women who mainly lift weights

I lift heavy things

I walk up the stairs to my apartment, occasionally I run up them. That's it for cardio, although I'm waiting for cooler weather so I can do some walking (I live in Bahrain, i.e. almost tropical heat and high humidity)

I don't do any cardio. My lifting sessions are about 60 min, resting 2 min between sets. Burn about 400 calories per session.

So if you think about it, you're burning at a rate that, if you eat sedentary maintenance, will get you about 1 lb of loss per week in a low BF% person.

Exercise only helps in that it can keep your metabolism up (by much less than you think though) and by burning some of the food you've eaten, so you can eat more and diet comfortably.

How fast you loose has nothing to do with lifting v. cardio v. the couch. It's how much you eat in relation to how much you burn. This isn't a virtue or anything, it's a fact.

So you're a "Woman Who Mainly Lifts Weights?"

I do 10 mins of cardio to warm up, sometimes a full run to warm up, and I train for my triathlon twice a week. I think I probably do only cardio twice a week as 'rest' days in between my weight lifting - swim one day, run one day. If I could weight lift every day I would, I just can't because I require days off to recuperate.

I weight lift 5-6 days a week depending on muscle soreness and alternate different muscle groups. As for cardio I get about 5-6 hours of hockey in per week and I try to run stairs at least once a week.

I do so little cardio, and I'm trying to do more for endurance at least.

My tendons/wonky body structure don't like the repetitive nature of cardio, and it's hard to find something that I can do often and long and not have things get inflamed. Even walking, I have a leg length discrepancy that causes imbalances. So far I like belly dance best to not aggravate much. That's cardio enough for me, lol.

I only do about 20-30 minutes of cardio a week, if that. Every now and then I get the notion to run a few miles and will do 40 min cardio at one time, but its only happened once in the past 6 weeks.

I primarily I do HIIT on the treadmill with intervals of :45 seconds running between 8.5-9.5 mph and :30 recovery standing on the rails, until I have done at least 10 cycles. Or I'll do :20 seconds on, :20 off at a faster pace if I'm in a hurry to get done.

I've been currently dieting for 6 weeks.
Lift 3-5x per week depending on schedule for 45-90 minutes. Each workout is based on either deads/rack pulls, squats, or bench/overhead press and then heavy high rep accessory work.

In that 6 weeks I have done a total of 8 cardio sessions according to my logs.

I have lost 10 lbs, from 167 to 157 and I eat 1900 calories/day, with high protein and moderate carbs and fat.


In the past I completely stopped doing cardio to get very lean over the course of 3 months from 135 down to 125 and was able to obtain six pack, shoulder striations, crazy vascularity, etc, and just lifted 5x per week eating 1600 calories.

Overdoing cardio is a big no no in my book. It just makes you hungrier, IMO, unless its short.

I would also like to point out, not to be a beeyotch, but if someone says they are doing HIIT for 20-30 minutes at a time, it isn't really "high intensity". True tabata is about 8 minutes long cause that's all your punk butt can handle of going balls to the wall with short recovery periods. They may be doing intervals, but it isn't true HIIT for that long.

I'm trying to fit a bit more cardio in to lose some fat (since I can't seem to eat less!) but have trouble fitting it in. I love to lift, I will find any excuse to lift and not do cardio. I always walk a bit before and after my lifts (2-3 times/week).

I've tried doing an hour of aerobics class 2x a week in addition and it was a bit much though I think I could get used to it if I kept at it. My schedule is too full right now though.

I got down 5 lbs under my goal weight just watching my calories and doing cardio but I was "skinny fat". Started lifting heavy a year ago and gained 15 lbs. I'd like to lose at least 5 of those. Some is muscle but obviously some is not. I've stayed close to the same size from when I was at my goal weight but I can tell my tummy is a bit bigger. Not that I'm discouraging heavy weights at ALL. It's all on me that I haven't kept under my calories. I feel strong and love it.

I would also like to point out, not to be a beeyotch, but if someone says they are doing HIIT for 20-30 minutes at a time, it isn't really "high intensity". True tabata is about 8 minutes long cause that's all your punk butt can handle of going balls to the wall with short recovery periods. They may be doing intervals, but it isn't true HIIT for that long.

False. Tabata and HIIT are not the same thing. Tabata intervals are usually 2:1 (meaning rest periods are about half as long as cardio periods). During HIIT the rest periods are as long or longer than the cardio periods. I can sprint for a minute and walk for a minute for 20 minutes without needing to slow my sprints at the end of 20 minutes. I can't sprint for a minute and rest for 30 second while maintaining speed for 20 minutes. My sprints would slow considerably with the short rest period.

I lift 5 days a week for apx 1 hour each day. The weight training program I'm following started me on cardio in the second phase, so I'm also on the treadmill 3x a week for 20-30 minutes. I dont like cardio, love the weights! I do notice the weight coming off faster or more consistent with the cardio added in though, not that I'm in a rush! I'm down just about 20 lbs.

I lift 3 times a week and do 'cardio' twice.. and I say 'cardio' as its bootcamp and circuit so its strength based cardio and not running etc.