Strength Training VS Cardio

jenniffer86

Hi Guys! Ok so I have a question for all of you out there, I just read an article saying that if you are trying to loose weight (loose fat) that you should consider doing ONLY cardio, untill you get to the right weight, and THEN start strength training. Now I have been doing cardio/strength training.. everyday.. cardio one day, strength the next.. for about 5-6 days a week. Now I know muscle ways more than fat, so I'm trying not to get too upset when I look at the scale and don't see it move. But I just want to know, is this true? Should I be.. basically avoiding strenth training untill I loose some weight?? I just don't want to be .. well I guess not "wasting" my time. But I would .. like many others I'm sure, like to SEE RESULTS sooner! rather than later.. and if my strength training is the reason for the slow loss, then I will drop it like it's hot!
please let me know what you think..
should I keep up with my routine ? And see results in the long run.. or should I focus solely on the cardio for now??
THX!!

GTOgirl1969

Muscle mass helps to keep your metabolism high so you burn more calories all day long. Cardio is important but strength training is equally important.

thumper44

Muscle mass helps to keep your metabolism high so you burn more calories all day long. Cardio is important but strength training is equally important.

I agree.

Men's health says that you will burn more fat doing strength training than cardio.
Everybody has opinions.

Your doing what 100's of others are doing, cardio one day, strength training the next.
Keep up the same routine, and you will notice results.

Remember take measurements, because you might lose inches when the scale is not moving.

Dive_Girl

I agree, you have the best combo and 5-6 days a week is my goal as well. But don’t forget to eat your exorcize calories also! You need to fuel the fire in order to get it going and keep it going.

Billrk13

Jenn,

I played High School and College Football over a spand of 8 years, and just about ever coach I have ever had pushed us to do both (it has been said that Cardio is better for wieght loss, but weight training is equally as important). I agree with GTO Girl and tttthumper muscle mass will keep up your metabolism. Right now I am trying to get back down to my fighting weight, I am Running about 2-3 mile Mon,Wed,Fri, and Sun. Then I lift for about 45 min Tue, Thur, and Sat (mostly upper body).

I hope this helps, Good Luck.

Bill

barbarella

My best weight loss happened when I was working out with a trainer
doing weight training 3x a week, then cardio on inbetween days. :bigsmile:

Besides losing weight, I lost most of the fatty deposits in places like:
neck & chest, upper arms & back. Wow, weird places it collects! :grumble:

I read here on a blog that 3 things must be incorporated into any workout program:

1) Weights: Strength
2) Cardio: Stamina
3) Stretching: Flexibility

I believe it!! It works! :drinker:

shellybelly83

You will burn more fat doing both now. When you build muscle, that muscle constantly burns more calores throughout the day. If you did just cardio, that doesn't happen.

The thing with strength training, you may not see as big of a loss on the scales but you lose more inches. Take any fit football player, they may weigh 250 lbs but they would never be considered overweight because they are all muscle and fit. Does that make sense? Now, as a female you will NOT bulk up like a football player, women's genetics aren't meant to be that way. Instead you wll get lean, toned muscles and lose more fat.

jenniffer86

Thanks everyone!! that is really helpful.. I will just try my best to stick to my plan! Thanks!

SHBoss1673

I'll say this, you can't really build muscle while in a caloric deficit. that is you can't build NEW muscle. So you probably won't gain any muscle mass while you are on a diet that is lower in calories than your maintenance.

NOW

There are other factors involved, including activating new muscle fibers that were there, but not being used, this will add weight in the form of glycogen stores and water weight, that can account for increased weight or the seeming of not losing weight while beginning a new workout schedule.

Also, your body may also have a metabolic rate that doesn't quite conform to the averages, if that's the case you won't lose weight at the level the site predicts, some tweaking may be needed, if you do tweak, remember, give each change time (a month or so) to kick in, and most importantly keep the changes small (like caloric changes should be 100 cals per day or less)

BUT

this doesn't mean weight training while trying to lose weight is bad, or doesn't do anything for you, it just means that you won't really put on muscle while doing it. Weight training is important for many reasons, most importantly it keeps your bones and muscles healthy and strong, this forces your body to work the way it's supposed to, keeping your metabolic rate active and fast, this helps burn fat. It also keeps your muscle using protein, this keeps that protein from being converted for energy, and thus leaving more energy for fat conversion. So keep up the weight training, 2 times a week is good for a start, but 3 times a week should be a good goal.

