But, what if I don't want to lift?
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jeanmariemcp wrote: »I'm betting that most of those who lift weights wouldn't be able to hold their own body weight as well as you do in your yoga practice. You lift. It's just yourself you're lifting.
What? Sure we could. We lift things that are well over our body weight. Balance on the other hand, I'm not so sure about
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jeanmariemcp wrote: »I'm betting that most of those who lift weights wouldn't be able to hold their own body weight as well as you do in your yoga practice. You lift. It's just yourself you're lifting.
This! No one understand show much work yoga is! Sheesh!0 -
amberstarrcogle wrote: »Maybe tone was the wrong word then.. I don't want a weightlifters body. I want to be thinner, leaner, healthier & comfortable. I do not by any means, want muscle definition in my arms, legs, or stomach. Yoga body, not hard body? Idk how to explain a body type.. the idea of looking light a weightlifter actually frightens me!
Well even if you wanted to lift weights you wouldn't get big muscles or look like a body builder on a calorie deficit. That's hard work and requires a surplus.0 -
Capt_Apollo wrote: »As far as the whole elliptical or treadmill vs. weight lifting thing? OMG, I can't imagine anyone thinking that spending hours as a cardio hamster is less boring than lifting. I run. I run quite a bit. Give me the open road and I'll happily run 13.1 miles but more than a half mile on the treadmill and I'd rather open a wrist. It's sweaty and it's mind numbing even with a TV or music.
Would I rather run or ride outside? You bet. But goals don't wait for nice weather. Therefore I get the work done inside on my treadmill or bike trainer. Boredom doesn't cross my mind. The work has to get done, therefore the work gets done.
idk man, i got a bike trainer in november, and let me tell you, i don't know if i'll ever ride my bike outdoors again!! no people and cars to avoid, no potholes, dogs. no junk miles wasted getting to the proper bike path.
the treadmill still sucks but i did what i had to inside because of yesterdays "blizzard."
I get a *BETTER* workout on my bike trainer than riding outside. As you say, no interruptions, traffic lights, cars, potholes, etc. Just me and my suffering.0 -
There was a good article someone posted the other day about the effort required and sacrifices needed to achieve and maintain different levels of body fat. I can't seem to find the link right now, but it basically made the point that, once you've gotten down to the healthy range, anything more is a personal choice.
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Capt_Apollo wrote: »As far as the whole elliptical or treadmill vs. weight lifting thing? OMG, I can't imagine anyone thinking that spending hours as a cardio hamster is less boring than lifting. I run. I run quite a bit. Give me the open road and I'll happily run 13.1 miles but more than a half mile on the treadmill and I'd rather open a wrist. It's sweaty and it's mind numbing even with a TV or music.
Would I rather run or ride outside? You bet. But goals don't wait for nice weather. Therefore I get the work done inside on my treadmill or bike trainer. Boredom doesn't cross my mind. The work has to get done, therefore the work gets done.
idk man, i got a bike trainer in november, and let me tell you, i don't know if i'll ever ride my bike outdoors again!! no people and cars to avoid, no potholes, dogs. no junk miles wasted getting to the proper bike path.
the treadmill still sucks but i did what i had to inside because of yesterdays "blizzard."
I get a *BETTER* workout on my bike trainer than riding outside. As you say, no interruptions, traffic lights, cars, potholes, etc. Just me and my suffering.
truth.
of course, when summer comes i'll be joining my club for rides... i'll probably get a flat on day one.0 -
MrTolerable wrote: »Worse case just don't lift and don't be as fit as possible
Sorry but this makes me laugh. It really depends on what you define as "fit". There is zero reason to lift weights if you don't want to. You can be amazingly "fit" without weights.
Aging well is a pretty good reason to do resistance training. Bone density and strength are pretty important to self sufficiency and health as we age. My BIL's grandmother passed a few months ago due to complications from falling in her home and breaking her hip.0 -
There was a good article someone posted the other day about the effort required and sacrifices needed to achieve and maintain different levels of body fat. I can't seem to find the link right now, but it basically made the point that, once you've gotten down to the healthy range, anything more is a personal choice.
