cardio or weights?

2

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It's not either or...any fitness regimen worth a **** is going to incorporate both to some degree. As to how much of each or which takes precedence, that really just depends on what your fitness goals are.

    FYI, use your diet to control your weight...lose, maintain, gain; exercise for fitness. When you set independent fitness goals for yourself, you'll have a better understanding of what you need to be doing and how much. Resistance training is the only way you're going to dramatically alter your body composition though...just doing cardio and dieting isn't going to cut it.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    didn't we already have this debate?

    Groundhog Day in the forums. Again.

    tumblr_mhkvy6EnCB1rfo36ao1_500.gif

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    bahahahahahahahahaha that is awesome!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 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.

    sorry, I don't have the patience....especially since someone posted the exact same topic this morning..come on people!!!!!
  • 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.

    sorry, I don't have the patience....especially since someone posted the exact same topic this morning..come on people!!!!!

    Sorry. Not everyone is on in the morning and afternoon and evening and isn't aware of what was posted earlier. Why is it so bothersome to you? Wouldn't it be easier to just ignore it?
  • 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.

    sorry, I don't have the patience....especially since someone posted the exact same topic this morning..come on people!!!!!
    Sorry. Not everyone is on in the morning and afternoon and evening and isn't aware of what was posted earlier. Why is it so bothersome to you? Wouldn't it be easier to just ignore it?

    Wouldn't it be just as easy to type it in "search"? Serious Question

    Considering there were 3 threads on page one going at the same time.
  • HyacintheAlcuin
    HyacintheAlcuin Posts: 52
    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!!
  • Lovdiamnd
    Lovdiamnd Posts: 624 Member
    3af8885e0174e575fa9270a20e057272.jpg
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 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.

    sorry, I don't have the patience....especially since someone posted the exact same topic this morning..come on people!!!!!

    Sorry. Not everyone is on in the morning and afternoon and evening and isn't aware of what was posted earlier. Why is it so bothersome to you? Wouldn't it be easier to just ignore it?

    Hmmmmm you say that I should ignore this thread, yet you cannot ignore my posts....practice what you preach and we can talk ...
  • MisterDerpington
    MisterDerpington Posts: 604 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.

    sorry, I don't have the patience....especially since someone posted the exact same topic this morning..come on people!!!!!

    Sorry. Not everyone is on in the morning and afternoon and evening and isn't aware of what was posted earlier. Why is it so bothersome to you? Wouldn't it be easier to just ignore it?

    We're in a search engine generation. Everyone should know how to use a search function on a website I'd think.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
    Cardio is great a burning calories and weight training is good at toning so really it's a mix of both. Me personally I focus more on cardio trying for 5 days a week and do weight training about 3 days a week.
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    Both are best.
  • GamerLady
    GamerLady Posts: 359 Member

    If you go every day in the week, I would do M/W/F weights and T/Th cardio.
    That's what I do too, 3 days weights, 2 days spinning.
  • amann1976
    amann1976 Posts: 742 Member
    the answer is neither. weight loss is controlled by what you put in your mouth calories in vs calories. cardio and weight training are for your fitness level and a healthier you. you can do all the cardio or weights you want but if your diet ain't tight the only results you will see is 2-3 lbs of water weight bouncing back and forth
  • zach334455
    zach334455 Posts: 1
    I was wondering the same thing.

    I'm 17, 165 pounds (not a lot of muscle mass haha I haven't been able to go to lift weights in, well, almost 8 months). I want to get rid of the extra fat, so I've been doing a lot of cardio (maybe 5-6 hours a week) for the past two weeks and eating about 1300 calories a day.

    Is this the correct thing to do? I would also like to be able to have noticeable muscle when I get to my goal (around 150 pounds). Should I also be doing a lot of weightlifting? But don't you need to eat more to gain muscle? ahh, conflicting goals lol.

    If anyone knows, please message me. Thank you so much! :)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I was wondering the same thing.

    I'm 17, 165 pounds (not a lot of muscle mass haha I haven't been able to go to lift weights in, well, almost 8 months). I want to get rid of the extra fat, so I've been doing a lot of cardio (maybe 5-6 hours a week) for the past two weeks and eating about 1300 calories a day.

    Is this the correct thing to do? I would also like to be able to have noticeable muscle when I get to my goal (around 150 pounds). Should I also be doing a lot of weightlifting? But don't you need to eat more to gain muscle? ahh, conflicting goals lol.

    If anyone knows, please message me. Thank you so much! :)

    here is what you do ..

