Is Cardio Necessary? Weights only?

Di3012

simply put in the long run weight training will burn more calories but unless your trying to get buff which i doubt it would be okay to do both.

How, just out of interest.

I do one hour of weights and burn 300 calories, I run for an hour and burn 600...... these are legitimate burns that I have had by the way.

Natx83

I do only cardio, and have lost 17 pounds since march. I burn about 1000 calories every time i go to the gym and i got at least 5 times a week

As a contrast to this post I've lost 20lbs and since march. I burn about 260-300 calories at the gym and I go 2-3 times a week.

If you want to change your body composition incorporate weights and resistance training into your regime. If you want be come skinny fat just do cardio

thebaconbeast

Well for me I wouldn't be able to live without cardio.

kitinboots

That's like asking if you should eat apples and oranges or just one or the other. they're both good for you in different ways so a combination of both is better than either by itself. But still, one is better than none.

darrensurrey

It depends on how you use the weights. Bicep curling a 1lb db 20 times a day won't achieve much. Actually, you might get RSI.

Investigate HIIT using dbs and kettlebells. Doing something simple like kb or db swings can get the heart working. Add the principles of HIIT and it could help more than you'd think. That ought to cover your cardio requirements.

Then do heavy weight lifting to build lean muscle mass. (Is there such a thing as fat muscle mass?)

Bobby_Clerici

Yes, do some cardio. It will help you reach your fitness goals.
And have fun :bigsmile:
I exercise 6 days per week - hours each day, but it's not work but play to me.
My exercise is: tennis, biking, hiking, swimming, calisthenics, sparing..whatever.
If it's not fun, forget it. I am into play - not work.
My health goals are to look good, feel great and live long.
Simple.
Good luck - ALL IS POSSIBLE :drinker:

lynheff

First I would question the company's reported calorie burn cause it sounds like twice what it should be for a 3 mile walk. As someone with arthritis and limited mobility, I understand and sympathize with your dilemma and suggest that you find another cardio exercise that is less stressful for your joints. You are right that the weights are so important but, for weight loss and your overall cardiac health so is aerobic exercise. I lost a lot of muscle during the two years I was in a wheelchair. It took a year of weight training, cardio and yoga to regain muscle and some mobility. It is hard for women to "bulk up" without a really intensive weight training program. Good luck.

Bobby_Clerici

the only thing necessary for weight loss is a calorie deficit

get it through calorie restriction......or create it with exercise.....or both

personally I do zero cardio......and its worked for me, with my goals

Our goals are our own, so if you are satisfied with these results, that's all that matters.
I would need cardio, because I compete in sports that require endurance.
Further, I see value in the cardiovascular benefits over muscle development. It's a balance.
On one hand I don't want to be like some bloated body builder in poor health, and yet I don't want to end up a scrawny girlie man with no muscles. Again, find where you belong between these extremes.

And just Keep Punching!

Di3012

I have been doing Walk At Home for 6 months. Thats 5-10 miles a day at a 5 mph pace. It says I burn 657 calories per 5 miles. I keep my calories between 1200-1300 and I eat my workout calories back. I have not lost a single pound or inch. I also hate cardio because I have ankle and feet problems.

My question is...Can I get away with only doing weight lifting? I have 2 and 5 lb weights as well as 10 and 15 lb kettlebells.

I am built like a tank and always seem to build muscle quickly. Can I gain muscle and burn fat at the same time?

If I have to do cardio whats the minimum amount I can do and get results? I am sick of walking hours on end and not seeing results. I have also done the original tae bo with no weight loss either. I even danced hours a day with no weight lost either. I am just getting fed up with my zero results.

Thanks so much for the advice.

Hi Zoey

It isn't the speed of your walk that I question, I know it is fully possible to walk that speed - what I do question is the actual burn though.

657 calories burned for 5 miles is a hell of a lot, if you walk the 10 miles per day that is a total of 1314 calories due to walking alone? I would dispute that and say that the real burn is around half that.

If you eat all your exercise calories back, and you are eating an extra 1314 per day, but that actual burn has been doubled due to miscalculation of exercise calories, you will end up with no weightloss - exactly what is occurring.

