Weight lifting vs. Cardio

Not sure why people like playing F***-Marry-Kill with weight training and cardio. You can f*** and marry them both, while killing all your fitness objectives.

Neither are necessary for weight loss (though they can make things easier) but both are pretty essential to basic, general fitness.

You can do both, but the time to start lifting is now. A really easy program to start with is Strong Lifts 5x5. There's tons of information and videos on that website. The program is really easy to follow and there's even a free app to track your progress. You can find a bunch of programs on BodyBuilding.com, but I found the Strong Lifts site more understandable and user friendly when I was new to lifting.

Honestly, one of my only regrets for my weight loss was the lack of weight training from the very beginning.

Start lifting now. Here's a good article: http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-much-cardio/

I've always wondered why people think they should wait until they lose weight to do strength training. While you lose weight, you lose both fat and muscle. Strength training minimizes muscle gains because, hello, who wants to lose muscle? There are exactly zero reasons to not strength train while losing weight.

The best time to start lifting is yesterday.

I started lifting in Nov last year and never thought in a million years how much I would love it. I have learned more to go by the feel of my clothing and look of my body rather than that number on the scales.

I've done a lot of research on this and lifting burns more calories than just cardio including after your workout is complete. So lifting is the best way to go in that sense... Hooray!! HOWEVER you need cardio for your cardiovascular health that you can't get from lifting alone. So I say finish each lifting session with 10 min of cardio. It can be overwhelming to start with, but I always map out my workout before I go and I still watch YouTube videos even while in the gym if I am unsure of an exercise! Best of luck!

streamgirl wrote: »

middlehaitch wrote: »

However, doing some kind of strength training keeps the muscles working. If the muscles are working the body keeps repairing them and is less inclined to use them as an energy reserve. This will help lessen the loss of muscle while losing, not negate it.
Otherwise- use them; or lose them.

I've seen this stated previously, but it's never quite made sense to me. I can see that walking or other "easier" activities aren't really pushing muscles to repair and rebuild, but if I push hard on a run, I definitely have muscle burn that I equate with microtears and repair of muscles. How is that functionally different from lifting to tear down and build up muscle?

Even walking, as exercise, will strengthen muscle initially if you haven't walked at a good pace and/or distance previously.

Running/walking involves a reasonable set of muscles and all will benefit. However it does not provide enough progressive resistance for the muscles to progress at the same rate as they would employing a progressive compound lifting programme.

Running/walking further will build up endurance in the muscle.
Running/walking faster will build more strength in the muscle. At a higher speed the footfall has a slightly greater impact, resistance.

There is a limit to both of the above for the average person, so any type of muscle development is limited to that. Muscle will be retained, but as these exercises are steady state there is minimal comparative progression.
Generally a state of status quo is reached where the muscle is repairing for maintenance.

Think of doing bicep curls with a 5 lbs dumbbell.
You will get the greater return doing 10 reps when you first do them. 6 month later that same exercise will provide no benefit except maintaining the muscle as is.

Progressive compound lifting on the other hand stresses the muscles each session by rep and/or weight increases so the muscle is rebuilt to that greater stress load.
One can max out on lifting and maintain their status quo by not progressing.

Muscles adapt to their use. Atrophy when not used.

Cheers, h.

erickirb wrote: »

SingingSingleTracker wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

feemailady wrote: »

How do you get credit for calories burned for weight training in MFP? I don't see anywhere to log calories burned. I'd like to get info to log one hour of weight training if it's possible. I go every two days.

There is not a large calorie burn for weight lifting. You can log it under cardio but take it with a grain of salt. I have never once logged weight training for calories burned.

That depends on the lifting session. 2 x 20's with only 30 seconds between sets, mixed in with core work nets me about a 425 calorie burn for an hour.

I wouldn't consider that strength training. when you get to 15+ reps it is more like resisted endurance training, very little strength gains will be made. plus the benefit for strength training is not the cals burned.

Also how did you calculate those cals burned? If you used an HRM it will be waaaaaay off. HRM's are only somewhat accurate for a narrow range of activity (steady state cardio) even all cardio but in intervals the HRM will be way off. the calculating embedded in the device assumes steady state.

Well, not all weight training is created equal which is why I posted with regard to calorie burn. The OP mentioned "weight lifting" - not a specific phase within a structured program.

I use periodization in my training every year (mountain bike racer). Coach just put me through three weeks of 2 x 20's. Now I am on to the next phase of three weeks of 2 x 15's which is more weight on the bars, but slower lifts. And by the end of my 24 week training I will have moved through all the usual phases of a periodized program: preparation, hypertrophy, strength, power, and finally a transition to maintenance during the racing months. I've done this multiple years, so I know plates will be adding on as I move through it and the reps drop way down.

However, the sessions I've been through burned through the kcals.

The 2 x 20 sessions...

My Monday session.

5 minute cardio warm up
2 x 20 seated rows
2 x 20 deadlifts
2 x 20 ham curls
10 minutes core work
2 x 20 knee extensions
2 x 20 bench
2 x 20 straight arm lat pulls
2 x 20 bench arm pulls
10 minutes core work
5 minute stretching

Wednesday

5 mins of cardio warm up
2x20 Power clean
2x20 pushpress barbell
2x20 glute bridge 1-leg
10 minutes core work
box blast 20 each leg
dumbbell 1 arm snatch 20 reps each side
2x20 standing straight arm pull down
10 mins core work
5 minutes of stretching

It doesn't burn as much as 60 minutes on the bike (unless I'm in recovery pace), but it is what it is. You can say it's "way off", or