Is weight training counterproductive?

[CityChicken]

Hey CityChicken,

My objectives are to: improve my general conditioning by increasing physical strength (building more muscle) and increasing flexibility; also, I know if I'm stronger there's less chance of injuries; definitely lose body fat.

I'm glad the combination has worked for you.

It has been awhile since I trained, so I'll probably do full body workouts for a few weeks. (I have free weights at home.)

That's a great set of objectives. TSD will help you on all those things too.

One thing to keep in mind when weight training: make sure you are eating enough calories and the right kind at the right time! A common mistake is to start weight training AND cut back on calories. Your body need a certain amount and composition of calories to build muscle effectively. Nutrition is 80% of the game IMO. Here are some great articles on this topic that have been useful to me:
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/index.htm

 

[Marginal]

I'm assuming that this is a pretty good aerobic workout, yes?

It's more likely that a typical TSD class session would end up being an anaerobic workout.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/..._uids=11477015&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum

 

[Shaderon]

Lynne, while the above info is good, I'd urge you to get a personal trainer to work out a program for you, even if you only hire them for one session, they will ask you what you are aiming for, work out your heart rates and the level of exercise you need to get your goal and a good one will take you through each excercise and explain the benefits using what you have available.

Then they will write you a personal training program and probably tell you to book them again in six weeks. That part is totaly up to you because you can improve your own program with a little common sense and understanding of what it's for.

I hire my instructor as a personal trainer and because of this he keeps an eye on me all the time and writes me a new program when ever he feels I need it. He had me working some really hard weights, doing intensive cardio and LOTS of stretching afterwards so I can safely say working weights isn't going to hinder your TSD, it'll help enormously.

Hiring a Personal Trainer might cost money, but it'll be worth it in the long run because of the benefits of having a program personalised to you, your body's abilities and your aims. Also he/she will let you know just how far you can push yourself without overtraining.