how do i make weightlifting = cardio?

That_car_is_full_of_balloons
That_car_is_full_of_balloons Posts: 135 Member
edited January 27 in Fitness and Exercise
do you just take less break between sets?
more volume longer duration?
im gonna stop doing cardio for at least a week because of shin splints and all the cardio machines just make it feel worse
thing is i relied on cardio for fat burning and ive seen great results
im worried i will gain fat if i just lift weights. i see all the guys in the weightroom and get scared
they all have too much body fat and i dont wanna end up like that
is it a matter of cutting calories? i burned 600 cals a day doing steady state cardio
so eat 600 less plus lift and still stay lean? id appreciate any help on figuring this out

Replies

  • n3ver3nder
    n3ver3nder Posts: 155 Member
    Have a look at barbell complexes, kettle bell circuits etc.

    Lifting weights in and of itself will not make you fat, eating too much will. Dial back on the kcal's if you're gaining fat.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
    do cardio that doesn't crush your legs.

    punching
    swimming
    rowing
  • amybg1
    amybg1 Posts: 631 Member
    If anything weights will help you BURN fat because muscle will use fat as fuel when it runs out/runs low on glycogen when working out. If you're seeing people with a higher BF% in the weight room most of the time they're new lifters taht ahven't been at it for too long.

    I know when I work out I either see rail-thin people who...pretend to lift OR the people who actually workout and look a whole lot better than those people constantly doing steady-state cardio.

    And it's common knowledge that if you burn more than you consume you'll lose either way - so if you burn say 300 when lifting eat 300 less and voila! Your desired 600 cal daily deficit!

    It's all common sense (or should be anyway...)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,452 Spam Moderator
    Train with speed and explosive intensity, but make sure your form is good. Rest little between sets. You can get a decent workout done in 30 minutes.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • LunaMischief
    LunaMischief Posts: 166 Member
    im worried i will gain fat if i just lift weights. i see all the guys in the weightroom and get scared
    they all have too much body fat and i dont wanna end up like that

    Whut??? Gain fat???? :huh:

    Since when does weightlifting = gaining fat?
  • OGJake12
    OGJake12 Posts: 187 Member
    Its all about circuit training. Look into it.
  • sammyneb
    sammyneb Posts: 257 Member
    i would do like a circuit of 5 of 6 different weights, do one set, move on to the next exercise without resting, get through all of them then do some quick cardio (like 30-60 seconds of jumping jacks or jump rope, then start all over again for 3 sets. (or something similar, but trust me your heart will be pumping!)

    i use to have a routine where I had 3 different circuits I would do, lost a lot of weight with that :)
  • ncl1313
    ncl1313 Posts: 237 Member
    Lift heavy (4-12 reps that are challenging), short rest between sets, supersets (two exercises done one right after another in the same set, like lunges with a bicep curl, squats with a shoulder press, etc.). Just keep moving!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    im worried i will gain fat if i just lift weights.

    Whether you gain fat or not has nothing to do with cardio.

    Don't try to "make weightlifting = cardio." Get some occasional cardio by doing something fun on off days. Make weightlifting = weightlifting.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    lift faster
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member

    C'mon, not that again!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Guys, read closer.

    The OP is trying to make weightlifting more aerobic because they're scared they're going to get fat if they don't.

    This is nonsense. The OP doesn't need to turn lifting into cardio.
  • taylorwaylor
    taylorwaylor Posts: 417 Member
    calories deficit = fat loss... So yeah, you could just cut out 600 calories. For lifting for cardio, do higher reps and lighter weights. Just do this and you wont gain a lot of fat until you can run again.
  • DragonSquatter
    DragonSquatter Posts: 957 Member
    166089_10101433963287965_277193590_n.jpg
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Do supersets, reducing or eliminating the time spent resting by working a different body part while the other rests. This will keep your HR elevated during more of your workout time.
  • BenchPressingCats
    BenchPressingCats Posts: 1,826 Member
    166089_10101433963287965_277193590_n.jpg

    Love this!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Weight lifting will not make you gain fat :huh: . Eating too much makes you gain fat.
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member
    calories deficit = fat loss... So yeah, you could just cut out 600 calories. For lifting for cardio, do higher reps and lighter weights. Just do this and you wont gain a lot of fat until you can run again.
    Close.
    Caloric deficit = weight loss.
    Caloric deficit + weight lifting = fat loss.

    So ya, don't eat those 600 calories you were burning (really? 600? that's a lot!), and lift heavy, and I promise, you'll like the results.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    do cardio that doesn't crush your legs.

    the more you lift with your legs, the more you engage the cardiovascular system. Do a set of heavy squats and you'll see. It builds up an oxygen debt the same way running 100m does. I've improved my cardiovascular fitness by doing only weightlifting. It works if you do heavy sets of big compound exercises.

    OP - if you change the way you exercise, that will affect your TDEE and you may have to adjust how many calories you eat to compensate. And just because you see big guys who have more bodyfat than you want in the weight room, they did not get that way by weightlifting, they got that way by eating. Many powerlifters will eat for strength gains and not worry too much about gaining bodyfat in the process as long as the amount they can lift goes up. Some of them drink a gallon of milk a day in addition to several large meals a day in order to achieve this. Bodybuilders will cut (i.e. eat at a deficit to lose fat while training hard to maintain the muscle they have) to reduce bodyfat very low and get ripped. many powerlifters care far more about how much they can lift than whether anyone can see their abs.

    In short, you will not gain fat from lifting weights unless you choose to eat like a powerlifter. Oh and by the way I'm currently eating loads of food, lifting very heavy weights, and trying to gain weight and make maximum strength gains............... and I've managed to gain a whole entire pound in 5 weeks.....!! No-one gets fat overnight. Even obese people did not get fat quickly, they got fat by gradually gaining a little bit of fat over many years. So if you have to stop cardio for a while, it's not going to make you get fat. If you're burning fewer calories overall, you may need to eat a little less, but if you're lifting your body will be burning up calories repairing/rebuilding your muscles from that and that may mean you don't actually need to eat less after all. It's actually a lot more difficult than you think to gain weight... so don't stress.
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member

    Oh lord -- didn't realize it was that guy again.
    Le sigh....
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    option 1
    keep your rest intervals between 45 and 60 secs. don't rely on your mental timer. i have a stopwatch set to 1 min that i hit at the end of each set. keep in mind that's still not cardio, it's hypertrophy.

    option 2
    if you really want it to be cardio, do a circuit. 45 secs of work, 15 secs rest, alternating between 8-10 exercises that work upper, lower and total body. an example would be

    pushups
    reverse lunge
    renegade rows
    squat jumps
    hand walkouts
    crab toe touch
    burpees
    sumo shuffle
    thrusters
    mountain climbers

    do all of the above, rest 2 minutes, repeat 2 more times. keep in mind, that's not lifting, it's cardio.

    option 3

    do your regular routine but in between sets do mountain climbers, jumping jacks, or burpees, or box jumps for 45-60 seconds, rest another 60, then do your set and repeat. keep in mind, that's lifting+cardio, and it is fecking DEATH. I love it but it's hard as all hell.
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