I have joined a fitness club and have been working out regularly for about a month. It feels great to be fit.
At present, I am generally doing cardio one day then weights the second and alternating each day.
First, is there any difference in the form of cardio. I enjoy the elliptical trainer and the step machine. I also row a little bit. I am not a fan of the treadmill.
Is anyone better than the other (as long as I keep my heartrate up)?
Second, when I lift weights, I am interested in toning. At present, I do 12 reps in each set. I do two sets and then try a third. When I can complete 12 reps in the third set, I raise the weights by 5 pounds. Is this a good way to do it?
Don’t worry about the specific form of cardio you do. The important thing is getting your heartrate up and keeping it up, so do whatever you like best.
Your weight strategy sounds perfectly fine to me. Don’t overdo it. You should be sore but not miserable.
You are doing everything right. You should mix up your cardio, as you are, and you should do your weight reps until fatigue, and then when you are able to finish all sets, increase the weight. Good luck!
I’d say 12 reps borders on more muscle building than simply toning. If you can do three sets of 12, I’d suggest moving to 15 (or more) before adding weight. Everything else sounds great, keep up the good work!
On the cardio, as friedo said, it is important to get that heart rate up (to approx 80% of max VO2). Most machines have hand monitors that will read your heart rate.