Cardio vs weights

ssteria01
ssteria01 Posts: 18 Member
edited 8:14PM in Fitness and Exercise
ALOT of females think that Cardio is the way to go....that could NOT be more wrong. Why restrict your body to just cardio? You won't get stronger that way AND lifting heavy weights burns more fat than cardio does. If you want to be a thin stick with no muscle tone, then sure stick to just cardio. BUT if you want to be strong, have curves and look healthy and fit, then don't forget to lift heavy!! I have tried both methods and I see the fastest and best results when I do heavy lifting. But I also do cardio for at least 30 mins 2-3 times a week.

Ladies, do not be afraid to lift heavy! You will NOT look like a man, you will look like a bassass, sexy, fit female! And on top of that, men LOVE to see females lifting heavy in the gym! Trust me on this
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Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I got way stronger from cycling. I live in a hilly place so every day is leg day.
  • WilsonFilson
    WilsonFilson Posts: 83 Member
    Some friends told me this is true. ;)
  • ssteria01
    ssteria01 Posts: 18 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I got way stronger from cycling. I live in a hilly place so every day is leg day.

    Were you only doing cycling?? And no weight training along with it?
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    There is nothing wrong with cardio, just like there is nothing wrong with women lifting heavy. Anything that gets someone active and off their *kitten* is a good thing. To each their own...seriously.
  • WilsonFilson
    WilsonFilson Posts: 83 Member
    janjunie wrote: »
    There is nothing wrong with cardio, just like there is nothing wrong with women lifting heavy. Anything that gets someone active and off their *kitten* is a good thing. To each their own...seriously.

    That's true, but what's sad is when someone has in their mind the type of body that they want, and they are doing the wrong thing to get it. A lot of effort in the wrong direction sucks.
  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
    Bass have the sexiest of *kitten*. At least of all the fish.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    Referring to women as 'females' makes my skin itch.

    Maybe these women don't enjoy weightlifting and don't want to be stronger. Maybe they don't want 'curves' or for men to admire them in the gym.

    I wish this idea that all women stumble around thinking lifting anything heavier than a shoebox or a handbag will make them look like the Hulk overnight would just hurry up and wither away.

    At least 80% of my exercise routine is cardio. I can assure you I do not look like a stick (and even if I was super slim with little visible muscle tone, that'd be fine too, because I'm a grown woman and it's my body).
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    Yeah, it's not an either/or thing. Both are important.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Sigh. What a caricature of what cardio exercises are and how they function.

    Why the false dichotomy?
    Do both.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    Is that claim that lifting burns more fat than cardio actually true? I'd like to see some literature on that.
  • ssteria01
    ssteria01 Posts: 18 Member
    janjunie wrote: »
    There is nothing wrong with cardio, just like there is nothing wrong with women lifting heavy. Anything that gets someone active and off their *kitten* is a good thing. To each their own...seriously.

    I never said there was anything wrong with cardio, (I do cardio myself) but doing only cardio is not the best method. You will plateau in your weight loss or strength progression; which ever your goal is. Mixing up the different types of exercise is the best for your body.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    WilsonFilson wrote: »
    janjunie wrote: »
    There is nothing wrong with cardio, just like there is nothing wrong with women lifting heavy. Anything that gets someone active and off their *kitten* is a good thing. To each their own...seriously.

    That's true, but what's sad is when someone has in their mind the type of body that they want, and they are doing the wrong thing to get it. A lot of effort in the wrong direction sucks.

    Well it's up to each individual person to research how to get the body they want. Either they figure it out the easy way or the hard way.
  • megzchica23
    megzchica23 Posts: 419 Member
    Okay... so because you like that look all women should? Don't diss someone else's body because you think yours is the be all end all. Every body type is good. Women shouldn't feel pressured to look any certain way. Women should be happy and comfortble. So if they want muscles, good. If they don't? Good. Women with less muscles aren't ugly or weak. You don't have to have a lot of muscles to look healthy or be healthy either.
  • WilsonFilson
    WilsonFilson Posts: 83 Member
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    Is that claim that lifting burns more fat than cardio actually true? I'd like to see some literature on that.

