Strength Training instead of Cardio?

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  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Strength training, when done in a circuit or complex format, can also give you an excellent cardio workout. That being said, your workout sounds poorly put together and misses a LOT of muscle groups. Regardless of your goals you should be working your whole body. Instead of putting your own workout together I suggest you follow a program.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    contingencyplan wrote: »
    Strength training, when done in a circuit or complex format, can also give you an excellent cardio workout. That being said, your workout sounds poorly put together and misses a LOT of muscle groups. Regardless of your goals you should be working your whole body. Instead of putting your own workout together I suggest you follow a program.

    Agreed. I recommend Ice Cream Fitness, but there are tons that would be much more efficient than what you are currently doing.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Virgiree21 wrote: »
    Good or bad? I've stopped cardio and started lifting weights. I do four different types of squats 4 sets of 10 each and 6 different arm workouts 4 sets of 15 each. I was thinking about adding some abdominal workouts on my rest days. Will this still help me lose weight or should I start back cardio?

    IMO, a well rounded fitness regimen is going to include elements of both. Beyond that, why are you just doing squats and arm workouts? What about your back (upper and lower), shoulders, chest, etc? You want to train your whole body...start viewing your body as a total machine, not just a bunch of parts.

    If it were me I would get into a good full body routine 3x weekly and do the cardiovascular work of my choice on non-lifting days
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    Couple good articles I save for reference.

    SSC vs HIIT

    and

    High Rep vs Low Rep (Skip to the summary for a great overview)

    As for strength training v. cardio, they should both be done. You are talking the difference between muscle and bone health vs. cardiovascular health by giving up one or the other.

    As mentioned earlier, weight loss is more about caloric deficit than most people will ever exercise off.
  • jessdunn40
    jessdunn40 Posts: 36
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    HIIT training plus you need to work out your whole body not just the same part over and over again. Variety is really good :smile:
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Virgiree21 wrote: »
    Good or bad? I've stopped cardio and started lifting weights. I do four different types of squats 4 sets of 10 each and 6 different arm workouts 4 sets of 15 each. I was thinking about adding some abdominal workouts on my rest days. Will this still help me lose weight or should I start back cardio?

    Both. But if you want to focus on only one or another for some reason (time constraints for example), at your age, where heart health isn't a big deal, I vote for strength training.

  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
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    IMO I like to have a balance of cardio and strength training. 2-3 days of cardio and 2-3 days of strength training. That way I I have the conditioning and the strength / power for almost anything I do.
  • TTHdred
    TTHdred Posts: 380 Member
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    The short and very simple answer/truth is you need BOTH plus eating at a healthy calorie deficit to be successful.
  • TTHdred
    TTHdred Posts: 380 Member
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    goldthistime wrote: »
    Virgiree21 wrote: »
    Good or bad? I've stopped cardio and started lifting weights. I do four different types of squats 4 sets of 10 each and 6 different arm workouts 4 sets of 15 each. I was thinking about adding some abdominal workouts on my rest days. Will this still help me lose weight or should I start back cardio?

    Both. But if you want to focus on only one or another for some reason (time constraints for example), at your age, where heart health isn't a big deal, I vote for strength training.
    agreed

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    lose weight = diet i.e. deficit

    wellness/over all composition and health should include a fitness program.

    and a well rounded fitness program should include cardiovascular work AND some form o resistance/strength training.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Azdak wrote: »
    missADS1981 wrote: »
    strength training is also a cardio activity, especially if you are lifting heavy and in super sets to keep the heart rate up. on a leg day with my HRM i log about 500 calories. if fat loss is needed you can work in some HIIT cardio 2-3 times a week on top of lifting

    Actually the "cardio" effects of strength training are higher at lower weights, not higher. Heart rate is not a reliable indicator of an aerobic effect when lifting heavy weights. HR will shoot up, but VO2 does not, so the cardio system is not challenged the same as when HR increases during aerobic exercise. The cardio effects of lifting are modest.