Pretty much. Just do whatever you like that keeps you healthy. I won't lift a thing this week as I see no point to it, but I will easily clock 15+ hours of "cardio".
You guys can have your weights - for me they are a waste of time.
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There was a good article someone posted the other day about the effort required and sacrifices needed to achieve and maintain different levels of body fat. I can't seem to find the link right now, but it basically made the point that, once you've gotten down to the healthy range, anything more is a personal choice.
Pretty much. Just do whatever you like that keeps you healthy. I won't lift a thing this week as I see no point to it, but I will easily clock 15+ hours of "cardio".
You guys can have your weights - for me they are a waste of time.
Exactly. And as for me, I might do 30 to an hour of cardio the whole week top. I don't need it for weight loss, I don't like it, so...just a little for cardiovascular health! Do you thing OP.0 -
arditarose wrote: »jeanmariemcp wrote: »I'm betting that most of those who lift weights wouldn't be able to hold their own body weight as well as you do in your yoga practice. You lift. It's just yourself you're lifting.
What? Sure we could. We lift things that are well over our body weight. Balance on the other hand, I'm not so sure about
But part of that balancing is using your muscles to hold yourself. It's not just an equilibrium thing, it's building the strength to hold your body in the pose. I like to lift but I also love yoga. It seems that it is often misunderstood as sitting around and stretching. If someone practices 5 days a week like OP I'm guessing that she is stronger than she thinks she is (or anyone else thinks she is).
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amberstarrcogle wrote: »Maybe tone was the wrong word then.. I don't want a weightlifters body. I want to be thinner, leaner, healthier & comfortable. I do not by any means, want muscle definition in my arms, legs, or stomach. Yoga body, not hard body? Idk how to explain a body type.. the idea of looking light a weightlifter actually frightens me!
If you don't want to lift, don't lift. But don't pass it up because you think you're going to develop a bodybuilder's physique just by lifting. That's BS. Developing that kind of physique takes years of specific training and nutrition.
You won't even build appreciable muscle so long as you are still eating at a deficit. Eventually, you could get lean enough to see muscle definition, but that's because you've lost that much body fat. NOT because you gained all kinds of muscle mass. You can have a temporary swelling of muscles (pump) during and a couple of hours after lifting, but that's it.
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I'm one of the weirdos who would rather do cardio for one hour at the gym than lift weights, it's how much I hate it... I still do it, but I pretty much do the strict minimum, so most probably not enough to get any kind of fantastic results... but I can't be bothered frankly.
I'm very curious about how 12 minutes of HIITs burns more calories than 2 hours of steady cardio though... please share. Unless I guess your cardio is walking at 2 mph? And even then...0 -
jeanmariemcp wrote: »arditarose wrote: »jeanmariemcp wrote: »I'm betting that most of those who lift weights wouldn't be able to hold their own body weight as well as you do in your yoga practice. You lift. It's just yourself you're lifting.
What? Sure we could. We lift things that are well over our body weight. Balance on the other hand, I'm not so sure about
But part of that balancing is using your muscles to hold yourself. It's not just an equilibrium thing, it's building the strength to hold your body in the pose. I like to lift but I also love yoga. It seems that it is often misunderstood as sitting around and stretching. If someone practices 5 days a week like OP I'm guessing that she is stronger than she thinks she is (or anyone else thinks she is).
I'm sure she's strong. It's just a bit of a generalization to say that we couldn't hold our own body weight as well as her. Though I understand you were giving her a compliment so I'll leave it at that.0 -
I'm very curious about how 12 minutes of HIITs burns more calories than 2 hours of steady cardio though... please share. Unless I guess your cardio is walking at 2 mph? And even then...
It doesn't. It burns more calories per minute.
Unless your HIIT is REALLY high intensity and your 2 hours of steady cardio are at a snail's pace, that is.0 -
I strength train but my overall focus is running. "Cardio" I want to run a full marathon in 2016. I know it's a year out but I have a lot of work to do. So my focus is on improving my run distance and time.
My husband ordered a home gym and once he sets it up, I'll probably spend more time strength training but I've lost 42lbs and I have mainly done cardio.
