stop overdoing cardio and hit the damn weights!!!

Options
13567…23

Replies

  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    Options
    To the OP: cardio has its own benefits, and some people simply don't LIKE lifting. I think it's far better to do some form of exercise that you enjoy and will stick at than something you hate and will eventually give up. I do cardio AND I lift, by the way, so this is a neutral view. :smile:
    Well I'd lift if it was not going to injure my back some more. So I do cardio instead.

    You can't know why people can't lift. Yes some people CAN NOT LIFT at all.

    I don't know exactly what your back problems are so I could be speaking well out of turn, but I just wanted to say that I have a history of back problems, and once I got my form right, lifting has actually really helped it.
  • tyraun_b
    tyraun_b Posts: 65
    Options
    everyone has had valid points. at the end of the day we're going to do something we enjoy. and that's all good. there's nothing wrong with that. but i'm speaking from my personal experience and from what i've heard several men/women i know say. i know numerous men/women that started working out, and were on the heavier side. their believe was weight lifting would make them look funnier because of the weight they already carried. after months and months of just doing cardio, because their view was, "i wanna lose the weight first before i start lifting"...they didn't really see a change except for that initial weight loss which usually is alot of water weight, and what i like to call..."okay you're finally doing something active...wow...lets go on ahead and drop a few just because you're trying pounds!!" . so basically it was like going from a big pear to a little pear. their shape hadn't change minus the few pounds they lost. and mind you...they were eating better too. they took a chance and started lifting weights...and guess what...not only did they start to see changes in their body.....they became HOOKED!!!! to this day they have changed their physiques. they believe they would not look the way they do if they hadn't taken on the challenge of adding weight/resistance training to their workout regimen. so in a nutshell....the point i'm making is that we have to get out of our comfort zone/convienece/stigmas to make real gains, and take on a challenge that we're not use to. in this case....pushing our bodies past plateaus and taking our minds to a zone that will make us believe and achieve what we once thought was unachievable!!!!! and i don't care what ANYBODY says......if you want SERIOUS changes to your body.....you gotta put in SERIOUS work. there are no short cuts to looking our best.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    Options
    I think it would be more accurate to state that if your primary goals are fat loss and lean muscle retention you should favour resistance training over cardio if you are time limited as it is more efficient for achieving those goals.

    It should also be remembered that "cardio" in this context is low intensity steady state cardio which is done for long lengths of time (say over 90 minutes at a time) usually coupled with inappropriately steep calorie deficits as well. So, the guy (but in reality girl) who will grind away on the treadmill at a recovery rate hour after hour whilst eating nothing but celery.

    In reality, most people who do cardio in a meaningful fashion don't actually train or eat that way I suspect. Doesn't stop "fitness" gurus getting their panties in a bunch about the issue though...
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Options
    Resistance training also leads one to maintain a high level of functional strength and mobility as we age which aids in independent living. A lot of people take for granted the everyday mundane activities such as walking, bathing, changing clothes, standing up, feeding and do not realize they are all impacted by our degree of functional strength and mobility. This is why muscular strength and endurance is the most important component of fitness according to health specialists against Father Time.
  • krebsi
    krebsi Posts: 53 Member
    Options
    i do both... i love swimming a lot but also love the body pump class...

    lifting makes a big difference to a body shape and my back problems have been much less since i lift plus core training.

    and to lift, you dont really need a gym.....
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    Options
    I want to feel strong and look good naked, not feel weak and look good in clothes, buts thats just my goal :)

    I spend more time dressed than undressed. But maybe that's just me...
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Options
    Umm, no. I will not hit the weights. And not because I think it'll make me bulky.
    1. I don't want to.
    2. I reeeaallly enjoy walking and jogging.
    3. I have no intentions of paying for a full gym membership to have access to weights.
    4. I'm still working on losing fat, toning is for when I'm closer to my goal. I can barely do many squats or lunges right now.

