cardio vs. weights

bleis71
bleis71 Posts: 22
in Fitness and Exercise
I know this is on here a lot, but I have a different inquiry on the subject.

I used to be above average in strength and physical ability (sports, military etc)

After a substancial weight gain over the years I am trying to get myself fit again. At this point I am focussed on wieght loss (mostly cardio - treadmill, spinning, elipticle) because frankly my joints hurt too bad while lifting.

My thought process is that I want to lose 30-40 lbs first and then continue the cardio, but start adding weight training to re-build definition, not build strength and mass, for my last 20-30 lbs. This way I can hopefully take some of the stress off my knees and such.

Does this sound like a feasible approach?

Replies

  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
    That was basically the approach I took and I kind of regret it now. I mostly focused on cardio (and still do as I'm a runner) and while I dropped a lot of weight (over 90 lbs. in 18 months), I'm not nearly as toned as I should be and I have problems with excess skin, which I think could possibly have been avoided/minimized if I'd incorporated weight training/strengthening earlier.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    Why do your joints hurt? That seems to imply either bad form or that you are starting off with too much weight.
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    It doesn't sound feasible.
  • adambatley1
    adambatley1 Posts: 5
    if you want to be lean and toned do kettlebells.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    I'd be tempted to go the pther way (oh hang on, that seems to be what I AM doing).

    work on weights to build strength and get your joints happy and your muscles strong

    THEN introduce cardio. Surely cardio is going to hurt your joints just as much if not more (depends on the cardio) than weights?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    You can do weights with emphasis on fast movements with little rest between sets.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • bleis71
    bleis71 Posts: 22
    the joints hurt from osteo arthritis in both knees. My hope is that less body weight will also create less pain.
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    You probably should seek advice from a professional, but in my (admittedly limited) opinion: cardio is probably the worst choice. Instead focus on flexibility and light weights to built up strength in your joints.
  • MJH2
    MJH2 Posts: 55 Member
    the joints hurt from osteo arthritis in both knees. My hope is that less body weight will also create less pain.

    I've had similar issues and found that introducing weights even at my top weight was beneficial. I have also found resistance bands to help.
  • Claudio_DosAnjos
    Claudio_DosAnjos Posts: 1
    when you do cardio you burn calories but for you to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit. you can do hours of cardio but if you take in more calories that you body burns a day you wont lose anything. doing cardio without weight training is a bad idea. you will burn all your muscle and after you lose all the weight you wont have any definition or mass. what im doing is lifting weights then cardio afterwards. you burn calories lifting weights and the good things is your body keeps burning calories after your done lifting weights because it has to repair tissue, break down protein, and all that good stuff. if you combine light weight training and cardio you will burn fat 2x faster than just doing cardio. you dont need to go heavy to lose weight and build muscle. You just need intesity in the gym. this was a long post but im just trying to help.good luck
  • bleis71
    bleis71 Posts: 22
    Thanks for all the feedback. I found several of them made some good pionts. Claudio, while I am losing weight doing just cardio (27 lbs so far) your point about burning calories after lifting is something I didn't think about. So thank you for that. I will begin to incorporate some light lifting prior to my cardio to maintain my muscle mass and strength.

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