Cardio Vs. Lifting

yopeeps025

Weight training burns more calories then doing cardio. I would weight train 5 days a week and walk 3-7 days a week and see how you progress. And by weight train, REALLY push yourself, keep it to 45mins.

Come on now.
[/quote]

There wording is incorrect. Weight training (depends on factors) can burn if looked at in a 24 hour period more calories than cardio.

ravenmiss

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll definently continue doing both for the time being, but eventually increase my weight training and lower the cardio as the pound come off. Thanks

Research HIIT vs slow steady cardio.

I agree with this...HIIT does great things vs slow and/or steady state cardio.

Would the HIIT be alongside the heavy lifting 3x a week?

Yes, if you don't feel overtrained. HIIT sessions are short and sweet -- they don't take up much time if you're doing them correctly. Hill sprints are one of the best HIITs out there and you can get everything done in 20 mins. Just don't overdo it. For example, with hill sprints, start out with 3 sets of 8 sec sprints -- literally, that's it. Give your full 100% for those 8 secs and then take time to recover until you're breathing normally again, then go with your next rep. Then increase your sets 1 per week until you're doing 8 sets of 8 second sprints. You'll be surprised about how a little bit of time can go a long ways -- sprinters are jacked for a reason.

I personally lift heavy twice a week (but they're full body work-outs) and do 2 sets of hill sprints a week. I also do a lot of walking/hiking -- usually 15-25 miles/week. Every 6-8 weeks or so, I'll take a rest week as I tend to feel like I'm starting to overtrain (get strangely fatigued and just feel run down) where I just walk/hike for the week. Some don't feel a need for a rest week, but that's what works best for me.

Thanks for this, very helpful.

I'm not quite up to that level of fitness to be honest. I think the last time I ran or sprinted was probably over 15 years ago lol!

I lift and do steady state cardio but feel I may be more inclined to do HIIT if it will bring me more strength and burn some cals, just need to find something I can do at home and at my size and level of fitness.

Nissi51

First, 2lbs per week is aggressive. Why the rush? You are losing at a good rate. The faster you lose, the higher chance you will be right back here trying to lose it again! Unfortunately less than 20% of people who lose weight manage to keep it off. So take it nice and slow, make SUSTAINABLE adjustments to your lifestyle and think about the long haul not quick loss

You will lose wight at a caloric deficit (as long as there aren't medical issues preventing). I always say cardio is for your heart muscle, for fun, for extra calorie burning, for the love of sweat! It's a great tool in our fat loss arsenal belt. Lifting is absolutely necessary in the long term battle of the bulge. Muscle on your body will help keep your metabolism up, will help you look great and is your second greasiest defence against becoming part of the 80% who can't keep the weight off (your nutrition is your first defence).

It's not an cardio vs lifting... Do both, with a biased for lifting: ensure you are on a progressive lifting program 3-4 days per week, and then get in some cardio that you enjoy 2-3 times per week. Nail your nutrition, practice patience, be CONSISTENT and the scale will drop and your will unveil a toned body. This doesn't need to be that complicated in my opinion. It gets complicated at the lower weight and body fat zones

Good luck and enjoy the process!

lindsey1979

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll definently continue doing both for the time being, but eventually increase my weight training and lower the cardio as the pound come off. Thanks

Research HIIT vs slow steady cardio.

I agree with this...HIIT does great things vs slow and/or steady state cardio.

Would the HIIT be alongside the heavy lifting 3x a week?

Yes, if you don't feel overtrained. HIIT sessions are short and sweet -- they don't take up much time if you're doing them correctly. Hill sprints are one of the best HIITs out there and you can get everything done in 20 mins. Just don't overdo it. For example, with hill sprints, start out with 3 sets of 8 sec sprints -- literally, that's it. Give your full 100% for those 8 secs and then take time to recover until you're breathing normally again, then go with your next rep. Then increase your sets 1 per week until you're doing 8 sets of 8 second sprints. You'll be surprised about how a little bit of time can go a long ways -- sprinters are jacked for a reason.

