Tips for Creating a Balance Between Cardio and Strength Training for Women

There are some women in the world who want to appear as thin as possible. On the flip side, there are others who want to look like the female equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger. These two extremes require defined workout routines: exclusively cardio for weight loss and exclusively strength training for building muscle mass. However, for the rest of the women who want to maintain a blend of healthy weight and muscle mass, creating a workout routine is not as straightforward.

The journey to your ideal body type begins with creating a routine that balances cardio and strength training. In this article, I have given examples of workout routines that can be completed over the course of a week that will allow you to maintain a healthy weight and develop muscle mass without excessive weight loss or muscle gain.

Monday: Lower Body Cardio
At the beginning of the week, you're going to focus your strength training on the muscles of the upper body. For this reason, you'll want your cardio exercises to focus on the lower body so that your upper body won't be sore when your strength train tomorrow. A good cardio workout consists of either 20-30 minutes of high-intensity activity or 60-90 minutes of moderate-intensity activity. In this routine, we're going to focus on high-intensity cardio at the beginning and end of the week and reserve low-to-moderate intensity cardio for the middle of the week when you need a day to relax.

On Monday, you can choose from the following exercises that will provide you with high-intensity lower body cardio: running, bicycling, elliptical training, or step aerobics. Engage in your choice exercise for 20-30 minutes, remembering to stretch and warm-up and down before and after your main workout.

TIP: If you are just beginning a cardio workout routine, you may need to work up to a full 30-minute high-intensity cardio session. Either cutting the time in half and working up to a full workout or beginning with low-intensity cardio sessions will prepare you better for the recommended workout routine.

Tuesday: Upper Body Strength Training
Any strength training workout should begin with a warm-up and stretching period. Prior to heading to the weight machines, walk on the treadmill for approximately five minutes to get your muscles warm. After walking, stretch the muscles of your upper body. This will prevent injury during your strength training exercises. Stretching and cool-down activities should also be performed at the end of strength training.

The first strength training workout of the week will focus on the upper body: arms, shoulders, chest, and back. If you have a gym membership, simply visit each of the machines that are designed to target these areas - a trainer can point these machines out if you're unsure of which to use. Choose a weight setting that is comfortable for you - too-low settings will result in a cardio-like workout and too-high settings will make your arms overly sore for a longer period of time. Perform eight-to-twelve repetitions on each machine. Remember to focus on only the four areas of the upper-body and leave the abs and legs for the end of the week strength training session.

TIP: Beginners may want to work their way up to heavier weights and multiple repetitions. Rather than forcing yourself to do more than your body is ready to handle and potentially causing an injury, start with lower weights and 5-6 repetitions.

Wednesday: Low-Intensity Cardio
Today you're probably feeling the burn from the upper-body workout you did yesterday, so you won't want to do any high-intensity workouts that focus on that area. Also, you're going to do strength training on the lower half of your body tomorrow, so you won't want to tire those muscles during your cardio session today. Instead, since you've been working so hard all week, give yourself a break mid-week and engage in a low cardio session. Go for a long walk or swim casually for a period of an hour to an hour and a half. Low cardio sessions are just as beneficial as high cardio -- they simply have to be performed for a longer period of time.

Instead of spending an hour at the gym mid-week, take a walk with a friend or family member. You'll appreciate the break between intensive workouts, and your muscles will have adequate rest and healing time for the strength training session tomorrow.

TIP: Even beginners should be able to complete the full mid-week cardio session.

Thursday: Lower Body Strength Training
Today, again, you should begin your workout session with a warm-up and stretching period. Walk on the treadmill or go for a swim for approximately five minutes to get your muscles warm. After warming up, stretch the muscles of your lower body to prevent injury during your strength training exercises. Stretching and cool-down activities should also be performed at the end of strength training.

The second strength training workout of the week will focus on the lower body: abs, glutes, and legs. If you have a gym membership, simply visit each of the machines that are designed to target these areas - a trainer can point these machines out if you're unsure of which to use. Choose a weight setting that is comfortable for you - too-low settings will result in a cardio-like workout and too-high settings will make your arms overly sore for a longer period of time. Perform eight-to-twelve repetitions on each machine. Remember to focus on only the three areas of the lower-body.

TIP: Again this session, beginners may want to work their way up to heavier weights and multiple repetitions. Rather than forcing yourself to do more than your body is ready to handle and potentially causing an injury, start with lower weights and 5-6 repetitions.

Friday: Upper Body Cardio
At the end of the week, you'll want your cardio exercises to focus on the upper body since your lower body muscles are probably still sore from the strength training session tomorrow. Today, you're going to focus on high-intensity cardio that focuses on the upper part of your body.

On Friday, you can choose from the following exercises that will provide you with high-intensity upper body cardio: rowing or swimming. However, if you choose to swim, the swimming must be constant for the duration of the session -- casual swimming will only provide you with moderate cardio activity. Engage in your choice exercise for 20-30 minutes, remembering to stretch and warm-up and down before and after your main workout.

TIP: Once again,if you are just beginning a cardio workout routine, you may need to work up to a full 30-minute high-intensity cardio session. Either cutting the time in half and working up to a full workout or beginning with low-intensity cardio sessions will prepare you better for the recommended workout routine.

Weekend
If you did all of the workouts as described above, then the weekend is yours for fun. A good balance between cardio and strength training only requires five days of exercises. However, if you find that you need more time to rest and heal between workouts, then you can take a couple of days off between sessions during the week.

EXAMPLE:
Sunday - Lower Body Cardio
Monday - Upper Body Strength Training
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - Low-Intensity Cardio
Thursday - Off
Friday - Lower Body Strength Training
Saturday - Upper Body Cardio

These workouts can be performed in a number of different sequences; simply listen to your body and determine what combination works best for you.