Should I stick to cardio right now? Or should I be doing strength training?

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mkh858
mkh858 Posts: 93 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
CW 219. Height 65" Female..
Right now all I do is stationary bike, walking, abdominal crunches, and occasionally Zumba
I'm losing inches and gaining a little strength from the bike.
However I'm wondering should I add a few strength training sessions in or should I wait till I lose some more weight?
Tia!

Replies

  • DanaReeder7
    DanaReeder7 Posts: 1 Member
    edited February 2016
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    What is your main goal? How long have you been working out? I workout 5 days a week. 3 days strength and cardio and 2 days cardio. I lost 25lbs and dropped from size 16 to size 10. Also remember the rule. 80% eating habit, 20% exercise.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Start strength training now to preserve as much muscle mass as possible. Stronglifts 5x5 and NROLFW are great places to start if you're new to lifting.
  • mkh858
    mkh858 Posts: 93 Member
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    DanaReeder7 wrote: »
    What is your main goal? How long have you been working out? I workout 5 days a week. 3 days strength and cardio and 2 days cardio. I lost 25lbs and dropped from size 16 to size 10. Also remember the rule. 80% eating habit, 20% exercise.

    Well my main goal is to be at a healthy weight, I had twins and my stomach got super stretch. Now that I'm losing weight and inches my stomach has gotten loose. I workout 6 days a week 30 mins of cardio. I just feel if I stop cardio I won't lose weight.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 178 Member
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    Start strength training too!

    You mentioned that you had twins. Have you been checked for diastasis recti?
  • bendyourkneekatie
    bendyourkneekatie Posts: 696 Member
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    Do what you like and what you'll stick at. I know everyone here is all about heavy lifting, but I love running and hiit, do some body weight strength work, and I am not "skinny fat" or anything. I'm sure if I did heavy lifting I'd get more obvious muscle definition, strength, etc. but I'm pretty happy with the visible muscles in my arms and legs already.
    My abs separated after two close-together pregnancies, but with core work and time are slowly getting better. I don't know if the loose skin will ever go away though. Fingers crossed.
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
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    It doesn't hurt to add in some weights. Just do whatever you like. Personally, I can never be bothered with weights since I lift enough heavy stuff at work so I feel like I don't need it. I like running, rowing and walking.
  • jeremywm1977
    jeremywm1977 Posts: 657 Member
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    It doesn't need to be an F***-Marry-Kill choice. Both can exist in perfect harmony.....circuit training being a good example of the harmonious relationship of strength and cardio.
    My two cents is that my strength workouts are more important to me than my cardio. I know that in doing strength, I'm either building or maintaining my healthy muscle, which I believe (and have read) is a greater contributing factor to my weight loss.

    I have done straight cardio before, and have lost weight doing so. Unfortunately, when I stop any cardio activity for a week or two, I find my weight will easily come back. With strength training, this isn't the case. I have taken a week or two off of strength training, and when I return, my weight is either right where I left it or my gain is minimal.

    Agreeing with another post in this thread.....you have to do what you like, and do what you enjoy doing. If you don't enjoy doing something, you aren't going to keep doing it, and any progress you hope for will not come to fruition.
  • reisbaron
    reisbaron Posts: 30 Member
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    If straight-up appearance is your main concern, you can continue to lose weight without any exercise at all. Simply stick with a caloric deficit and nutritious foods and you'll be fine. But if you might be looking beyond appearance, and perhaps considering long-term benefits, you will never benefit from any exercise pursuit the way you will from strength training. The more muscle mass you develop, the more calories your body will burn at rest (as well as during exercise).

    A lot of people get turned off to lifting because it is notoriously boring, and we've all seen those mirror-gazing meatheads in 24-hour Fitness that make me want to pour my protein shake all over them as they grunt and do their curls facing the mirror. But there are class-based options that can make strength training fun, safe and addicting. I've done Crossfit for over 5 years, and I've lost 60 lbs of fat, gained over 25 lbs of muscle, and went from never lifting at all to squatting, deadlifting and pressing hundreds of lbs. Not that those are things to shoot for on their own, but it translates to every part of my life. There is nothing I can't lift in my house...couches, heavy delivery boxes, my 9-year old, etc. It's a total game changer, and believe me, you've heard it a million times but truly if I can do it, anyone can. In 2010 I was 335 lbs and likely 40%+ body fat. Those days are gone.

    An excellent example of someone who switched from cardio to strength training is this guy from the MFP "Success Stories" forums. A perfect example of how optimizing your fitness through strength training will maximize fat loss and change your life in a profound way.

    Good luck!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    reisbaron wrote: »
    If straight-up appearance is your main concern, you can continue to lose weight without any exercise at all. Simply stick with a caloric deficit and nutritious foods and you'll be fine.

    What??

    If they are concerned with appearance then strength training is a must as the OP would be a lower BF% at goal weight, not to mention all the other benefits of exercise that you did talk about.
  • BethEllard84
    BethEllard84 Posts: 1 Member
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    If you're not sure then why don't you give a body pump class a try and see how you get on? I love my body pump classes, I'm not sure I have the confidence yet to head to the weights area of my gym but I find these a great alternative.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Some type of strength training should always be included from very early on in a weight loss journey.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    BethEllard84 wrote: »
    If you're not sure then why don't you give a body pump class a try and see how you get on? I love my body pump classes, I'm not sure I have the confidence yet to head to the weights area of my gym but I find these a great alternative.

    Body pump is a cardio class, it isn't really strength training at all. It is resisted cardio.
  • reisbaron
    reisbaron Posts: 30 Member
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    erickirb wrote: »
    reisbaron wrote: »
    If straight-up appearance is your main concern, you can continue to lose weight without any exercise at all. Simply stick with a caloric deficit and nutritious foods and you'll be fine.

    What??

    If they are concerned with appearance then strength training is a must as the OP would be a lower BF% at goal weight, not to mention all the other benefits of exercise that you did talk about.

    I agree with you, and I was not recommending that as the route she should take. But she seemed concerned that fat loss wouldn't happen if she didn't exercise, and I felt the need to at least reassure her that she could still lose fat from doing nothing other than eating at a deficit. That said I obviously favor strength training based on the rest of what I mentioned, and hope for her sake she finds an enjoyable path to it, as her results will definitely be superior in terms of both appearance and overall life benefit.
  • aub6689
    aub6689 Posts: 351 Member
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    I would definitely add strength training. Having a greater amount of muscle can increase your resting metabolic rate. Although a caloric deficit ultimately can happen without strength training--I am a huge advocate of incorporating weight training or even body weight movements. Don't wait to lose more weight. Start now and strength training can help you reach your weight loss goals.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    Keep doing the cardio and begin adding strength training using dumbbells and body weight exercises, which you can easily do at home. Lots of videos and online stuff for beginners. Strength training of some sort -- and it doesn't have to be heavy lifting -- is important for women and overall good health, especially when you get older and are at risk for osteoporosis. Good to learn and get in the habit now.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Yes add strength training. You won't regret it. I've done Stengel training since day 1. You can do a variety of methods like bands, Dumbbells, TRX, or the barbells advocated by most people here.
    SW 301
    CW 169
    GW 150
    20 months

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