Should I focus more on cardio than weight training?

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oreogirl168
oreogirl168 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'5" and 150 lbs and I'm trying to lose 30 more pounds and they are just not coming off. I used to do both cardio and weight training, but I have all the muscle I want (seriously my thighs and calves are big). I would like to get the layer of fat off and i think I would have a pretty sculpted body. Should I just up my cardio? I either elliptical or cycle for an hour a day or I'll run 5-9 miles. I also do HIIT. What is the best way to slim down? And I also keep up with a healthy diet.

Replies

  • SuperCrsa
    SuperCrsa Posts: 790 Member
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    You should track your calories accurately for weight loss..
    In your previous post today you said you are not logging your meals but using your mind to keep track..

    I prefer weight training to cardio, I can see a big difference in my body shape.
    Weight training also helps to keep LBM while you are eating at a calorie deficit.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    If your weight isn't coming down you are not in a calorie deficit.
    Really you are looking in the wrong place trying to lose weight by exercise if you aren't sure of your calorie intake. I've always been able to out-eat whatever exercise routine I've followed!

    To answer your question I believe a mixture of both cardio and weights to be the best for overall health, fitness and preservation of muscle mass while dieting.
  • gettingsexy94
    gettingsexy94 Posts: 156 Member
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    Bump

    I think my muscle is hiding beneath my fat too. Would love some cardio suggestions :D
  • ndrec
    ndrec Posts: 31 Member
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    it's more important to be very accurate in calorie and macronutrient tracking than to just think about burning calories.
  • David_AUS
    David_AUS Posts: 298 Member
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    Weight training will tend to give more efficient (time) and easier to increase intensity. Cardio had a tendancy to mean increased time and can tend to have less "After burn". I would in your case seriously consider body weight exercises. Note your legs may just appear larger as the adipose layer is reduced. It would be a shame not to use a major muscle group to help you BMR and weight loss.

    Almost forgot - you would be amazed just how much a few snacks can add up. Pay closer attention to what you are eating, you are likely higher than you think, a couple of biscuits and an apple can be the difference between a deficit and maintaining weight.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    weight loss is about a calorie deficet and if you don't log or don't log accurately how do you know you are in a deficet?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I'm 5'5" and 150 lbs and I'm trying to lose 30 more pounds and they are just not coming off.

    That's quite simply a quesiton of not being in energy deficit. To plan that you ned to get on top of your intake. Recording your intake will help you understand it. Personally I'm not a big fan of getting to wrapped up in weighing and measuring everything, but that's because I do enough phys to not have to get too wrapped up. My bigger concern is ending up underfuelled for my training. Intake is as much about personal circumstance, but if you do nothing else I'd recommend working to understand how much you're eating.
    I used to do both cardio and weight training, but I have all the muscle I want (seriously my thighs and calves are big). I would like to get the layer of fat off and i think I would have a pretty sculpted body. Should I just up my cardio? I either elliptical or cycle for an hour a day or I'll run 5-9 miles. I also do HIIT.

    When you're in deficit the resistance work will help retain lean mass, so that your weight loss should bias towards fat. Depending on your wider objectives that resistance training needn't be much.

    You don't mention specifically but it sounds like all three of your CV sessions are indoors. Your calorie consumption does depend on intensity, and you can do intervals with either a bike, elliptical or treadmill. It sounds like you don't really have a handle on what you're burning as a result of the CV, the expenditure on a bike is significantly lower than when running. An hour on the bike is generally going to be about 400 cals, an hour on the treadmill, somewhere around 800. If you're doing 5 CV sessions per week then you probably don't need to do more, although you may need to increase your steady state intensity, or look at the quality of the sessions.

    Generally a good CV pattern will include a long duration medium intensity session, and two or three interval or tempo sessions per week. As a comparator for me running medium intensity is a 10 minute mile, tempo is about 8-9 minute mile and highest for the intervals is 5-6 minute mile.
  • jamescarlsen21
    jamescarlsen21 Posts: 7
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    For this you should concentrate on your physical exercise plan and make this more heavier as of now.
  • mitchiejo
    mitchiejo Posts: 179 Member
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    I would focus on logging my food to be sure I am at a calorie deficit first to lose weight. For fitness a nice balance of strength and cardio should do the trick.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    As you seem to have an active and complete exercise regime. My bet is that you will see results by focusing on your eating habits. First, review your calories in vs calories out. Then look at what you eat. Reduce refined sugars, increase proteins and try to add in complex carbs.

    And, do not stress about muscle mass! Keep up with any weight training as well as HIIT and any other cardio. Exercise, just like food requires balance to get the most benefits.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    you dont log... you're eating more than you think.

    work out your TDEE then take off 10-15%

    keep up with the strength training and cardio that you're doing at the moment.
  • javacafe
    javacafe Posts: 79 Member
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    Bump

    I think my muscle is hiding beneath my fat too. Would love some cardio suggestions :D

    Cardio, especially LISS (low-intensity, steady-state) cardio, which I have done extensively in the past, will tend to atrophy muscles as much as (if not more than) it will burn fat. This is the reason why bodybuilders and powerlifters tend to avoid (extensive) cardio. I have done almost every combination of workouts there is. But what eventually worked for me, in my quest to shed fat and retain muscle) was weight training (heavy lifting, along with eating at a caloric deficit. In fact, it worked quite well, I think.

