KatCarney

1. Does the 300 min of recomended exercise include weight training or just cardio?

It includes weight training

2. If I do the treadmill 6 days a week, how many days of weight lifting do I do?

The number of days you weight train depends on what types of weight training you're doing (ie a 30 minute TOTAL BODY weight circuit? A 3-day split of chest&Back/Legs/shoulders&Arms? A 2-day split of Upper body/lower body? A 4-day split?)

You should aim for TWO 'total body' strength workouts per week. So if you tend to do 'total body weight circuits, you'll lift two days a week.

If you do a 3 day split, you'll lift 6 days a week. (Unless you're doing a particularly 'heavy' style of lifting, and then you'll lift only 3 days per week, and maybe do some moderate functional training on other days).

If you do a 2 day split, you'll lift 4 days a week.

3. When you do weight lifting is it more important to do count this by minutes or reps?

You count both, but for different reasons. You're tallying minutes just for an overall marker that you're hitting the 300 minute mark, but you track 'reps' so that you know when it's time to increase your weights.

As you can see, it really depends on a lot of factors, starting with the type of lifting program you follow.

Real world examples from exercise sets:

FitCysters that are doing ChaLEAN Extreme, are lifting heavy on 3 days per week, and then on two days, they add additional light cardio circuit training with light weights, and body weight. They're also adding additional cardio.

Cysters doing Cathe's STS lift heavy in a 3-day split, and fill in the rest of the days with cardio.

Cysters doing Cathe's Intensity series, lift a multi-set upper/lower split on 2 days, then a total body on a 3rd day, then an upper body/cardio circuit on a 4th day, then a functional bootcamp circuit the 5th day, and intense cardio on the 6th day.

Cysters doing P90x, train 'heavy' 3 days per week, and then 2 additional days are functional body work, plus additional cardio.

Cysters doing Power 90 do total body circuits 3x per week, and alternate with cardio.

Cysters doing Slim Series do 4 days of total body strength training with very light weights, and a 5th day of only lower body strength training. Cardio is on top of that.

Cysters doing Barry's Bootcamp 5 day academy do 4 days of body part splits, but a 5 'total body' day.

Cystesr doing Body for Life also have a specific protocol (I'm not sure what it is, so maybe someone can chime in...)

So you choose the way you prefer to train for the results you want...

You don't need to follow any of those programs, but they're good examples of ways to set up a training program.

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