Lifting or Cardio???

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  • Casi23
    Casi23 Posts: 138 Member
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    Wait a minute. I wasn't confused before. Now I am. SHboss - can you explain this a little more? I usually do a long hard cardio work out in the morning or at lunch - then lift weights in the evening.

    I do this at least 2-3 times a week. I thought I was doing the right thing by doing cardio and hitting the weights all in the same day... The other days I try to do a bootcamp style workout or just straight cardio (an extra long run) or straight weight training. I never realized that on the days when I do both, I wasn't getting the most out of my work out.

    Let's hear your research! My curiosity is spiked. :noway:
  • ERnurse
    ERnurse Posts: 77
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    MUSCLE BURNS FAT. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn DOING NOTHING!!!! Build that muscle and watch the fat go away.

    I am lifting heavy weights with ChaLean Extreme (Beachbody.com) and I have lost 2 pounds in less than 2 weeks. I feel stronger, and my arms already look better!

    Don't get me wrong, you need cardio too, but in the long run, your body would be in better shape if you only lifted weights.

    GO HEAVY OR GO HOME. - Chalene Johnson

    - Chastity

    Yes ask any trainer or look at exercise studies - muscle burns fat - so train hard on both!!!
  • ebkins7
    ebkins7 Posts: 427 Member
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    MUSCLE BURNS FAT. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn DOING NOTHING!!!! Build that muscle and watch the fat go away.

    I am lifting heavy weights with ChaLean Extreme (Beachbody.com) and I have lost 2 pounds in less than 2 weeks. I feel stronger, and my arms already look better!

    Don't get me wrong, you need cardio too, but in the long run, your body would be in better shape if you only lifted weights.

    GO HEAVY OR GO HOME. - Chalene Johnson

    - Chastity

    Tho I agree, muscle burns more fat (which is true)... but you don't have to lift HEAVY to get results. If you want to be a body builder, yea... lift heavy... but for the average woman, we want TONE... That means... LIGHTER weights + MORE reps! Just my 2 cents!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    MUSCLE BURNS FAT. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn DOING NOTHING!!!! Build that muscle and watch the fat go away.

    I am lifting heavy weights with ChaLean Extreme (Beachbody.com) and I have lost 2 pounds in less than 2 weeks. I feel stronger, and my arms already look better!

    Don't get me wrong, you need cardio too, but in the long run, your body would be in better shape if you only lifted weights.

    GO HEAVY OR GO HOME. - Chalene Johnson

    - Chastity

    Tho I agree, muscle burns more fat (which is true)... but you don't have to lift HEAVY to get results. If you want to be a body builder, yea... lift heavy... but for the average woman, we want TONE... That means... LIGHTER weights + MORE reps! Just my 2 cents!

    Again, not necessarily, women really don't do a heck of a lot of mass building with muscle. Both types of weight training can be used to lean up. You may gain some mass by doing heavy weights as a female, but unless you follow a very rigid routine, and stay in caloric surplus, I doubt you'd gain much bulk. Genetics play a role with this as well.
  • SamanthaMaxwell
    SamanthaMaxwell Posts: 1
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    Actually "bulking up" has less to do with how much you are lifting and more to do with your body type. As a women with a very muscular body type i can say that i get the same results whether I do a lot fo reps at a light weight or a few reps at a large weight.
    Weight training is important so much more then just weight loss. And its important to remember that when you start training you won't lose weight right away because you body is preparing to handle that new exercise by increasing red blood cells and building muscle.
    Recently a good friend introduced me to Crossfit. It is the most insane hour of my day and I LOVE every minute of every workout! My workout routine is no longer about losing weight, its about being a stong, vibrant women, Crossfit makes me feel empowered and self confident no matter how much weight i'm losing!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Wait a minute. I wasn't confused before. Now I am. SHboss - can you explain this a little more? I usually do a long hard cardio work out in the morning or at lunch - then lift weights in the evening.

    I do this at least 2-3 times a week. I thought I was doing the right thing by doing cardio and hitting the weights all in the same day... The other days I try to do a bootcamp style workout or just straight cardio (an extra long run) or straight weight training. I never realized that on the days when I do both, I wasn't getting the most out of my work out.

    Let's hear your research! My curiosity is spiked. :noway:

    Hehe, well, without getting too technical, the two different types of exercise compete for existing resources, ultimately reducing the amount either can have. I.E. your body releses extra sugar into the blood during moderate or heavy exercise, both types of exercise require replenishment of energy during work.

