Now What... (Cardio VS Strength Training)

roxyyrainy123
roxyyrainy123 Posts: 44 Member
edited September 2016 in Fitness and Exercise
I started at 32% bf and approx 155lbs 5'4" woman... Got down now to 140lbs and 27% bf. The scale is no longer an issue my goal is to get to 22-23% bf. I strength train for an hour at a gym and this includes 10 minute cardio HIIT warm up, usually leg press, Dumbbells, deadlifts, planks, rows, etc. after strength training I usually power walk or jog lightly after and according to Runkeeper I do 5 miles at 13 min/mile at around 500 calorie loss.With all this fat loss I'm losing my bum and boobs is cardio sabatoging my strength training??! Also, I do the long cardio to lose calories. I don't eat back my calories either and stay around 100g of carbs and 100g of protein. Should I stop the long cardio or just add more weights and do less reps. Please help!! Almost at the finish line!! Lastly I only incorporate one rest day a week not sure if that matters.

Replies

  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    The "B&B" will drop as you lose fat... that's just the way it is. You could certainly build more glute to compensate but the booty is padded with fat... and when your goal is fat loss, well...
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    It sounds like you enjoy your cardio. 15-20 minutes of HIIT 3 x week should be more than enough, all the other days just focus on lifting. Is your MFP cal-intake set to "lose" or "maintain"? I'd suggest setting it to maintain and eating back at least half of your exercise calories. In order to gain back a booty, you'll have to add more calories in and stop keeping up with such a deficit. This could contribute to slightly more weight added back on, but it's necessary in order to build the muscles. Incorporate tons of squat variations, lunges, etc.
  • roxyyrainy123
    roxyyrainy123 Posts: 44 Member
    @Dano74 @peaceout_aly for this last 5% of body fat am I still needing to lose weight or can strength training be enough to burn that last 5% off? If I were to continue long cardio is hiking better for my butt?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    It's not the cardio unless you are running a huge deficit- change your weight training!
    Get on a proper program.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    roxyyrainy123 wrote: »
    I started at 32% bf and approx 155lbs 5'4" woman... Got down now to 140lbs and 27% bf. The scale is no longer an issue my goal is to get to 22-23% bf. I strength train for an hour at a gym and this includes 10 minute cardio HIIT warm up, usually leg press, Dumbbells, deadlifts, planks, rows, etc. after strength training I usually power walk or jog lightly after and according to Runkeeper I do 5 miles at 13 min/mile at around 500 calorie loss.With all this fat loss I'm losing my bum and boobs is cardio sabatoging my strength training??! Also, I do the long cardio to lose calories. I don't eat back my calories either and stay around 100g of carbs and 100g of protein. Should I stop the long cardio or just add more weights and do less reps. Please help!! Almost at the finish line!! Lastly I only incorporate one rest day a week not sure if that matters.

    boobs in particular are almost all fat...you lose fat, you lose boob. The booty is often covered in a pretty good layer of fat too.

    Beyond that, it's not the cardio in and of itself...I do tons of cardio and only lift a couple times per week and I have a great genetic *kitten*...part of it's genetic and part of it is about getting on a solid program with your lifting...if you're also doing cardio you have to eat enough to compensate for that expenditure as well if you intend to build muscle mass.
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    edited September 2016
    Strength training could be enough to burn it off depending on your caloric intake. As @peaceout_aly mentions, blasting the booty will help build out what you're losing but it can be a longer term process. Steady state cardio is what a lot of competitors will do to retain muscle but burn calories for fat loss. It's wretched unless you like 30-90 minutes walking at a "2.5- 3" speed setting at incline on a treadmill.

    Case study: My Lady-friend built her booty to perfection, got into aesthetic competing and saw her booty recede as she cut for her shows. Just how it goes. A lot of it is perception as well- it's probably not quite as drastic or "bad looking" as you might feel it is.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    roxyyrainy123 wrote: »
    .....according to Runkeeper I do 5 miles at 13 min/mile at around 500 calorie loss.

    Notwithstanding a massive overestimation of your calorie estimation, you're not doing a great deal of CV work there.

    You're aiming to lose fat, so the areas where fat is laid down are disappearing.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    roxyyrainy123 wrote: »
    @Dano74 @peaceout_aly for this last 5% of body fat am I still needing to lose weight or can strength training be enough to burn that last 5% off? If I were to continue long cardio is hiking better for my butt?

    Strength training alone will not burn nearly as many calories as cardio. For *kitten* & giggles go to the cardio portion of MFP and enter 30 minutes of "strength training". If I remember correctly it's about 52 calories burned (don't quote me on this). BUT when you weight lift, your body is working hard afterwards to repair the muscles, therefore burning more calories in the long run. I used to know of a video that explained this, I'll try and find it and post to this thread (I'm on my work computer so it's potentially blocked, eek!)

    HIIT burns calories in the same way. The process of going from slow, non-resisted jogging or biking to FAST paced, HIGH resistance running or biking makes your body work extra hard and again, burn more calories in the long-run. That's why I suggested focusing more on HIIT than long-distance running. A lot of those who compete use HIIT to increase fat loss with minimal muscle loss.