I personally lift heavy twice a week (but they're full body work-outs) and do 2 sets of hill sprints a week. I also do a lot of walking/hiking -- usually 15-25 miles/week. Every 6-8 weeks or so, I'll take a rest week as I tend to feel like I'm starting to overtrain (get strangely fatigued and just feel run down) where I just walk/hike for the week. Some don't feel a need for a rest week, but that's what works best for me.

Thanks for this, very helpful.

I'm not quite up to that level of fitness to be honest. I think the last time I ran or sprinted was probably over 15 years ago lol!

I lift and do steady state cardio but feel I may be more inclined to do HIIT if it will bring me more strength and burn some cals, just need to find something I can do at home and at my size and level of fitness.

I totally understand. I felt the exact same way when I started. That's why I suggest starting off slow -- just 3 sets of 8 sec sprints. Literally, that's only 24 secs of exercise (but take the full rest in between). You'll be shocked at how much you'll feel just that little bit throughout your body -- from your legs through your back and shoulders. Plus, doing them up a hill helps ensure you have good form and less likely to injure yourself (as you slow down more naturally).

Even if you only do it once a week, you get immense benefits from it. Here is a great article on it if you want to nerd out on why it's literally one of the best, if not the best, exercise for building muscle and losing fat. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par46.htm

ravenmiss

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll definently continue doing both for the time being, but eventually increase my weight training and lower the cardio as the pound come off. Thanks

Research HIIT vs slow steady cardio.

I agree with this...HIIT does great things vs slow and/or steady state cardio.

Would the HIIT be alongside the heavy lifting 3x a week?

Yes, if you don't feel overtrained. HIIT sessions are short and sweet -- they don't take up much time if you're doing them correctly. Hill sprints are one of the best HIITs out there and you can get everything done in 20 mins. Just don't overdo it. For example, with hill sprints, start out with 3 sets of 8 sec sprints -- literally, that's it. Give your full 100% for those 8 secs and then take time to recover until you're breathing normally again, then go with your next rep. Then increase your sets 1 per week until you're doing 8 sets of 8 second sprints. You'll be surprised about how a little bit of time can go a long ways -- sprinters are jacked for a reason.

I personally lift heavy twice a week (but they're full body work-outs) and do 2 sets of hill sprints a week. I also do a lot of walking/hiking -- usually 15-25 miles/week. Every 6-8 weeks or so, I'll take a rest week as I tend to feel like I'm starting to overtrain (get strangely fatigued and just feel run down) where I just walk/hike for the week. Some don't feel a need for a rest week, but that's what works best for me.

Thanks for this, very helpful.

I'm not quite up to that level of fitness to be honest. I think the last time I ran or sprinted was probably over 15 years ago lol!

I lift and do steady state cardio but feel I may be more inclined to do HIIT if it will bring me more strength and burn some cals, just need to find something I can do at home and at my size and level of fitness.

I totally understand. I felt the exact same way when I started. That's why I suggest starting off slow -- just 3 sets of 8 sec sprints. Literally, that's only 24 secs of exercise (but take the full rest in between). You'll be shocked at how much you'll feel just that little bit throughout your body -- from your legs through your back and shoulders. Plus, doing them up a hill helps ensure you have good form and less likely to injure yourself (as you slow down more naturally).

Even if you only do it once a week, you get immense benefits from it. Here is a great article on it if you want to nerd out on why it's literally one of the best, if not the best, exercise for building muscle and losing fat. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par46.htm

I'd love to do that but I do not have the capacity to sprint in my home, it's tiny!

Have looked at videos on fitness blender but they all seem to be prancing and leaping about which at my size is going to be damn hard to do lol! I could try to modify I suppose. I love the idea of HIIT as opposed to steady state cardio and once I'm a bit lighter and some personal situations (meaning I can get to work out out of the home) change I actually want to start running as well

lindsey1979

[I totally understand. I felt the exact same way when I started. That's why I suggest starting off slow -- just 3 sets of 8 sec sprints. Literally, that's only 24 secs of exercise (but take the full rest in between). You'll be shocked at how much you'll feel just that little bit throughout your body -- from your legs through your back and shoulders. Plus, doing them up a hill helps ensure you have good form and less likely to injure yourself (as you slow down more naturally).

