cardio or weights?

lacrossemom13
lacrossemom13 Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All,

Which is better to lose weight - cardio or weights? Its mainly tummy fat, I look pregnant. Any help please....
«13

Replies

  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Not trying to sound mean, but try putting this in the search function.

    We have about 7000 threads going on this topic, and it opens a can of worms you really don't want to.

    Most agree it's a mix, and you can't spot reduce a certain area of your body.
  • rachface1234
    rachface1234 Posts: 227 Member
    the answer is both, but agreed, there are tons of threads on this topic with super knowledgeable members! cardio is good for heart health and burning calories, but weights/strength training will RESHAPE your body! good luck friend!
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
    Both both both. I'll say again -- both. Cardio burns straight calories. Strength training helps build muscle which burns fat most effectively -- why do you think men lose weight so much more quickly than women? Besides, when you shed the weight, you want a gorgeous body to reveal itself. You don't want to be "skinny fat".

    Both.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    What is cardio? (Dave Chapelle voice)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    didn't we already have this debate?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Simplistically:

    - a caloric deficit creates weight loss
    - how you create that weight loss is preference - eat less, move more, or a combination of the two
    - weight lifting will ensure, to as large of an extent as possible, together with sufficient protein, that the weight loss will be fat and not also muscle.

    So, make sure you do some resistance training and if you want, incorporate some cardio, but not excessively so.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Both, weight more towards weights. Weights 4-5x a week, cardio 3-4x a week. Use diet to create a deficit and cardio to chizzle a little more into that deficit, nothing too great. No point and very little gain for hours and hours of cardio IF body reshaping is the goal.
  • darias_mommy
    darias_mommy Posts: 127 Member
    What is cardio? (Dave Chapelle voice)

    Damn, that Chapelle was a funny dude. Cardio for calories, weights to speed matebloism. DO BOTH!!!
  • breni1960
    breni1960 Posts: 1
    If you are currently exercising and you are finding that you are not losing weight anymore, you should add strength training. Increasing muscle mass will increase your resting metabolic rate, and you will burn more calories than you do currently.

    If you are new to exercise, I always recommend that my weight loss clients start out with cardio just to get that large caloric defecit. You will burn more calories during a cardio bout than during a strength training bout, but you will gain the ability to burn more all of the time once you incorporate strength training.

    The answer...we need to do BOTH to lose weight. :-) Try circuit training...strength training set up to include cardio.
  • lacrossemom13
    lacrossemom13 Posts: 6 Member
    Sorry, I didnt realize. I guess I should have said more, I have only 40 min at the gym on my lunch, am I better to focus on cardio or weights? Right now I am doing 7-10 min of cardio and the rest weights......
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Sorry, I didnt realize. I guess I should have said more, I have only 40 min at the gym on my lunch, am I better to focus on cardio or weights? Right now I am doing 7-10 min of cardio and the rest weights......

    If you go every day in the week, I would do M/W/F weights and T/Th cardio.
  • shrinkingbrian
    shrinkingbrian Posts: 171 Member
    Here is my take after losing 193 pounds in the last 16 months. I started lifting weights after about 7 months of my weight loss. I read some articles that recommended weight loss should include some weight training. At first I was a little skeptical but I did it anyway. Almost a year later, I am now a firm believer in weight training. You can lose lots of weight but still not look or feel good. I am starting to see some definition in my arms and legs. Building muscle also helps burn calories faster and avoid excessive loose skin. As others have stated, you need BOTH cardio and weight training. I do mostly swimming and walking/hiking for cardio while also lifting weights.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    To lose weight, you don't need either. You just need a caloric deficit, which you can achieve by moderating your food intake. No cardio or weight training required.

    However, you clearly want to lose fat, and there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss. For optimal fat loss, you need a caloric deficit to drop pounds, along with adequate protein intake and strength training to maintain your lean body mass so that most or all of the pounds you lose are in the form of fat and not muscle.

    Cardio is not a necessary part of the fat loss process. If your goal is to improve your cardiovascular fitness/health, do it. If you have performance goals that involve "cardio" activities like running or cycling, do it. If you enjoy cardio, do it. But if your only goal is fat loss, you don't need it.
  • HannahJDiaz25
    HannahJDiaz25 Posts: 329 Member
    Sorry, I didnt realize. I guess I should have said more, I have only 40 min at the gym on my lunch, am I better to focus on cardio or weights? Right now I am doing 7-10 min of cardio and the rest weights......

    If you go every day in the week, I would do M/W/F weights and T/Th cardio.

    this!!
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    To lose weight, you don't need either. You just need a caloric deficit, which you can achieve by moderating your food intake. No cardio or weight training required.