    If I were you, I wouldn't focus so much on losing the last 5%, I would just CRUSH IT in the weight section at the gym, do some HIIT and see the changes that a more calories + heavier lifts can do to the body. I wanted to lose 2% BF before my vacation in July and focused so hard on losing that I almost lost the booty gains I worked so hard on. I cut calories, did tons of cardio...then I came back and just stepped up the lifting game, went back to eating a little more, regular cardio routine and just upping my momentum for lifts was enough to make the last 2% fall off.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    Dano74 wrote: »
    Strength training could be enough to burn it off depending on your caloric intake. As @peaceout_aly mentions, blasting the booty will help build out what you're losing but it can be a longer term process. Steady state cardio is what a lot of competitors will do to retain muscle but burn calories for fat loss. It's wretched unless you like 30-90 minutes walking at a "2.5- 3" speed setting at incline on a treadmill.

    Case study: My Lady-friend built her booty to perfection, got into aesthetic competing and saw her booty recede as she cut for her shows. Just how it goes. A lot of it is perception as well- it's probably not quite as drastic or "bad looking" as you might feel it is.

    Literally takes forever. I've been working for a year (5-6 x week) and can't wait to get through ANOTHER year because I'm still not where I want to be. It takes patience. A LOT of patience.
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    peaceout_aly wrote: »
    roxyyrainy123 wrote: »
    @Dano74 @peaceout_aly for this last 5% of body fat am I still needing to lose weight or can strength training be enough to burn that last 5% off? If I were to continue long cardio is hiking better for my butt?

    Strength training alone will not burn nearly as many calories as cardio. For *kitten* & giggles go to the cardio portion of MFP and enter 30 minutes of "strength training". If I remember correctly it's about 52 calories burned (don't quote me on this). BUT when you weight lift, your body is working hard afterwards to repair the muscles, therefore burning more calories in the long run. I used to know of a video that explained this, I'll try and find it and post to this thread (I'm on my work computer so it's potentially blocked, eek!)

    HIIT burns calories in the same way. The process of going from slow, non-resisted jogging or biking to FAST paced, HIGH resistance running or biking makes your body work extra hard and again, burn more calories in the long-run. That's why I suggested focusing more on HIIT than long-distance running. A lot of those who compete use HIIT to increase fat loss with minimal muscle loss.

    If I were you, I wouldn't focus so much on losing the last 5%, I would just CRUSH IT in the weight section at the gym, do some HIIT and see the changes that a more calories + heavier lifts can do to the body. I wanted to lose 2% BF before my vacation in July and focused so hard on losing that I almost lost the booty gains I worked so hard on. I cut calories, did tons of cardio...then I came back and just stepped up the lifting game, went back to eating a little more, regular cardio routine and just upping my momentum for lifts was enough to make the last 2% fall off.

    Yip! Adding intensity to lifting- shorter rests, heavier weight (within reason and keeping form) can help as well. HIIT is pretty great. Not comfortable, but great.
  • roxyyrainy123
    roxyyrainy123 Posts: 44 Member
    @peaceout_aly okay!!! This is making sense!! HIIT and I'm going to up my weights and set MFP to maintain. Thank you, I was always so focused on the scale and once the weight came off I realized body fat is the real issue and now I'm at that last bit and it's harder than losing pounds!!! It's a process for sure and like @Dano74 said its perception. Thank you guys!!
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    Good luck! You're in a great place- one where you're close to goals. A fun place to be! Just remember patience and don't be too hard on yourself as at this point, where your "worst" is an ideal for others, you can can really pick yourself apart.
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    edited September 2016
    *Double Post- Booooo*
  • Rururiri
    Rururiri Posts: 31 Member
    edited September 2016
    When I drop my bodyfat to show my abs. I lose my boobs and and my butt. I guess I can't have all three of them at the same time. Unless, I decided to go under the knife :cry:
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    peaceout_aly wrote: »
    roxyyrainy123 wrote: »
    @Dano74 @peaceout_aly for this last 5% of body fat am I still needing to lose weight or can strength training be enough to burn that last 5% off? If I were to continue long cardio is hiking better for my butt?

    Strength training alone will not burn nearly as many calories as cardio. For *kitten* & giggles go to the cardio portion of MFP and enter 30 minutes of "strength training". If I remember correctly it's about 52 calories burned (don't quote me on this). BUT when you weight lift, your body is working hard afterwards to repair the muscles, therefore burning more calories in the long run. I used to know of a video that explained this, I'll try and find it and post to this thread (I'm on my work computer so it's potentially blocked, eek!)

    HIIT burns calories in the same way. The process of going from slow, non-resisted jogging or biking to FAST paced, HIGH resistance running or biking makes your body work extra hard and again, burn more calories in the long-run. That's why I suggested focusing more on HIIT than long-distance running. A lot of those who compete use HIIT to increase fat loss with minimal muscle loss.

    If I were you, I wouldn't focus so much on losing the last 5%, I would just CRUSH IT in the weight section at the gym, do some HIIT and see the changes that a more calories + heavier lifts can do to the body. I wanted to lose 2% BF before my vacation in July and focused so hard on losing that I almost lost the booty gains I worked so hard on. I cut calories, did tons of cardio...then I came back and just stepped up the lifting game, went back to eating a little more, regular cardio routine and just upping my momentum for lifts was enough to make the last 2% fall off.
    @peaceout_aly
    You might be interested in the calories counts and EPOC comparing HIIT and steady state....
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/steady-state-versus-intervals-and-epoc-practical-application.html/

Categories