How are you measuring the calories burned?

lesle1

I have been doing Walk At Home for 6 months. Thats 5-10 miles a day at a 5 mph pace. It says I burn 657 calories per 5 miles. I keep my calories between 1200-1300 and I eat my workout calories back. I have not lost a single pound or inch. I also hate cardio because I have ankle and feet problems.

My question is...Can I get away with only doing weight lifting? I have 2 and 5 lb weights as well as 10 and 15 lb kettlebells.

I am built like a tank and always seem to build muscle quickly. Can I gain muscle and burn fat at the same time?

If I have to do cardio whats the minimum amount I can do and get results? I am sick of walking hours on end and not seeing results. I have also done the original tae bo with no weight loss either. I even danced hours a day with no weight lost either. I am just getting fed up with my zero results.

Thanks so much for the advice.

Hi Zoey

It isn't the speed of your walk that I question, I know it is fully possible to walk that speed - what I do question is the actual burn though.

657 calories burned for 5 miles is a hell of a lot, if you walk the 10 miles per day that is a total of 1314 calories due to walking alone? I would dispute that and say that the real burn is around half that.

If you eat all your exercise calories back, and you are eating an extra 1314 per day, but that actual burn has been doubled due to miscalculation of exercise calories, you will end up with no weightloss - exactly what is occurring.

How are you measuring the calories burned?

Try taking your walking outside.

skinnnyfat123

More muscle increases how many calories you burn at rest. , HIIT can be very catabolic and I found after a year of 4 days a week lifting and 3 days a week HIIT I had no benefits in body composition only a BIG loss in muscle mass. Your body will eat muscles if it needs instant energy and glycogen is depleted so HIIT is great for fitness terrible for composition, do not even attempt it unless you have a calorie surplus

LittleButMightyOne

I was a gluten fee vegan as of 2 weeks ago. I am slowly transitioning to Paleo but allowing myself my normal protein shake in the morning that includes gluten free oats.

I have tried ALL Jillian Michaels DVD's and P90 with absolutely no freaking weight loss.

I have been eating
Breakfast-Protein shake
Lunch- Kale Salad
Dinner-A lean protein with salad. (usually leftover kale salad and spinach salad)
Snacks- Fruit or raw veggies

Yeah, saying that it will be hard to obtain adequate protein as a gluten-free vegan is an understatement. And I wouldn't consider p90/Jillian as lifting weights. And having a couple small dumbbells lying around isn't a great solution either. Is it possible for you to join a gym?

First, I would say that you should try eating only half or less of your workout calories back, since what your'e doing now is not working for you. Second, it's WAY past time to switch up your workout. Your body is very, very good at "adjusting" to a specific workout. That's why experts suggest switching your workout every 3-4 weeks, in order to "confuse" your body and keep you losing.

Your body is not confused. No legitimate "expert" would suggest this. Continually switching exercises is the exact opposite sort of adaptation you want.

I would not suggest doing isolation strength exercises only. If you want to build muscle and burn fat at the same time, try a circuit routine with compound exercises, both bodyweight and more. Write down the exercises you plan to do, with how many sets/reps of each, and have little to no rest between moves so you can keep your heart rate up. Compound exercises are those that work more than one muscle at a time, like pushups, dumbbell lunges, dead lifts and weighted squats. The best thing about designing your own circuit routines is that it is easy to "switch them up" as above. Increase the reps or sets of a certain move, replace moves, go for longer or shorter from week to week, etc.

I agree with the recommendation of compound exercises. Everything else is mostly wrong and likely detrimental advice. Solely doing a circuit routine will not be ideal for your goals, and resting little or none at all between sets to keep your heart rate up is foolish. If the goal is to keep your heart rate up, you may as well just do cardio.

Dear Sir,

You have offended me with your implication that I'm a blowhard ignorantly talking out of my a** on this issue. I am not.

By saying the body is "confused," I don't mean it's a sentient being wondering what the hell is going on. I'm speaking in layman's terms, but what I was referring to in my post was the phenomenon of "General Adaptation Syndrome," first postulated by Hans Selye in the early 1900s. It applies to any kind of stress to the body and so is applicable to the stress caused by exercise as well.

