Cardio vs. Strength training for quicker loss?

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  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
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    Both, cardio 3x a week and strenght 3x... and diet. And don't lift 3lb weights and think that is strength training.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
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    Both both. Get the diet in check and do both! Your body will love you for it.

    And strength training isn't just for meatheads like me.
  • afigueroa_pr
    afigueroa_pr Posts: 344
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    Both, cardio 3x a week and strenght 3x... and diet. And don't lift 3lb weights and think that is strength training.

    ^^^^
    Hillarious
    I know, I've seen it done before at the gym with those little weights. At least pick up a 10lb lol!!
  • Jynus
    Jynus Posts: 519 Member
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    Do both. If you have a long way to go, your body probably needs the benefit of both. I did both starting out to get the party started. Once I got closer to goal I cut the cardio way down and focused more on diet and strength training.

    What are some strength training exercises that don't involve using a machine/joining a gym? Something I can do at home.
    Thanks!

    I do power 90, which is a dvd workout that alternates cardio and strength training. I do it all right at home. Buy a few different sets of dumb bells at different weights and either buy a dvd program or google some moves that you can do!!
    it's very easy to do it right at home!
    thats not strength training. it's cardio from what i'm seeing..

    strength training is anything thats around 5 reps before you hit failure for whatever movement you are doing..
  • GnochhiGnomes
    GnochhiGnomes Posts: 348 Member
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    Both both. Get the diet in check and do both! Your body will love you for it.

    And strength training isn't just for meatheads like me.

    The meatheads, scared me off strength training for the first few weeks. Its like every time I approached them they all turned around in unison and snarled at me. When I did finally get on the weights it seemed like they all were in a secret cult were in protein was god and grunting was a sign worship.

    I'm OK with them now but I'm still wary.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    Strength training should by your first 3 hours/week. After that, cardio (brief 10-15 minute HIIT sessions and longer low-intensity sessions, e.g. walking, are best). Strength training burns more calories/hr than anything other than very intense HIIT, and will result in better preservation of lean body mass on a deficit. If you do pure cardio, you will lose something like 50% muscle and 50% fat, which visually generally results in little change... this ratio varies based upon how overweight someone is, insulin resistance, and genetics, among other factors... if you are morbidly obese, pure cardio is fine, as you are unlikely to lose much muscle mass. If you are overweight or 'healthy', then pure cardio will not generally yield aesthetic results as positive as weights+cardio (losing 2 pounds/week where 1 is fat and 1 is muscle will make you look worse than losing 1 pound of fat and 0 pounds of muscle/week). With 3 days/week of solid ("heavy") resistance training, you should lose almost entirely body fat.

    Also, for most people, avoiding high intensity steady state cardio (maintaining 65%+ HRM heart-rate for >30 minutes) will yield better results, particularly for women, in whom this can induce thyroid issues.
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
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    I honestly focused on Cardio for the first 4 months, and diet. I lost 40 pounds.

    I am adding strength now. It's been integrating nicely. I used to spend 1 hour a day doing cardio, but now I do alternating ten minute sets.

    10 minutes going as hard as I can on the elliptical.
    10 minutes machine training (I work a different muscle group every visit).
    10 minutes killing a bicycle.
    10 minutes free weights training (working the same muscle group).
    10 minutes jog/fast walk on the treadmill.
    10 minutes medicine balls/mat work/etc.

    By alternating, my heart rate stays up pretty well into my strength training. I do legs/hips on Mondays, arms/chest/shoulders on Wednesday, core/back on Friday. Every month I plan on changing the order. Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday I do cardio and little to no strength training. Hope this helps you!

    P.S.- I do still have like 80 pounds to go, so I did start out pretty heavy.
  • Vnm77
    Vnm77 Posts: 32 Member
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    I'm all about strength training. You might not be able to log as many calories as those who do straight cardio only but it will pay off in the long run with more lean muscle mass, more fat burned and a higher metabolism!
  • laurie571
    laurie571 Posts: 152 Member
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    Both, cardio 3x a week and strenght 3x... and diet. And don't lift 3lb weights and think that is strength training.

    ^^^^
    Hillarious
    I know, I've seen it done before at the gym with those little weights. At least pick up a 10lb lol!!
    not always so easy, im healing from a shoulder injury so for my right arm, very little weight seems like a whole LOT to me :)
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    I was under the impression that you have to lift heavy to get good results, so buying weights is probably your only option.
    For somebody who's never picked up a weight before and can't even do one pushup, body weight is PLENTY heavy to start with. Do pushups, dips, bodyweight squats/lunges, etc. When you're to the point that you can do 3 or 4 sets of 8-10 reps of those exercises, then maybe it's time to start adding weights to the mix. Google "You Are Your Own Gym" and/or "Convict Conditioning" for plenty more ideas for bodyweight strength routines.

    There are also a ton of kettlebell routines out there that can be done at home, and only require that you purchase a couple kettlebells.
  • katiejo72
    katiejo72 Posts: 1 Member
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    Strength training does not have to be heavy lifting. I have found low weight, high repetition strength training to be very effective, particularly as a woman. I also agree that you should do both strength training and cardio, as well as developing/maintaining healthy eating habits. If your gym has a Body Pump class, check it out. You'll get the strength training as well as a little cardio.
  • auntiekei
    auntiekei Posts: 14
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    I started a new way of living on January 15, 2012 and as of August 17, 2012 I have lost a total of 84 lbs.
    I do an hour aerobic tape called walk it off by leslie sansone and then after work I go to the gym for an hour and walk on the treadmill for 40 minutes and then do the weight machines. Not sure if this is the right way but it sure is working for me.:happy: :happy:
  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
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    My suggestion is to do a combination.

    Cardio = interval training

    Strength = heavy weights to maintain and build muscle and watch those inches disappear (truly makes a HUGE difference).

    The key is to have variety.

    Good luck.
  • rlynnehawk
    rlynnehawk Posts: 71 Member
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    I do both. I work out at the Gym 5 days a week doing 45 min cardio (elliptical trainer), and I do the 30 min circuit. The circuit is a total body workout. You can increase the weights as you go. I started out doing 10 lbs in all the machines, and I am now doing 70 per. The other good thing is that the steps in between the machines keeps your heart rate up.

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