    However, you clearly want to lose fat, and there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss. For optimal fat loss, you need a caloric deficit to drop pounds, along with adequate protein intake and strength training to maintain your lean body mass so that most or all of the pounds you lose are in the form of fat and not muscle.

    Cardio is not a necessary part of the fat loss process. If your goal is to improve your cardiovascular fitness/health, do it. If you have performance goals that involve "cardio" activities like running or cycling, do it. If you enjoy cardio, do it. But if your only goal is fat loss, you don't need it.

    Game, set and match.
  • Adwerd
    Adwerd Posts: 4 Member
    Here are really nice and most informative article is written by you. I am totally agree with you. According to me cardio is better than any other exercise for this purpose and also effective way to weight loss. But with that don't forget to take exercise.
  • traumaticthrash
    traumaticthrash Posts: 103
    both are essential elements to your weight loss + reshaping program.

    i incorporate both in my training.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    *Sits down with popcorn* Here we go... :laugh:
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Cardio is great becuase you get more for the time you spend exercising, but I lost a bunch of weight just lifting heavy.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    didn't we already have this debate?

    Groundhog Day in the forums. Again.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    :tongue:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAU_sqHGiYw
  • Mother_Superior
    Mother_Superior Posts: 1,624 Member
    didn't we already have this debate?

    Groundhog Day in the forums. Again.

    tumblr_mhkvy6EnCB1rfo36ao1_500.gif
  • FineFitFatty
    FineFitFatty Posts: 60
    Sorry, I didnt realize. I guess I should have said more, I have only 40 min at the gym on my lunch, am I better to focus on cardio or weights? Right now I am doing 7-10 min of cardio and the rest weights......

    If you go every day in the week, I would do M/W/F weights and T/Th cardio.

    this!!

    Absolutely this!

    I'm only available to go to the gym three days a week for an hour, so I do lifting and then about a mile or two of HITT running/sprinting. It has done wonders for my still-looks-preggo-belly. Actually, in just 3 weeks, my stomach was relatively flat again and it did NOT look like that before. Good luck!!
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
    Both...but without a caloric deficit, there will be no loss of anything. I do mostly cardio (running), but I have a good strength base. Everyone is different and we all different goals and directions.
  • Lift_This_
    Lift_This_ Posts: 2,756 Member
    To lose weight, you don't need either. You just need a caloric deficit, which you can achieve by moderating your food intake. No cardio or weight training required.

    However, you clearly want to lose fat, and there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss. For optimal fat loss, you need a caloric deficit to drop pounds, along with adequate protein intake and strength training to maintain your lean body mass so that most or all of the pounds you lose are in the form of fat and not muscle.

    Cardio is not a necessary part of the fat loss process. If your goal is to improve your cardiovascular fitness/health, do it. If you have performance goals that involve "cardio" activities like running or cycling, do it. If you enjoy cardio, do it. But if your only goal is fat loss, you don't need it.

    QFmutha freakingT
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member
    didn't we already have this debacle?

    I fixed it for you.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    didn't we already have this debate?

    Groundhog Day in the forums. Again.

    tumblr_mhkvy6EnCB1rfo36ao1_500.gif

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
    C'mon, folks. When someone is new on MFP, they don't know about previous forums and/or just want a quick, informative, friendly answer without having to do a lot of searching. There is bound to be a ton of repetition over time as who knows how many new people join MFP every day. If you want to suggest looking up certain threads to be helpful, that's great. But if you don't have the patience for it, then it's very very easy to just skip the topic and the post. Driving home how many times a topic has been repeated doesn't exactly help the OP feel great about their reaching out for support.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    C'mon, folks. When someone is new on MFP, they don't know about previous forums and/or just want a quick, informative, friendly answer without having to do a lot of searching. There is bound to be a ton of repetition over time as who knows how many new people join MFP every day. If you want to suggest looking up certain threads to be helpful, that's great. But if you don't have the patience for it, then it's very very easy to just skip the topic and the post. Driving home how many times a topic has been repeated doesn't exactly help the OP feel great about their reaching out for support.

    OP has been around a year, and that is what the search function is for, so we don't have 10 threads on the 1st page about the same thing.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    If your goal is to reduce your BF% and you HAVE to choose one, choose weights.

    The only thing cardio does for weight loss is increase your calorie deficit slightly, and honestly it's much more efficient to just eat fewer calories.

    Weights are vitally important to making sure that the weight you lose while on a deficit is fat and not muscle.

    Do the weights.

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