More strength or cardio?

tsalagi82

Hi all! I'm a 31yo female, 5'5", and currently 138 lbs. I think my weight might be a little heavy for my build though. I tried on some shorts today, and was gravely disappointed. My legs and butt are pitiful. Cellulite, gobs of fat, and a saggy saddle butt - not a pretty picture.

Question: Do I need to up both strength AND cardio or just strength? I'm suspecting lack of muscle is a major contributor here. I know I still need to lose weight though, more than likely. I'm limited due to a knee injury I sustained last year, so getting toned has been a *****. Sorry...

Any advice is appreciated!

sculli123

Both for sure. I'd go as far as to say the strength training will benefit you even more than the cardio. But both will be ideal once you get the diet part squared away.

SezxyStef

I do both.

I lift 3x a week and do HIIT/cardio 2-3x a week sometimes more depends on how I feel after I lift.

I never do cardio before I lift tho...

BigT555

it really just depends on your goals. if you want dont care about cardiovascular strength then its not necessary, but it is still good for overall health, lifting i would definitely recommend as it will help retain muscle

losing weight is all about the diet though

tsalagi82

Both for sure. I'd go as far as to say the strength training will benefit you even more than the cardio. But both will be ideal once you get the diet part squared away.

Thanks, I started at 175lbs post-baby, so I'm good on the diet part. Does excess fat in the lower body equate to lack of muscle or need for more weight loss? I think my frame is on the smaller side.

tsalagi82

I do both.

I lift 3x a week and do HIIT/cardio 2-3x a week sometimes more depends on how I feel after I lift.

I never do cardio before I lift tho...

Is cardio after lifting a personal thing or is it recommended?

SezxyStef

I do both.

I lift 3x a week and do HIIT/cardio 2-3x a week sometimes more depends on how I feel after I lift.

I never do cardio before I lift tho...

Is cardio after lifting a personal thing or is it recommended?

it is recommended if you are going to do cardio on a lifting day it is done after you lift as it can hinder your progress with lifting.

No_Finish_Line

echo that diet is always going to be the real agent of change when it comes to burning fat.

as far as burning fat... i don't think its going to make a huge difference which one you put your primary focus on.

if you care about muscle then obviously you will have to weight train, but people seem to neglect to point out that it would also behove you to eat at a less aggressive defecit to help retain the lean mass...

MityMax96

Diet is top of the list

I say lift weights, and go heavy, and do compound exercises....

Cardio is definitely an option.....I personally do 2 days of cardio.....and it is light

No_Finish_Line

i used to read that they recommend weights first as you would use up your muscle glycogen during the lifting and then be more likely to use fat as energy during your cardio.

idk if thats true but i dont think it will make much difference in the end.

unless your cardio is running and you plan on doing squats that day i wouldn't be to affraid of it the cardio killing your lifting workout.

btw, if you've pre-exauhsted a muslce via cardio, and then attack it with weights, and you can't lift as much that doesn't have to mean you've had a less effective workout, you've just conditioned the muscle a different way

sculli123

Both for sure. I'd go as far as to say the strength training will benefit you even more than the cardio. But both will be ideal once you get the diet part squared away.

Thanks, I started at 175lbs post-baby, so I'm good on the diet part. Does excess fat in the lower body equate to lack of muscle or need for more weight loss? I think my frame is on the smaller side.

Well people store bodyfat in different places. I woudln't say it's necessarily from lack of muscle though. But the muscle you do put on will help you burn more fat (not necessarily weight).

We need pics to evaluate though.

RavenLibra

cardio after weights...BECAUSE you need your energy and strength to have an effective strength building session... then we arte talking metabolic hyperactivity.. so your Cardio after weights... is that much more effective... if you feel the legs and butt need attention... start with lunges... YOU do NOT have to go to a 90 degree bend in the knee to begin with... if you can that's great... when I started my lunges looked more or less like all I was doing was taking a long step... so after you get to the point where you are doing a full lunge... add some difficulty... do your lunges with a side step motion... then add some dumbbells to your hands.. then add a single dumbbell to one side for a set then to the other for a set... walking lunges are the best... if you are at a gym... once you have like 2-25 lbers in hand... high reps with 3 sets... challenge yourself... my first effort... was 2 sets of 8.. NOW I do 3 sets of 15 (each leg)... will I ever have the legs and butt of a 25 year old woman??? NO.. Because I am a nearly 50 year old man.. BUT I will never be accused of having old man butt :sick:

tsalagi82

Both for sure. I'd go as far as to say the strength training will benefit you even more than the cardio. But both will be ideal once you get the diet part squared away.

Thanks, I started at 175lbs post-baby, so I'm good on the diet part. Does excess fat in the lower body equate to lack of muscle or need for more weight loss? I think my frame is on the smaller side.

Well people store bodyfat in different places. I woudln't say it's necessarily from lack of muscle though. But the muscle you do put on will help you burn more fat (not necessarily weight).

We need pics to evaluate though.

Where can i post pics?

tsalagi82

cardio after weights...BECAUSE you need your energy and strength to have an effective strength building session... then we arte talking metabolic hyperactivity.. so your Cardio after weights... is that much more effective... if you feel the legs and butt need attention... start with lunges... YOU do NOT have to go to a 90 degree bend in the knee to begin with... if you can that's great... when I started my lunges looked more or less like all I was doing was taking a long step... so after you get to the point where you are doing a full lunge... add some difficulty... do your lunges with a side step motion... then add some dumbbells to your hands.. then add a single dumbbell to one side for a set then to the other for a set... walking lunges are the best... if you are at a gym... once you have like 2-25 lbers in hand... high reps with 3 sets... challenge yourself... my first effort... was 2 sets of 8.. NOW I do 3 sets of 15 (each leg)... will I ever have the legs and butt of a 25 year old woman??? NO.. Because I am a nearly 50 year old man.. BUT I will never be accused of having old man butt :sick:

Thanks! Will begin cardio post-lift. Can't do lunges, jumping, or hardly anything else that would help me get into shape lol. I can do semi-squats (with a chair behind me).

sculli123

Both for sure. I'd go as far as to say the strength training will benefit you even more than the cardio. But both will be ideal once you get the diet part squared away.

Thanks, I started at 175lbs post-baby, so I'm good on the diet part. Does excess fat in the lower body equate to lack of muscle or need for more weight loss? I think my frame is on the smaller side.

Well people store bodyfat in different places. I woudln't say it's necessarily from lack of muscle though. But the muscle you do put on will help you burn more fat (not necessarily weight).

We need pics to evaluate though.

Where can i post pics?

You can upload to a pic hosting website like tinypic and then you get the link from there. The format to post would be like this... [i m g] link [/ im g] without the spaces. Then post that in the thread.

GameGirl777

Diet is top of the list

I say lift weights, and go heavy, and do compound exercises....

Cardio is definitely an option.....I personally do 2 days of cardio.....and it is light

^^This^^

If you're just targeting legs and butt, weights will help build muscle to tone and firm. There are a lot of exercises you can do without weights if you are limited by injury. Cardio is good for overall health and fat burn/ weight loss. Good luck!