For weightloss : lifting time vs cardio time

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briislovely
briislovely Posts: 92 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When losing weight how much time should I spend doing cardio vs lifting per day or per week. I have been going to the gym 6-7 days a week. Normally for about and hour and 15 min (I could go longer if need be if I get myself up earlier)

I just am unsure of the ratio of time I should spend on doing both to lose weight!

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  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    Lose weight with the calorie deficit - lift/cardio for fitness.

    Lifting will help retain muscles as you lose weight.

    I would say if you have an hour and 15 minutes, that is totally fine. You can do cardio for 30 minutes and devote the rest of the time to lifting. If you want to exert more in cardio, do that first. Vice versa if you want to put more effort into lifting.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    The time you spend in a calorie deficit trumps both of those.

    Fitness is more about quality than quantity. Don't worry about time; focus on performance.
  • mommarnurse
    mommarnurse Posts: 515 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Weight lifting is not for weight loss. Cardio is not for weight loss. A caloric deficit is for weight loss. Still, the first two are crucial to your overall success.

    First and foremost, cardio is for your health. I could go on for ages on the cardiovascular importance of regular cardiovascular exercise. Running is a very good way to achieve this as well as bicycling, zumba, brisk walking, cardio kickboxoing, etc. A benefit of cardio for weight lss is that it burns calories (running burns 100 calories a mile roundabout depending on your weight, for example) thereby increasing your calorie deficit more than just reducing calories from food consumption.

    Weight lifting in itself doesn't burn a. lot of calories but that's not what it's for. When we lose weight through calorie deficit we went up losing lean muscle mass, something so many overlook and its ends up contributing to gaining back weight. The more lean body mass we have (the more lifting you do), the more calories our bodies burn at rest and the more we can consume in general because of that. (Think of it as a faster metabolism if you'd like) and also obviously it prevents muscle loss. Contrary to what others may claim, it is possible to put on muscle while decreasing fat while in a calorie deficit. I have pictures of my self to prove this. you need to take it slow, though, results take months but that is really the only sure way to make it as permanent as possible.

    A combination is key to weight loss, and not just weight loss but most important - permanent lifestyle change. Incorporating these things a a priority in your week will lead to success.

    So your question is really how much you should do for weight loss? Well, you don't have to do either at all to lose weight, but it's not in your best interest to go that route if there's no physical reason you can't exercise.

    If your question is - how much of each should I do that would be reasonable and sustainable thereby creating lifelong habits? Most people can/should reasonably do 30-60 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week and strength training every other day (or daily by rotating muscle groups since your muscles need 48 hrs to recover from a session). Remember that calisthenics counts as strength training. And it's great for toning. The time you spend on lifting will vary because there's the time between sets, reps. Etc . When I go to the gym to lift free weights im usually there 45 minutes. Technically about 30 is spent actually in the act of working muscles.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Cardio is for your cardiovascular fitness...weight lifting is for your muscular and skeletal fitness...as a matter of general fitness I would recommend at least 150 minutes per week of cardiovascular work and at minimum 2x per week doing some sort of full body resistance training routine.

    Regular exercise has the added bonus of burning a few hundred more calories than you otherwise would...but it still comes down to how much you're eating. If exercise was for weight loss, none of us "maintainers" would be training the way we do.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Cardio is for your cardiovascular fitness...weight lifting is for your muscular and skeletal fitness...as a matter of general fitness I would recommend at least 150 minutes per week of cardiovascular work and at minimum 2x per week doing some sort of full body resistance training routine.

    Regular exercise has the added bonus of burning a few hundred more calories than you otherwise would...but it still comes down to how much you're eating. If exercise was for weight loss, none of us "maintainers" would be training the way we do.

    All this but there is much added benefit for doing both cardio and strength training for weight loss. Essentially, as you work your cardio system and muscles your body uses more calories to keep it fueled. So you increase your BMR/RMR over time with additional metabolic rate to replenish systems and repair muscles.

    But as mentioned above, moderating caloric intake is the number one way to reduce calories. Simply, it can take over an hour to burn 500 calories, but eat a kids Happy meal at McD's in 5 minutes and you've consumed that amount or more.

  • ditabella89
    ditabella89 Posts: 4 Member
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    briislovely wrote: »
    When losing weight how much time should I spend doing cardio vs lifting per day or per week. I have been going to the gym 6-7 days a week. Normally for about and hour and 15 min (I could go longer if need be if I get myself up earlier)

    I just am unsure of the ratio of time I should spend on doing both to lose weight!

    You definitely need at least 1 day of rest for proper recovery. I think it's not about the time working out but the intensity that you put in it. There is no set formula for training other than switching it up every few weeks to avoid hitting plateaus, our bodies can adapt pretty quickly to the same workout routine. I think 30 minutes should suffice for strength training, try warming up before and finish off with 15 minutes of cardio.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
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    I don't do cardio and resistance training on the same day.
    4 days a week I do cardio at 4am so I've not eaten since before 7pm the day before and won't get food until about 8:30am.
    2 days a week I do resistance training at 4:30am. About an hour after I'm done I have some protein (44g shake) that has about 400 calories.
  • dbashby
    dbashby Posts: 44 Member
    edited June 2016
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    This is totally dependent on your goals. If your trying only to lose weight 100% of your time should be spent on cardio. It isn't even close Duke university has done a study and I'm all about the science.

    http://corporate.dukemedicine.org/news_and_publications/news_office/news/aerobic-exercise-trumps-resistance-training-for-weight-and-fat-loss

    Though you should know exercise while having a myriad of benefits does not cause weight loss. Only the under consumption of calories from TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) yes, that means only diet causes weight loss. If you google "Does exercise cause weight loss" the first few pages of links show this although they won't state it quite as definitively.



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