Help me gain weight and also be fit

slim · #1 09-19-2007, 05:22 PM

I'm a skinny guy (it's in my genes)....I am 6ft and only weigh 160lbs. I want to put on about 20lbs but at the same time I want to have good cardio bc I'm getting a little older. So I'm about to join the YMCA and start working out. In the past when I was in my 20's I would work out but no cardio but now cardio is as important to me as gaining weight.

My question is this....does it make a difference in my goals if I lift weights and then go jogging on a treadmill right after? Or is it better to do weights one day and weights on another day. Any suggestions is appreciated. Keep in mind, I am not looking to be big and ripped....I just don't want to be so skinny.

shemp · #2 09-19-2007, 05:29 PM

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I'm a skinny guy (it's in my genes)....I am 6ft and only weigh 160lbs. I want to put on about 20lbs but at the same time I want to have good cardio bc I'm getting a little older. So I'm about to join the YMCA and start working out. In the past when I was in my 20's I would work out but no cardio but now cardio is as important to me as gaining weight.

My question is this....does it make a difference in my goals if I lift weights and then go jogging on a treadmill right after? Or is it better to do weights one day and weights on another day. Any suggestions is appreciated. Keep in mind, I am not looking to be big and ripped....I just don't want to be so skinny.

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Have you considered eating more?

I'm being a smartazz. It's just that you don't mention it.

slim · #3 09-19-2007, 05:31 PM

yes of course....but at my age, that'll just give me a gut if I don't work out

shemp · #4 09-19-2007, 05:44 PM

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My question is this....does it make a difference in my goals if I lift weights and then go jogging on a treadmill right after? Or is it better to do weights one day and weights on another day.

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Either one is fine. But lifting weights won't improve your "cardio"-- so I don't understand why you'd do the second option? Your goals aren't really coming through here other than a desire to not be skinny.

slim · #5 09-20-2007, 12:41 AM

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My question is this....does it make a difference in my goals if I lift weights and then go jogging on a treadmill right after? Or is it better to do weights one day and weights on another day.

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Either one is fine. But lifting weights won't improve your "cardio"-- so I don't understand why you'd do the second option? Your goals aren't really coming through here other than a desire to not be skinny.

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Oh that was a typo. I meant to ask: Is it better to do weights on one day and then treadmill on the next day as opposed to doing weights and treadmill on the same workout? In other words, will doing treadmill take away any gains in muscle mass from doing weights if I do the treadmill the same day as weights as opposed to the next day.

kyleb · #6 09-20-2007, 04:20 AM

Cardio work in the same day you do compound lifts doesn't negate the effects. Warm up with some light cardio, do heavy lifts, and then run afterwards.

slim · #7 09-20-2007, 10:24 AM

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Cardio work in the same day you do compound lifts doesn't negate the effects. Warm up with some light cardio, do heavy lifts, and then run afterwards.

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Thanks...that's what I was looking for. I had heard in the past that cardio would negate weight training effects.

Also, what 2 groups of muscles should I work on the same day? Is it better to do opposing muscles such as chest/back and biceps/triceps or similar muscle groups like chest/tri and back/bi?

shemp · #8 09-20-2007, 01:59 PM

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Oh that was a typo. I meant to ask: Is it better to do weights on one day and then treadmill on the next day as opposed to doing weights and treadmill on the same workout? In other words, will doing treadmill take away any gains in muscle mass from doing weights if I do the treadmill the same day as weights as opposed to the next day.

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I should have been able to figure that out. I don't know what is "best," but I occasionally lift and run on the same day. I never run/bike before lifting heavy, and I've seen people recommend against it. I think the most important thing is that you start slow and add stuff as you know you can handle it-- stoke the enthusiasm you have rather than overwhelm it with things you think you are supposed to be doing.

shemp · #9 09-20-2007, 02:03 PM

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Cardio work in the same day you do compound lifts doesn't negate the effects. Warm up with some light cardio, do heavy lifts, and then run afterwards.

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Thanks...that's what I was looking for. I had heard in the past that cardio would negate weight training effects.

Also, what 2 groups of muscles should I work on the same day? Is it better to do opposing muscles such as chest/back and biceps/triceps or similar muscle groups like chest/tri and back/bi?

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There's a workout template here:

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/WorkoutMenu.html

Personally, I'm not a fan of bodybuilding splits, generally. And from what I've seen, when guys design their own programs, they tend to be pretty silly-- but that is an answer to your question.

cbloom · #10 09-20-2007, 02:06 PM

I just wrote about this in another thread - IMHO it's better to do lifting and cardio separately (though on the same day is fine). The main reason is just that after big lifting you want to quick eat some protein and rest to digest it, so cardio after lifting gets in the way of that. Cardio before lifting is bad because you want to be fresh and full energy when you lift so you can do a max effort.

Doing cardio after lifting is not like a horrible thing though, it's just probably slightly worse than optimal. Doing like a 2 hour low-intensity jog after lifting would be really dumb though.

You could do a 5 minute Tabata after lifting, that way you could still slam some protein pretty quickly and get the heart racing.