Newbie question: Do you do Cardio and 5x5?
lcharity79
Posts: 94 Member
Hey All,
I've read over the 5x5 Report....where he basically speaks only to the needs of men...and he suggests only doing the lifts 3 times a week, saying you don't need to do anything else. However, I have A LOT of weight to lose...and while I know that building muscles helps to increase calorie burn, not to mention tone your body up as you lose...I would think that incorporating some cardio on off days would continue to help with melting the fat. I was just wondering if anyone has a weight loss success story that coincides with their lifting results that they may possibly be willing to share.
Thanks,
Lisa
I've read over the 5x5 Report....where he basically speaks only to the needs of men...and he suggests only doing the lifts 3 times a week, saying you don't need to do anything else. However, I have A LOT of weight to lose...and while I know that building muscles helps to increase calorie burn, not to mention tone your body up as you lose...I would think that incorporating some cardio on off days would continue to help with melting the fat. I was just wondering if anyone has a weight loss success story that coincides with their lifting results that they may possibly be willing to share.
Thanks,
Lisa
0
Replies
-
What about doing HIIT on your off days? I recently posted a thread in success stories, but I have a backwards story. I attribute my success to lifting though. I used to be a cardio slave, but now I lift 3x/week and take a class for cardio 2x/week. I think most people here do moderate intensity cardio on off days. Hope more people will chime in for you.
Here's the link to my thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/679960-it-s-not-all-about-the-scale-my-man-muscles-pic-heavy0 -
Hi,
I cycle from/to work four times a week which sums up to about 30mins per day plus leisure rides on my days off ( my bike is my commute tool) + I do 20mins cardio on one of my lifting days, after lifting, mostly jogging to mix up the movements a bit to my cycling. I found just lifting isn't getting me enough exercise but I would find it hard to go on my rest days as my legs would probably fall off :laugh:0 -
Yes, you can do cardio! But I actually wouldn't recommend HIIT. It can be really hard on your body and derail recovery when combined with heavy lifting. I'd just do moderate steady state cardio.0
-
Yes, you can do cardio! But I actually wouldn't recommend HIIT. It can be really hard on your body and derail recovery when combined with heavy lifting. I'd just do moderate steady state cardio.
This is what I do, if I ever do cardio. Stronglifts is REALLY strenuous as you get into higher weights - actually for a while all I did was walk and occasionally phone it in on the elliptical or stationary bike.
If you are just worried about increasing your deficit, easy cardio is just fine for that (especially if otherwise you'd just have been sitting on the couch). I don't recommend trying something strenuous (long runs, hill sprints, etc) with Stronglifts.0 -
i do cardio. sometimes 2-3 times a week. sometimes 6 days a week.
what i typically do is walk on the treadmill, or go for a light job. on the treadmill i walk at a 3.4 at a 6.0 incline for about 30 min. if i jog i typically do 30 min, about 11 mi or so mile.
kinda just depends on my week and how much free time i have :-)0 -
I do cardio on my off days. Right now I'm following C25K; once I graduate, I'll continue to work on my time for a 5K. Hasn't effected me negatively at all, and while the scale hasn't moved much, I'm seeing changes in my body composition.0
-
I need to lose 50 lbs, love heavy wt training, BUT I sit in front of a computer 40+ hrs a week. IMO my wt training is NOT enough for ME. I do cardio 4-6x a week, but I rarely do Hiit it wears me out too much to lilft as heavy as I'd like. I take "expert" opinions with a grain of salt. I read a lot about health,fitness, training,eating, etc toss out stuff that sounds like BS.
I understand some people over do cardio, that doesn't mean cardio isn't necessary for some. I honestly think it depends on your lifestyle. I'm sitting a LOT I get very little activity throughout the day. Bottom line, only YOU can be the best judge of how much (if any) cardio works for YOU. I often do cardio during my lunch hr, I have a gym at home for wt training0 -
Thanks Ladies! These insights are much appreciated!0
-
I am doing cardio after lifting right now because I can only go to the gym so many days per week due to childcare issues (my hubby is out of town on business so I’ve been a single mom to a 22 month old for the last 7 months). Now that the lifting is light compared to what I was used to, it's not bad and I still have energy to bust out 45 minutes on the elliptical afterwards. I fully expect that once I start getting closer to my max, it will be increasingly harder to have enough energy to do cardio afterwards. I know it will affect my lifts in the future as well. I am just trying to maintain muscle mass while I cut fat right now. In that case, I will try to do cardio on my non lifting days....I say try because I'm pretty sure that is a lost cause as my baby doesn't like to cooperate when I try to workout at home or I’m too darn tired!0
-
By the way...I can't access the article right now (will try later) but the guy who made the program (Mendhi?) seems pretty anti HIIT not that that is scientific evidence or anything. He actually mentions some study where they found that HIIT burns less than constant state cardio and that the afterburn is the same. I think HIIT is the newest craze and something else will be hot this time next year. I do know that it helped me increase speed but I'm not so sure about the overall calorie burn. Plus it made me nauseous and that's no fun for anyone
0 -
By the way...I can't access the article right now (will try later) but the guy who made the program (Mendhi?) seems pretty anti HIIT not that that is scientific evidence or anything. He actually mentions some study where they found that HIIT burns less than constant state cardio and that the afterburn is the same. I think HIIT is the newest craze and something else will be hot this time next year. I do know that it helped me increase speed but I'm not so sure about the overall calorie burn. Plus it made me nauseous and that's no fun for anyone
Yeah, I've been using it occasionally for speed training so I can get done with my running quicker.
What Rae said does make sense. It does seem like it would be a lot harder on your body than just moderate cardio. 0 -
I just started doing HIIT 3 times/week and I have to say that I absolutely love it! 20 minutes each time and I'm done! I had to give up long distance running due to knee issues so this gives me my running fix. I also alternate with my rower. I'm no longer a slave to cardio and it's fantastic!
I've been working with HIIT/Tabata off and on for about 4 years (was introduced to it by CrossFit) so i don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.0 -
Here is the article....http://stronglifts.com/hiit-interval-training-fat-loss/ I think it's interesting. I also think that if you like HIIT, stick with it. Personally, I found it to be counter-productive.0
-
Yes, I cardio and 5x5. I am currently training for a marathon, and working 5x5.
That being said, I had a very strong fitness base before I added in SL, and am at a healthy composition (26% BF). I wouldn't recommend running and SL to someone who is new to both.0 -
I am curious, what HIIT programs do you do?0
