Cardio vs. Weight Training

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april21401
april21401 Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm about 5 weeks into this. I have a LOT to lose and I've barely started to scratch the surface (15 lbs so far). Doc says cardio only until I hit my goal weight -- and then work weight training in after I've hit my goal weight. Has anyone else been told this? Or are you/have you done both throughout the entire process? Thanks.
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  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
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    So I'm about 5 weeks into this. I have a LOT to lose and I've barely started to scratch the surface (15 lbs so far). Doc says cardio only until I hit my goal weight -- and then work weight training in after I've hit my goal weight. Has anyone else been told this? Or are you/have you done both throughout the entire process? Thanks.

    Unless there are underlying medical factors not mentioned here, your doctor is wrong. Incorporating strength now will help you preserve muscle mass while you are doing cardio, and will actually help you burn calories/fat more quickly.

    P.S. - Fifteen pounds is great!
  • Sashoi
    Sashoi Posts: 295 Member
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    We have about the same goal n I'm doing a little of both right now. You don't want to be a mess of loose skin when you get to your goal so I think it's good if u do a balance of the two.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    You don't want to wait until you are at goal weight.

    Edit: spelling
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
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    Did your doctor give you a medical reason for this otherwise horrible advice? Because strength training will certainly minimize muscle loss which will support weight loss. Because unles their is a valid medical reason, this is absolutely the worst idea and he has no idea what in the world he is talking about.
  • april21401
    april21401 Posts: 13
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    Thanks everyone for the responses! No, I don't have any medical reason not to weight train. I originally just assumed it was because the scale can go up when you weight train and I'm trying to lose... I wanted to ask because I hear so many people say that they swear by weight training...
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
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    Thanks April -- well it's horrid advice. We're not talking about you squatting hundreds of pounds, bench pressing a Cadillac. But moderate weight training which will help mainintain lean muscle mass, which will burn more calories which will promote weight loss. Absent any medical issues (I had to be careful about what I did for lower body exercises during rehab for a knee replacement) there is simply no valid reason not to include some weight training to at least minimize loss of lean muscle mass which will occur during weight loss.
  • init2fitit
    init2fitit Posts: 168 Member
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    The scale will go up when you weight train, mostly from water being stored in your muscles.
    But it will drop eventually.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the responses! No, I don't have any medical reason not to weight train. I originally just assumed it was because the scale can go up when you weight train and I'm trying to lose... I wanted to ask because I hear so many people say that they swear by weight training...
    Any scale increase from weight training will be water retention to help facilitate repair, so it's nothing to worry about - falling bodyfat and a shrinking waistline are better indicators.
  • april21401
    april21401 Posts: 13
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    Okay, thanks -- sounds like I need to incoporate this into my routine. Thanks all!
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    STRENGTH TRAINING.

    Seriously.

    3 x week strength training
    2 x week HIIT cardio

    You will be sooooooooo glad you did !

    That is how I rolled. I primarily lift and walk now ... emphasis on strength training for specific body comp goals at this point in time.
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
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    And the goal isn't weight loss. It's fat loss. This week is the Mr. Olympia contest. Anybody want to go to Las Vegas and tell those guys that they need to lose weight and stop lifting and only do cardio until they drop down to some doctor's pre-determined ideal weight for them?

    If your weight did go up, but it was because of muscle gain, would that be such a bad thing? Because that muscle would be burning more fat. Such backwards thinking on that doctor's part.
  • kinmad4it
    kinmad4it Posts: 185 Member
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    If I was in your position I'd go see the Doctor again and ask why he told you to only do cardio. There could be a reason he's not told you about. Just to be on the safe side, after all, you'd like to think that after gaining a medical degree, he'd know wtf he was talking about.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
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    Outside of any medical reason not given here, I would say most definitely do some weight training along with your cardio. You can add a little muscle, tighten things up on your body, and when you shed the remaining fat you'll have some muscles to display instead of just looking thin. Like the others have said, dont try benching 400 lbs or doing 50 pushups right off the bat, start off light and gradually increase. I would recommend a log so that you can map your progress and increase your weight/reps as time progresses. It will be motivating to see that you started out barely being able to do 30 lb dumbbell presses and you're now up to 60 lbs or something like that.

    Cardio is definitely the most important thing for losing fat, but weight training will help retain your muscles in the process.

    Losing 15 lbs already is awesome too! Good job!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Did you discuss this advice with your doctor? Did s/he give a reason for the advice? Normally there should be no reason NOT to do strength training, so I wonder if the advice was more about not skipping cardio in favor of strength. But if you haven't already I would discuss the advice with your doctor. There could be a reason of which you are not aware for the advice.
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
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    If I was in your position I'd go see the Doctor again and ask why he told you to only do cardio. There could be a reason he's not told you about. Just to be on the safe side, after all, you'd like to think that after gaining a medical degree, he'd know wtf he was talking about.

    I don't disagree with the advice. Or the thoughts. Unfortunately, it isn't always the case. With what most doctors know about exercise and nutrition, you are more likely to get solid advice from them about your fantasy football team than you are about exercise and nutrition. Sad but true.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
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    If I was in your position I'd go see the Doctor again and ask why he told you to only do cardio. There could be a reason he's not told you about. Just to be on the safe side, after all, you'd like to think that after gaining a medical degree, he'd know wtf he was talking about.

    ^ I agree. Doctors generally aren't stupid people, so you sort of wonder what the reason was for that statement. Maybe you can ask him why you can't do some light weight training along with the cardio.
  • kinmad4it
    kinmad4it Posts: 185 Member
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    Edited because of double post
  • NeverCatchYourBreath
    NeverCatchYourBreath Posts: 197 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the responses! No, I don't have any medical reason not to weight train. I originally just assumed it was because the scale can go up when you weight train and I'm trying to lose... I wanted to ask because I hear so many people say that they swear by weight training...

    When weight training you are right that the scale may vary a lot more but let's be honest, the scale will vary no matter what you do. It will go up and down.

    So what you need to do is take measurements of your neck, bust, waist, hips and anything else you want to take measurements of. Get someone to take your body fat percentage if you feel comfortable or there are some body fat calculators (like the army body fat calculator) you can use with your measurements to get a rough estimate of body fat percentage. I would suggest only getting on the scale once a week and do not get upset when it goes up as there are all SORTS of reasons for it going up other than an actual gain of FAT.

    So.... pick a good balance of weight training and cardio and prepare for great results! Be patient as everything takes time and commit to a healthier you! You got this!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If I was in your position I'd go see the Doctor again and ask why he told you to only do cardio. There could be a reason he's not told you about. Just to be on the safe side, after all, you'd like to think that after gaining a medical degree, he'd know wtf he was talking about.

    I don't disagree with the advice. Or the thoughts. Unfortunately, it isn't always the case. With what most doctors know about exercise and nutrition, you are more likely to get solid advice from them about your fantasy football team than you are about exercise and nutrition. Sad but true.

    Source of this information? What percentage is "most"?
  • abickford82
    abickford82 Posts: 207
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    I've lost 109lbs. to date, and lost most of it within 2 years. I'm 4.5 years into my weight loss journey now. I wish I had started sooner. I gained a little back and I actually look way better now that I lift 5-6 days a week and cardio 1-2x a week vs when I never lifted, and did cardio 6 days a week.

    I highly recommend lifting heavy, too. You'll see some amazing changes in your body!

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