Cardio or weights

Halloweenmom31

Hi
I’m almost at my goal weight. I need to firm up now that I’ve lost 52 lbs. what’s better cardio or weights to loose the last 10 lbs and to firm up

TavistockToad

Both

DanaDark

Weights help make it look nice when its off.
Cardio helps get it off.

Both have various underlying health benefits (heart, bone, etc.).

You'll get the best results by doing both, even if it means only doing half as much of each due to time availability.

tcunbeliever

They do different things, so that's not really an OR scenario.

If you don't have time to do both on the same day, then 30 min of cardio 3x/week and 30 min of weights 3x/week and a day for yoga or some kind of stretching/balance work...that would be more well rounded that just doing one or the other every day.

Strength training is for building muscle, and bone density...cardio is for building a healthy heart and circulatory system...flexibility and balance work is well, for stretching muscles, tendons, ligaments and for keeping good balance which is super important as you age...I like to incorporate all of those.

estherdragonbat

Both. Your body will thank you. Strength training isn't just about looking nice at goal weight, though that's good too. It's stuff like being in the recovery room after surgery and being able to sit up unaided (and having the nurse compliment you on your trunk muscles). It's realizing that building stronger leg and arm muscles lets you get more bang out of your cardio workouts. It's walking on a winter sidewalk and realizing that your balance seems so much better than it did last year, and wait it's got to be all those "core-strengthening" components in your workouts. It's hauling a 30lb box of kitty litter from the back of the store to the cash and putting it down on the counter without grunting.

And it's doing all this at 46 and realizing that you (or, at least I) couldn't do half this stuff at 26.

Halloweenmom31

Thank you!! I did 15 minutes of elliptical and 15 minutes of weights today for my first day.

TavistockToad

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

Redordeadhead

Both, but look into a proper lifting programme and you will probably need to allocate more than 15 minutes. Well done on the weight loss, impressive!

CSARdiver

To add to the experienced echo chamber - both.

Your endurance performance will aid your lifting and vice versa. Along with our "Which Lifting Program is Best for You" thread check out YouTube and find someone with your ideal physique and goal and learn from them. Find several so you get a variety of experience and education.

GottaBurnEmAll

Definitely both.

Strength training enhances cardio performance and is especially important for aging people.

I can't lift very heavy weights because I get exertion-induced migraines, but the day-to-day functional benefits from lifting the weights I do lift like being able to lift my Kitchen Aid out of the bottom cabinet and not having to worry about tweaking my back or slinging a grocery bag full of two litter soda bottles into the trunk of my car without pain? That's priceless.

A few years ago, when I was using a cane, I needed to ask for help to get stuff like that done. I still get bested by everyone else in the family in arm wrestling contests, but at least now I can make them work for it!

callsitlikeiseeit

both.

they serve different purposes

azzeazsaleh5429

I found doing both help change your body shape, I am worried of only just doing cardio I will have skinny parts of the body where I want to be muscular.

M0n1KCR

The ideal thing would be both, as previous posters mentioned.
However, you have to find the exercise YOU like. In my case, I can't stand weight training. It bores me, so I keep finding excuses not to do it. So I've decided to focus on cardio (zumba, body combat and swimming now and then), which I enjoy. I think it's better to do only cardio than to try to force myself to do strength training... then not do it because I just don't enjoy it.

collectingblues

Agreed with both. They do different things, and both are beneficial. Find a lifting program that you like, and see what forms of cardio make you happy -- cardio comes in so many different things, that you may/should find something.

Like, I hate ellipticals. Can't stand it. So I swim, spin, and run. Also go to barre, but that's more of a blend/sort of like pilates. And I see strength training purely as a means to get to an end -- so I suck it up and do it, and weave it around the cardio scheduling.

More importantly: Aside from firming up, what are your fitness goals? What would you like to be able to do that you aren't doing already?

Answering those questions can help you decide what you want to do next.

Taz6o5

Nice job on the 52 weight loss.
I would do both as well .

psychod787

TavistockToad wrote: »

Both

Amen...

cwolfman13

Halloweenmom31 wrote: »

Thank you!! I did 15 minutes of elliptical and 15 minutes of weights today for my first day.

Both...but I would recommend a proper, established lifting program which is going to be more efficient than doing your own thing...in that regard, plan on spending more than 15 minutes...If I don't have to wait for equipment, my program typically takes me 40-45 minutes...sometimes an hour. I would also plan on at least 30 minutes of cardio.

The biggest bang for your buck will be a full body program which are typically done 3x per week on non consecutive days...do some cardio on non lifting days or a bit of lite cardio work after you lift if you have time.

saintor1

It may sound like semantics, but I don't like 'weight' and avoid gym like the plague. Resistance training looks more important to me, although I do cardio often (country skiing this PM ). Intense but brief, through simple exercises. No 'weight' is needed. The extreme way to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-d5kuSFBMk