Looking for advice on adding in more exercise

I am swimming an hour a day 4 days a week and would like to increase the exercise as well as build more muscle.

I change up the swimming with timed drills, pull buoys and fins.  I do not want to decrease the swimming in place of something else, just want to supplement with other cardio and resistance training to improve my swimming.

Would it be okay to do an extra 30 minutes of cardio in the evening(swim am) of either treadmill, eliptical or bike on the same days of swimming???

Can I also add in the evening some light weights to build upper body and lower body muscles??  How often??

Or would it be better to try to do the other cardio and weights on a different day than swimming??  I work 3 days a week, 14 hour shifts usually, so I get out pretty late...

Running is last resort as I have Chiari Malformation and the impact is not great for it, as well as heavy upper body lifting.

I am trying to lose fat, tone and lose the last 20-25lbs :)

Any advice would be appreciated :)

Why wouldn't you use heavy weights. Why light?

Yes, it would be ok [to answer you question about replacing swimming with another cardio]. I agree with amethystgirl...just bc you are starting to use weights doesn't mean they should be light. Make sure they are heavy enough that after the 5 or 6th rep, you are struggling to make it to the 8th rep. You will achieve better results/stronger faster. Weight training is such a fabulous exercise for burning off fat and sculpting the body. But, if you are going to use weights that you feel are light, you may be better off doing bodyweight exercises to start with..[I ususally recommend that for beginners anyway since it is helpful to teach proper form]. Push ups pull ups[or assisted and/or negative], bench or chair dips, planks, squats and lunges are all really, really good for you to burn fat and sculpt body..and you'll never [at least not for a month] have to pick up a weight - not even the light ones ;) ]

Sorry, did not mean to imply(sp) that I am a beginner lifting weights.  I previously lifted weights and ran for approx 6 years...until they found the Chiari Malformation...now due to the impact, I am not advised to lift weights for my upper body(hence the light weights) or run.

I also worked with 2 different personal trainers when I was building a program for the 1/2 marathon and lifting I was doing, so I have a pretty good base to build upon.

I have heard from other sources, that lighter weight and increased reps can help with toning..not building muscles.  I plan to increase the weight on the lower body resistance training.

Fitnessgirl:  I DO NOT want to replace swimming with other cardio, I want to swim and add in more cardio.

Original Post by babyvdog:

I have heard from other sources, that lighter weight and increased reps can help with toning..not building muscles.  I plan to increase the weight on the lower body resistance training.

That's actually incorrect. Mostly because "toning" doesn't mean what you think it means (unless you talking about the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles).

Muscles can get bigger, smaller, or stay the same size. The fat covering them can increase or decrease (making the muscles more or less visible) - although of course this isn't accomplished by working the muscles under that fat, since you can't spot burn.

Low weight/high reps (as in, light enough so that you can do more than 12 reps) are going to be pretty much cardio, and aren't going to do a ton for increasing muscle, therefore not helping with definition (which I assume is what you mean by "toning").

I'm not trying to be snarky (it's late, and I have a feeling I'm coming off that way), it's just a common myth that people like to repeat.

Thanks for the clarification.  So, what do you suggest since I can't lift heavy weights?

There's Body Is A Barbell - it's a body weight routine, but done slowly, to eliminate momentum. Check it out.

Loking at the Chiari Alliance Project info page, it seems to me that your best bet is actually to consult with a rehab specialist with experience in designing programs for your condition - physical therapy is on the list of recommended treatments and that tells me that this is one case we should probably leave to the specialists.

Given that there's a lot of potential for messing you up with faulty program design and inappropriate loading for the specifics of your condition (some people can tolerate any lifting but overhead pressing, some can't tolerate anything that engages the neck muscles in any significant way) I'm pretty certain your best bet is consulting a PT.

Hey there babyvdog, I have to apologize. I did not read the end of your post and now am just realizing that you stated you are suffering from Chiari Malformation. So, I agree with Melkor. Did you have surgery for it or are you under pain management for it? Just curious as to how you are treating it and if you see a PT.

Also, if you are able to ride a bike, even stationary, that would be an add on to your swimming and it isn't impact.

Fitnessgirl:  My Chiari is is a bad place, the tonsils are encapsulated in the foraum magnum..not descended..so only surgery if CSF flow is obstructed, which on the last 2 sets or studies, it was not.  It is mostly pain control...kinda like migraine prevention..I use some migraine drugs and antinflamatories wehn it is aggravated...muscle relaxer at night to protect it during sleep.

I can add cardio..already am to the swimming..and can lift decent weight on lower body..but upper body lifting due to the engaging of the neck muscles is contraindicated.  It's not really a PT kind of thing...since it is not correctable...When they found it, it was after a hard 3 mile run and lifting upper body, I got really sick that night, landed up in the ER and hospital for 3 days...anyway, I was told to be careful with impact and no lifting upper body.

During this 3 years trying to manage the headaches and pain control, I gained 40-45lbs..which I have now lost 50lbs or so...headaches and pain really under control, swimming is great for it!  I am just trying to shock my body into getting over this plateau and dropping this last 20lbs to reach my goal weight, hence the OP :)

I agree that you should go to your medical advice on this issue, however, I want you to have some more fun in your workouts.  I have started belly dancing and you wouldn't believe the abs from 6 wks of it!  Not to mention low impact & fun.  My Y has the classes, but there are even some shows on FitTV.  I'd bet that your condition could take it.  Has to be more fun that tread or elliptical!  Good luck and take care of yourself.