Question:
Does anyone do natulas machines for exercise

I am wondering how often to do these machines.I dont want to bulk up muscle like a man.I have been doing this for over the last 3-4 weeks 6 days per week.Some people are telling me now to only to do this every other day or I will bulk up.I do cardio also daily.What is the right way?Sandy Hanson    — Sandy Hanson (posted on January 3, 2008)

January 3, 2008
Hi Sandy, You should only work muscle groups with weights every other day. So you could do your upper body one day and the lower body the next. If you do not want to bulk up like a man you should do more repetitions with lower weights. Men do the opposite high amount of weight and fewer reps. Hope this helps! Jennifer
   — Jennifer K.

January 3, 2008
I agree with the other answer. I do weight training with a trainer at my gym, and we break it uo too. Also we do lower weight with high repatitions. I was taught to do my weights first, and than do cardio. In doing weights it takes your body about 22 minutes to get int fat burning mode. So doing cardio after weights will be all fat burning.
   — bogacz71

January 3, 2008
It's unlikely that you will bulk up like a man; it's testosterone (and maybe other male hormones) that cause that, so unless your hormones are seriously unbalanced, you shouldn't have that problem. The reason for every-other-day is to allow your muscles time to rebuild and regain strength after you wear them out with exercise. And yes, you should be wearing them out--exercising to fatigue, which means until you can't lift the weights any more. Cardio daily (at least 5-6 days a week) is a very good idea. 30-45 minutes; after 45 minutes it becomes less effective for fat-burning. Do a few minutes of cardio before your weights/Nautilus routine to warm up your muscles, and make sure you do plenty of stretching afterward.
   — [Deactivated Member]

January 3, 2008
Sandy, I've been approved, but still waiting for my date. I do know a little about this subject though. I have a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology. Rule of thumb is 3-4 x's per week to gain strength, and twice a week to maintain. Some of the others were right when they said don't double up on days. Always have at least one day in between workouts. If you want to go every day do upper body one day and lower the next. It's almost impossible for women to "bulk up" because of the estrogen factor. If you're in any dought, you want to do light weights with lots of reps. You want to be able to do between 12-16 reps with the last two reps being really hard to do. If they are not, you are not using enough weight. So if your lifting 5lbs. and it's too easy, try lifting 8 lbs. and vise versa. When you have been doing one set of weights for a while and they start to get too easy, that's when you move up to the next weight amount. It's good to do at leasty two sets of each exercise. Three's O.K. also, if you have the time and energy. Consintrate on one exercise at a time. For instance, if you're doing bicep curls, do your 12-16 reps wait a minute and do your next set. Your goal should be to get stronger, don't worry about bulking up. Weight training is real good for your joints and bones, and it also helps the tone and elasticity of your skin (not as much to droop). When you feel like you're strong enough you can cut back to twice a week to maintain strength and muscle tone. Don't forget to do a good warm-up before and stretch real good after. Same with aerobics. This part is one of the most important parts to help prevent injuries. Hope this helps. Good Luck. Paula B
   — paulajaneb

January 4, 2008
You go girl! All I can say is "I'm impressed!" Wow. You are an inspiration. Pat
   — pjennjr

January 7, 2008
Hey Sandy, You shouldn't worry too much about this issue... Here's the real deal. If you want to get bulky and gain a total amount of muscle you would have to use free weights with no tension. Since you are not using this method and only partial tension, you wil gain more tone than anything. Its not total resistance and you will only get a fine muscular look to your body.. does this help at all.. please let me know..
   — cjones

January 7, 2008
oh and hey Sandy, I work out every single day so you shouldn't have any issues with six days a week.. I usually do three days of cardio then the rest lifting and strength.. but when I do cardio I lift weights as well.... so don't worry about doing to much..
   — cjones

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