Cardio vs Weights

QUESTION!! Should doing resistance training be in interval days? Or is everyday or 5-6 times a week just fine and/or more effective? + calorie deficit (for losing weight)

If you're doing a split 5-6 days a week is fine. If you're doing full body or upper/lower then the answer is going to be different...

just keep on mixing what you do every so often so you dont get bored. walking up steep hills or steps burns a lot of cals. weights tone you up and look good but if you have a lot of body fat it will bulk you up and make you look bigger than you are. i am getting my body fat off then hitting the weights to tone myself up but for now biking walking cross country hikes will have to do. i used to do the weights years ago and my weight was heavy but my body was good then but weight is weight and if its too much it is a health risk to carry a lot of baggage . you see a lot of huge body builders fall down with heart attacks so cardio i thinks much better to start with and will ease your bones back into shape before you pound them at a gym with weights.

BTW, I don't do cardio (though I do play tennis and racquetball).

That sentence can't possibly be true.

I read it as "I don't do cardio, except the cardio that I do"...

In my case I'd frame it as "I don't do cardio machines, I run..."

"Doing cardio" is not fun.

Having fun is fun.

The point is to have fun, not "do cardio." Fun is good for the body and mind. Don't underestimate the psychological and physical benefits of being active and having fun. Torturing yourself by "doing cardio" that's no fun is not good for you.

You are just arguing semantics. If it makes it more fun for you to not think of it as "cardio" or not think you are "doing it", then go with that. It will still be good for your cardiovascular health no matter what you call it.

No need to choose, do both, but the key is finding something you enjoy. The case for lifting has been made so I won't bother except to agree with the benefits and second the recommendations for the Starting Strength and New Rules of Lifting books. But cardio is very beneficial and heart healthy. Cardiologist always recommend cardio exercise for keeping the heart rate elevated ( above 70%) at a minimum of 20 to 30 continuous minutes "most" days of the week. Personally I would struggle and probably fail if my only options were the elliptical or stationary bike, but I just love running and cycling outdoors. I lift three days a week then do a short run (30 to 45 minutes) afterwards then cycle on two to three days a week. I lift because I know I need to, but I run and cycle because it is so enjoyable (especially the cycling, for me). Mountain biking, road biking, trail running all in the beautiful outdoors. Getting healthy has never been so much fun!

Of course the more you can get exercise in the better. I see people all the time at the gym who are heavy and only come 2-3 times a week. 3 months later they still look the same. You have to be in it to win it.

This is, pardon me, bollocks.

BTW, I don't do cardio (though I do play tennis and racquetball).

That sentence can't possibly be true.

I read it as "I don't do cardio, except the cardio that I do"...

In my case I'd frame it as "I don't do cardio machines, I run..."

"Doing cardio" is not fun.

Having fun is fun.

The point is to have fun, not "do cardio." Fun is good for the body and mind. Don't underestimate the psychological and physical benefits of being active and having fun. Torturing yourself by "doing cardio" that's no fun is not good for you.

You are just arguing semantics. If it makes it more fun for you to not think of it as "cardio" or not think you are "doing it", then go with that. It will still be good for your cardiovascular health no matter what you call it.

I suggest that it's you who is arguing semantics. I made earlier that I define "doing cardio" as exercising with the primary intent of getting cardiovascular exercise. You are trying to perpetuate a fight about what "doing cardio" means by defining it to include any sort of exercise at all.

I'm not interested in that argument.

I have said several times and will say again, for the last time in this thread: doing exercise with the primary goal of simply exercising is boring and I don't do it, nor would I recommend anyone do it. What I do recommend is finding something active that one genuinely enjoys and doing that instead.

Of course the more you can get exercise in the better. I see people all the time at the gym who are heavy and only come 2-3 times a week. 3 months later they still look the same. You have to be in it to win it.

I go to the gym 3 times a week for an hour.

More is not better.

@jonnythan

How long did it take you to lose the weight? And more is better!

I go to the gym 3 times a week for an hour.

More is not better.
How long did it take you to lose the weight? And more is better!

No, more is not better. Not in terms of training goals or weight loss. Recovery and overuse injuries are real, serious things.

you see a lot of huge body builders fall down with heart attacks so cardio i thinks much better to start with and will ease your bones back into shape before you pound them at a gym with weights.

Or all the stims, etc have effed their hearts up.

I'm sorry but "easing bones back into shape" is what stood out here for me...


OP, I'm too lazy to go back and quote was jonnythan said.
But New Rules of Lifting is a good book to read and I agree with him that it gets overly complicated. And quickly.
Not every gym has all the equipment required by the program.

That said, I still reccommend that you read this book.
Twice. Cover to cover.

And look into Stronglifts 5x5.
It's simple. 5 lifts to remember.
NROLFW had 12 for the 1st stage alone. And you had to remember what got supersetted with what and how many reps & sets.


Make sure the trainer you're meeting with has the knowledge to show you barbell lifts if that's what you decide to do.
Not all trainers know olympic lifts (though they should)

I do 10min of cardio as a warm up and then lift.
I go at 5am and I'm not going from my bed to lifting anything over like 10# without waking up.