work will soon disappear. So don’t get lazy – keep at it!

If you’re like many of the busy people I know, you get to the gym, make a beeline for the cardio room, hop on the first open machine you see, throw down your requisite number of minutes on the machine, then high-tail it back to your car with nary a post-workout stretch, or even a passing glance at the weights on your way out. When you’re short on time, it is tempting to skip what you think are the “non-essential” parts of your program and go for the calorie burn instead, but you’re actually missing out on valuable and necessary components of a well-rounded and effective fitness program. It is possible to fit both strength and cardio into your schedule, even if you only have an hour to work with.

Performing strength and cardio in the same workout session is known as concurrent training. You may have heard that you shouldn’t perform strength and cardio in the same session, but this can actually be a very efficient way to train. But which one should you do first? It is a common dilemma every exerciser faces. The simple truth is, just as there are many ways to skin a cat, there are many answers to this elusive question. The long and short of it is this: it depends on your overall goal. So, let’s begin with that.

What is your goal?

- If your goal is to increase strength and muscle hypertrophy, do your strength training first.

- If your goal is to improve cardiovascular fitness, do cardio first.

Is it really that simple? Yes, for the most part. Ultimately, it comes down to the type of exercise you do. A study published in the IDEA Fitness Journal (April 2007) examined the use of the cycle ergometer
(a lower body exercise), followed by strength training of the lower and upper extremities. Results indicated that lower body cardiovascular activity (cycling, running. stair stepping) had no effect on upper body performance during strength training, but it did impair performance during lower-body training. Conclusion: to maximize strength training sessions performed after bouts of cardio, make sure strength training is Iimited to alternate extremities.

Example
After running, power walking, cycling, dance or step aerobics, or stair master/stair climbing: perform upper body and/or core exercises.

After swimming, rowing, boxing, elliptical training with lots of upper-body resistance (i.e, you’re using the attached poles the way you should), or cross-country skiing: perform lower body and/or core exercises

And remember, you don’t have to do three sets of each strength training exercise to reap the benefits. One set of 10-12 exercises performed at an intensity that equates to about 75% of your 1RM (i.e, the 8th or so rep is the last one you can complete with good form), will result in respectable strength gains.

Still worried that strength training won’t leave enough time for the amount of cardio you need? Try interval training. Alternating bouts of high-intensity training with active recovery burns more calories in less time than steady-state cardio. Try bumping up the intensity of your workout to 85-90% of your max heart rate for a short time (30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your level of training), then actively recover by lowering the intensity until your heart rate returns to within 60-80% of your max heart rate.

Resources:

Kravitz, Len, PhD; IDEA Fitness Journal, April 2007; vol 4; no.4; p20-21

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.