    Partially true. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25162652

    HIIT takes home the gold. Then resistance training (heavy), then steady state cardio.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    How about we recognized that there is more than one path to health and fitness? I love weightlifting. Love it, but I know plenty of fit people who don't. People can also get strong, for example, with body weight exercises. Enjoy your passion and let others enjoy theirs.
  • WilsonFilson
    WilsonFilson Posts: 83 Member
    But you also have to consider the after burn, and the metabolic effect. My understanding is that resistance training, combined with a HIIT program that doesn't lead to overtraining is the best combination for energy expenditure AND muscle development.

    All depends on one's goals I suppose.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    Gracias, @WilsonFilson. I'll check out the link tonight.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    ssteria01 wrote: »
    ALOT of females think that Cardio is the way to go....that could NOT be more wrong. Why restrict your body to just cardio? You won't get stronger that way AND lifting heavy weights burns more fat than cardio does. If you want to be a thin stick with no muscle tone, then sure stick to just cardio. BUT if you want to be strong, have curves and look healthy and fit, then don't forget to lift heavy!! I have tried both methods and I see the fastest and best results when I do heavy lifting. But I also do cardio for at least 30 mins 2-3 times a week.

    Ladies, do not be afraid to lift heavy! You will NOT look like a man, you will look like a bassass, sexy, fit female! And on top of that, men LOVE to see females lifting heavy in the gym! Trust me on this

    And I care what these men think because...?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited March 2016
    While I applaud your enthusiasm, I think if you spend a bit of time on this board you'll see that many of the women here are already lifting. Some lift heavy, some stay mid-range, some go light, and many do a combo. Some women do calisthenics. They're all valid options as part of a well-rounded fitness plan. You're pretty much preaching to the choir.

    P.S. - Why should any of the women here care what men like to see in the gym?
  • Pathmonkey
    Pathmonkey Posts: 108 Member
    Strength training is an awesome part of my fitness regime, and I've become addicted I have to admit. While I do round it out with cardio, it's low level because I don't want to eat away the muscle tone I work so hard for.... cardio for me it just a way of strengthening the most important muscle... the heart. Unfortunately constant max cardio can be detrimental to both weight loss and your heart.... the science is out there, so if all you do is cardio you might want to read up on the subject. It could be a part of not losing weight. Strength training combined however continues to burn calories long after you leave the gym and increases both lean body mass and bone mass. I've never felt so strong and energized in my life!
  • WilsonFilson
    WilsonFilson Posts: 83 Member
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    How about we recognized that there is more than one path to health and fitness? I love weightlifting. Love it, but I know plenty of fit people who don't. People can also get strong, for example, with body weight exercises. Enjoy your passion and let others enjoy theirs.

    I don't disagree. I do however think (I could totally be wrong) that there are a lot of people that want to achieve a certain body type and they think they are doing the right thing to get there but are actually going in the wrong direction, or at least could be a lot more efficient at getting there. It's hard enough as it is to get fit when you know what you're doing, but if you don't, you could really be wasting time, energy, and $$$$.
  • BiggDaddy58
    BiggDaddy58 Posts: 406 Member
    Lifting Heavy is for Big muscle gain..lifting lighter and more reps will tone you..depends on what each person is looking for..
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    ssteria01 wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I got way stronger from cycling. I live in a hilly place so every day is leg day.

    Were you only doing cycling?? And no weight training along with it?

    Well, every time I ride my bike up a hill, I'm carrying my weight (which used to be a lot more than it is now) up that hill.

    I got a new bike January 20; so far I have 771 miles on it and 43,000 feet of elevation gain on it. Began strength training (body weight only, stuff like pushups, dips, leg lifts) on Feb 29. I've also been hiking and walking, but everything is a drop in the bucket compared to cycling. Which, again, is weight training for the legs.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    Lifting Heavy is for Big muscle gain..lifting lighter and more reps will tone you..depends on what each person is looking for..

    That is absolutely not true.
  • WilsonFilson
    WilsonFilson Posts: 83 Member
    BiggDaddy58 wrote: »
    Lifting Heavy is for Big muscle gain..lifting lighter and more reps will tone you..depends on what each person is looking for..