Even if you only do it once a week, you get immense benefits from it. Here is a great article on it if you want to nerd out on why it's literally one of the best, if not the best, exercise for building muscle and losing fat. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par46.htm

I'd love to do that but I do not have the capacity to sprint in my home, it's tiny!

Have looked at videos on fitness blender but they all seem to be prancing and leaping about which at my size is going to be damn hard to do lol! I could try to modify I suppose. I love the idea of HIIT as opposed to steady state cardio and once I'm a bit lighter and some personal situations (meaning I can get to work out out of the home) change I actually want to start running as well

You can look into do HIIT on a stationary bike as well. I don't do that personally, but I've heard of it as a good alternative. The same principle holds true -- google a couple of programs and I'm sure you'll find one that should work for you.

ravenmiss

[I totally understand. I felt the exact same way when I started. That's why I suggest starting off slow -- just 3 sets of 8 sec sprints. Literally, that's only 24 secs of exercise (but take the full rest in between). You'll be shocked at how much you'll feel just that little bit throughout your body -- from your legs through your back and shoulders. Plus, doing them up a hill helps ensure you have good form and less likely to injure yourself (as you slow down more naturally).

Even if you only do it once a week, you get immense benefits from it. Here is a great article on it if you want to nerd out on why it's literally one of the best, if not the best, exercise for building muscle and losing fat. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par46.htm

I'd love to do that but I do not have the capacity to sprint in my home, it's tiny!

Have looked at videos on fitness blender but they all seem to be prancing and leaping about which at my size is going to be damn hard to do lol! I could try to modify I suppose. I love the idea of HIIT as opposed to steady state cardio and once I'm a bit lighter and some personal situations (meaning I can get to work out out of the home) change I actually want to start running as well

You can look into do HIIT on a stationary bike as well. I don't do that personally, but I've heard of it as a good alternative. The same principle holds true -- google a couple of programs and I'm sure you'll find one that should work for you.

Thank you

yopeeps025

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

ravenmiss

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

Great, can you link me to some ideas, routines, videos?

Thanks

yopeeps025

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

Great, can you link me to some ideas, routines, videos?

Thanks

One thing I must know is what your level of fitness is because HIIT is not easy to do.

snazzyjazzy21

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

Great, can you link me to some ideas, routines, videos?

Thanks

One thing I must know is what your level of fitness is because HIIT is not easy to do.

fitnessblender.com has a lot of HIIT videos.

ravenmiss

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

Great, can you link me to some ideas, routines, videos?

Thanks

One thing I must know is what your level of fitness is because HIIT is not easy to do.

As I said above it's not great, I only started exercising again a few months ago after 15 years of nothing. I can do steady state cardio with my heart rate around 165-175 sometimes more for 65 mins though with no breaks and recover pretty well after, it's the leaping and bouncing about I feel I would struggle with.

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

Great, can you link me to some ideas, routines, videos?

Thanks

One thing I must know is what your level of fitness is because HIIT is not easy to do.

fitnessblender.com has a lot of HIIT videos.

Yeah as I said above, I found plenty on there and they're great, I think there's 1 I could do that doesn't involve leaping and flinging around a not so strong 230lb body ^_^

ravenmiss

yopeeps ty for the FR but if you wanted to post links you could do so here.

I'll look for my own HIIT with some research.

Thanks everyone for the help! :drinker:

RHachicho

Both are good for weight loss. Lifting improves your overall metabolism and makes the muscles burn more calories. Cardio improves your fitness level and burns large amounts of raw calories upfront and for a short while after. Basically Cardio burns calories upfront while lifting improves your bodies structure and operation to make it burn more calories generally. You should do both. But that's basically the distinction if you want to decide what to do more of. Oh and don't worry about lifting as a woman unless you take steroids or go absolutely bat **** crazy with it you won't look anything other than awesome.

kgeyser

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

Great, can you link me to some ideas, routines, videos?

