[JenBoo]

I have been working out for about 1 1/2 months. My routine consists of 1 day 45 minute brisk walking for cardio, then the next day 30 min brisk walk plus 5 lb weights and a swiss ball. I do these routines 6 days a week. I have gotten VERY bored with the walking, so I bought a mountain mike. Here are the questions i have...
1. Will the mountain bike still provide me with the appropriate cardio?
2. my upper abs are very firm and tight and toned, however, my lower abs (under navel)if flexed I can feel them, but there is a layer of fat over them,also a bit of "love handles" will cardio also help with losing that layer of fat and "love handles"?
3. How long should i be doing my cardio for?
4. Is there a device I can purchase that tells me while doing cardio what my THR is?
5. If i'm 24, what should my THR be to burn as much fat as possible?

Sorry for all the questions, but any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

[Ryan]

Ah yes, the infamous cardio questions.

It sounds like your goal is to lose bodyfat. The unfortunate truth is....NO activity is all that efficient at burning bodyfat. For example, a typical 150 pound male will expend about 100 calories per mile of foot travel (regardless of speed). A brisk walk would put you at maybe 4mph, so 400 calories burned over an hour. Now you must subtract the calories expended if said person did NOTHING at all...merely existed. For a male that size, it would be around 100. So, an hour of foot travel garnered 300 calories expended.

A single pound of bodyfat is approximately 3600 calories of energy. That's 12 HOURS or 48 MILES. Not very efficient is it?

The most effective way to reduce bodyfat is by dietary manipulation. A reduction of 10% or so in daily caloric intake is mild and manageable by anyone. The next thing that is helpful is to increase the amount of calories you expend ALL THE TIME. How do we do that? Here's a hint: a single pound of muscle tissue requires 30-50 calories per day JUST TO EXIST.

A PROPER strength training routine is the foundation for any sound exercise/fitness program. Not only will it provide you with some extra muscle tissue, but it will promote muscle SPARING. Otherwise, your body will gladly chew away at the muscle tissue you have. Why? Most "cardio" activities do not require a high degree of muscular output, so the body only requires enough muscle as to perform the task. The rest can be eliminated....which looks like pounds lost on a scale but is DEFINITELY the wrong weight to be losing.

[Kat]

The more resistance the more muscle you build. The less resistance the more toned you get (in theory)

[Ryan]

The more resistance the more muscle you build. The less resistance the more toned you get (in theory)

There is no such theory.

The term "tone" has no physiological corollary, really. It means lean with some muscle presence. There is no separate characteristic of muscle tissue that changes. Muscle presence is best developed by proper strength training. Leanness is promoted mainly by dietary changes.

Tone is one of the greater fitness myths in circulation.

soooo, basically what do i need to do? I have muscle, I don't want a body builder appearance. I want a lean "toned" look. I eat healthy. Where do I go from here, just jog my ass off?

[Ryan]

I have muscle, I don't want a body builder appearance.

This is a common worry that women have....strength training will make them like a bodybuilder.

I ask you: how many men who strength train look like bodybuilders? What makes you think you will?

Being able to have a bodybuilder appearance is something you are born with; it is largely genetic. If you had such a genetic predisposition, you would already have some sort of notable muscularity without any training. It's a pretty slim chance that this is a problem.

There's no reason to fear strength training and the multitude of benefits that it can bring. So very often I talk to women who get skittish because their (already skin tight) jeans don't fit anymore because they add a minor amount of muscle tissue. So what? The fitness industry preys on a great deal of insecurities that women have, forcing them into ridiculous exercise schemes. The same basic physiology that works on men......also works on women. We don't have to construct distinct "strong enough for a man, but pH balanced for a woman" systems here.