Cardio vs Lifting for beginners?

MeaganPorter1

Currently I am 211lbs and have been doing about 1 hour per day of cardio workout. My question is, should I also be doing weight lifting? Ultimately I am trying to cut my weight to a healthier level but I don't want to sacrifice muscle. Would it be advisable to do a few days of weight lifting etc?

Liftng4Lis

Yes, LIFT. Lifting helps retain muscle mass while losing. Cardio is for health and to help with the deficit.

snowflake930

Bonus of adding muscle, muscle burns more calories, even at rest.

BasicGreatGuy

Cardio and lifting compliment well with what you have briefly described.

Depending on your current fitness level, you could start off with incorporating lifting into your current regime two days a week and see how that works for you. If you find it is working well for you, you can try 3 days a week.

What you want to be cognizant of, is not not working the same body parts back to back. It is important to give your muscles a chance to recuperate.

Whittedo

Lifting and cardio is like chocolate and peanut butter. You really get more bang if you do both.

trina1049

Whittedo wrote: »

Lifting and cardio is like chocolate and peanut butter. You really get more bang if you do both.

This! Hi, Whittedo!

flamingblades

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Yes, LIFT. Lifting helps retain muscle mass while losing. Cardio is for health and to help with the deficit.

Awesome. I have been doing workouts with my trainer for almost a year and he has worked wonders with my body. I feel great, my clothes are getting loose, and when I "suck it in" I really feel some power in my core. NOW... I never really got into lifting per say, so can you give me an idea of some lifting activities to add to my program? I don't want to be a Schwartzenegress, so please just give me a starting point and I will take it from there. I do have 2 3lb. weights I use at home when I am watching the tube at night.

arb037

Lifting is what you want. Cardio is simply a tool to manipulate calories, which you can do just by increasing your calorie deficit.

arditarose

Lift now. So many people on here get to their goal weight and regret not having lifted in a deficit. It does amazing things to the body.

lorrpb

arditarose wrote: »

Lift now. So many people on here get to their goal weight and regret not having lifted in a deficit. It does amazing things to the body.

What she said. ^^

trina1049

arditarose wrote: »

Lift now. So many people on here get to their goal weight and regret not having lifted in a deficit. It does amazing things to the body.

+2

arditarose

I also think that a lot of people who lift all along find they don't need to lose quite as much weight to be as happy with their body compared to those who did not lift. For my height, I could healthily drop another 15 lbs, but I saved enough muscle to feel pretty comfortable in the middle of a healthy weight range. Of course there are things that need work, but it can be done without losing more weight.

malibu927

snowflake930 wrote: »

Bonus of adding muscle, muscle burns more calories, even at rest.

Except under specific circumstances, you can't gain muscle in a calorie deficit. You can, however, maintain your muscle as you lose, which is why it's beneficial.

flamingblades wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Yes, LIFT. Lifting helps retain muscle mass while losing. Cardio is for health and to help with the deficit.

Awesome. I have been doing workouts with my trainer for almost a year and he has worked wonders with my body. I feel great, my clothes are getting loose, and when I "suck it in" I really feel some power in my core. NOW... I never really got into lifting per say, so can you give me an idea of some lifting activities to add to my program? I don't want to be a Schwartzenegress, so please just give me a starting point and I will take it from there. I do have 2 3lb. weights I use at home when I am watching the tube at night.

Look into a progressive lifting program: Stronglifts 5x5, Starting Strength, and New Rules of Lifting for Women are great places to start.

flamingblades

I don't know the fitness lingo but I will google your suggestions. Thank You (-:

MeaganPorter1

Thanks everyone! I will incorporate two days a week for now

labohn91

Yes

kjm3579

I would also recommend StrongLifts 5x5 -- check out the iPhone app for it - great and easy way to track

shank35l

Yes, lift, lift more after that and then lift some more. No matter what the weight goal is think of it this way - what good is losing 40 lbs when after you are so weak you can't lift a tv remote.

mich19025

arditarose wrote: »

Lift now. So many people on here get to their goal weight and regret not having lifted in a deficit. It does amazing things to the body.

