Should I be focusing on cardio or strength training?

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Replies

  • KaterinaTerese
    KaterinaTerese Posts: 345 Member
    Strength, because this: http://esciencenews.com/files/images/200804308870.jpg
  • dorkyfaery
    dorkyfaery Posts: 255 Member
    Why can't it be both?

    The most important thing is to do activities you enjoy so you will want to continue to do them. I enjoy lifting but also love cardio - I love a runner's high, and it helps me manage stress and anxiety. As a result, I have found activities that I enjoy in both categories and alternate them throughout the week.
  • Torgrills
    Torgrills Posts: 103 Member
    I'm not the OP, but this was such a timely thread as I'd been wondering the same thing myself. Thanks for all the insight!
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    I recommend an intense focus on strength training combined with moderate amounts of cardio. The cardio can - and, indeed, should - be something you actually enjoy and will do long-term, such as a sport (tennis, hiking, playing frisbee with your dog, whatever).

    So what do you suggest for strength training and what is considered a moderate amount of cardio?

    I do a whole body routine 2x week and 4 days of 60 min cardio... I HATE the Cardio!

    If you hate the cardio, do less. 4X at 60 minutes is a lot more than you need. 3 full body lifiting sessions and 3 30 minute cardio sessions a week, or 4 lifting sessions set up as splits (2 days upper body, 2 days lower body) with 2 cardio sessions might be more appealing to you. Also, try different types of cardio - if you hate steady-state, do HIIT. Don't torture yourself with exercise you hate.
  • reggie2run
    reggie2run Posts: 477 Member
    Do both...both will help you get to where you want to be.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Since I'm in the process of losing weight, should I be focusing on cardio, or strength training? Sometimes i feel like I shouldn't bother with strength training YET since I'm just trying to shed fat. Opinions?


    Both! Proper exercise done correctly is never a waste of time!!
  • Apinget
    Apinget Posts: 41 Member
    I was a cardio bunny when I first started trying to lose weight, I would wake up and jog for about 45 minutes and was becoming frustrated with how my weight and measurements weren't budging.

    Since I've started lifting my unwanted fat has shed off revealing a beautifully strong, toned, body. I will walk my dogs a mile or so 2-3 times a week and finish my lifting with 15 mins on the stair master but other than that I do no extra cardio and am looking great! I lift 5 days a week and feel much better than I ever have before. If you like cardio you can squeeze in more but other than walking I personally don't like many cardio activities (especially the options at gyms, tread mills? stationary bikes? bleh!) so fitting it in is torture.

    Another option which would be the best of both worlds is to fit in a HIIT day, which is strength training moves done in rapid succession to raise the heart rate while toning the body. I haven't incorporated a HIIT day yet myself but have been interested in starting.

    When I think of all the time I forced myself to run on a treadmill...
  • katiev111
    katiev111 Posts: 19 Member
    Ugh this post is great. I HATE cardio. I love strength training SO much more. Thank you!
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    Ugh this post is great. I HATE cardio. I love strength training SO much more. Thank you!

    Well, you're going to love your results too. :drinker:
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I recommend an intense focus on strength training combined with moderate amounts of cardio. The cardio can - and, indeed, should - be something you actually enjoy and will do long-term, such as a sport (tennis, hiking, playing frisbee with your dog, whatever).

    So what do you suggest for strength training and what is considered a moderate amount of cardio?

    I do a whole body routine 2x week and 4 days of 60 min cardio... I HATE the Cardio!

    A heavy barbell training program focused on the core motions:

    1) Pulling vertically. Deadlifts.
    2) Pushing horizontally. Bench press.
    3) Pushing vertically. Overhead press.
    4) Pushing with legs. Squats.
    5) Pulling with arms. Rows/pullups

    Many such programs exist, such as Starting Strength and Stronglifts. The book Starting Strength is a fantastic introduction to how to perform these motions safely and effectively.

    Four 60 minute sessions of cardio is more than "moderate" IMO. Do 3-4 days of strength training per week, try to do something active that's not strength-based for 30-60 minutes twice a week on non-lifting days, and reserve 1 to 2 days per week for pure rest.
  • leannems
    leannems Posts: 516 Member
    Four 60 minute sessions of cardio is more than "moderate" IMO. Do 3-4 days of strength training per week, try to do something active that's not strength-based for 30-60 minutes twice a week on non-lifting days, and reserve 1 to 2 days per week for pure rest.