Do what interests you.0 -
I have been doing classes that are a combination of strength and cardio for a year and a half and I can attest to having visibile muscles in my body.
I've been trying to figure out how to take a selfie that shows my back. ;-) But here's a photo of me pointing to the muscles in my upper arms/shoulders. ;-) This was taken 2 weeks ago.
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47Jacqueline wrote: »I have been doing classes that are a combination of strength and cardio for a year and a half and I can attest to having visibile muscles in my body.
I've been trying to figure out how to take a selfie that shows my back. ;-) But here's a photo of me pointing to the muscles in my upper arms/shoulders. ;-) This was taken 2 weeks ago.
You look fab!0 -
47Jacqueline wrote: »I have been doing classes that are a combination of strength and cardio for a year and a half and I can attest to having visibile muscles in my body.
I've been trying to figure out how to take a selfie that shows my back. ;-) But here's a photo of me pointing to the muscles in my upper arms/shoulders. ;-) This was taken 2 weeks ago.
Thanks for posting this! So tired of all the 'lift heavy or go home attitude' on these boards sometimes. You look fantastic!0 -
The way I see it, I am not trying to be a body builder. I am just trying to fit in pants that are smaller and walk without needing a nap, which I have been doing. I don't lift anything. I do yoga and pilates and that is good enough for me aside from walking and step ups.0
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Capt_Apollo wrote: »As far as the whole elliptical or treadmill vs. weight lifting thing? OMG, I can't imagine anyone thinking that spending hours as a cardio hamster is less boring than lifting. I run. I run quite a bit. Give me the open road and I'll happily run 13.1 miles but more than a half mile on the treadmill and I'd rather open a wrist. It's sweaty and it's mind numbing even with a TV or music.
Would I rather run or ride outside? You bet. But goals don't wait for nice weather. Therefore I get the work done inside on my treadmill or bike trainer. Boredom doesn't cross my mind. The work has to get done, therefore the work gets done.
idk man, i got a bike trainer in november, and let me tell you, i don't know if i'll ever ride my bike outdoors again!! no people and cars to avoid, no potholes, dogs. no junk miles wasted getting to the proper bike path.
the treadmill still sucks but i did what i had to inside because of yesterdays "blizzard."
I get a *BETTER* workout on my bike trainer than riding outside. As you say, no interruptions, traffic lights, cars, potholes, etc. Just me and my suffering.
To each his own, I suppose, but to me, riding on a trainer is torture. Our winter temperatures are usually above freezing where I live, so riding outside is always an option, but riding the trainer feels like death. I want to be outside to feel the wind on my face and to see what is happening in the world.0 -
Lots of body weight workouts you can do at home, pushups, pullups, planks, sqauts, lunges just name some common ones. Look it up... even if you can't make it to the gym you can still get fit.0
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Lots of body weight workouts you can do at home, pushups, pullups, planks, sqauts, lunges just name some common ones. Look it up... even if you can't make it to the gym you can still get fit.
^^^And what many don't understand is that with the different variations this can be deemed "lifting heavy" with the progressive overload that comes with said variations.0 -
I knew before I posted I was going to get a lot of "you gotta lift, bro!" Reactions, and I appreciate them for what they are. I think that for me, the bodyweight training is the way I'll go- for now. I believe that lifting my fat@!! While practicing yoga makes me stronger than I (or others) may think I am- but I know that's not enough. Thanks for everyone's advice, but I don't see myself in a gym squatting 100lbs anytime soon. And that's ok with me.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »Capt_Apollo wrote: »As far as the whole elliptical or treadmill vs. weight lifting thing? OMG, I can't imagine anyone thinking that spending hours as a cardio hamster is less boring than lifting. I run. I run quite a bit. Give me the open road and I'll happily run 13.1 miles but more than a half mile on the treadmill and I'd rather open a wrist. It's sweaty and it's mind numbing even with a TV or music.
