Cardio vs Lifting
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Most people have the best results when they do both...
But really, and the point everyone is getting at is diet for weight control, exercise for fitness. For example, I train quite a bit...I ride a lot...I lift a lot...and I have lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight doing that...the difference between those three weight control objectives has simply been my consumption...I eat a little less to lose weight, that's it...I don't do more exercise or change my exercise...I simply eat a little less.0 -
I know she's your friend and all, but if she's hiring a trainer and going with their plan...why would you want to put yourself in a bride's line of fire?0
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crystalstinson7 wrote: »If she's had difficulty in the past, 98% of her focus should be on her diet. I have no idea how much weight it will take to lose two dress sizes but I'm assuming it's fairly significant. 3 months isn't a whole lotta time so it's all going to come down to a significant calorie deficit. She can exercise for multiple hours a day but it's still not going to help as much as getting her diet under control.
Will her personal trainer tell her this? She says she's going to ask her PT for a "go hard" plan for the big day, but, as you said, that might not be the answer. I just want to be there to help and support. If she needs to go seriously low cal, I want to be prepared to be there to say, "What are you having for lunch? Did you log that? Are you hitting your goal?" She may hate me for a bit, but maybe it will be worth it when she fits in her dress--that she's getting delivered tomorrow!!! And the reason I ask if her PT will tell her, she tends to listen to professionals more than me. lol Which is okay and smart, but I really try not to give advice that can be shady!! I mean, look, I'm in here doing "research."
Well, what her PT says is going to be impossible to guess but I'm guessing most PTs focus on training movements or workouts in general. I doubt most PTs are very qualified for nutritional involvement. But who knows how that will go down. If I had to guess I'm going to assume her PT will probably prescribe lots of conditioning/endurance/circuit training type work.
Having said that, I hate to be Debbie Downer but REAL TALK here for a second. If she's on MFP but can't be bothered to log her food or even make this very thread for herself, what do you think her chances at success really are? I know you are trying to be a good friend but as someone who has been down this road many times, you're probably wasting your time and/or may even hurt your relationship with her. The chances of her listening to you and/or actually dropping two dress sizes in three months seems very slim, knowing the full story now. I can honestly say that between all the friends and family and coworkers who have needed/asked for advice in the past few years, exactly zero of them have followed my advice or achieved anything. So I don't waste my time anymore.0 -
always lifting > cardio if you're going to strictly pick one...but being in a calorie deficit and doing both will be best.0
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crystalstinson7 wrote: »Which method will get you the fastest results? I'm so eager to see what y'all have to say!
I prefer lifting as it is more "fun" to do. I get tired running and my legs hurt, but with lifting I never have a problem. I also have great results from just doing sit ups everyday. I also very firmly believe in drinking a lot of water. Hope this helps.0 -
crystalstinson7 wrote: »Will her personal trainer tell her this?
Depends on the competence of the trainer. Some are generators of pure BroScience, some know what they're on about.
Standards are very variable.
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crystalstinson7 wrote: »If she's had difficulty in the past, 98% of her focus should be on her diet. I have no idea how much weight it will take to lose two dress sizes but I'm assuming it's fairly significant. 3 months isn't a whole lotta time so it's all going to come down to a significant calorie deficit. She can exercise for multiple hours a day but it's still not going to help as much as getting her diet under control.
Will her personal trainer tell her this? She says she's going to ask her PT for a "go hard" plan for the big day, but, as you said, that might not be the answer. I just want to be there to help and support. If she needs to go seriously low cal, I want to be prepared to be there to say, "What are you having for lunch? Did you log that? Are you hitting your goal?" She may hate me for a bit, but maybe it will be worth it when she fits in her dress--that she's getting delivered tomorrow!!! And the reason I ask if her PT will tell her, she tends to listen to professionals more than me. lol Which is okay and smart, but I really try not to give advice that can be shady!! I mean, look, I'm in here doing "research."
Well, what her PT says is going to be impossible to guess but I'm guessing most PTs focus on training movements or workouts in general. I doubt most PTs are very qualified for nutritional involvement. But who knows how that will go down. If I had to guess I'm going to assume her PT will probably prescribe lots of conditioning/endurance/circuit training type work.
Having said that, I hate to be Debbie Downer but REAL TALK here for a second. If she's on MFP but can't be bothered to log her food or even make this very thread for herself, what do you think her chances at success really are? I know you are trying to be a good friend but as someone who has been down this road many times, you're probably wasting your time and/or may even hurt your relationship with her. The chances of her listening to you and/or actually dropping two dress sizes in three months seems very slim, knowing the full story now. I can honestly say that between all the friends and family and coworkers who have needed/asked for advice in the past few years, exactly zero of them have followed my advice or achieved anything. So I don't waste my time anymore.
