running vs walking and wrkot routine
 

so i signed up at the gym last week. while i was doing the paper work i was asking the "trainer" a series of questons. I asked him a question about weight loss and running. he told me that it is actually better to walk for an hour than to run for 40 min. he said that you actually burn more fat cals when you walk....is this true?

he also said that is is good to have a workout routine similar to this one:

monday- chest and back
tuesday-cardio and abbs
wednesday-legs and traps
thursday-cardio and abbs
friday- arms

he said that as long as you work out hard enough to tear the micro-fibers in your muscles your metabolism should be high enough to lose weight...now is this true?

thanks for the help.

I would have asked that trainer what is his definition of working out "hard". That could mean a lot of different things from super high volume stuff to the point of fatigue or super high intensity low volume to the point of failure. Just learn to ignore anything that general and subjective. It's like when people tell you to "just go and lift heavy weights". Worthless advice unless you define what you mean by heavy. I can lift something at 60% intensity and if I'm fatigued enough it will feel heavy.

For the workout it could be effective for you. But I'd recommend a full-body routine with relatively low volume and compound exercises. That will allow the highest intensity and will therefore have a big effect on post exercise metabolism.

The thing about walking versus running has to do with the PERCENTAGE of calories burned as fat. Walking, or lower intensity exercise will burn a greater percentage of fat calories than higher intensties like running. Although all energy systems will be used to different extents at any one time. BUT a higher percentage of a lower amount of calories does not always mean MORE fat burned. It's a trick of math. Running burns more calories and even though the percentage of those that are fat decreases it can still be MORE fat overall.

One thing is certain. Running will have a more long-lasting effect
AFTERWARDS. It will increase oxygen consumption for a longer time and thus overall fat buring during the day.

Walking may be a good choice for you but don't think it is automatically burning more fat. Right now as you read this you are buring a higher percentage of fat calories. So if you want to "burn more fat" according to that trainer's defintion just set in front of the TV or read a book. That should be enough to let you see what I'm talking about here...

excellent post!! most trainers are total douchebag morons... they know slightly more than the average untrained fatbody that comes into the gym thinking that walking an hour on the treadmill (ever notice the inlince is always at 0 and the pace is around 3mph???) and rolling around on that f'n workout ball is going to get them into bikini shape. :rolleyes:

with the level of knowledge and "expertise" it takes to become a certified trainer these days, it's no wonder this country is the fatest in the world

Thanks! Yeah, there is probably, what 3 decent certifications out of literally hundreds of organizations giving them out?

Here's my thing about trainers and especially ones that you are personally paying. The word "anything" shouldn't be in their vocabulary. Everything should be extremely "specific" and ONLY for you. If he or shes is not doing various strength tests, asking lots and lots of questions, even assessing posture, etc. but instead has you on a workout plan the first hour you meet with them then you are paying them for not much of anything. One would thing just the exercise instruction would be invaluable but you can't even count on that being worth a shit, and we're not even talking high skill exercises.

That's a general rant, though. I understand, Daniel that you were just talking to the trainer not paying.