I Prefer weight machines to cardio... do I have to do both?

RebekahAnn88

Love doing weight machines, but I hear walking is supposedly a better starting point for my main goal of weight loss. I have a not so agreeable hip, for long walks or jogs so will I still get the same benefits of exercise?

NorthCascades

Losing weight just means burning more calories than you eat. That includes burning calories by breathing and having a heart beat. So, no, you don't have to do cardio, you don't have to lift weights either. You can eat less, never get out of bed, and still lose weight. That's not the best thing to do but you can.

Weights are going to do a lot of good for you but most of it won't be in terms of weight loss.

canadianlbs

i'm not really counting calories or trying (very hard) to lose weight atm. but when i was, i just didn't count my lifting workouts towards burn. i still don't know how many calories they might be worth.

. . . which is kind of ironic because what got me into lifting in the first place was that belief that lifting 'ups your metabolism' and gives you a long-term burn that outlasts the workout.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

free weights are better than weight machines because you work more muscle groups and have a better range of motion,but as for losing weight being in a deficit is what helps,doesnt matter which exercise you do,exercise is for health,weight loss happens in a deficit and some people dont have to exercise.Im not saying not to of course as exercise is good for you.also weight lifting burns a very small amount of calories compared to other exercises,but it will change how your body looks,help you to retain any lean muscle you have while losing weight(provided you also get enough protein) and you will get stronger if you lift weights.But you do what works for you and what you like to do. if you cant run dont,if you cant walk long distances then dont do that. find something you can do and like to do.

BrianSharpe

You don't need to exercise at all to lose wight, just consume fewer calories than you expend.

From a fitness point of view a combination of strength and cardio is ideal but stick with what you enjoy doing. Is the hip issue something that could be mitigated with exercise/stretching?

jnlamppert

Learn to do compound weight movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses and start lifting heavy - whatever you can handle now with proper form and increase weight every 1 or 2 weeks. These movements will burn loads of calories long after you finish your workout because they use a large variety of muscles whereas when you finish cardio you stop burning calories.

You can definitely lose fat and lift weight at the same time. Some people can do this without changing their eating habits (if their weight lifting workouts burn enough to put them in a caloric deficit) but most people need to lower their food intake a bit.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

jnlamppert wrote: »

Learn to do compound weight movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses and start lifting heavy - whatever you can handle now with proper form and increase weight every 1 or 2 weeks. These movements will burn loads of calories long after you finish your workout because they use a large variety of muscles whereas when you finish cardio you stop burning calories.

You can definitely lose fat and lift weight at the same time. Some people can do this without changing their eating habits (if their weight lifting workouts burn enough to put them in a caloric deficit) but most people need to lower their food intake a bit.

as for burning loads of calories long after your weight lifting I have found that for me that is not true. I lift an hr,the number of calories goes down after I cool down and returns to normal not long after.now if you build muscle then I would say yes the calorie burn will be a bit more but from what I have read its 6-7calories per lb of muscle. as for after cardio you stop burning calories,NO, you dont. your body is burning calories all the time so you dont stop burning calories unless you drop dead from a workout then maybe. if you lift in a surplus you will gain muscle,if you lift in a deficit you will retain muscle you have as long as you are getting enough protein as well. a calorie deficit is what helps with losing weight.exercise just creates a bigger deficit but is better for your overall health.

EquineSunshine

Rebekah, there are lots of other things you can do for cardio besides running or walking. Ellipticals are low/no impact as is cycling. Ask a doctor, physical therapist or personal trainer what would be good for your specific hip condition. My gym has something called a Jacobs ladder which is like climbing a ladder, treadmill style. It kicks my butt! ...literally, what a glute workout! My heart rate goes up faster on that than any other cardio machine or road running. There's also rowing machines or even swimming.

canadianlbs

with a hip thing some forms of compound lifting MAY be iffy or need extra caution as well. just sayin' so that it goes ahead and gets said.

RebekahAnn88

Thanks everyone! Yes, I am being sure to restrict my calories, but I also sincerely enjoy working out. Lots of great info from everyone. My hip is actually a lower back thing that effects my left hip joint. I have seen various doctors about with different diagnoses, either way I am currently beginning physical therapy for it. The main thing Drs have said is to stay away from dead lifts and heavy weights. I feel that as I am beginning, I like the structure of the machines because I don't have much strength/balance but when I do feel stronger I would like to get into the free weights more.