This is so perfect, I put it in bold...0 -
Great to hear you lost weight doing cardio (congratulations!), but the fact your friend didn't lose weight doing weights doesn't mean she would magically lose weight doing cardio. If she's not losing weight, that means she's not in a caloric deficit.
Diet first. If she wants to reduce weight, she needs to reduce calories. Nobody can outtrain a bad diet. If she eats less calories than she spends, she'll lose weight. If she eats more, she will gain weight. If she eats enough to stay on her current weight, that's what's going to happen. Simple laws of the physics.
Now, while exercise does help burn some calories (less than most people imagine), it's more about directing the way your body will change by sending your body those signals. Lifting can help her maintain lean body mass while burning fat and keeping her metabolism high - but only if she is on a caloric deficit. There's no secret exercise methods, superfoods or anything else that will allow someone to evade this fact.
If someone eats too much and tries to overcompensate by overtraining, that usually doesn't work too well. Especially when you consider that people typically vastly underestimate their food calories and overestimate how much they burn via training.0 -
Having said that, I hate to be Debbie Downer but REAL TALK here for a second. If she's on MFP but can't be bothered to log her food or even make this very thread for herself, what do you think her chances at success really are? I know you are trying to be a good friend but as someone who has been down this road many times, you're probably wasting your time and/or may even hurt your relationship with her. The chances of her listening to you and/or actually dropping two dress sizes in three months seems very slim, knowing the full story now. I can honestly say that between all the friends and family and coworkers who have needed/asked for advice in the past few years, exactly zero of them have followed my advice or achieved anything. So I don't waste my time anymore.
That. Unfortunately....you really can't help someone along this journey. They have to make the steps for themselves.0 -
crystalstinson7 wrote: »To me, it would seem that cardio would be the way to go. It gets your heart rate up, and isn't that when you get the better burn? Lifting can, too, but don't you have to go b*lls to the wall? Isn't it harder to get an appropriately elevated heart rate with lifting? But then I've heard that muscle burns fat so you should lift to gain muscle which will, in turn, burn fat.
See, I do cardio so I'm completely clueless regarding lifting. Thus, my query!
It's not that cut and dry. Cardio generally burns more calories minute to minute than lifting, but lifting and HIIT will burn more calories post workout, and lifting will help build muscle which will make you look better and burn more calories by boosting your metabolism (in theory).
So most people will say weight training all the way. But my problem with that is I can't lift for long periods of time and do it every day. With cardio, it's boring but I can do it for as long as I want, and then come home and still be active. If I lift too much my muscles are mush and I can't really do much else.
That's why I do both. I just have to do both. And the only way I really lose weight is eat at a calorie deficit, exercise, and stay as active as I can.0 -
crystalstinson7 wrote: »Which method will get you the fastest results? I'm so eager to see what y'all have to say!
What type of results? If you mean weight loss, then that comes down to calories, regardles of what type of exercise you do. Any type of regular exercise can increase your metabolic rate and help you lose faster.
If you mean something else, like endurance, muscle retention, body composistion, then the answer would vary. But your best bet is likely going to be both.0 -
Wedding dresses are expensive. Why on earth is she trying to drop 3 sizes in two months? Sounds like a lot of extra alteration cost and grounds for failure to me. She should just consistently do whatever exercise she is likely to stick with and not set unrealistic goals. Cardio is okay, but if she doesn't enjoy it, she's not going to change her mind just because it's what you have done and enjoy.0
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Having said that, I hate to be Debbie Downer but REAL TALK here for a second. If she's on MFP but can't be bothered to log her food or even make this very thread for herself, what do you think her chances at success really are? I know you are trying to be a good friend but as someone who has been down this road many times, you're probably wasting your time and/or may even hurt your relationship with her. The chances of her listening to you and/or actually dropping two dress sizes in three months seems very slim, knowing the full story now. I can honestly say that between all the friends and family and coworkers who have needed/asked for advice in the past few years, exactly zero of them have followed my advice or achieved anything. So I don't waste my time anymore.