Seconded

Kalikel

Yes. They're both good for your health.

kshama2001

flamingblades wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Yes, LIFT. Lifting helps retain muscle mass while losing. Cardio is for health and to help with the deficit.

Awesome. I have been doing workouts with my trainer for almost a year and he has worked wonders with my body. I feel great, my clothes are getting loose, and when I "suck it in" I really feel some power in my core. NOW... I never really got into lifting per say, so can you give me an idea of some lifting activities to add to my program? I don't want to be a Schwartzenegress, so please just give me a starting point and I will take it from there. I do have 2 3lb. weights I use at home when I am watching the tube at night.

I don't understand why you wouldn't ask your trainer about this?

Also:

Arnold Schwarzenegger: I encourage everyone to lift weights, it is good for everyone.

Reporter: But I don't want to get big like you.

Arnold: Don't worry, you never will.

rune1990

So does the nerd fitness routine fit into this category?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

I would eventually love to do the stronglifts 5x5, but until then would the above work?

arditarose

rune1990 wrote: »

So does the nerd fitness routine fit into this category?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

I would eventually love to do the stronglifts 5x5, but until then would the above work?

Body weight routines are good for helping to maintain LBM as well. Just make sure it is getting progressively more difficult for you. The nerdfitness one is good. It's been awhile since I read over it but I remember it being VERY beginner. As long as it challenging for you, it's a good start.

Kalikel

There is a big focus on weightlifting as it applies to how people look and body fat percentages and that's all great, but it really is good for you, too. When you lift something heavy (and "heavy" is subjective, a person who is new can derive the same benefit using 30 pounds as someone else gets lifting 100 pounds), all kinds of good things happen.

Your muscles aren't really separate from your bones. Bone turns into fascia, which turns into muscle. It's all connected. One long string with different makeup. Some people actually argue that it should be referred to as one system (not me, I don't argue that) because you cannot really say, "Here is where one ends and the other begins."

You lift something heavy and the muscle tugs on the bones and it stimulates the bones to make themselves stronger. If you want strong bones, pick up heavy things. Do body weight exercise. Work your body.

When they find a skeleton, they can tell how muscular the person had been, just by looking at the bones. The bones will be more solid of have little bumpies on them that indicate how much they got tugged on.

That's not the only health benefit, but it's a huge one.

I think that weight lifting gets a bad rap. It's not just for people who want big muscles. You don't have to care about your body-fat percentage to derive benefit from it. It is good for us all.

cwolfman13

as a matter of general fitness, pretty much everyone should be doing some combination of cardiovascular work and resistance training...it doesn't necessarily have to be weight training, but you should be doing something 2-3x per week that works all of your muscles.

flamingblades

kshama2001 wrote: »

flamingblades wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Yes, LIFT. Lifting helps retain muscle mass while losing. Cardio is for health and to help with the deficit.

Awesome. I have been doing workouts with my trainer for almost a year and he has worked wonders with my body. I feel great, my clothes are getting loose, and when I "suck it in" I really feel some power in my core. NOW... I never really got into lifting per say, so can you give me an idea of some lifting activities to add to my program? I don't want to be a Schwartzenegress, so please just give me a starting point and I will take it from there. I do have 2 3lb. weights I use at home when I am watching the tube at night.

I don't understand why you wouldn't ask your trainer about this?

Also:

Arnold Schwarzenegger: I encourage everyone to lift weights, it is good for everyone.

Reporter: But I don't want to get big like you.

Arnold: Don't worry, you never will.

I will talk with him this morning about a lifting program.

Sued0nim

rune1990 wrote: »

So does the nerd fitness routine fit into this category?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

I would eventually love to do the stronglifts 5x5, but until then would the above work?

That's a good routine

Yes it is worth following

mystgrl1604

Lift! If not for the sculpting, lift for the exhilaration you'd feel when you manage to life something you thought was too heavy at first. Yeeeebah!!! I love lifting! And i still got 100+lbs to lose.