Azdak

Strength training is an essential part of any weight loss program--from day 1, IMO.

A number of studies were done by (I believe) Wayne Westcott in the 1990s which were really key to boosting the importance of strength training. He showed that a combination of strength and cardio (in the study 30 min of each, but nothing magic about those numbers) was more effective than the same number of minutes of cardio only or strength only. And the benefit was *Independent* of changes in lean body mass--i.e. subjects lost more weight even when they did not increase muscle mass.

Other studies have shown that strength training offsets some of the loss in fat free mass that occurs with calorie-restricted diets. (Losing weight by cutting calories will result in a loss of FFM, those who did strength training lost 50% less than those who did not).

I also think that the closer you get to your "goal" or ideal weight, the more important strength training becomes (along w/more intense cardio).

safiresp04

There are a few things that I've learned along the way about strength training vs. cardio training. Both are important in any weight loss program for a number of reasons.

As many other people have stated, muscle keeps your metabolism going all day long. Muscle also burns more calories than fat per hour. You of course need to continue to feed your muscles in order to build them, so make sure you're getting a good balance of fat, carbs & protein - especially the protein. You should be eating approximately your body weight in grams of protein each day.

One very common misconception is that muscle weighs more than fat. This statement can be true - if we finish it. Muscle weighs more than fat WITHIN A GIVEN VOLUME. This is because muscle is more dense than fat. Face it, a pound is a pound. There's no way around that. But when you take a pound of fat, it is larger than a pound of muscle. As you build muscle & burn fat, you will not only become stronger, you will become leaner.

If you are going to incorporate strength training into your routine, make sure you do it after you do your strength training - NEVER before. Warming up for 5-10 minutes is one thing, but putting in 30 minutes of cardio before you go lift is pointless. When you lift, you're burning carbs - which your muscles need. It isn't until about 30 minutes into the workout that you start to burn fat. Always put in 20-30 minutes of cardio after lifting, but tailor it according to your strength workout. On leg day, don't try to run a 5K on the treadmill, just walk at a good clip at an incline. On days when you strictly work your upper body, put in some HIT (high intensity) cardio afterwords. You'll see better results.

Azdak

There are a few things that I've learned along the way about strength training vs. cardio training. Both are important in any weight loss program for a number of reasons.

As many other people have stated, muscle keeps your metabolism going all day long. Muscle also burns more calories than fat per hour. You of course need to continue to feed your muscles in order to build them, so make sure you're getting a good balance of fat, carbs & protein - especially the protein. You should be eating approximately your body weight in grams of protein each day.

One very common misconception is that muscle weighs more than fat. This statement can be true - if we finish it. Muscle weighs more than fat WITHIN A GIVEN VOLUME. This is because muscle is more dense than fat. Face it, a pound is a pound. There's no way around that. But when you take a pound of fat, it is larger than a pound of muscle. As you build muscle & burn fat, you will not only become stronger, you will become leaner.

If you are going to incorporate strength training into your routine, make sure you do it after you do your strength training - NEVER before. Warming up for 5-10 minutes is one thing, but putting in 30 minutes of cardio before you go lift is pointless. When you lift, you're burning carbs - which your muscles need. It isn't until about 30 minutes into the workout that you start to burn fat. Always put in 20-30 minutes of cardio after lifting, but tailor it according to your strength workout. On leg day, don't try to run a 5K on the treadmill, just walk at a good clip at an incline. On days when you strictly work your upper body, put in some HIT (high intensity) cardio afterwords. You'll see better results.

The average person has plenty of stored glycogen to do whatever they need to do in an average workout. You are always burning a mixture of carbs, fats, and some protein during any activity--the percentage that is used at any given time has no appreciable effect on weight loss.

The sequence of exercise activities can be whatever you want, based on your goals and what you are trying to achieve. Everyone on this site is a little different--they are different ages, different sizes, have different needs, different medical issues, different abilities, etc, etc. There is no "one size fits all" program or routine that is best for everyone.