    If you REALLY feel the need to workout using both exercise techniques I would suggest doing short, high intensity aerobic activities that actually breach the aerobic threshold, this way you are creating oxygen debt that will continue burning calories after you finish your exercise, and it releases more of the chemicals that help the body break down existing fat cells. I.E. HIIT training or something like Tabata protocol (you can Google these). These exercises create EPOC or oxygen debt and train the heart to recover faster and increase in size to accommodate more blood flow.

    One caveat, because most weight training, by definition, is anaerobic and requires total depletion (or near total) of muscle ATP stores, you should always do weight training before cardio. While you may not be able to perform at quite a high level of cardio after a decent weight training session, you can usually still burn a decent amount of calories (if not as many as cardio alone). If you were to do cardio and then immediately weight train, you aren't giving your body enough time to recover it's glycogen levels in order to fully supply muscles with the energy they need to perform at optimal levels, and in anaerobic activity, muscles at less than optimal level, will not make the gains they otherwise would.

    some say you can space out your cardio and weight training and still receive full benefits. Maybe, if you give them enough time, but if you work even moderately hard for a good long workout, you'll still be short some energy.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    And for the record, I do 2 days of straight weight training, 1 day of straight hard cardio, and 3 days of HIIT training, of which 1 day is something I like to call HIP training (High Intensity Plyometrics, my own term, how do you like it? :tongue: )

    this allows me to become functionally stronger, more agile, keep and build additional muscle, and also grow my heart muscle and increase my VO2 max (which I recently tested at 52).

    I love how I feel after a good 45 minute HIIT session!
  • lrosas
    lrosas Posts: 9 Member
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    I am lifting 3 days a week with a day of rest in between. On the rest days I am doing ~ 30 min of cardio (walk, jog, or video). Thus far I am feeling stronger, stamina has increased and I am actually fitting into a smaller size clothing but the scale has barely moved! I am trying to pay more attention to diet (really hard for me as I am a big sweet addict) which is why this site is so helpful - I am actually holding myself accountable for what I am putting in my mouth! Any other advice would be very welcome. Oh....I am also in my mid 40's and really feeling the need to try to regain a little of my "girlish figure" :wink:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I am lifting 3 days a week with a day of rest in between. On the rest days I am doing ~ 30 min of cardio (walk, jog, or video). Thus far I am feeling stronger, stamina has increased and I am actually fitting into a smaller size clothing but the scale has barely moved! I am trying to pay more attention to diet (really hard for me as I am a big sweet addict) which is why this site is so helpful - I am actually holding myself accountable for what I am putting in my mouth! Any other advice would be very welcome. Oh....I am also in my mid 40's and really feeling the need to try to regain a little of my "girlish figure" :wink:

    AWESOME!

    And don't worry about the scale. The first thing your body does when you begin a new routine is activate muscle fibers that are needed but were dormant. These muscle fibers require glycogen, which means added weight to your body, so many times weight loss is offset by fluid retention, it's not actual muscle growth, but it's essentially the same thing. When the body again reaches equilibrium, you'll begin seeing lbs fall.

    You can be confident that you are losing fat if you're fitting into smaller clothes. And that's the name of the game, lose fat, increase cardiopulmonary systems, and increase muscle functionality. In the end, your weight doesn't matter, it's how you feel and how your body looks and works that matters!
  • lrosas
    lrosas Posts: 9 Member
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    Haven't posted in such a long time due to family stressors...deaths x2, new job, etc., etc. Long story short - I have gained back ~50% of the weight I worked so hard to loose. Comfort food. Now I am jumping back on the wagon in the hope of salvaging at least some of my previous results and regaining control....wish me luck. Right now working out 3x week mainly lifting as I don't have time for much else just yet.
  • downtome
    downtome Posts: 529 Member
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    Personally, I don't like doing strength and cardio on the same day. You have diminished results if you do this. The reasoning is very complex, and I can explain it if people like, and it's not set in stone science yet, more theory based on reasonable understanding of how the body works during both types of workouts (it has to do with cortosol, testosterone, HGH, and how the body uses hormones during normal exercise stress periods), but I look at it this way, I KNOW weight training works, I KNOW cardio works, I DON'T know if they work well together, so why risk it?

    Yes, please exlain a bit futher on this because I am starting to do strength training, I did 20 minutes of weights last night and 32 minute of cardio(elliptical). I defiantely would like to know more. Thanks.
  • downtome
    downtome Posts: 529 Member
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    Nevermind, I see your explanation above..will read that. Thanks
  • yankeegirl83
    yankeegirl83 Posts: 16
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    I love the cardio classes at my gym that incorporate some lifting. That being said, I've signed up for TRX training. Anyone that is interested- it's an hour long program (usually) that suspends you and forces to use a lot of your body weight. I've noticed a change in my arms, legs (more defined)

    So...I would definitely have a mixture of both but highly recommend trx to those looking for something other than just weights. :)

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