Which is better weights or cardio?

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  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    msf74 wrote: »
    If I were obese I would choose a sensible form of cardio in the first phase of my plan and then transition into including strength training when I had lost a chunk of weight. If I had time however the best solution would be to do both off the bat.
    ^^^This...
    msf74 wrote: »
    I say this because reducing weight first and foremost would be my goal to relieve stress on the body and the mere act of moving given high starting weight would help maintain muscle mass in the sort term.
    ^^^and for this reason...
  • Stepmom1
    Stepmom1 Posts: 155 Member
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    watkins1980 wrote: »
    I have quite a bit of weight to lose, and am pressed for time. I was wondering if doing weights at the gym or doing cardio would benefit someone obese like myself? I guess I am asking if you had to only 1 due to your weight and schedule, which would you pick and why?
    watkins1980 wrote: »
    I have quite a bit of weight to lose, and am pressed for time. I was wondering if doing weights at the gym or doing cardio would benefit someone obese like myself? I guess I am asking if you had to only 1 due to your weight and schedule, which would you pick and why?

    I agree on both are best... There is cardio that is done with the resistance of weights which is fantastic... the resistance of weights helps you burn more, since you have to make more of an effort to do cardio with the added resistance of the weights.. Start low and then increase as you improve! Good luck!
  • AmandaOmega
    AmandaOmega Posts: 70 Member
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    In the long run, cardio is going to help give you better results, as you will burn way more calories during cardio than you will lifting weights. However, at some point I strongly suggest doing both and in rotation. I spend about 60 minutes every day doing cardio, and 20-30 minutes lifting weights in rotation (monday is chest exercises, tues is back, etc).
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
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    StealthHealth wrote: »
    @coreyreichle it was, very specifically, an either or question
    watkins1980 wrote: »
    I have quite a bit of weight to lose, and am pressed for time. I was wondering if doing weights at the gym or doing cardio would benefit someone obese like myself? I guess I am asking if you had to only 1 due to your weight and schedule, which would you pick and why?

    We could argue about whether the OP could find the time/energy to do both or guess whether that is what they want in reality or this is a hypothetical question but we'd be here all day - and the result would be of zero benefit to the OP who asked a simple question - based upon, I guess, the time that he feels he wants spend on exercises.

    Note: is false to say that you should be doing both - you don't need either to lose weight (although in many cases either type of exercise would help).

    True. You don't have to do either to lose weight.

    However, it is impossible for anyone to not be able to knock out 30 minutes of exercise daily, alternating between cardio and strength training. You should do both, doing only one or the other leaves a huge gaping hole in your physical fitness.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    coreyreichle wrote: »
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    @coreyreichle it was, very specifically, an either or question
    watkins1980 wrote: »
    I have quite a bit of weight to lose, and am pressed for time. I was wondering if doing weights at the gym or doing cardio would benefit someone obese like myself? I guess I am asking if you had to only 1 due to your weight and schedule, which would you pick and why?

    We could argue about whether the OP could find the time/energy to do both or guess whether that is what they want in reality or this is a hypothetical question but we'd be here all day - and the result would be of zero benefit to the OP who asked a simple question - based upon, I guess, the time that he feels he wants spend on exercises.

    Note: is false to say that you should be doing both - you don't need either to lose weight (although in many cases either type of exercise would help).

    True. You don't have to do either to lose weight.

    However, it is impossible for anyone to not be able to knock out 30 minutes of exercise daily, alternating between cardio and strength training. You should do both, doing only one or the other leaves a huge gaping hole in your physical fitness.


    This was going to pretty much be my response. Since OP seems to only have time for one each day... One day, strength training. The next training day - cardio. Hence, both.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    watkins1980 wrote: »
    I have quite a bit of weight to lose, and am pressed for time. I was wondering if doing weights at the gym or doing cardio would benefit someone obese like myself? I guess I am asking if you had to only 1 due to your weight and schedule, which would you pick and why?

