Cardio & weightlifting VS. Cardio only

erickirb

I think you really need both...

I am 250 lbs, and am mainly trying for weight loss now and don't want to get bulked up. FOr the past moth I am trying to stick to a routine where one week I will do intense cardio 3x a week and cardio + weights 2x week..another week I will just do intense cardio 5 times a week.

You wont bulk up in a caloric deficit so don't worry about lifting, even heavy and ofter, unless you are also taking 'roids

kdiamond

You don't need cardio at all for weight loss. What cardio does is allow you to eat more to lose the same amount of weight you could have lost from diet alone. (Eating 500 cals less than maintenance and burning 500 cals from exercise would yeild the same weight loss result as cutting 1000 cals from your diet).

Adding strength training in will help lead to a higher % of your loss coming from fat, vs with no strength training. In other words if you strength train you will keep the muscle you already have, if you don't you will lose some of that muscle.

So that said best thing for fat loss (not weight loss, fat loss) is strength training, adequate protein intake, and a caloric deficit. the caloric deficit can be from diet alone, or a combo of diet and exercise.

This ^^^^^^^^^

However, if you want to be able to eat a little more, and not feel as deprived (mentally), it would be beneficial to do some cardio each time you are at the gym. Or even take walks at night. But as far as weight loss is concerned, calorie needs are #1 followed by weightlifting.

kmbweber2014

On my workout days I run for a mile and lift heavy (well heavy for me, I'm working on increasing that). Seems to be working so far.

NaturalinCO

Women won't bulk unless you start a program for body building. Use weights, why be a smaller version of yourself after losing the weight when you can change your body using weights with cardio? I like the idea of doing Jillian dvds, she does a nice combo. Don't be afraid of bulk...it won't happen.

RGv2

I think you really need both...

I am 250 lbs, and am mainly trying for weight loss now and don't want to get bulked up. FOr the past moth I am trying to stick to a routine where one week I will do intense cardio 3x a week and cardio + weights 2x week..another week I will just do intense cardio 5 times a week.

You wont bulk up in a caloric deficit so don't worry about lifting, even heavy and ofter, unless you are also taking 'roids

Yep

JENNTF

Strength training helps burn fat during cardio exercise. If you want to shed some serious fat, and tone you body then lift weights and do strength training exercises before your cardio workout.

You need to do more reps lighter weight to tone, and less reps and heavier reps to bulk.

ndj1979

three days total body weight training and two days cardio ..maybe a third and then one rest day ...

cwolfman13

Any fitness regimen worth it's salt is going to incorporate aspects of both. You can't be a "fit" individual without some element of both.

As others have said...you won't "bulk" up. It's really fraggin' hard for a guy with good genes, lots of testosterone and HGH pumping through his body to bulk up...it seriously aint happening for you. "Bulking" up requires a spot on diet...calorie surplus and more than just lifting some weights a few times per week.

Think about it...if it were that easy to "bulk", pretty much every guy on the planet would be yolked.

Women won't bulk unless you start a program for body building. Use weights, why be a smaller version of yourself after losing the weight when you can change your body using weights with cardio? I like the idea of doing Jillian dvds, she does a nice combo. Don't be afraid of bulk...it won't happen.

Unless you're a statistical outlier or taking roids, you're not going to bulk even if you're doing a body building program. You'll just look lean, tight and sexy...

WiseAngel2

the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism is the more fat you will lose. Remember you might weigh more because you've gained muscle but you will get smaller because muscle takes up less room than fat.

Essentially the benefit of weight training is that each pound of muscle you add helps you burn fat all day long, not just when you're exercising. Take a balanced approach and look more at how your clothes fit and how you look over how much you weigh on the scale.. you can do it!

RGv2

I do Turbo Fire in the the am. Then at night I go for a speed walk with 2lb weights on my wrists (pump your arms at a 90 degree angle. You'll feel the burn for sure). When I get back, I do a few reps/sets with some light free weights. Women don't have the testosterone to "bulk up". Super ripped women just do higher weights with lots of sets. The really ripped ones are probably using something other than water to get big muscle. I got my free weights at Walmart. I think they were $4 each.

Women do have testosterone

That's not what the poster said.