It has three stages. In the first, the muscle reacts to a new stimulus (e.g. curling a dumbbell) with an alarm reaction, temporarily becoming weaker. Yet over time, repetition of this stimulus results in compensatory mechanisms coming into place, i.e. muscle/strength gains, in order to respond appropriately (the "overcompensation" stage). However, continuous exposure over a longer term results in adaptation, a period in which muscle strength gains may stagnate, or the muscle may even become weaker ("exhaustion" stage).

The phenomenon of GAS is also the reason people on the forums advise against "training too light." A training load insufficient to produce the initial stage of GAS is inadequate to produce the accompanying compensatory response in its second phase, muscle growth.

Thus, General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) is the basis of periodization and progressive overload in the training of an athlete (or a regular person trying to become fitter). Here is a chapter out of "NSCA's Performance Training Journal" detailing the aspects of progressive overload. (See http://teachfitnessconcepts.com/PDF files/The Role of Progressive Overload in Sports Conditioning.pdf) Basically, it says you should switch up different variables of your exercise program to achieve new gains: varying the exercise itself, varying the frequency of the exercise, varying the duration of the exercise, and varying the load.

I said in my post that she should switch up her routine every 3-4 weeks. Your response seems to indicate that you think this is too often, and that it, like the majority of my advice, is "likely detrimental." You also seem to think no expert would suggest switching up a routine so "continually." (One wonders how long you've been doing the same routine, if one routine for an entire month isn't long enough.)

Here is a link to the International Association of Athletics Federations "Principles of Trianing Theory". (Please see http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/imported/42038.pdf) I refer you to Section A.1 on "Progressive Loading ('Overload')". I'll even quote it for you:
"Biological systems can adapt to loads that are higher than the demands of normal daily activity. Training loads must be increased gradually, however, to allow the body to adapt and to avoid injury (system failure due to overloading). Varying the type, volume, and intensity of the training load allows the body an opportunity to recover, and to over-compensate. Loading must continue to increase incrementally as adaptation occurs, otherwise the training effect will plateau and further improvement will not occur."

Now scroll down to Section A.5 on "Variation and Recovery." I'll quote that part for you too (capitalization added for emphasis): "Muscle groups adapt to a specific training stimulus IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS and then plateau. Variations in training and periods of recovery are needed to continue progressive overloading, without the risks of injury and/or overtraining. … The content of training programmes must also vary in order to prevent boredom and 'staleness'."

ninerbuff

Cardio is pretty important because it helps you burn fat. .

Not true. Weight lifting and calorie deficit alone can do it. Cardio is important for HEART HEALTH and endurance.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Justagirl1978

I don't do any structured cardio and am getting in shape just fine However, I don't drive so I'm more active than the average person in that I walk wherever I need to go, cycle to do my grocery shopping and roller blade for fun - I don't class this as exercise though and just "being active"

ninerbuff

Bikram yoga is good cardio and spinning is easy on the ankles /knees

Bikram yoga is more "resistance training" than cardio training.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Momjogger

I agree that mixing up your workouts is key. I would NEVER eat back exercise calories. I eat between 1200 and 1700 calories a day depending on how I feel, and what is going on. I also exercise for an hour every day. I do not think it matters what you do for exercise as long as you do it daily and mix it up. I love Zumba, kickboxing, weights, spinning, walking, the elliptical. Mixing up your eating and exercise routine confuses your body, and as I have lost 52 pounds this last year, I think it works. Plus it keeps you from being bored! Good luck!

Glucocorticoid

Dear Sir,

You have offended me with your implication that I'm a blowhard ignorantly talking out of my a** on this issue. I am not.

Dear Madam, sorry for the offense.

By saying the body is "confused," I don't mean it's a sentient being wondering what the hell is going on. I'm speaking in layman's terms, but what I was referring to in my post was the phenomenon of "General Adaptation Syndrome," first postulated by Hans Selye in the early 1900s. It applies to any kind of stress to the body and so is applicable to the stress caused by exercise as well.

It has three stages. In the first, the muscle reacts to a new stimulus (e.g. curling a dumbbell) with an alarm reaction, temporarily becoming weaker. Yet over time, repetition of this stimulus results in compensatory mechanisms coming into place, i.e. muscle/strength gains, in order to respond appropriately (the "overcompensation" stage). However, continuous exposure over a longer term results in adaptation, a period in which muscle strength gains may stagnate, or the muscle may even become weaker ("exhaustion" stage).