    I make the time to do both cardio and weights, as well as having food that fits into my calorie budget.
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
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    On January 4th I started walking on my lunch hours almost daily- nothing crazy just to get me off my butt.
    Id hardly call it "cardio workout" though. I get 10,000-11,000 steps on a good day.

    I started lifting Jan 17th. Stronglifts 5x5. Taking it nice and slow 3-4 times per week.

    I have been aiming for slow weight loss (small deficit) to lose this baby weight while being considerate of my skin. Essentially Ive been spending the last 2 months feeling it all out.- adjusting calories <finally found the "magic" #> walking, lifting, monitoring, etc).

    Today has been 2 months since logging and walking and 1.5 ish months since I started lifting.

    Ive lost 7.6lbs and 9 overall inches. I dont and probably wont do any cardio.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
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    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    On January 4th I started walking on my lunch hours almost daily- nothing crazy just to get me off my butt.
    Id hardly call it "cardio workout" though. I get 10,000-11,000 steps on a good day.

    I started lifting Jan 17th. Stronglifts 5x5. Taking it nice and slow 3-4 times per week.

    I have been aiming for slow weight loss (small deficit) to lose this baby weight while being considerate of my skin. Essentially Ive been spending the last 2 months feeling it all out.- adjusting calories <finally found the "magic" #> walking, lifting, monitoring, etc).

    Today has been 2 months since logging and walking and 1.5 ish months since I started lifting.

    Ive lost 7.6lbs and 9 overall inches. I dont and probably wont do any cardio.

    Bro, your heart is a muscle, and requires gainz!:P
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    I dont and probably wont do any cardio.

    Are you walking at the pace of grocery store shopping, or are your lunch hour walks actually cardio?

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/308153-is-walking-cardio-exercise/
  • GreenIceFloes
    GreenIceFloes Posts: 1,491 Member
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    I'd give 20 mins to cardio and the rest to lifting, while maintaining a calorie deficit.
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
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    coreyreichle wrote: »
    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    On January 4th I started walking on my lunch hours almost daily- nothing crazy just to get me off my butt.
    Id hardly call it "cardio workout" though. I get 10,000-11,000 steps on a good day.

    I started lifting Jan 17th. Stronglifts 5x5. Taking it nice and slow 3-4 times per week.

    I have been aiming for slow weight loss (small deficit) to lose this baby weight while being considerate of my skin. Essentially Ive been spending the last 2 months feeling it all out.- adjusting calories <finally found the "magic" #> walking, lifting, monitoring, etc).

    Today has been 2 months since logging and walking and 1.5 ish months since I started lifting.

    Ive lost 7.6lbs and 9 overall inches. I dont and probably wont do any cardio.

    Bro, your heart is a muscle, and requires gainz!:P

    Totes bro!
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
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    SingingSingleTracker wrote: »
    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    I dont and probably wont do any cardio.

    Are you walking at the pace of grocery store shopping, or are your lunch hour walks actually cardio?

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/308153-is-walking-cardio-exercise/

    Well I dunno, you should see me working those aisles at the store! ;)
    Perhaps the general population would call my walking cardio exercise? I dunno. I dont log it and I dont eat it. To me my level of "cardio" is laughable to the term "cardio" that gets talked about here.

    To me intentional cardio exercise would be something that breaks a sweat or walking at a pace that would tire me after an hour? I am not tired after my hour, I can talk if I wanted to, I dont sweat. I walk about 3 miles in that hour.
    I walk for that hr because I am sedentary with a desk job and 1hr commute each way- Lots of sitting.

    Anyway, sorry. I guess I should have worded it differently?? I dont do any intense cardio?
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
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    I guess my point, and poorly made at that, is I believe the biggest changes in my body come from the benefits of lifting (and my small calorie deficit) - far more than my minimal cardiovascular efforts.
  • RichardHill4
    RichardHill4 Posts: 1 Member
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    You should stop making *kitten* excuses like 'no time'. Do both. Cardio to burn calories and build muscle to burn fat. If you cannot make time then you obviously don't really care about losing weight. So just stay fat.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    SingingSingleTracker wrote: »
    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    I dont and probably wont do any cardio.