Also going to agree with this. Spend the next month or so researching local seamstresses. Have a short list of places that can help let out her dress and try to help keep her stress low. She has to want this for herself.0 -
You can discuss, research and read as much as you want, but the conclusion of most reputable people in the health industry is what many recommended - a combination of both depending on the person's goals. most importance is diet and whatever with continue to engage a person to consistent compliance. Hate cardio...do most strength training. Not into just building muscle...do more cardio. You can also find cardio activities that increase compliance, like hiking, biking, or sport (I play tennis and love it, as well as burn calories galore).0
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If I had to make a choice, I would go with lifting. I can add a physique with lifting and not with cardio. I lose weight with food only. I don't try to out work my diet.0
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Personal experience with the whole thing is that long, steady cardio like hiking are great for generating high calorie burns. Strength training encourages fat loss rather than muscle loss, so it's best to do a composition of both. I strength train 3 days a week and do cardio 2-3 days a week. I also create a slight deficit through calorie reduction but you want to make sure to get plenty of protein in your diet to also help promote fat rather than muscle loss.0
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For me, I saw the best/fastest results when I began NROLFW last year. I wished I had started sooner. Right now I'm training for a 1/2 Marathon so I'm doing more cardio but still making sure i'm getting lifting in. So, to specifically answer your question: if you're eating at a deficit and lifting, I believe you will be HAPPIER with your results than eating at a deficit and doing just cardio.0
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I find cardio so seethingly boring... and well, I'm also pretty large, so it hurts my knees. I force myself to do 10-15 minutes on the elliptical every time I go to the gym, and I try to get 5 minutes on a rower (which if you do it right, HURTS EVERYWHERE), and at home I play DDR...
...but the reality is, I love lifting. I don't like the burn from cardio, but oh wow, I can lift until I'm about ready to pass out and love every minute of every ache. I can push myself until everything BURNS. And I don't have to run to an inhaler. And I see results. I still can't do a chin-up, but now I can pull myself up a couple of inches, and I can manage a deadhang... I couldn't before. I can do pushups, and I couldn't even do a knee pushup before. I have a defined blorp of muscle on my arm instead of just a blorp of fat. Just knowing that, once I'm done with the 15-20 minutes of cardio I subject myself to, I'll get to start lifting up heavy things... oh yeah.
Cardio, I can't do forever like some people can. But I can lift every day, if I cycle areas of my body. I try to squat every time I go to the gym, just because it's such a great full body exercise...
So, she should pick whichever one she likes best. The goal with exercise is more to preserve lean muscle mass. At least with lifting. Though I've come to the conclusion that it is possible to gain muscle on a deficit as long as you're jamming in enough protein... because I sure seem to be bulking up and losing inches...
Anyway, I would pick lifting over cardio any time. I love it.0 -
crystalstinson7 wrote: »If she's "not been very successful" in the past you need to find out her methods before and make sure she doesn't go that insane this time.
Unfortunately, she probably should have just started long ago and slowly lost the weight. If she does a crash diet for 3 months and lots of cardio she could reach her goal, plus she'll feel like crap on her special day.
I suggest she log her food accurate while doing a mix of cardio and strength training. She may not lose 2 dress sizes, but she'll make improvements and actually look healthy instead of sick on her wedding day.
I completely agree with you, but I don't see it happening. She's on MFP, but she doesn't log consistently. I've told her to get back to it. She could see where her eating is getting off track and logging her exercises--cardio or lifting--will make her feel accomplished.
And, to be honest, I'm not sure that she prefers lifting; I think she'd prefer doing neither! lol But ... oh, I don't know. I just want her to get good results. We started this weight loss journey together a year ago. I feel bad that she's still where we were when we started. I want her to be successful and happy. Especially since I am. It would be easier to share the joy, you know? Instead of feeling guilty or helpless.
I just thought I could, after reading some posts, give her better advice. You all have been great and I appreciate the input! It's kinda neat to see, after all the debate, that most of you say a combo of the two. I know I've heard a lot say one or the other is better and smack talk the other--"Cardio is the way to go. Lifting makes you bulky," or "Women, lift heavy! You won't bulk. Muscle burns fat. Cardio is the devil." I know I've been given some flak for preferring cardio, but, as some have said, that's what I enjoy and because I enjoy it, it's given me some good results. So while I asked for an either or answer, it's nice that I didn't get one! lol
Still curious about preferences, though, so keep letting me know!! Thanks!
i would go with cardio and calorie deficit, myself.
the thing is, if SHE isn't into (Whatever) she chooses... she won't be successful. For the first time in my life I'm consistently losing weight, because I've made a lifestyle change that is sustainable. wanting to help her is great (i have friends who i would LOVE to help) but if its only half hearted (not willing/consistent with logging/ not exercising consistently/ etc) then it's just going to end in frustration for both of you. my neighbor talks about wanting to lose weight all the time, and i go to the gym with her on occasion, but she doesnt log anything, and hasnt bothered to change how she eats - so shes not seeing results, whereas I am (but then i work out a LOT more than she does and eat a LOT less)
make sense?0
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