with only 45 min, do you lift or cardio?

kmillers

I have been running short on time lately and was wondering if it is more beneficial to cardio or lift if I only have 45 minutes to workout? My goal is fat loss and I do both most days but sometimes you just don't have the time to do both, which do I choose?

DavPul

Lift and spend the other 23.25 hours of the day making sure you hit your calorie budget for the day

Ainar

When I do not have time for both I do lift, but I do incorporate a cardio in my lifting. High reps, around 15 or so. I do them sets until failure. I do super sets and I do short rest periods between sets, like 45 - 60 seconds. Also do more sets for example if I do usually 3 sets of 7 reps, I do 4 or 5 sets of 15 - 20 reps. Like that you get your heart bumping pretty damn good and you are basically doing cardio and burning a lot of cals, but also some good strength training.

If you don't like high reps you can also do very heavy reps. But make sure your rest periods are rather short and you are doing super sets, to keep that heart bumping fast.

If you don't like this idea then I would just lift, not do cardio. Make sure your calories are good for a day, you will need to ate less, and you will be fine.

DavPul

^^ I dunno about that. If I turn my lifting session into a cardio session then I didn't accomplish what I set out to do.

wswilliams67

LIFT!

Cardio burns muscle. Lifting builds muscle. Lean muscle gain increases your BMR. An increased BMR means more calories burned OUTSIDE the gym.

There's a reason marathoners are so thin and lean. Cardio is good for one thing... heart, lungs, blood vessels.

Lifting heavy *kitten* over and over will get your heart pumping and prevent your body from consuming your muscle for energy.

But if you lift, lift with intensity. Don't phone it in and cheat yourself.

aelitaangels

Something that incorporates strength training and cardio, like push-up burpees, jump squats and jump lunges.

wswilliams67

Something that incorporates strength training and cardio, like push-up burpees, jump squats and jump lunges.

^^^ CrossFit ^^^

Get in. Get your a** handed to you by Fran. Get out.

YouTube some videos on Andrea Ager & Annie Thorisdottir. See if CrossFit may work for you.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

I lift. If I'm doing it right and not sitting on my butt the other 23.25 hours, then the cardio takes care of itself.

Morninglory81

Lift! My cardio is the daily running after my two boys.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Definitely lift. Cardio is unnecessary.

taunto

TOPIC: with only 45 min, do you lift or cardio?

I eat cheetos while sitting on my couch and watching Friends and scrubs reruns

taunto

Definitely lift. Cardio is unnecessary.

Lifting is unnecessary too. Just saying

Capt_Apollo

Definitely lift. Cardio is unnecessary.

i'm training for a couple of triathlons. you're saying i should ditch the cardio??


stop talking in blanket statements and absolutes.

IDontLikeRegistering

Definitely lift. Cardio is unnecessary.

Lifting is unnecessary too. Just saying

You are my new favourite.

taunto

I have been running short on time lately and was wondering if it is more beneficial to cardio or lift if I only have 45 minutes to workout? My goal is fat loss and I do both most days but sometimes you just don't have the time to do both, which do I choose?

Ask yourself what do you enjoy? Do you enjoy running? Do you enjoy lifting? Do you enjoy calisthenics?

You can get similar results from all 3 of these workouts. The difference is that the duration you have to dedicate might differ. I currently do stronglifts which is awesome and you only do about 30 minutes of it. In the start when the weights are still low you will be done in about 20 minutes even.

If you're interested in lifting, I'd look into a gym with squat rack and checkout stronglifts.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

^Good group and theres a sticky in there that explains the entire workout. You can youtube mehdi's videos that shows the workouts too!

LorinaLynn

I alternate lifting and cardio days, and rarely go over 45 minutes for either.

Fozzi43

I'd strength train....and just walk a little faster everywhere.....

taunto

LIFT!

Cardio burns muscle. Lifting builds muscle. Lean muscle gain increases your BMR. An increased BMR means more calories burned OUTSIDE the gym.

There's a reason marathoners are so thin and lean. Cardio is good for one thing... heart, lungs, blood vessels.

Lifting heavy *kitten* over and over will get your heart pumping and prevent your body from consuming your muscle for energy.

But if you lift, lift with intensity. Don't phone it in and cheat yourself.

I'm quoting because this is broscience gold....

Capt_Apollo

LIFT!

Cardio burns muscle. Lifting builds muscle. Lean muscle gain increases your BMR. An increased BMR means more calories burned OUTSIDE the gym.

There's a reason marathoners are so thin and lean. Cardio is good for one thing... heart, lungs, blood vessels.

Lifting heavy *kitten* over and over will get your heart pumping and prevent your body from consuming your muscle for energy.

But if you lift, lift with intensity. Don't phone it in and cheat yourself.

i'd like to say that jim wendler himself designed a work out so that he could lift and do cardio because he wanted to be able to bend over to tie his shoes without getting winded.

jimmmer

Does it has to be either or?

Why don't you lift full-body three days a week for 45 mins and then cardio/conditioning the two days in-between for 30-45 mins.

Best of all possible worlds.

People who say cardio is useless normally do so because they don't like it and this view point backs up their preference. Cardio/conditioning is not useless.

Totally agree about Wendler and conditioning. In 5/3/1 he says he could total elite and not even make it up some stairs. That's not my ideal. Even if you don't do traditional cardio, you should have some sort of conditioning work in your routine to make you well rounded.