Hello,
I've been doing 1hr of cardio (cycling/treadmill= 30 minutes each) 5 days per week for 3 months now. Also, I've been on a low calorie intake diet. I'm 5'9 and after losing 21lbs weigh in at 224lbs (Losing an avg. of 3lbs p/week). My question is... When do you recommend for me to start lifting weights, and which type should work on. I have never done it. I have a membership to a gym and would like to know if this is the best time or if it's best to reach my desired weight first and then bulk up. Please assist.

You should have been lifting the entire time you were cutting. The reason is, that a lot of the weight you might have been losing was muscle. You lift to maintain and even gain muscle during that time.

I would start as soon as you can. I made the mistake years ago of not working out until I reached my goal weight. Once I reached it, I was skinny, but had no muscle mass to speak of. Lifting weights is an incredible way to speed up your metabolism, which in turns burns fat.

Jason

I agree with the former posts. Before recommending a routine, how old are you?

I would start as soon as you can. I made the mistake years ago of not working out until I reached my goal weight. Once I reached it, I was skinny, but had no muscle mass to speak of. Lifting weights is an incredible way to speed up your metabolism, which in turns burns fat.

Jason

What do you recommend I start with. At this time I work out 5 days per week: Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat. I cycle 11 miles (Avg.300 cal)(30+ minutes), and run 2.5 miles/25minutes). I have no idea where to start... what type of lifting I should do. Any recommendations on how I should split my 5 days per week or a good plan to fit in both lifting and cardio?

I agree with the former posts. Before recommending a routine, how old are you?

I'm 29 years old. 5'9 and 224lbs. I had my body fat measured last night at the gym and I came in at 25%. Although the way they measure was weird... they measure ontop of my shirt and undershirt.

I'm 29 years old. 5'9 and 224lbs. I had my body fat measured last night at the gym and I came in at 25%. Although the way they measure was weird... they measure ontop of my shirt and undershirt.

BAD measure! I suggest HIT(as always- :D ) but Max-OT and Body for life might be good programs. Look at how to get smart in my signature for some information on weight training. Start reading the forums, get the basics. I would think you need to drop 50-60 pounds. Diet, then weights, then if you feel need cardio. Muscle makes up your metabolism, you don't want to lose any and probally like 90% need to gain some.

Agree with others. Weight training should've been involved from the begining. When you add muscle to your body you burn more calories even when rested.

Hello,
I've been doing 1hr of cardio (cycling/treadmill= 30 minutes each) 5 days per week for 3 months now. Also, I've been on a low calorie intake diet. I'm 5'9 and after losing 21lbs weigh in at 224lbs (Losing an avg. of 3lbs p/week). My question is... When do you recommend for me to start lifting weights, and which type should work on. I have never done it. I have a membership to a gym and would like to know if this is the best time or if it's best to reach my desired weight first and then bulk up. Please assist.
Your weight losses have undoubtedly included significant amounts of muscle. Running is just too intense to stay in the fat-burning zone. Do you know what your HR is during your cardio sessions?

Diet is the most important facet of a training program, and you’ve only hinted at what your diet is like. 3lb/week is very fast… you risk losing muscle (already pretty sure that’s happening), overtraining, hormonal imbalances, and a plummeting metabolism that will grind your fat loss to a halt. From that point on, the only weight you will be able to lose will be healthy tissue & muscle, placing you in a worse health condition than when you started. What kind of a calorie deficit are you running? Post the details of your diet, I’m sure there will be room for improvement.

I hope you didn't pay for your BF % measure.

For a total transformation its best to Diet properly, Train with weights & Cardio and get plenty of rest. Looks like you just need to incorporate the weight training. I alternate 3 days of weight lifting with 3 days of cardio. You can also do 4 days of Cardio and 2 days of full body workouts or 2 day split. Youll have to see what works for you and also what keeps you motivated to continue doing it.

Here's a beginners workout from the max-ot people. http://www.ast-ss.com/training/getting_started/getting_started.asp?part=1&page=1

It's been said, but start lifting now.