Is what I am doing wrong??? Too much cardio??

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cbkb1234
cbkb1234 Posts: 94 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys! thanks for taking time out to read this, well I'm 5'3 and 151.6 pounds to be exact, I've heard a ton of things saying that you can't do all cardio and expect to lose weight BUT I've also read that if you start strength training while you still have a lot of fat on you there's no point?! so which is it????! I've been losing lbs by doing just cardio atm, I also do some kettle bell exercises through out the week for about 20 min or so.

Should I keep doing the cardio until I see less fat , THEN start doing weights?? thanks!

Replies

  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    Hey guys! thanks for taking time out to read this, well I'm 5'3 and 151.6 pounds to be exact, I've heard a ton of things saying that you can't do all cardio and expect to lose weight BUT I've also read that if you start strength training while you still have a lot of fat on you there's no point?! so which is it????! I've been losing lbs by doing just cardio atm, I also do some kettle bell exercises through out the week for about 20 min or so.

    Should I keep doing the cardio until I see less fat , THEN start doing weights?? thanks!

    Do both cardio and strength training at the same time. Don't know what your schedule is but you could do 30 min cardio and 30 min resistance.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,011 Member
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    A calorie deficit facilitates weight loss, exercise has nothing to do with it. Too much cardio with a diet lacking in sufficient protein can waste lean mass. Adding some weight resistance with adequate protein intake will negfate most of that, so you should do both, but again it's calories that dictate weight loss.
  • Nissi51
    Nissi51 Posts: 381 Member
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    Quick answer: NO!!

    Start strength training immediately
  • CMB1979
    CMB1979 Posts: 588 Member
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    Quick answer: NO!!

    Start strength training immediately

    This. Strength training builds muscle which in turn burns more cals just to stay alive. Do both.
  • RieBerg
    RieBerg Posts: 261 Member
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    If you are highly motivated by the scale, then no, don't do strength.. If you want to lose weight faster, but not see a huge difference on the scale, but see the difference in your clothes, then do cardio. Me personally, I get discouraged if I see the numbers go up, so I am sticking to cardio for now until that scale number is acceptable to me.
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
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    If you are highly motivated by the scale, then no, don't do strength.. If you want to lose weight faster, but not see a huge difference on the scale, but see the difference in your clothes, then do cardio. Me personally, I get discouraged if I see the numbers go up, so I am sticking to cardio for now until that scale number is acceptable to me.

    nonsense
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    While you have more fat to lose, you have better chances of actually getting newbie gains in muscle while strength training.

    Must be heavy for you, must work major muscles, must be almost to failure of good form.

    But you won't have that opportunity later when you have less to lose.

    And not talking a lot here, 1-3 lbs muscle gain potential if you haven't been lifting already.

    But the LBM you can gain (which is muscle is part of) can be much more, and that is actually what increases metabolism.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    i would say compound lifts with minimal cardio..

    I do uppler/lower split four times a week (bench press, deadlift, squat,over head press, weighted pull-ups/chinups etc) and then mix in one cardio session a week (5k or HIIT whatever i feel like, usually it is HIIT)

    I would say you would benefit from total body routine where you are hitting arms/legs/shoulders/back and then cardio two times a week with two days rest...
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/tips/should-you-do-weight-training-cardio-same-day
    However, the results of the studies actually showed that performing weight training and cardio on the same day had no negative effects on endurance training, resistance training, or muscle growth. In fact, they found that doing 50 percent less of both types of exercise on the same day produced the same results as doing full workouts devoted to one or the other. So, if you’ve been doing your weight training and cardio on separate days, combine your workout to get more bang for your buck.

    Im on mobile so it's hard for me to find the actual research right now so I hope this article os good enough. I have a friend that does 45 mins of cardio and 1 and a half hours of weights back to back. He is very fit and strong. Does this 3 times a week.
  • royvor
    royvor Posts: 271
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    Hi, I know everybody has their journey. You can ask for the advise and try it out and see if it works for you. This is all about finding what works for you. What has been said is that cardio and strength training should be done for weight loss by having both and finding a balance. One with out the other has results but you might not like them as much as doing them in conjunction.

    becuase when strenght training "we're engaging the muscle and feeding it with protein to tell it not to leave when the fat takes a permanent vacation. Don't lose the muscle becuase it increases your metabolism and burns fat! .

    Also a great quote that puts it into perspective is that
    "Calorie deficit makes you lose weight, lifting makes you look sexy doing it."
    Hope this helps.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
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    In my experience: Cardio burns calories, helps endurance and meet calorie deficit goals. BUT, I did a wimpy "lifting" program for a month, lost 6lbs and 14". Lifting helps you look good naked, you'll also fit into your clothes faster.
  • devinpantess
    devinpantess Posts: 5 Member
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    I have more friends who successfully lost weight via cardio training than weight lifting (aka "strength training" although it's not really functional strength). My friends who have lost weight have managed to keep a decent caloric deficit while training for running events such as the 5k, 10k, half and full marathon, either full runs or a run/walk combo (interval)

    In fact, I have on friend who started C25K and lose 50 lbs in 6 months, then continued the progression to half ironman in 1 year. He wasn't fast, but he finished it. He's lost close to 80 lbs since I've known him.

    So straight "cardio" can work if you do it right. You'll need a HRM and be able to train in zones. Plus, it helps to actually ENJOY what you're doing - so find a sport you will stick with. For me, it's not weight lifting. I enjoy training for swim, bike, and run (triathlon) and the cross-training combo of the three is fun and motivating. Good luck!
  • donnam40
    donnam40 Posts: 246 Member
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    Cardio and weights are not mutually exclusive. I recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women for a beginner - the program is well set out and you will learn a lot about strength training.

    The authors are not keen on extra cardio, but when I completed the program I continued to run most days and still achieved good results.

    Good luck

    Donna
  • iceman7840
    iceman7840 Posts: 110
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    All I did was cardio my first six months. Then I added some strength training but continued with the cardio. After I started strength training, my cardio just exploded and that in return caused me to excel in all areas.

    Now I do both everyday. They compliment each other very nicely.
  • mattashbrock
    mattashbrock Posts: 38
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    Do both. The person worried about the scale is misled. #1 you will lose more pounds in fat than you will gain in muscle and at a much greater pace. Building muscle is a very very slow process. While it is possible to gain muscle on a calorie deficit (if the deficit isn't to great) there is pretty much zero possibility of muscle gains outpacing fat loss in an overweight individual. More likely you will just be maintaining muscle while losing fat.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Hey guys! thanks for taking time out to read this, well I'm 5'3 and 151.6 pounds to be exact, I've heard a ton of things saying that you can't do all cardio and expect to lose weight BUT I've also read that if you start strength training while you still have a lot of fat on you there's no point?! so which is it????! I've been losing lbs by doing just cardio atm, I also do some kettle bell exercises through out the week for about 20 min or so.

    Should I keep doing the cardio until I see less fat , THEN start doing weights?? thanks!
    Cardio causes you to lose weight. Some of that weight is from fat, some of it is from muscle. Dieting causes you to lose weight. Some of that weight is from fat, some of it is from muscle. If you want to reduce (or possibly reverse) loss of muscle, you need to lift. When you first start lifting you can still gain a little bit of muscle while eating at a deficit. You can gain more muscle from newbie gains if you have more fat.

    Start lifting now.

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