    I don't get why so many people think everyone should lift. People are going to do what they enjoy.

    1-3 are all really valid points, and basically if you don't want to, that's your choice.

    However, with number 4, I will say that the whole "toning is for after fat loss" thing is a bit of a myth. So many people believe you have to wait until after you've reach your goal before toning. In reality, if you start now, it's so so much easier to tone up and get the look you're after. The reason is because to look toned, this involves having some muscle. When you lose fat without strength training, you lose muscle too. Lifting helps to preserve muscle while you lose fat, so once you've hit your goal, there's no need to start working on another one. Lifting will not hinder your fat loss goals.

    If you still decide not to, that's fine too, I just wanted you to be aware of this.

    ETA: Nobody (or few people anyway) start out being able to do much, whether that's squats, lunges or other resistance exercise. This is why people start, it comes over time.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    Options
    Cardio and weights are not mutually exclusive. Both are beneficial for different reasons. Cardio is excellent for heart health and increasing your VO2 max and weights are great for gaining muscle and, as someone else pointed out, maintaining bone density.

    For me a mix of both is ideal, but it does depend on your goals.

    Donna

    Great answer.

    That's pretty much how I feel about this.

    I agree that functional strength is essential and some muscle tone is nice aesthetically, so yes I integrate some lifting into my regime, but not to the detriment of all else. To me my cardiovascular fitness is very important. I see plenty of musclebound chaps in my gym who can't run something as pathetic as 5k and to me that's not the image of health I had in mind.
  • Froody2
    Froody2 Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    I love running so it wins every time. However, I lift to help prevent running injuries and to hopefully get faster. It doesn't have to be a stark, black and white choice - both have their place and both should be enjoyed for good health.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    Options
    To the OP: cardio has its own benefits, and some people simply don't LIKE lifting. I think it's far better to do some form of exercise that you enjoy and will stick at than something you hate and will eventually give up. I do cardio AND I lift, by the way, so this is a neutral view. :smile:
    Well I'd lift if it was not going to injure my back some more. So I do cardio instead.

    You can't know why people can't lift. Yes some people CAN NOT LIFT at all.

    I don't know exactly what your back problems are so I could be speaking well out of turn, but I just wanted to say that I have a history of back problems, and once I got my form right, lifting has actually really helped it.

    Not for me. The main reason for me losing weigh is so there was no extra weight on my back. Lifting weights just puts that back on while lifting them.
  • keeptehpeace
    keeptehpeace Posts: 189 Member
    Options
    are you going to buy me some weights or membership at the gym? no? then until the point I can get some, I will continue with my bodyweight exercises (squats, push ups, leg lifts) along with my cardio
  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
    Options
    I do both. I actually enjoy doing cardio and I do it mainly for that reason, and for my heart health, and to earn a few extra calories for the noms.

    BUT, I also lift and I freaking love it. My weight loss has slowed lately, but I can feel and see a change to my body. My partner says I feel more 'solid' and 'hard' and I look really good at the moment for it.

    Cardio is great, and so is lifting; there's no right or wrong.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Options
    Are there really still people who think women will automatically get bulky from lifting weights? Why are we still talking about this?:yawn:
  • jennz81
    jennz81 Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    One thing I do find is that people often say, "Wow, you've lost so much weight lately." And I respond that I have not lost weight in a year. I changed my body composition.

    Weight lifting is great for helping women achieve and maintain bone density, so don't knock it just because you happen to like cardio better. I happen to like both. I feel that weights have had a much greater impact on how I look though.