Women don't have the levels of testosterone needed to bulk up like men do....

erickirb

Strength training helps burn fat during cardio exercise. If you want to shed some serious fat, and tone you body then lift weights and do strength training exercises before your cardio workout.

You need to do more reps lighter weight to tone, and less reps and heavier reps to bulk.

No,
high weight low reps = strength gain and muscle retention in a caloric deficit (not muscle gain)
Low weight high reps = increased endurance
Moderate weight, moderate reps (8-15 rep range) = moderate strength gain and muscle retention benefits while in a deficit

Katerina67

From my own experience the best way to loose weight and get toned body is to do both weight lifting and cardio. Moreover, when I did weight lifting only the results were better vs cardio only (of course, you have to make sure that you burm more calories than you eat). You won't get bulky from weight lifting 2-3 times a day with medium to high repetitions (10-25 reps, 2-5 sets). Unless you are a pure endomrph (somebody who easily builds up musscles and has VERY hard time burning fat), it takes some effort to get bulky from weight lifting (these people can build muuscles just by doing cardio).
So weight lifting is the must

RGv2

the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism is the more fat you will lose. Remember you might weigh more because you've gained muscle but you will get smaller because muscle takes up less room than fat. I would do 3 cardio days 3 weight days per week. and measure yourself don't weigh yourself. scales are depressing to me and they don't give an accurate account of your progress. and make sure when lifting you are using a weight you are challenged with. if your doing 10 reps and its not a challenge on the last couple reps its to light. when beginning weight training you will have a little water weight because your muscles hold fluids to heal but don't let that discourage you if you keep it up then your muscles will get use to it and not hold so much.

Unless she switches from a caloric deficit to a caloric surplus, OP won't put on enough muscle mass to move the scale up...especially post "noob" gains.

j6o4

You don't need cardio at all for weight loss. What cardio does is allow you to eat more to lose the same amount of weight you could have lost from diet alone. (Eating 500 cals less than maintenance and burning 500 cals from exercise would yeild the same weight loss result as cutting 1000 cals from your diet).

Adding strength training in will help lead to a higher % of your loss coming from fat, vs with no strength training. In other words if you strength train you will keep the muscle you already have, if you don't you will lose some of that muscle.

So that said best thing for fat loss (not weight loss, fat loss) is strength training, adequate protein intake, and a caloric deficit. the caloric deficit can be from diet alone, or a combo of diet and exercise.

Yep

A) It's a mix.

losing weight is less calories in vs calories out. Exercise helps with this deficit, cardio with great high cal burns.

C) Lifting weights helps you maintain muscle mass as the weight comes off, so you have better definition. Why would you want to do all this cardio, ad then have to work that much harder to put muscle back on.

D) No matter how much you lift, if you're in a deficit you won't bulk.

Yep

Triple Yep

TLCorsini

Strength training helps burn fat during cardio exercise. If you want to shed some serious fat, and tone you body then lift weights and do strength training exercises before your cardio workout.

You need to do more reps lighter weight to tone, and less reps and heavier reps to bulk.

No,
high weight low reps = strength gain and muscle retention in a caloric deficit (not muscle gain)
Low weight high reps = increased endurance
Moderate weight, moderate reps (8-15 rep range) = moderate strength gain and muscle retention benefits while in a deficit

I'm new to the weightlifting scene (can you tell?). Does it matter what type of weight exercise I'm doing? i.e. deadlift or leg press etc.

erickirb

Strength training helps burn fat during cardio exercise. If you want to shed some serious fat, and tone you body then lift weights and do strength training exercises before your cardio workout.

You need to do more reps lighter weight to tone, and less reps and heavier reps to bulk.

No,
high weight low reps = strength gain and muscle retention in a caloric deficit (not muscle gain)
Low weight high reps = increased endurance
Moderate weight, moderate reps (8-15 rep range) = moderate strength gain and muscle retention benefits while in a deficit

I'm new to the weightlifting scene (can you tell?). Does it matter what type of weight exercise I'm doing? i.e. deadlift or leg press etc.

If you are interested some good info in the Book Starting Strength, or even New Rules of Lifting for Women. These programs focus on the core compound lifts

celenachan

I am someone that did purely cardio first...and became undermuscled...skinny, but weak. It's a struggle now trying to gain muscle/clean bulk and seeing the numbers on the scale go up. I would suggest you do a combo of both so you wont be in this position later.