Thanks

One thing I must know is what your level of fitness is because HIIT is not easy to do.

As I said above it's not great, I only started exercising again a few months ago after 15 years of nothing. I can do steady state cardio with my heart rate around 165-175 sometimes more for 65 mins though with no breaks and recover pretty well after, it's the leaping and bouncing about I feel I would struggle with.

You can do HIIT with almost every single workout.

Great, can you link me to some ideas, routines, videos?

Thanks

One thing I must know is what your level of fitness is because HIIT is not easy to do.

fitnessblender.com has a lot of HIIT videos.

Yeah as I said above, I found plenty on there and they're great, I think there's 1 I could do that doesn't involve leaping and flinging around a not so strong 230lb body ^_^

The idea of HIIT is that you increase the intensity; that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to increase the impact. You can do low impact versions of the exercises.

Here's some examples for the cardio HIIT workout of substitutions:
http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/workout-detail/Fitness-Blender-Cardio-HIIT-Workout/ac/

Warm-up
Moving Squats->squat in place
Jog in place -> march in place
Power Skips-> knee raises
Up & Out Jacks-> Alternate feet stepping side to side
Butt kickers -> slow, low impact version of same movement
Lateral jumps-> step side to side

HIIT workout

Burpee with lateral leg raise -> step back into a lunge, raise arms up above your head, return to start, lateral leg raise. Alternate legs for lunges for the duration.

Flutter kick squats-> Squat, step one foot forward, then back together, step other foot back, then together, then squat. Alternate feet after each squat so both feet are going forward and back.

Double butt kickers -> these are basically jumps, so you can either alternate low impact butt kickers or alternate knee raises, just go as fast as you can.

Hope this helps!

ravenmiss

The idea of HIIT is that you increase the intensity; that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to increase the impact. You can do low impact versions of the exercises.

Here's some examples for the cardio HIIT workout of substitutions:
http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/workout-detail/Fitness-Blender-Cardio-HIIT-Workout/ac/

Warm-up
Moving Squats->squat in place
Jog in place -> march in place
Power Skips-> knee raises
Up & Out Jacks-> Alternate feet stepping side to side
Butt kickers -> slow, low impact version of same movement
Lateral jumps-> step side to side

HIIT workout

Burpee with lateral leg raise -> step back into a lunge, raise arms up above your head, return to start, lateral leg raise. Alternate legs for lunges for the duration.

Flutter kick squats-> Squat, step one foot forward, then back together, step other foot back, then together, then squat. Alternate feet after each squat so both feet are going forward and back.

Double butt kickers -> these are basically jumps, so you can either alternate low impact butt kickers or alternate knee raises, just go as fast as you can.

Hope this helps!

This is awesome thank you ever so much!! :drinker:

holliebevineau

All I do is run and push-ups. I love cardio! LOVE IT!! If I lift weights for one day I am hungry enough to eat a whole cow and I have not had red meat in a long time!! I am naturally muscular. I don't know how or why but I am. My leg and arm muscles are well defined and solid. I am 11 pounds away from my goal and for me cardio is the only way to reach it.

TKhamvongsa

Lift heavy! Cardio to cool down lol -

vegwrangler

I love the mantra preached in "The New Rules of Lifting for Women." Short interval workouts (20-30 mins) combined with 3x/week weight lifting for optimal results.

You're doing great though and if your workouts make you happy, stick with what you like. The weight is melting off! 5lbs/month is nothing to scoff at!

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

definitely lift, it helps retain muscle in the weight loss process, itll help you see progress better and you dont want to reach your goal weight and realize you have no muscle left! lifting doesnt necessarily mean you have to eat more, only if building muscle is your main goal would that be the case.

but i should mention that when it comes to weight loss/gain, diet is 90% of what matters. it is much easier to abstain from eating a calorie in the first place than it is to burn it off

5lbs/month is a very decent pace, i wouldnt push yourself too hard

I didn't bother reading anything else because this is spot on. You can still do some cardio if you feel like it. Some women find that they see better results with it (I am one of those women) but lifting is what has completely changed my body.

Good luck.