Which is why you increase the weight and/or volume. You don't change exercises for no good reason. Continually changing exercises every 3-4 weeks, as you suggest, is a good way to spin your wheels and go nowhere. How will you know you are progressing if you cannot stick to anything?

The phenomenon of GAS is also the reason people on the forums advise against "training too light." A training load insufficient to produce the initial stage of GAS is inadequate to produce the accompanying compensatory response in its second phase, muscle growth.

How does this support your recommendations? If anything, it contradicts it. The fact that you recommended compound circuit training with little to no rest dictates the use of light weights. Circuit training in itself will not be optimal for preserving muscle mass on a diet.

And to go even further, you recommended HIIT on top of that. You realize the OP is in a caloric deficit correct? This would be the exact opposite of what she wants to do. People have this backwards idea of increasing training volume/frequency in a caloric deficit. It stems from drugged out bodybuilders who actually could get away with that sort of stuff. Generally speaking, you should decrease volume/frequency on a diet, not increase. You maintain intensity (weight on the bar). Oh, and the primary goal of lifting weights should not be to increase your heart rate as you suggest.

Thus, General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) is the basis of periodization and progressive overload in the training of an athlete (or a regular person trying to become fitter). Here is a chapter out of "NSCA's Performance Training Journal" detailing the aspects of progressive overload. (See http://teachfitnessconcepts.com/PDF%20files/The%20Role%20of%20Progressive%20Overload%20in%20Sports%20Conditioning.pdf) Basically, it says you should switch up different variables of your exercise program to achieve new gains: varying the exercise itself, varying the frequency of the exercise, varying the duration of the exercise, and varying the load.

Your link does not work. But I have read that textbook, and switching up the load(intensity), volume, frequency of your routine is different than switching exercises every 3-4 weeks as you suggested.
Yes, hypertrophy mostly occurs as a result of progressive tension overload. This in no way means you have to "switch it up" every few weeks. More of the opposite really. Consider the fact that the primary hypertrophy occurs only after the neural adaptation/motor learning stage. Continually switching exercises is a good way to keep going through this phase and fool yourself into thinking you're making gains.

I said in my post that she should switch up her routine every 3-4 weeks. Your response seems to indicate that you think this is too often, and that it, like the majority of my advice, is "likely detrimental." You also seem to think no expert would suggest switching up a routine so "continually." (One wonders how long you've been doing the same routine, if one routine for an entire month isn't long enough.)

Variety is overrated and muscle confusion is a made-up term. There's no good reason to change it up for most people (in terms of exercise selection). Note that this is different from loading/deloading and varying intensity/frequency/volume. Can you tell me what it is about exercise variety, from a physiological perspective, that will make any difference?

And just so I'm being clear, of course there are reasons to switch exercises and that is a part of programming. Psychological reasons (boredom), experimentation for beginners on "what works well for them", working around an injury, fixing weak areas in compound movements, etc. But that's just it. You should have a good reason - not because you feel you have to because of some silly marketing scheme.

Here is a link to the International Association of Athletics Federations "Principles of Trianing Theory". (Please see http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/imported/42038.pdf) I refer you to Section A.1 on "Progressive Loading ('Overload')". I'll even quote it for you:
"Biological systems can adapt to loads that are higher than the demands of normal daily activity. Training loads must be increased gradually, however, to allow the body to adapt and to avoid injury (system failure due to overloading). Varying the type, volume, and intensity of the training load allows the body an opportunity to recover, and to over-compensate. Loading must continue to increase incrementally as adaptation occurs, otherwise the training effect will plateau and further improvement will not occur."
Now scroll down to Section A.5 on "Variation and Recovery." I'll quote that part for you too (capitalization added for emphasis): "Muscle groups adapt to a specific training stimulus IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS and then plateau. Variations in training and periods of recovery are needed to continue progressive overloading, without the risks of injury and/or overtraining. … The content of training programmes must also vary in order to prevent boredom and 'staleness'."

Where in the above does it say you have to switch up exercises? Because aside from boredom, I'm not seeing it.
Is there a physiological rationale from a growth perspective for switching exercises? Will it create different and/or faster growth compared to keeping things the same?
No. Growth primarily occurs in response to progressive tension overload (and this is optimized within certain volume/frequency parameters).