Can you just do weight training and cut out cardio?

I believe that cardio is vital for heart and lung health. You don't have to go full out running or cycling for hours either. There are lot's of different things you can do. A long romantic walk, a game of laser quest with friends. Anything that raises your heart rate for a while.
Is there no cardio you like?

I cut it out. I should probably do SOME for heart health. And that would be my advice to someone else...even though...I don't.

Its hard to argue which is more important, resistance training or cardio, but you have to do a lot less of them than many people assume. I'd argue that diet is most important regardless of goal, as it can easily prevent accomplishing anything.

Get 30 minutes of walking in per day (on average), and you'll be pretty well off. For resistance training, you can do something as simple as 3 full body compound exercises 3x/week and it doesn't have to be anything particularly tough. If you don't have a goal of having big muscles or being really strong you can stop progressing and just maintain after building a decent amount of strength.

Personally, I lift 3x/week and walk 30 minutes/day and play Ultimate 1x/week. If you asked me, I'd tell you I don't do cardio, but I do, just not as "exercise".

serapel wrote: »

I hate cardio. I'd like to cut it out and just concentrate on lifting heavy weights. I'm about 20% body fat, 45 years old and female. I don't need to lose body fat.

I have read that the most important things (in priority sequence) are:

1. diet
2. weight training
3. cardio

The article stated that cardio is not important if you're lifting heavy. true?

I lost 98lbs without doing any cardio so ... for me the answer is yes, I only incorporate cardio to break plateaus.

arditarose wrote: »

I cut it out. I should probably do SOME for heart health. And that would be my advice to someone else...even though...I don't.

Ditto. Occasionally I'll do a 30 - 40 minute session on the stepmill just to make sure I still can, but I do most of my lifting as circuits (not super heavy weights; more reps) and that keeps my heart rate up and I break a sweat. Good enough for me for now.

I get enough cardio on my high volume leg days. Regular steady state cardio makes me suicidal.

Cardio doesn't necessarily mean running, eliptacals & things of that nature.
Doing some form of Cardio that you enjoy will benefit you more than just for weight loss, and it will help you train harder in your lifting sessions.

I'm more into pushing weights, but I am predisposed to high cholesterol (thanks Dad), I try to get a little cardio in here and there but certainly cardio is not my drive to go to the gym. While I think cardio has its place and value I still dont like it.

For someone who's goal is body recomp. or to increase general athleticism...then you can absolutely skip traditional cardio IF you lift weights in a specific way that challenges your metabolic system.

The downside of this type of training is that its pretty darn hard....it'll push you to your limits if you are doing it correctly.

For more info...google: Metabolic Resistance Training

Once again, its hard training but the benefits are undeniable.

If I were going to bother with cardio at all, it would just be HIIT sprint/walk cycles. Screw that boring steady state noise.

serapel wrote: »

Thanks everyone. On my leg days, I'm literally dripping with sweat. I try not to stop moving as much as possible. I begin with 105 lb barbell hip thrusts, then 100 lbs reverse hack squats, 20 lbs back extensions, 20 lbs forward leaning lunges, 30 lbs pendulum quadruped hip extension, 70 lb deadlift or cable pull throughs, and other glute exercises with resistant bands, etc.

This workout usually takes 1 hour to complete and it's all glute focused. On this day, it really feels like I'm doing cardio. I do this 2 times a week. Is this an accurate assumption?

ps...I'm actively increasing my weight as I get stronger. I've only been doing glute routines for 3.5 months now and started with a pancake butt. I've gained 3 lbs of muscle.

Breaking a sweat is not a good indicator of how much cardio you are actually doing. You have to track your heart rate to know that for sure. Sweating is just a way for your body to cool down from the work that's being applied to your muscles. If you don't want to do cardio, don't. However, combining cardio of any form with a progressive resistance routine is the best way to lose weight, gain muscle, equalize your metabolism, hormones and body chemistry, as well as strengthen your cardiovascular system. It's always a good thing to strike a balance, unless you have something particular that you're working towards. I don't particularly like cardio myself but I love the feeling I get after an intense cardiovascular workout. I don't get the same affect from just weight lifting.

ndj1979 wrote: »

wilsoncl6 wrote: »

serapel wrote: »

Thanks everyone. On my leg days, I'm literally dripping with sweat. I try not to stop moving as much as possible. I begin with 105 lb barbell hip thrusts, then 100 lbs reverse hack squats, 20 lbs back extensions, 20 lbs forward leaning lunges, 30 lbs pendulum quadruped hip extension, 70 lb deadlift or cable pull throughs, and other glute exercises with resistant bands, etc.

This workout usually takes 1 hour to complete and it's all glute focused. On this day, it really feels like I'm doing cardio. I do this 2 times a week. Is this an accurate assumption?

ps...I'm actively increasing my weight as I get stronger. I've only been doing glute routines for 3.5 months now and started with a pancake butt. I've gained 3 lbs of muscle.

Breaking a sweat is not a good indicator of how much cardio you are actually doing. You have to track your heart rate to know that for sure. Sweating is just a way for your body to cool down from the work that's being applied to your muscles. If you don't want to do cardio, don't. However, combining cardio of any form with a progressive resistance routine is the best way to lose weight, gain muscle, equalize your metabolism, hormones and body chemistry, as well as strengthen your cardiovascular system. It's always a good thing to strike a balance, unless you have something particular that you're working towards. I don't particularly like cardio myself but I love the feeling I get after an intense cardiovascular workout. I don't get the same affect from just weight lifting.

source?

I'd have to go look up and find the studies for you. No argument can be made that cardio strengthens the cardiovascular system. Just like any muscle, if you work it, it gets stronger and gains endurance. A good cardio workout can encourage the release of seretonin and endorphins, good for muscle relaxation and recovery and good for a healthy mental state. Muscles that can recover quicker and are not in constant pain can be utilized more often and more intensely. Plenty of studies show that a good high insensity program combining bouts of cardio with strength training increase blood and muscle oxygenation, allowing for better muscle usage over time. I don't have access to the journals these studies came from but studies have been done to show that there is no interference to muscle growth by cardiovascular work. Additionally, cardio also helps improve muscle endurance, which helps increase metabolic burn over time although much of the caloric burn of cardio happens during the work and shortly thereafter. Cardio causes seratonin and endorphin release which reduces stress. Stress is a known factor in why people have a harder time with diet and portion control. Although cardio itself may not be a direct factor to some of these effects, it definitely helps.