    See my before/after pics taken last year, if you care: http://i.imgur.com/bPm2Bmv.jpg.

    Since then, I have been a firm believer in the efficacy of strength training and calorie control. (I am not arguing against the potential cardiovascular benefits of cardio; I just do not think it is as effective as weight training in creating a defined body (and, for me, not necessary, given my goals.

    In any case, good luck with whatever you do. :smile:
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Cardio, especially LISS (low-intensity, steady-state) cardio, which I have done extensively in the past, will tend to atrophy muscles as much as (if not more than) it will burn fat.

    I think it's worth pointing out that you've got to burn a lot of glycogen before that's going to happen, so you're talking 2-3 hours at medium intensity before there is any risk of routinely depleting lean mass. Most people who hit that level of CV work end up having to refuel, or they burn out completely at that point anyway, so there is more to worry about than the muscles wasting away before you reach the shower.
  • redzgal
    redzgal Posts: 255 Member
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    I agree with the majority. I personally would run 5-6 times a week for at least 40 minutes and not a pound would come off. I finally got real with myself and admitted that "eyeballing" my food was not working. Now, I'm accountable and measuring everything. But I also decided that I needed to do strength training.

    Well, one month into it, I've lost a 1/2 inch on both my waist and thighs. And 1lb on the scale. But I'm not really worried about that because I know eventually, that scale is going to move. So, as everyone said, you have to be diligent with tracking what you eat. And stick with the strength training even if it's light. You get more burn than just with cardio. :)

    Good Luck!!
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
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    Looking back through your diary for the past week, you only posted one full DAY of meals; and a couple days just breakfast; for the most part you don't log anything.

    How do you know you are eating at a deficit? You don't.

    Do you weigh and/or measure your portions?

    The one day you did log, you did not eat back any of your exercise calories, so I ask how do you know you are eating enough to fuel your body?

    If you are going to use MFP as a tool, you need to use all of it.

    Do you drink enough water? (8-12 glasses a day -- or more!)

    You need to ask yourself some hard questions and decide how serious you want to be in losing the 50 pounds.

    Its up to you..
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
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    Cardio, especially LISS (low-intensity, steady-state) cardio, which I have done extensively in the past, will tend to atrophy muscles as much as (if not more than) it will burn fat.

    I think it's worth pointing out that you've got to burn a lot of glycogen before that's going to happen, so you're talking 2-3 hours at medium intensity before there is any risk of routinely depleting lean mass. Most people who hit that level of CV work end up having to refuel, or they burn out completely at that point anyway, so there is more to worry about than the muscles wasting away before you reach the shower.

    ^^^ Yep. I get a kick out of the majority of people who think they would wake up the morning after a 4 miler and think all their hard earned muscle would be gone.
  • holly55555
    holly55555 Posts: 306 Member
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    To put it simply, cardio only burns calories while you're actually doing the exercise.

    If you build muscle, the muscle burns calories just to survive. Meaning the more muscle you put on, the more calories you burn just doing NOTHING.


    So you do both. Build a lot of muscle to burn calories when you're not doing cardio.
  • gettingsexy94
    gettingsexy94 Posts: 156 Member
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    Bump

    I think my muscle is hiding beneath my fat too. Would love some cardio suggestions :D

    Cardio, especially LISS (low-intensity, steady-state) cardio, which I have done extensively in the past, will tend to atrophy muscles as much as (if not more than) it will burn fat. This is the reason why bodybuilders and powerlifters tend to avoid (extensive) cardio. I have done almost every combination of workouts there is. But what eventually worked for me, in my quest to shed fat and retain muscle) was weight training (heavy lifting, along with eating at a caloric deficit. In fact, it worked quite well, I think.

    See my before/after pics taken last year, if you care: http://i.imgur.com/bPm2Bmv.jpg.

    Since then, I have been a firm believer in the efficacy of strength training and calorie control. (I am not arguing against the potential cardiovascular benefits of cardio; I just do not think it is as effective as weight training in creating a defined body (and, for me, not necessary, given my goals.

    In any case, good luck with whatever you do. :smile:

    Thanks :) that helps alot. And congrats on ur progress!
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
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    If your weight isn't coming down you are not in a calorie deficit.
    Really you are looking in the wrong place trying to lose weight by exercise if you aren't sure of your calorie intake. I've always been able to out-eat whatever exercise routine I've followed!

    To answer your question I believe a mixture of both cardio and weights to be the best for overall health, fitness and preservation of muscle mass while dieting.

    I agree with this and I will add some. I always thought I had a lot of muscle under my fat, it turns out, it was mostly fat. As I lost weight I could see the actual muscle definition and watched it improve with weight training.

    I do both weights and cardio at the same gym visit if I am doing a recovery day with HIIT but make time for my Zone 3 and 4 HIIT by themselves because I can't do weights and Zones on the same day.

    Get a food scale and we won't be wishing you luck we will be saying congratulations.
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
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    No. As long as you stay in a calorie deficit you will lose the fat. The benefits of strength training is so you lose more fat than losing fat and muscle.

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