Strength Versus Cardio

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  • DavidSTC
    DavidSTC Posts: 173 Member
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    Building muscle will help you burn more calories. You can get a cardio workout with weights. You can do more than run and or walk to get your cardio. In my opinion cardio is very important. If I had to pick one I would go with cardio though.

    not me given a choice I would lift.

    Good thing I don't have to choose! :wink:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Strength training at the same intensitty will maintain strength

    Eating properly will maintain the physique (when combined with strength training)

    Some cardio will result in better recovery between sets and better overall fitness

    You dont need 5 days lifting if you're a beginner.

    If you dont do some type of conditioning you'll lack stamina and endurance. This can get so bad that tying your shoes leaves you winded. It also will hurt your lifts.

    You stated no goals.

    Anyone who says just lift and do no cardio has no Fing clue. They are elitist sheep. The amount can be pretty minimal though.

    Haha to the bolded part.

    If you don't want to do cardio don't. It is good for your health (heart and lungs) and gives you extra calories.

    BF% maintenance is done with your calorie intake

    maintaining muscle while losing fat is done by resistence training with adequate protien.

    I don't do "cardio"....I Lift 3x a week with a progressive load program (strong lifts) and do HIIT 2x a week...the HIIT is more bodyweight with some AMG cardio thrown in like jumping jacks but to get me out on a run...not gonna happen...I personally wont get on a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike...ick....

    This reminds me of another thread where someone insisted they don't do cardio, but they did play tennis and another sport regularly. There was a very long thread where the poster insisted over and over that his sports were not cardio because he didn't "do" them for cardio, he did them because he enjoyed them. It was as if he was loathe to admit he does cardio. Or, perhaps loathe to admit that cardio can be fun.

    We humans were meant to move around and "do" cardio. It's okay to like it.

    yes that thread...I wont say his name but I remember it as well...I think when "we" say we hate cardio it means machine cardio or running etc for "exercise"...

    For me biking outside is done for fun...it is cardio and it is exercise but will never be as boring as being on a bike inside...

    So when I say "I don't like cardio" it is machines I don't like...running I don't like...exercise for the purpose of cardio makes me feel like I have to push it to the point where I am not having fun anymore...and why do something that's not fun...

    If that makes any sense.

    It does, but I think many posts are misleading or downright untruthful. I'm not talking about yours, because you did point out your cardio. But posts that claim all their success is from strength training alone because they hate cardio and don't do it. Except for when they do.

    Cardio exercises can be very fun. Hiking, biking, swimming, sports, frisbee, walking, playing, ...

    I am a self proclaimed cardio bunny and I can't remember the last time I was on an exercise machine and I dislike running (except during play).
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Building muscle will help you burn more calories. You can get a cardio workout with weights. You can do more than run and or walk to get your cardio. In my opinion cardio is very important. If I had to pick one I would go with cardio though.

    not me given a choice I would lift.

    I'd choose things that are both cardio and strength like calisthenics. :smile:
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
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    I don't discriminate. It's all good IMHO.
  • beastmode_kitty
    beastmode_kitty Posts: 844 Member
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    From my understanding cardio helps get oxygen back into your muscles. So i'd assume cardio is always a good thing. A workout for your heart :)
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
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    I've recently started with a trainer for heavy lifting/adding lean mass. He has me doing strength 3x per week with HIIT runs 2x per week to maintain my cardio. (This means 1.5 min of intense run on incline, followed by 3 min of absolutely nothing, repeat). Yoga is fine. He doesn't want me doing cardio "ad nauseam" because it's basically conflicting with what we're trying to accomplish--the strength and cardio are training the muscles to do two different things. He's okay with me doing some cardio if I like it, but no longer than 40 minutes at a time and no more than 70% of my AT.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    It seems you weigh 109 lbs at 5'1" and wish to get down to 103, correct? So is your second goal to increase muscle mass - and then reduce fat mass again - to ultimately reach a certain physical look?
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I know plenty of women on here that lift heavy and skip the cardio. They see results, so I don't see why you can't. If you're already a tiny thing, which you are if you're 109 lbs, then you don't need the extra calorie burn cardio would give you. It's good for your health in general, though.

    I hate cardio and strength, so I compromise and do both. :)
  • CentralCaliCycling
    CentralCaliCycling Posts: 453 Member
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    Strength training builds muscles and helps to burn fat. Cardio will build muscle as well but the muscle it works most is your heart. Personally, I like having a healthy heart.
  • JCLondonUK
    JCLondonUK Posts: 159
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    Is someone going to say something stupid and completely inaccurate soon? Im getting anxious.

    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    When people say they don't do cardio what they mean is they don't elliptical for 90 minutes watching the wall, the TV, or the girl in yoga pants on the treadmill in front of them. There is no possible way someone takes such good care of themselves, watches every gram of food that goes in their body, and ignores their heart/lungs. Period.

    I do no cardio. I track all my food to the gram. I have great health markers.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    When people say they don't do cardio what they mean is they don't elliptical for 90 minutes watching the wall, the TV, or the girl in yoga pants on the treadmill in front of them. There is no possible way someone takes such good care of themselves, watches every gram of food that goes in their body, and ignores their heart/lungs. Period.

    I do no cardio. I track all my food to the gram. I have great health markers.

    No cardio at all? No sports, no cardio warmup before weights, no walking, biking, swimming, shooting hoops, etc. All you ever do is lift weights and either sit, lie or walk slowly?
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    When people say they don't do cardio what they mean is they don't elliptical for 90 minutes watching the wall, the TV, or the girl in yoga pants on the treadmill in front of them. There is no possible way someone takes such good care of themselves, watches every gram of food that goes in their body, and ignores their heart/lungs. Period.

    I do no cardio. I track all my food to the gram. I have great health markers.

    No cardio at all? No sports, no cardio warmup before weights, no walking, biking, swimming, shooting hoops, etc. All you ever do is lift weights and either sit, lie or walk slowly?

    Nope. Other than walking from the train station to the office, which I don't consider cardio. Since it's about a mile and part of my daily routine.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,003 Member
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    If I gain enough muscle and become toned (like my profile picture), is it ABSOLUTELY necessary for me to do cardio, or can I just strength train and lift weights to maintain that physique? I mean, let's say I strength train and stuff 5 days a week and throw in a walk or two or maybe bike and swim occasionally (like when it gets warmer)... Would that be enough?


    Yes.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    For me biking outside is done for fun...it is cardio and it is exercise but will never be as boring as being on a bike inside...

    But it is a CV exercise. I'm the same, I don't run for the purposes of doing CV, I run because I enjoy it, it's psychologically therapeutic, and it gets me outdoors. Similarly I cycle for long distances, either on road or offroad, because I enjoy it.

    The only machine that I'll willingly use indoors is my WaterRower

    That said weight training bores me to tears, probably one of the most tedious exercises around with all the faffing around with plates, and hanging around between sets. I do resistance training because I have to, in order to reduce the chances of injury when I'm running.

    Each to their own though
    If that makes any sense.

    It's semantic wrangling, and when it's used in response to someone who clearly doesn't appreciate the effects and benefits of different types of training it doesn't really help their understanding.

    Too often the response is "don't do cardio, do something that has a cardio effect but we don't like calling cardio because Cardio is a BAD THING(tm)"

    Cardio is something that benefits the heart, do it how you will, and call it what you want. But do some.

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