Cardio vs. Weight Loss

BoilerMaker22
BoilerMaker22 Posts: 53 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
EDIT: I caught this too late, but I meant my topic to read "Cardio vs. Weight Training for Weight Loss"

Hi guys. I haven't been on this web site in a little while, but I'm ready to start counting my calories again. I have a question, though, as I've been trying to lose weight and my mom, who has taken a nutrition class, says that I should be getting at least 4 hours to 4 hours 15 minutes of cardio a week.

I'm 6'6" and 305 pounds and not really in good shape, so cardio takes a lot out of my. My question is that should I do more cardio to lose weight, or more weight training to lose weight?

When I used to do cardio and weight training in the same day, according to my heart rate monitor, I would burn 1000-1200 calories a day. Also, I would spend 1 and a half hours to 2 hours a day in the gym, just starting out. As I'm just getting back into the swing of things, I don't want to spend an 1 and a half hours to 2 hours a day and get burned out quicly.

Would it be better for me to do light cardio M-W-F with weight training, and heavy cardio T-TH with light weight training (i.e. abs)?

What do you all think?

Replies

  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
    Here's the way it works...

    Cardio burns fat and is great for the nervous system.

    Weight training builds muscle, which eventually will also help burn fat and boost your metabolism.

    I don't really think you need 4 hours though of cardio a week. That's pretty excessive. You can do 35-40 minutes a day of moderate cardio 3 days a week, and 15 minutes a day before weight training 2 days a week.

    The reason I say 15 minutes on weight training days is simply because you can make your weight training in to circuit training and that way and burn fat as well as build muscle. The 15 minutes of cardio will get your metabolism going.

    Good luck. I hope this helps!
  • BoilerMaker22
    BoilerMaker22 Posts: 53 Member
    Thanks for the reply. I think I understand it a bit more.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    I started doing 30 minutes of cardio 3 times per week. Then as I got used to exercise, I added more intense exercise and weights. I now exercise about an hour a day, 5 days a week. I think the important thing is for you to do some form of exercise but not so much of it that you are injured or can't keep it up. Start slow and build from there. Good luck to you!
  • mrsw510
    mrsw510 Posts: 169
    They did a segment on Dr. Oz about this a couple weeks ago. What was said about it is Cardio is good, its good for your heart and you burn calories WHILE you are doing it. However, weight training helps you burn more calories in between work-outs. So is better for losing weight.
  • nikkieliivey
    nikkieliivey Posts: 76 Member
    I would start off with what you're comfortable with. In reality, you need both cardio and strength training to lose weight. I would mix up your routine to make sure your body does not become acclimated with your work out plan and your weight loss begins to plateau. Once your back in the swing of things, I would highly recommend doing P90X, the doubles version. This combines cardio and strength training and you really do get awesome results! Best of luck on your weight loss journey!
  • Kmill217
    Kmill217 Posts: 204
    I hear reluctancy on your part to commit to a training program. You need to figure out if your committed to losing the weight once and for all. Sounds like you have an idea of what to do, but you just won't commit to it. Maybe related to a history of trying to lose weight and failing.

    Bottom line. Do any exercise and eat right, you'll lose weight. IF your serious about a good program that will work for you, send me a message and I'll give you a routine. If you are expecting to lose weight fast, its not going to happen. Someone with a lot of weight has to fight the battle of realization that this own't happen over night. Once they overcome this, they are the ones who have the best advice, because they really comprehend everything there is to know about adequate weight loss.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Any time you start an exercise program, you need to ramp up your intensity and duration. Start off with the least amount you can comfortably do and work up from there. The body has a powerful ability to adapt and it will do so as long as you do not overwhelm it with too much, too hard and too soon.

    If you are out of shape and cannot tolerate a substantial exercise load, it just puts a little more emphasis on your diet at first. There are different ways to achieve a goal and different plans/strategies for different stages along the way. Start off gradually, and as your fitness improves, you may find that you want to do more and can do more.

    In my experience, people starting out do best with a good volume of cardio exercise at varied intensities, combined with moderate resistance training and restricted calorie intake (1000 cal below maintenance calories). There are ways to vary your intensity and volume so that you can exercise 6-7 days per week without overtraining. But you have to be consistent--both with calorie intake and exercise. During this time, use your resistance training time to increase your strength, practice your form, and develop good lifting habits.

    As you begin to lose some weight and as your fitness levels improve, you can introduce more aggressive workouts into your routine, but that is not really necessary at this point.
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