    Not to hijack, but doesn't it have something to do with cardiovascular pressure vs 02 volume? Lifting increases pressure, not volume, and an increase in volume/uptake is what's needed for increased calorie burns... or something along those lines. I read something about this a while back, but I don't remember the specifics.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    PS I value cardio because it makes me happy. Guessing it is the whole exercise induced endorphin thing. If mood is ever an issue, then cardio.
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
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    Figure out your biggest goal RIGHT NOW. Is it fat loss or muscle gain? If it's fat loss, you need to reduce calories and keep up the cardio. Spend a little time on strength training, but incorporate more muscle groups (chest, back, abs). That will minimize muscle loss and improve your strength, but you won't build much new muscle.

    If your biggest goal is muscle gain, then eat more calories than you burn, minimize cardio, and spend a lot more time on strength training (5-6 days a week on a rotating program so you don't overtrain any muscle group). You will gain more body fat, but also some muscle. If you go this route, getting a trainer isn't a bad idea since you're just learning.

    You can't lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
  • sarahlifts
    sarahlifts Posts: 610 Member
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    I havent done any cardio bf and after in profile pic size 14 down to size 4. ijs
    research for yourself. You NEED a solid lifting program.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    sarahlifts wrote: »
    I havent done any cardio bf and after in profile pic size 14 down to size 4. ijs
    research for yourself. You NEED a solid lifting program.

    I don't think anyone is telling her to not have a solid lifting program. People are saying that cardio is important for other reasons beyond just fat loss.
  • laurajo521
    laurajo521 Posts: 91 Member
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    For weight loss, nutrition should be first, and then complemented with a good workout routine. I would definitely add at least a couple days of cardio and make sure your weight workouts are getting all your muscle groups.
  • sarahlifts
    sarahlifts Posts: 610 Member
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    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    sarahlifts wrote: »
    I havent done any cardio bf and after in profile pic size 14 down to size 4. ijs
    research for yourself. You NEED a solid lifting program.

    I don't think anyone is telling her to not have a solid lifting program. People are saying that cardio is important for other reasons beyond just fat loss.

    I don't think anyone is telling her not to have a solid lifting program either. What she posted as her routine coould be improved upon. you can get a good cardiovascular workout from lifting. IF one has to choose one over the other weight training is where its at...and I stand by that.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Azdak wrote: »
    missADS1981 wrote: »
    strength training is also a cardio activity, especially if you are lifting heavy and in super sets to keep the heart rate up. on a leg day with my HRM i log about 500 calories. if fat loss is needed you can work in some HIIT cardio 2-3 times a week on top of lifting

    Actually the "cardio" effects of strength training are higher at lower weights, not higher. Heart rate is not a reliable indicator of an aerobic effect when lifting heavy weights. HR will shoot up, but VO2 does not, so the cardio system is not challenged the same as when HR increases during aerobic exercise. The cardio effects of lifting are modest.

    Not to hijack, but doesn't it have something to do with cardiovascular pressure vs 02 volume? Lifting increases pressure, not volume, and an increase in volume/uptake is what's needed for increased calorie burns... or something along those lines. I read something about this a while back, but I don't remember the specifics.

    Yes, but it's blood volume (cardiac output), not O2 per se (O2 is delivered in the blood). But you are correct that it is a pressure load vs a volume load--and that makes all the difference.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    sarahlifts wrote: »
    I havent done any cardio bf and after in profile pic size 14 down to size 4. ijs
    research for yourself. You NEED a solid lifting program.

    You need a basic lifting program to conserve lean mass. The rest is personal preference.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    edited January 2015
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    zarckon wrote: »
    Figure out your biggest goal RIGHT NOW. Is it fat loss or muscle gain? If it's fat loss, you need to reduce calories and keep up the cardio. Spend a little time on strength training, but incorporate more muscle groups (chest, back, abs). That will minimize muscle loss and improve your strength, but you won't build much new muscle.

    If your biggest goal is muscle gain, then eat more calories than you burn, minimize cardio, and spend a lot more time on strength training (5-6 days a week on a rotating program so you don't overtrain any muscle group). You will gain more body fat, but also some muscle. If you go this route, getting a trainer isn't a bad idea since you're just learning.

    You can't lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

    Actually cardio is not important for fat loss at all. Best for a fat loss is a small deficit and strength training (small deficit and strength training will ensure that a larger % of your wight loss will come from fat). The deficit can be diet alone or diet and cardio combo. For weight/fat loss Cadio allows you to eat more while losing the same amount of weight you can get from diet alone.

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