Ok so I'm starting to get really disheartened and confused about what type/s of training I should be doing in order to get the results I want.
First, I guess it would help to explain my goals and a bit about where I'm at right now. I started training and watching what I eat about 7 or 8 weeks ago now. I'm 21 and a guy. When I started, I weighed 74kgs (I'm 174cm tall, so I was in the upper spectrum of 'normal' according to me BMI, but just want to get rid of the pudgy bits!). Over the past 6 weeks I've gotten down to 68.5kgs - I still have a bit more fat that I'd like to get rid of, most of which sits on my lower gut (hot right?). I've had a few sessions with a personal trainer, he absolutely pushes me to my limit which is great. My goal is to lose the extra bits of fat and build lean muscle in my chest, arms, shoulders and abs.
So I have basically been doing cardio 5 days a week (burning between 500 and 800 calories each time) and doing free weights and ab work with my trainer 1 day a week. He has told me I need to be using weight machines throughout the week, and cut down on cardio except for the treadmill.
I've read that you shouldn't train any muscle group more than once a week though, as this can be counterproductive and lead to injuries and stuff. I did a bit of weight training last week on the machines that my trainer told me to use, and my right arm still feels a little sore though so I'm not thinking I should do any more today. I also don't want to do too much cardio, because I know this can compromise the muscle growth. I just need some advice about how to find a good balance between cardio (and how much cardio) and weights (how frequently). It's at the point now where I am just not going to the gym tonight because I'm too confused.
I guess I'm just getting frustrated with all the conflicting advice on the internet: to burn fat you have to do lots of cardio, but make sure you do strength training too, but not too much, but not too much cardio either. Do weight training 3 times a week, but don't ever work a muscle group more than once a week, if you're sore you have to rest, but only have one rest day a week, bla bla bla.
Sorry about the novel, btw.