Would I rather run or ride outside? You bet. But goals don't wait for nice weather. Therefore I get the work done inside on my treadmill or bike trainer. Boredom doesn't cross my mind. The work has to get done, therefore the work gets done.
idk man, i got a bike trainer in november, and let me tell you, i don't know if i'll ever ride my bike outdoors again!! no people and cars to avoid, no potholes, dogs. no junk miles wasted getting to the proper bike path.
the treadmill still sucks but i did what i had to inside because of yesterdays "blizzard."
I get a *BETTER* workout on my bike trainer than riding outside. As you say, no interruptions, traffic lights, cars, potholes, etc. Just me and my suffering.
To each his own, I suppose, but to me, riding on a trainer is torture. Our winter temperatures are usually above freezing where I live, so riding outside is always an option, but riding the trainer feels like death. I want to be outside to feel the wind on my face and to see what is happening in the world.
honestly man, i thought the same thing. that i'll get bored, that i won't be able to go for more than a few minutes. but i love my indoor trainer. i can focus entirely on cadence and my heartrate and my pedal stroke. i can do intervals properly, and do hard climbs and it's all coming from my legs, not from me weight cruising down hills and such. and an indoor trainer i don't have to worry about the bad weather, and i can catch up on my DVR.
a typical outdoor ride for me was this: okay, red light coming up, got to stop... okay, time to go, jerk just cut me off!! okay, coming up is that pot hole they never fixed... where is that pot hole? looks like they fixed that pot hole!! but not that one WATCHOUT! hey, this guy is crossing in the middle of the street, lucky i don't hit him on purpose... is that guy running in the bike path? ugh... with headphones on... let me scream "on your left" as i pass and see if they freak out! they did!! hahaha!!! runners suck..."
you get the idea.0 -
Yeah but I cycle to get places, not to exercise. It's transportation. Like driving a car.
Cycling indoors just seems pointless to me and I get easily bored.
Then again, I love to ski, and that involves going up a chair lift and down a mountain all day. Which I suppose is equally pointless, only I don't get bored 'cause I love doing it.
To each his own, right?0 -
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I have tried riding to work before. It is about 20 miles of crazy roads. And in the end the workout wasn't that good. I find it was much more effective to drive and bring my bike and clothes with me to work, and just go for a ride on the trail after work. Then drive home. While I would certainly *prefer* to ride outside, I am fully aware that indoor training makes for a better workout. I do about half my bike time indoors even on the nicest of spring and summer days.
Wow that is a total threadjack... sorry0 -
I don't mind- I like reading everyone's fitness preferences. I find it inspiring lol0
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Capt_Apollo wrote: »i'm totally jealous of your ability to ride your bike to work though. i live to far away and have too crazy hours to make it a viable option.
Yeah, I'm pretty lucky to live close to downtown and only have about a 30-minute bike ride from to office. I use our local bikeshare program, which is available April to November. My office building has showers and changing rooms too (because there's a gym downstairs), which is nice on the hot sticky days. I also it to get around the city for smaller trips -- to restaurants or social events or shopping. Driving is a pain and parking is an even bigger pain, so on the winter months or for non-bikeable trips I mostly use public transit, or walk.
If it were up to me, everyone would have this option. I get that it's just not realistic for many people. But it's an option for me, so it's one that I take advantage of.
And yeah, sorry for the thread hijack.
FWIW, I hate lifting weights, too.0 -
amberstarrcogle wrote: »I knew before I posted I was going to get a lot of "you gotta lift, bro!" Reactions, and I appreciate them for what they are. I think that for me, the bodyweight training is the way I'll go- for now. I believe that lifting my fat@!! While practicing yoga makes me stronger than I (or others) may think I am- but I know that's not enough. Thanks for everyone's advice, but I don't see myself in a gym squatting 100lbs anytime soon. And that's ok with me.
It should be. While strength training is good for your body and your bone density, lifting heavy weights is not the only way to a fit body. Your yoga practice sounds like it is absolutely enough to get you to where you want to be.
I hate strength training. I've been trying to stick with a program for a couple years now, by myself, with a trainer, with my lifting-obsessed fiance, at home, at the gym, and it never, ever lasts because I don't enjoy it. I'm not torturing myself with it anymore and I'm not interested in having anyone tell me otherwise because I'm happy with the way my body looks without it.0
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