GauchoMark

You can get a pretty good cardio workout with weights, so no, if you don't want to walk, you don't have to. However, if your goal is to get a cardio workout or burn calories from weight lifting, then you need to be doing moderately high reps (12-15) at a higher set count with a shortened rest period. You will still need to lift as heavy of weight as possible, but still be able to hit the rep count range - it should be hard for the last 2-3 reps of each set.

Obviously, the bigger the movement, the more calories you burn. Deadlifts, Squats, Bench Press will burn more than bicep curls! Just be careful with your form when lifting high rep. Machines are a great way to do high rep work safely. Unless you are really good at your form, I would not recommend high reps with free weights. If you really want to, do the first couple of sets using free weights, then move to a machine once you are starting to fatigue.

If you workout like this at the correct intensity, you will be a sweaty mess and might think that treadmill isn't looking all that bad!

mgalovic01

You can get a great cardio workout on weight machines by doing a circuit. Go from machine to machine with little rest time in between, and get a full body workout. Just be careful not to outpace your heart. Its surprisingly easy to do when you're jumping from machine to machine. If you do start feeling faint, the fetal position facilitates the quickest recovery. You may want to alternate compound muscle movement machines like the bench press and leg press machine with single muscle machines like the preacher curl or leg curl machine.

tulips_and_tea

The first thing I would do is consult your physical therapist when you see them and see what they do and don't recommend based on your specific case. Once you know that, then you can build a workout plan from there.

sijomial

jnlamppert wrote: »

Learn to do compound weight movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses and start lifting heavy - whatever you can handle now with proper form and increase weight every 1 or 2 weeks. These movements will burn loads of calories long after you finish your workout because they use a large variety of muscles whereas when you finish cardio you stop burning calories.

You can definitely lose fat and lift weight at the same time. Some people can do this without changing their eating habits (if their weight lifting workouts burn enough to put them in a caloric deficit) but most people need to lower their food intake a bit.

@jnlamppert ert

"These movements will burn loads of calories long after you finish your workout ."
No not really, an insignificant amount not loads. Weights is a relatively small calorie burn so even a large percentage of EPOC wouldn't add anything substantial.

"whereas when you finish cardio you stop burning calories"
No that's not true either, a smaller EPOC effect but there still is one.

It's majoring in the minors really.

Chieflrg

You don't have to do either. Weight loss is from eating less than your total daily energy expenditure(TDEE).

If I was in your situation I would lift weights. By lifting while losing weight it helps retain more muscle than if you didn't lift at all. One loses both fat and muscle during weight loss process.

Azdak

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

jnlamppert wrote: »

Learn to do compound weight movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses and start lifting heavy - whatever you can handle now with proper form and increase weight every 1 or 2 weeks. These movements will burn loads of calories long after you finish your workout because they use a large variety of muscles whereas when you finish cardio you stop burning calories.

You can definitely lose fat and lift weight at the same time. Some people can do this without changing their eating habits (if their weight lifting workouts burn enough to put them in a caloric deficit) but most people need to lower their food intake a bit.

as for burning loads of calories long after your weight lifting I have found that for me that is not true. I lift an hr,the number of calories goes down after I cool down and returns to normal not long after.now if you build muscle then I would say yes the calorie burn will be a bit more but from what I have read its 6-7calories per lb of muscle. as for after cardio you stop burning calories,NO, you dont. your body is burning calories all the time so you dont stop burning calories unless you drop dead from a workout then maybe. if you lift in a surplus you will gain muscle,if you lift in a deficit you will retain muscle you have as long as you are getting enough protein as well. a calorie deficit is what helps with losing weight.exercise just creates a bigger deficit but is better for your overall health.

It's not particularly true for anyone. Post-exercise calorie burn is significantly overstated for the most part.

Azdak

The biggest problem with the idea that "weights can be cardio" is that the more you modify a strength movement to elicit a greater cardio effect (i.e. Lowering the resistance primarily), the less strength training benefit you will receive. The elevated HR that can occur during heavy lifting is not the same as the elevated HR that occurs during cardio training and doesn't result in the same training effect.

That being said, someone who does not like to do traditional cardio, or who cannot do traditional cardio, can get a "cardio effect" by doing strength-type movements at a low resistance and using dynamic movements. But, afterwards, or on another day, you still need to lift weights to get strong.