    and this is what i try to tell females all of the time. i think when some women hear the term.."LIFT WEIGHTS", i think the first thing they think about are the bodybuilders on magazines. i think they believe they have to lift tons of weights like a man to look good which would cause them to look bulky, blocky, mainly, non-feminine or whatever they wanna call it. most women will never lift the way a man does. that's out so lets not even think about that. most bodybuilders that we see n thses magazines and supplement ads are doped up on heavy steroids that push their genetic limitaions for muscle growth to damn near infinity. so of course they can build slabs and slabs of freakish, cartoonish muscle. and yes that goes for the women bodybuilders too. so if they could eliminate that out of their minds first then they would have a different approach from the jump. some of the most famous actresses, athletes, entertainers, etc that we see on tv and in movies with nice physiques come from putting in hardwork and serious dedication to weight training. don't get me wrong, i don't wanna be a hyprocrite or completely bias and say i'm totally against cardio (hell no!!!) because i do it too, but i do it to a minimum. i may occassionally put in 45-60 minutes but that's usually HIIT or on a high level. i make it hard as hell!!!! as far as weights go....if you're looking to tone, tighten and change your body compositioin to attain those sleek, dense curves.....weight lifting or some type of challenging resistance training, along with understanding how to incorporate your eating/macros to suit whatever goal it is you're trying to achieve is the way to go. PERIOD!!!!!!!

    Most definitely this. :)
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Options
    This thread. Le sigh.

    Objectives and personal pleasure should dictate exercise type and there are more than your two choices "weights" vs "cardio".
    Why is it necessary to diss "cardio" to point out the benefits of progressive resistance training?

    However, I will agree that a lot of misconceptions about what weight training does or does not do. For example, done properly - weight training of some sort will help in many types of back or joint pain.

    For me, weight training is only part of a program that also includes other focuses for flexibility, various types of endurance, balance, agility, total performance that neither weight training alone nor cardio alone addresses optimally.
  • totem12
    totem12 Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    Umm, no. I will not hit the weights. And not because I think it'll make me bulky.
    1. I don't want to.
    2. I reeeaallly enjoy walking and jogging.
    3. I have no intentions of paying for a full gym membership to have access to weights.
    4. I'm still working on losing fat, toning is for when I'm closer to my goal. I can barely do many squats or lunges right now.

    I don't get why so many people think everyone should lift. People are going to do what they enjoy.

    THANKYOU

    I do some resistance training but do not lift HEAVY, for the various reasons listed here. My body looks fine and I am plenty toned and wouldn't consider myself skinny fat at all.
  • smallbutcurvy
    smallbutcurvy Posts: 53
    Options
    I upped my strength training up to heavy lifting, only because I was impressed by the ladies who posted on the forums slimmer athletic bodies, at sometimes a few pounds heavier than before.
    It has annihilated middle age spread , I also do cardio and circuit training in general still.
  • totem12
    totem12 Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    And I would like to add that nothing has made more of a difference to my physique and weight loss than WALKING.
  • crispsandwich
    crispsandwich Posts: 177 Member
    Options
    by lifting weights do you mean the free weights? I find them intimidating at my gym, which am sure is my problem and not the result of anyone else doing or saying anything?
  • hopwoods1
    hopwoods1 Posts: 41 Member
    Options
    I do both. I love the lifting and lift three times a week. I do an hour's worth of cardio twice a week.
    On my lifting days I do 15 minutes cardio as a warm up. I'm on a 1000 calorie / day deficit lose weight and once I hit my weight goal, I plan to start a program like stronglifts 5x5.

    Right now after 3 months of lifting I can't really lift much weight at all (compared to some of the guys at my gym).
    I've only just hit 50kg on bench press, I put that down to the fact that I'm on a deficit and therefore not gaining much new muscle. However my arms and legs are much more toned and shaped than they used to be. I know I'm not losing any muscle and that the point.

    I'm much happier with the way I look, even though I I'm only 40% towards my weight goal. I still have a big belly, and man boobs but they are shrinking. I get positive comments from my friends and family.

    Best of all though is the improvement in my insulin response, my recent blood sugar tests revealed I have almost halved my averaged blood sugar levels from 90 mmol/mol to 50 mmol/mol. So to any type 2 diabetics out there I would recommend lifting as a way to reduce long term sugar levels.

Categories