strength training vs cardio..how much?

jenb8529

Hi everyone, I belong to a gym but pretty clueless on where to begin. I understand that with weights/strength training you see more results with toning. I'm looking to lose 20-25 pounds but also tone. Is it okay to do both cardio and weights in the same day? Should I prioritize one over the other?

jemhh

It is fine. Many people will say to do weights first but for most general fitness people it comes down to preference. I usually do mine on separate days but if I have to do them back to back, I do weights first and then cardio. Doing cardio can sap your energy (and thus strength) a bit so keep that in mind.

wilsoncl6

Depends on what you're trying to achieve. You don't need to do any exercise at all to cut off those 20-25 lbs if that's all you're concerned about. You can do that with diet control alone. However, strength training is what's most important to maintain muscle mass while you lose weight. Cardio just gives you that extra amount of calories to work with to stay under your caloric goal but is good for your heart, lungs and muscular endurance. Most people will tell you that strength training is more important than cardio but you have to find your own balance. I used to do cardio and strength training in the same day, sometimes back to back or split morning and evening. Now I do strength training in one day and cardio on another. Find what works for you, what you enjoy and what gets you to your goal.

Strength training = muscle retention during weight loss and will make your body look better when the weight comes off.
Cardio = possible additional weight loss dependent upon your eating.

Additionally, strength training will burn calories for a longer period of time than cardio (if you're doing it right) because your body will need to repair the damage done to the muscle fibers. Cardio will burn calories during the exercise and for a short period afterwards as your body cools down.

cwolfman13

The AHA recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week. I would recommend at least two days per week of resistance training with a full body program just for general wellness and preservation of muscle mass...a good full body program is going to take you 45-60 minutes.

Beyond that, more specific fitness goals would dictate.

Lately I've been spending about 5-6 hours per week on my bike and I run a full body lifting program that I do 3x per week...so I spend almost double the time doing cardio vs lifting. When I lift though, I lift and I'm not messing around. If I do cardio on a lifting day I generally do it in the AM and lift in the PM. On lifting days, lifting is my top priority so if I had to do it in the same session I'd just do something relatively mellow after my lifts...I'm not getting under a heavy barbell after doing an intense cardiovascular workout.

filovirus76

For toning and losing weight I would suggest 2/3 weights, 1/3 cardio. If that is six days a week, 4 days of weights, 2 days of cardio. Three days is 2 days of weights, 1 day of cardio. Or even a 40 min weights 20 min cardio dual day.

If you ever choose to run a race, or get faster, it would be the opposite.

(Your heart may be your most important muscle, it needs to be exercised just like your abs and arms.)

djspacecaptain

When i had 100lb to lose i did 95% cardio 5% weights. When i had 50lb to lose i did 80% cardio and 20% weights. Now i have 25 lb to lose and still doing like 70% cardio and 30% weights. When i had 0 lb to lose (in the past) i was doing 25% cardio and 75% weights. I also considered pushups and crunches as weights and did a lot of them.

When i had 0 to lose and had followed this routine i was pretty buff with a 6 pack (i had a little excess skin thats because i lost 100 lbs). A typical day at the gym would start with 20-25 min cardio then followed by an hour of lifting weights mixed with pushups and ended with 20 or so mins of abs and stretching.