    I have the best success when I do the above. Keeps everything high & tight, and the two days of cardio keep my heart healthy.
  • katiev111
    katiev111 Posts: 19 Member
    Four 60 minute sessions of cardio is more than "moderate" IMO. Do 3-4 days of strength training per week, try to do something active that's not strength-based for 30-60 minutes twice a week on non-lifting days, and reserve 1 to 2 days per week for pure rest.

    I have the best success when I do the above. Keeps everything high & tight, and the two days of cardio keep my heart healthy.

    This sounds like a great plan to me ^^^
  • MINIRunner
    MINIRunner Posts: 19 Member
    Strength training. This helps you maintain muscle mass, and muscle is what gives your body tone, shape, and firmness.

    Cardio just burns calories. It's good for your cardiovascular health, and you should do some, but quality concerted strength training really gives you all the benefits of cardio other than endurance.

    If you lose weight without doing strength training, cardio or not, you will shed muscle in addition to fat. If you want to shed fat and keep muscle, strength training is obligatory.

    I recommend an intense focus on strength training combined with moderate amounts of cardio. The cardio can - and, indeed, should - be something you actually enjoy and will do long-term, such as a sport (tennis, hiking, playing frisbee with your dog, whatever).

    Agree completely. You will note that there is SOME cardio in there. You can do some sprints/short-fast cardio to bump things up once in a while if you like that type of intensity and are missing it. Once a week or so, a short series of sprints will help keep you focused.
  • PennyHarris123
    PennyHarris123 Posts: 159 Member
    I'm no expert but from my own experience I was a cardio bunny doing 6-7 times a week and was starting to not see any changes after a few months....switched to more weights with HIIT and a bit of cardio as I like it and my body changed completely for the better....I hardly lost any more weight but took photos and the difference looks like more than a stone in weight .... good luck :smile:
  • MINIRunner
    MINIRunner Posts: 19 Member
    I recommend an intense focus on strength training combined with moderate amounts of cardio. The cardio can - and, indeed, should - be something you actually enjoy and will do long-term, such as a sport (tennis, hiking, playing frisbee with your dog, whatever).

    So what do you suggest for strength training and what is considered a moderate amount of cardio?

    I do a whole body routine 2x week and 4 days of 60 min cardio... I HATE the Cardio!

    As a trainer, I'd flip that around. 4x strength, do some split type workouts, and 1-2 cardio sessions if you must.
  • VegasFlyer
    VegasFlyer Posts: 2 Member
    As a trainer friend of mine always tells me "It is ALL cardio" wear a HRM when you do strength training and compare

    Being a trainer myself, I have to say that while your friend is not "technically" wrong, they have done you a disservice by not explaining the difference. Quite simply, you "can" see a higher elevated metabolic rate from cardio than you "could" see from a similar timed session of resistance training, however, if you were to graph the metabolic rate after the workout you would see that the raised metabolic rate from cardio will be back to whatever your baseline is in somewhere from six to nine hours. Whereas you’re metabolic rate will actually continue to rise slightly after stopping the resistance training and remain elevated with a gradual diminishment rate for approximately seventy two hours, while your body heals itself from the resistance training session.

    That is why trainers stress allowing adequate rest of muscles between workouts.

    All of the above factors are assuming that you are doing the activities properly and would be basing the cardio on High Intensity Interval Training and the resistance training done properly to where the next day after working out, you would feel an elevated temperature in the areas that were worked out.

    So, after all that, in answering the original posted question, as has already been said by a few people, the best method to follow is a balance effort that incorporates changing your routine about every month to six weeks.

    Think of cardio as a workout for your heart and lungs and grouping it into certain days like you would certain days for Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps, legs, etc. The only difference being that you don't need to give the heart and lungs the same amount of rest that you give the other muscle groups.

    Rather than looking to a forum to develop your workout routine, I would recommend you finding a trainer for a couple sessions where they can evaluate your current condition and prescribe a workout routine for you. There really is no need to have a trainer every workout, though using one every four to six weeks to evaluate how you are working out and showing you ways to change out your routine to keep your body off-guard, can save you LOTS of frustration and wasted time in the gym. If you are attentive to their instruction, you should be able to develop your own programs after a few sessions. Despite what a lot of people think, it is not simply a matter of reading a book or forum and hitting the gym. At the same time, there is no need to be afraid to workout unless you have a trainer standing beside you.

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