    Are you walking at the pace of grocery store shopping, or are your lunch hour walks actually cardio?

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/308153-is-walking-cardio-exercise/

    Well I dunno, you should see me working those aisles at the store! ;)
    Perhaps the general population would call my walking cardio exercise? I dunno. I dont log it and I dont eat it. To me my level of "cardio" is laughable to the term "cardio" that gets talked about here.

    To me intentional cardio exercise would be something that breaks a sweat or walking at a pace that would tire me after an hour? I am not tired after my hour, I can talk if I wanted to, I dont sweat. I walk about 3 miles in that hour.
    I walk for that hr because I am sedentary with a desk job and 1hr commute each way- Lots of sitting.

    Anyway, sorry. I guess I should have worded it differently?? I dont do any intense cardio?

    3 MPH does have cardiovascular benefits :)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    RichardHill4 wrote: »
    You should stop making *kitten* excuses like 'no time'. Do both. Cardio to burn calories and build muscle to burn fat. If you cannot make time then you obviously don't really care about losing weight. So just stay fat.

    People can lose weight perfectly fine without doing any kind of exercise. I did at first. Exercise is mostly for fitness. Yes, it does help by giving you a bigger food budget and helping preserve muscle, but it's not absolutely necessary. If a person doesn't feel allocating time to fitness is a good use of their time that's their choice and it does not mean they don't care about losing weight or prevent them from doing so.
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    SingingSingleTracker wrote: »
    MommyMeggo wrote: »
    I dont and probably wont do any cardio.

    Are you walking at the pace of grocery store shopping, or are your lunch hour walks actually cardio?

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/308153-is-walking-cardio-exercise/

    Well I dunno, you should see me working those aisles at the store! ;)
    Perhaps the general population would call my walking cardio exercise? I dunno. I dont log it and I dont eat it. To me my level of "cardio" is laughable to the term "cardio" that gets talked about here.

    To me intentional cardio exercise would be something that breaks a sweat or walking at a pace that would tire me after an hour? I am not tired after my hour, I can talk if I wanted to, I dont sweat. I walk about 3 miles in that hour.
    I walk for that hr because I am sedentary with a desk job and 1hr commute each way- Lots of sitting.

    Anyway, sorry. I guess I should have worded it differently?? I dont do any intense cardio?

    3 MPH does have cardiovascular benefits :)

    Agree 100%!
    I think going from a couch potato to a slow leisurely walker also has cardiovascular benefits too!
    No one should be sedentary.
    If asked which one do i think is better? For me, as a life long asthmatic- non-"cardio" person Id vote for lifting.
    I probably could have seen the changes on the scale with no walking and only a calorie deficit but I dont think a calorie deficit would have dropped the inches like lifting has.
    Not being argumentative. There just seems to be a real disconnect from my brain to the keyboard this morning. Ack!
  • BoaRestrictor
    BoaRestrictor Posts: 194 Member
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    I dance for cardio (like I am out of breath by the end heart racing), cardio doesn't have to be painful. I also lift weights to preserve muscle during my cut. I'd say both. A little cardio, a little weights. Won't hurt.
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
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    They both have their benefits, of course. Having lost 300+ lbs doing very little cardio and mostly heavy lifting, however, I'd personally pick strength training if I had to choose one or the other.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
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    If you are new to exercise, try a number of things in rotation. Find something you enjoy or at least can tolerate.
    Eventually you will want to do both cardio and strength training. You can alternate them. I do. One workout will be low-impact cardio or belly dance practice. The next workout will be resistance training/weight lifting. I do yoga as a cool down. I find most of my exercise on YouTube.

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