    1. learn compound lifts - bench press, deadlift, squat, overhead press, pull ups, chin ups,etc..
    2. incorporate these movies into a three day a week total body routine where you are hitting legs/arms/shoulders/back/tris/ (m,w,f)
    3. Do cardio on off days so tues/thursday....
    4. rest two days
    5 repeat...
  • RyanWilson1993
    RyanWilson1993 Posts: 409 Member
    Use both and eat good clean foods also you can't just target stomach fat
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I was wondering the same thing.

    I'm 17, 165 pounds (not a lot of muscle mass haha I haven't been able to go to lift weights in, well, almost 8 months). I want to get rid of the extra fat, so I've been doing a lot of cardio (maybe 5-6 hours a week) for the past two weeks and eating about 1300 calories a day.

    Is this the correct thing to do? I would also like to be able to have noticeable muscle when I get to my goal (around 150 pounds). Should I also be doing a lot of weightlifting? But don't you need to eat more to gain muscle? ahh, conflicting goals lol.

    If anyone knows, please message me. Thank you so much! :)

    First of all, I would check that the 1,300 is not too low. Make sure you are weighing your food with a digital food scale and be really good about logging.

    You should start weight lifting - not because you will have any appreciable muscle gains, but to maintain the muscle that you have.
  • mattdsoares
    mattdsoares Posts: 13
    Both. A good idea is to alternate cardio and strength training days. The cardio will directly consume calories which will burn fat. The strength training will encourage muscle growth and increase the resting caloric consumption rate of those muscles, also burning fat.
  • pocketmole
    pocketmole Posts: 614 Member
    post-9247-Why-don-t-we-have-both-LyiW.gif
  • tacguy
    tacguy Posts: 196
    Hi All,

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

    Ideally, any physical fitness program should include the four fundementals of fitness:
    Muscular Strength
    Muscular Endurance
    Cardiovascular fitness
    Mobility & Flexablity

    Health and fitness (which will lead to a healthy weight) cannot be defined by only one of these. Find a program that adresses all four and, with a healthy diet, you will be successful.
  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
    BOTH!!!!
  • ElevatorSoup
    ElevatorSoup Posts: 14
    Whatever works best for you. There is no right answer.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Both but what ever will work for you and what you will stick to.

    I do 30 min of cardio daily followed by an hour+ of weights. Cardio leans me out while the weights gives me a nice muscular physique. And I actually LIKE doing cardio.
  • RippedNicole
    RippedNicole Posts: 6
    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.

    yep
  • Givemewings
    Givemewings Posts: 864 Member
    A combination of both is best.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    If cardio is so great, why does one always see the same people doing the same cardio, and no change in body comp?

    The OP asked which one was best if they could only do one, its resistance without a shadow of a doubt. For my current cut, I've lost around 8-10kg doing zero cardio. Yo when she was dieting for her comp that she won the entire show, did about 10-15 lots of cardio in 6 months.

    Its over rated that cardio. Unless you like it!
  • ateamtrainer
    ateamtrainer Posts: 12
    I think a lot of people missed that you were short on time and that you are a Mom so it's gonna be difficult to gain enough muscle for it to have a significant impact on your metabolic rate.

    In your case I think cardio wins, but don't take my word for it, search and read the summary of a scientific study titled

    Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults

    and then you can decide for yourself.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I think a lot of people missed that you were short on time and that you are a Mom so it's gonna be difficult to gain enough muscle for it to have a significant impact on your metabolic rate.

    In your case I think cardio wins, but don't take my word for it, search and read the summary of a scientific study titled

    Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults

    and then you can decide for yourself.

    No, many did not miss it. You do not resistance train to gain muscle on a deficit, you do it to maintain muscle.
  • ateamtrainer
    ateamtrainer Posts: 12
    Not many but I was talking about those who referred to increasing her metabolic rate. She doesn't need to worry too much about maintaining muscle mass other than to eat enough protein at the moment. The reason being that from her original post it would seem that her body fat is well over 20% and therefore so long as her deficit is not too extreme her body will burn off much more fat in preference to lean muscle.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Not many but I was talking about those who referred to increasing her metabolic rate. She doesn't need to worry too much about maintaining muscle mass other than to eat enough protein at the moment. The reason being that from her original post it would seem that her body fat is well over 20% and therefore so long as her deficit is not too extreme her body will burn off much more fat in preference to lean muscle.

    You do not maintain muscle mass without resistance training, no matter how much protein you get.

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