I love Cardio..hate weights HELP

Buff2022
Buff2022 Posts: 373 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay I love Cardio. I love getting into that zone and just going. However I know I need the weights to firm and tone. I hate them. I feel like I am never doing them right and people are watching.

HELP I need to get over that.

Replies

  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    just do it. it's only 30-45 minutes of your day 3 times a week. that's a small price to pay for reaching your goals
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
    maybe try vinyasa yoga (or 'power' yoga) or pilates. or do some serious calisthenics (pushups, sit-ups, squats, etc.).
  • manhn1
    manhn1 Posts: 137 Member
    I too prefer cardio over weights by a very large margin

    Do you take cardio classes? When I schedule a class, I get to the gym an hour beforehand so I can get my strength training done. When the day involves the treadmill or elliptical, it's easy to skip over strength training and just get on the cardio machine. With classes, I can't made it start an hour earlier so I might as well lift some weights while waiting for my class to start.
  • mightyfine3
    mightyfine3 Posts: 65
    you're gonna need lots of weights.
  • darwinwoodka
    darwinwoodka Posts: 322 Member
    Trainer. Worth it. FInd one that makes it fun. And a workout partner helps a lot, too.
  • tubzzy77
    tubzzy77 Posts: 104 Member
    Ugh I hate it too when people who I've never met or talked to and whos opinion I don't care about watch me lift weight and then think things like "look at that guy over there lifting sooo much weight with perfect form" or "oh look at that guy who goes to the gym to lift weights and actually get some work done."

    Seriously the only reason I'm watching you is so you don't hurt yourself, you are lifting and obscene amount of weight and I'm impressed, you're cute, or I'm waiting to use the weights you're using and that's just too bad because I need to learn to share.
  • Viva81Diva
    Viva81Diva Posts: 148
    I wish I could help, but I am the exact opposite! I don't care for cardio, but love weights! :)

    I just do what I have to do. Maybe the fusion workouts I do helps, because it incorporates cardio kickboxing with resistance training, stretching, and plyometrics. There are only a few portions of the workout that I just don't care for, but I get through it so I can move on to enjoy the kickboxing and resistance. By the time the workout is over, I've done the cardio and didn't suffer too much. :P
  • worldtrekker1
    worldtrekker1 Posts: 14
    I do not like going to the gym AT ALL. I enjoy cardio and prefer to do it outside - running, hiking, surfing, skiing are my faves with the occasional Zumba class thrown in on a rainy day:smile: .

    That being said, I will take classes at a gym and here are a few ways I have introduced resistance:

    - Chalene Extreme (beach body) videos that teach lifting heavy with good form (but require an investment in adjustable home weights)
    - Cross fit classes (I do this in winter/spring when going outside is less appealing - all bodies/ages in that group - it is worldwide - probably in your area as well)
    - Body resistance exercises - squats, lunges, push-ups, dips, plank - these I do when doing hill climbs; for instance, run up a stairs/hill - do 10 squats, 10 pushups, run down the hill do 10 lunges, 10 dips - repeat a few times

    Good luck!
  • Viva81Diva
    Viva81Diva Posts: 148
    maybe try vinyasa yoga (or 'power' yoga) or pilates. or do some serious calisthenics (pushups, sit-ups, squats, etc.).

    This is a great suggestion!!
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    Carry hand weights with you when you walk?
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    You can do body resistance exercises at home. Also, sometimes you just gotta force yourself to do it! I don't like lifting either, but it's a discipline. You can also do some strength training with cardio, like rock climbing or setting resistance levels on cardio machines high, but you're still probably not going to work all your muscle groups that way.
  • mcjabber
    mcjabber Posts: 374 Member
    I'm the same. I've been strength training for years anyway, but I hate it. I find it so boring. And, frankly, I don't like the short term results!! With cardio, I feel energized and happy afterward. With strength... I feel tired and hungry.

    That being said... my arms and legs look awfully pretty :)
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    combine. Elliptical or cross trainers give you the 'flying'feeling of cardio while doing adjustable resistance. Swimming is fantastic toning/cardio. Teamm sports such as netball or basketball are both too. Circuit training bookended with cardio is a fave of mine.

    It's not a cardio or weights thing. You can do both, often at once.
  • SarahSmilesCA
    SarahSmilesCA Posts: 261 Member
    I really hate everything about strength training...well except one thing. The results...That is what motivates me to keep going despite the pain. And there is no denying, there is a lot of pain when you start out. Take BCAA to help reduce the muscle fatigue, it really helps.

    The first two months I just did cardio 5x a week (90 mins) and I only lost 10 lbs. The 3rd month I added HEAVY strength training 3x a week for an hour and knocked the cardio down to 3x a week, (75-80 minutes). I lost ANOTHER 30 lbs in three months.

    I average 7-10 lbs loss a month right now. I have NEVER lost that fast in my life.

    The thing that impressed me the most though was the inches lost. I am a smaller person now. I have curves and muscle where I had fat 5 months ago...it is pretty incredible...cardio doesn't do that for you, strength training does...

    Results will motivate you to keep going. But you have to start, and you have to stay at it. Yeah it sucks, but it delivers results.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Sometimes to start a program or a new activity, you need an external motivator--a health scare, being disgusted by what you see in the mirror, a wedding or a high school reunion. You have to figure out a way to grind it out.

    Hopefully, then, you reached that first milestone and things change. With lifting weights, it is often that one day where you increase the weights to a new level and, instead of struggling to lift it, you feel your muscles kick in with a new forcefulness and control. Or you have to carry that box up a flight of stairs and realize, "wow, that was pretty easy". At that point, you start to become internally motivated--you no longer do it because you feel you HAVE to, but because you WANT to.

    My points are that: A) you should not fight the idea that you might need a strong external motivator at first--plan for it; B) Your feelings about strength training may change over time--think short term at first.

    So do whatever it takes to get started--try a class, hire a trainer, work with a buddy. Commit to doing 12 quality workouts in 5-6 weeks and see what happens.
  • j3an22
    j3an22 Posts: 77
    I like dancing like zumba, which I think it more fun with someone else,

    or taebo. no weight for that. just if you want to add punching gloves on to add weight
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Just do it.

    Take part in various programs and find what works for you. You can buy hand weights, wrist weights, medicine ball, so many different options out there

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