Cardio / Weight Training??

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sfailes98
sfailes98 Posts: 2
edited February 23 in Fitness and Exercise
I am pretty new to MFP, and just recently started a weight loss/ tone up journey of my own. My goal is to lose 20 lbs and really tone my body to look and feel strong. I am doing pretty well with eating cleaner, watching my sugars, calories, carbs and all that fun stuff..
But I still have questions about working out.

I hate running. I love weight training.
I can spend hours in the gym lifting, but I feel like I really have to push myself to even jog (because I don't really "run" yet) for half an hour.

Mostly because I am not in the best shape so I am still working up my cardio...."stamina".
And partly because my ankle starts to really hurt after a while. No excuses though, I know.

My routine 4-5 days a week is going into the gym, walk/jogging for half an hour
and then I spend 1.5 hours stretching, lifting, and doing abs.

Anyway, my question to any and all of you is if you have noticed any real weight loss from lifting weights?
Should I cut back a little on weight training and focus a bit more on cardio?

Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym. exercise isnt necessary to lose weight. lifting weights is good for building muscle in a surplus/maintaining muscle in a deficit, and cardio is good for increased cardiovascular endurance. both help create a bigger deficit but if you run 10 k a day and still eat too much you'll gain weight

    eta; ive lost 70 lbs in 8 months lifting weights 3x/week and no cardio except rare occasions
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym. exercise isnt necessary to lose weight. lifting weights is good for building muscle in a surplus/maintaining muscle in a deficit, and cardio is good for increased cardiovascular endurance. both help create a bigger deficit but if you run 10 k a day and still eat too much you'll gain weight

    eta; ive lost 70 lbs in 8 months lifting weights 3x/week and no cardio except rare occasions

    +1.

    Do what you enjoy. If you hate running, you don't have to do it! If you feel a need for some cardio (and it certainly has its benefits so I'd say it worth incorporating in some way), how about 10-15 minutes of HIIT on an elipitcal instead? It'll be better on your ankle too, probably.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,321 Member
    weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym. exercise isnt necessary to lose weight. lifting weights is good for building muscle in a surplus/maintaining muscle in a deficit, and cardio is good for increased cardiovascular endurance. both help create a bigger deficit but if you run 10 k a day and still eat too much you'll gain weight

    eta; ive lost 70 lbs in 8 months lifting weights 3x/week and no cardio except rare occasions

    That sums it up.

    Maybe ride a stationary bike a few times per week to get your "cardio" in. It shouldn't be as hard on your ankles. Cardio isn't necessary to lose weight though, and neither is lifting.
  • sfailes98
    sfailes98 Posts: 2
    Thank you for the feed back!
    I learn something new every day!

    I will definitely be taking y'alls advice.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    For the record, joint pain isn't an excuse, it's a message from your body that something you are doing is hurting it. If you hate running and it bothers your ankle, find something else to do! Hit the elliptical, take a spin class, do some Zhumba, whatever floats your boat!

    I would encourage you to do SOME sort of cardio so that you can build up that stamina, which is the function of a healthy cardiovascular system. But as others have stated, it's absolutely unnecessary for weight loss.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,865 Member
    Mostly because I am not in the best shape so I am still working up my cardio...."stamina".

    I don't much like running for the first couple of miles. The best way to develop CV stamina is to do CV training, be that running, on a bike, rowing machine, swimming or if you can cope with the utter boredom an elliptihell.
    And partly because my ankle starts to really hurt after a while. No excuses though, I know.

    fwiw I've found that running has helped my knee and ankle problems significantly as a result of improving the condition of the muscle and connecting tissue around the joints.
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