Cardio + Weights

I was reading my friend Karen's blog yesterday... besides being a funny lady, she's also, amazingly, capable of calling a 2 mile jog a "warm-up"  Hmph.  Anyway, in her blog she talks about meeting with a trainer for a body fat assessment, resulting in a new workout plan that includes WEIGHTS in a big way.

Cardio vs. Weights 
Cardio is great, it's important, and necessary for losing/maintaining your weight.  It's also good for your heart and lungs.  BUT weights (my favorite anyway) make a huge difference in SHAPING and TONING, as well as allowing your body to burn a bit more calories because they add to your muscle mass.
Intro to Weights for Beginners
Here is the basic full body weight program I put my b.ball girls on for about a month in the pre-season this year.  It's short - about 35 min or so - and it prepares your body for a more targeted and demanding program later by building a strength BASE to work from.  If you haven't lifted before, you need to start small and work up.  I'm a big fan of working as many muscle groups at a time in one exercise as you can.  It saves time, keeps your heart rate up, and helps with balance and coordination as well.
Here goes:
3 sets of 8-10 reps on each exercise
Do one set, immediately move on the next exercise without stopping; your heart rate will stay high!  I've grouped the exercises for you.  Do one set of each, keep moving until you've done all three sets of 10, then move on to the next group of exercises.  Make sure you warm up with cardio for at least 10 minutes before you begin any weight program.  With all weights, keep your knees soft (slightly bent), your pelvis tucked under, and your abs tight to protect your lower back.  Don't lock those knees and sway your lower back!

Group #1 
Bicep curls - 3 sets of 10 each arm
Tricep extensions - start with a light weight.  Hold the weight with both hands above your head.  Lower the weight slowly, behind your head, keeping your elbows near your ears.
Lunges - 3 sets of 10, alternating legs

Group #2
Calf Raises - 3 sets of 10 each leg
Abs - 100 reps- lay on your back on a bench, holding the bench next to your head.  Bend your legs and bring knees to chest, lower your feet slowly back to the bench until heels tap the bench.  Do not release the tension in your abs when heels touch the bench.

Group #3
Squat Press with weight.  Watch this clip for instructions on how to do a squat properly.  VERY helpful.  Use a light weight to start and make sure your FORM is correct.  Do NOT let your knees come forward of your toes, try putting a bench behind and sit down/get up a few times to get the feel.  If you lose your balance, the bench will catch you :)  The squat press ends with an overhead press of the bar.  Please watch the instructional video!!!  It doesn't include the overhead press, but is very helpful for form.
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/SquatTherapy.wmv  

Group #4
Bench Press - If you can't use the bar (45 lbs), go lighter and use a spotter to help you if possible.  If you don't have a spotter, just use a light weight or a bench machine for safety.  Remember, this is base strength training, you aren't maxing out just yet.
Lat Pull down - this is a machine - it works the muscles that tighten up the dreaded "bra bulge" area on your back. Bonus!

Remember, if you haven't lifted before, use light weight and focus on your form first and foremost.  There's no prize for lifting the most weight. people :)  Unless you're training for the Olympics...

XOXO
Andrea