Cardio vs. Weights

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ani091769
ani091769 Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I get all kinds of conflicting info and it makes me crazy. I'm quite heavy. I thought my focus should mainly be cardio with increasing intensity as I get more fit lose some weight and some weights. The trainer at the gym where I go told me that I should only use cardio as a warm up (like 10 minutes before I hit the weights) and maybe 20 minutes tops at the end of my work out. As a result I'm lifting more weights...machines and free weights and I get 30 minutes of cardio a day. That doesn't seem like enough cardio to me. Shouldn't I be aiming for an hour?? Several people have told me and I've read that all cardio does is make you hungry?? What are your thoughts???

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  • 6spdeg
    6spdeg Posts: 394 Member
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    depending on your body type.. if easy gainer yes 30 min is plenty just want to be efficient with it work slow if new to it but you walk slow for say a min and then fast or barely jog for say 30 sec. then walk again 1-2 min and back and forth and yes weights.. essentially muscle will keep burning fat after you stop.. cardio will burn only while you are doing it..

    i do 30 min 3 days a week now that im trying to drop weight again.. 2 days of core exercises super important and i lift 5 days a week.. take weekends off. im an easy fat gainer so i need additional cardio.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    It's not cardio vs. weights ,it's cardio + weights. That is the winning combo.

    You should lift now while you're still heavy because even though you won't be able to gain any muscle while in a deficit (outside of newb gains), it'll help preserve the muscle that you do have.

    30 minutes of cardio a day is plenty.*

    I personally lift 3x a week and run on the off days.

    ETA: * Use that cardio time to do HIIT. More bang for your buck.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Your "trainer" has the standard cookie-cutter box of current fitness cliche index cards and he/she is peeling them off one at a time.

    Many if not most beginners who are overweight do not have the fitness level or experience to launch into a "heavy lifting/HIIT" program right off the bat. Even if they did, there is little evidence that that is the best approach for someone in that situation.

    Here is a relatively simple, straightforward set of guidelines that you can use to get started:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/starting-a-weight-loss-program-keep-it-simple-110025

    This will work for a few weeks. At that time, you will feel more comfortable and can start to be more aggressive.
  • ani091769
    ani091769 Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks everyone! Very helpful. Honestly my endurance/stamina is getting better so I can get in a pretty good cardio workout in 30-45 minutes. The weights are getting less intimidating as well. Thanks again and wish me luck! :)
  • Philllbis
    Philllbis Posts: 801 Member
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    I do weights plus cardio. I lift and do 30 minutes of cardio after lifting and then on 3 days I don't lift I do an hour of cardio. Some may think the cardio I do is excessive but I also run and bicycle and want to keep my cardio level high as when I bicycle I go on hour + rides or when running with a group go on hour runs.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Any good fitness plan is going to involve some aspect of both. The problem people seem to have is that they don't understand that they can simply control their weight with diet. You don't need any minutes of cardio or any other exercise to do it.

    You should be doing cardio for heart health and as a way to increase your general level of fitness; strength training to build strength, maintain LBM, improve bone density, increase base metabolism, etc.

    I don't do any more than 30-45 minutes of cardio 5-6 days per week. On top of that, all I do is run a couple miles 3-4 times per week and do a lot of walking on the other days. I do full body strength trainin 3x weekly. I've lost nearly 40 Lbs, not due to my exercise routine, but do to my diet; I lost 20 of those Lbs doing no exercise whatsoever.

    Diet for weight control; exercise for fitness.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Fat loss is controlled by calorie deficit. Cardio increases the amount of calories we burn over the course of the day and can therefore make your calorie deficit bigger or easier.

    Weight lifting maintains muscle as we lose weight. Muscle is good.
  • doughnutwretch
    doughnutwretch Posts: 498 Member
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    Fat loss is controlled by calorie deficit. Cardio increases the amount of calories we burn over the course of the day and can therefore make your calorie deficit bigger or easier.

    Weight lifting maintains muscle as we lose weight. Muscle is good.

    And muscle burns more calories while resting than fat. Build more muscle = burn more calories.
  • rainbows1994
    rainbows1994 Posts: 30
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    I certainly beleive that cardio is key. Weights are also key. Cardio gets your heart moving which is so healthy for you.
  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
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    The correct answer is:

    - Strength training, and
    - Cardio training, and
    - Flexibility training, and
    - Proper diet

    Are what's needed to get you where you want to go. Diet alone isn't going to allow you to be completely successful in my opinion, and neither are any of the others done in isolation. A multi-faceted approach is best.
  • megginanderson
    megginanderson Posts: 276 Member
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    There are also some great programs that combine the 2 too!
    One of my favorites after I had my 3rd son was Les Mills Pump - I was huffing and puffing and strength training altogether.
    Muscle burns fat:)
    The other thing is to change it up about every 30 days so your body doesnt get stuck.
    There are so many good programs out there, depending on your goals too:)

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