    That's #broscience

    Lifting heavy has been shown time and time again to be the most effective way of developing muscle. Getting "toned" is the result of building muscle and losing fat. Light weight/high rep work (unless you are also mixing in heavy weight, low rep work) is only effective for those on juice.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    And on top of that, men LOVE to see females lifting heavy in the gym! Trust me on this

    I have never walked into my gym like, "Awesome! There's a woman in the squat rack. How cool!"
  • ssteria01
    ssteria01 Posts: 18 Member
    megzchica23 wrote: »
    Okay... so because you like that look all women should? Don't diss someone else's body because you think yours is the be all end all. Every body type is good. Women shouldn't feel pressured to look any certain way. Women should be happy and comfortble. So if they want muscles, good. If they don't? Good. Women with less muscles aren't ugly or weak. You don't have to have a lot of muscles to look healthy or be healthy either.
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    How about we recognized that there is more than one path to health and fitness? I love weightlifting. Love it, but I know plenty of fit people who don't. People can also get strong, for example, with body weight exercises. Enjoy your passion and let others enjoy theirs.


    Y'all are taking this way to personal. Women tend to have this idea (my friends included) that ONLY cardio will get you strong and fit. Cardio; as in a treadmill. My post was about not just doing cardio, to do BOTH, I even stated that I do cardio.

    And I wasn't putting any ones body down, I would never do that. But since you wanted to take it that way...that's on you and your own thoughts.. Chill out.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    edited March 2016
    ssteria01 wrote: »
    janjunie wrote: »
    There is nothing wrong with cardio, just like there is nothing wrong with women lifting heavy. Anything that gets someone active and off their *kitten* is a good thing. To each their own...seriously.

    I never said there was anything wrong with cardio, (I do cardio myself) but doing only cardio is not the best method. You will plateau in your weight loss or strength progression; which ever your goal is. Mixing up the different types of exercise is the best for your body.

    I agree that strength training and cardio are both beneficial especially for your health BUT your post comes off as judgmental. Like the way you workout is superior to how others' CHOOSE to workout.
    ssteria01 wrote: »
    ALOT of females think that Cardio is the way to go....that could NOT be more wrong. Why restrict your body to just cardio?

    Maybe it is the way to go for some people, but really it's not your business just like it's not mine.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    ssteria01 wrote: »
    megzchica23 wrote: »
    Okay... so because you like that look all women should? Don't diss someone else's body because you think yours is the be all end all. Every body type is good. Women shouldn't feel pressured to look any certain way. Women should be happy and comfortble. So if they want muscles, good. If they don't? Good. Women with less muscles aren't ugly or weak. You don't have to have a lot of muscles to look healthy or be healthy either.
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    How about we recognized that there is more than one path to health and fitness? I love weightlifting. Love it, but I know plenty of fit people who don't. People can also get strong, for example, with body weight exercises. Enjoy your passion and let others enjoy theirs.


    Y'all are taking this way to personal. Women tend to have this idea (my friends included) that ONLY cardio will get you strong and fit. Cardio; as in a treadmill. My post was about not just doing cardio, to do BOTH, I even stated that I do cardio.

    And I wasn't putting any ones body down, I would never do that. But since you wanted to take it that way...that's on you and your own thoughts.. Chill out.

    It's not personal. Your post comes off as a bit preachy and we don't need more of it. It's akin to the IIFYM preaching. I may agree but it ain't helping. As for women lifting, my lifting partner is one of them there womenz.
  • ssteria01
    ssteria01 Posts: 18 Member
    WilsonFilson wrote: »
    BiggDaddy58 wrote: »
    Lifting Heavy is for Big muscle gain..lifting lighter and more reps will tone you..depends on what each person is looking for..

    That's #broscience

    Lifting heavy has been shown time and time again to be the most effective way of developing muscle. Getting "toned" is the result of building muscle and losing fat. Light weight/high rep work (unless you are also mixing in heavy weight, low rep work) is only effective for those on juice.


    Thank you for this! At least some people are knowledgable and arent just putting in their two cents cuz they wanna talk about something they know nothing about
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