Cardio or Weight training for weight loss.

Amys_Journey
Amys_Journey Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I keep hearing different things on both. Some same cardio is better, some say weights, and some say both. What are everyone else's I put.

Replies

  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,110 Member
    I feel best in my body when I am doing both. It's easier for me to stay in my calories doing just cardio. Weights makes me starving and I have to pay more attention to where my calories come from to feel satisfied.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Both? I chose just weights and am happy with my look. I should probably incorporate more cardio because I have trouble when I try to cut.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Eat in a deficit to lose weight. Lift weights to maintain muscle, become stronger, and protect your bones. Do cardio to improve heart/lung health. Do both for fun and enjoyment.
  • TheRambler
    TheRambler Posts: 387 Member
    Do both and be healthy for a looooong time :)
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    diet for weight loss, exercise for health and fitness.
  • genpopadopolous
    genpopadopolous Posts: 411 Member
    Both for me!

    I like them both for different reasons.

    I think strength training is changing my body more and I like it more- But my family has serious issues with heart disease and cardio helps pad the deficit so I keep it in my rotation.

    I lift three days, run three days a week.
  • rjmwx81
    rjmwx81 Posts: 259 Member
    edited March 2017
    It doesn't have to be weights, necessarily, but some type of resistance training is essential for maintaining muscle mass while losing weight. You run a greater risk of looking, for lack of a better word, "deflated" once you hit your weight-loss goal if you don't make efforts to preserve and/or grow the muscle tissue.

    This also depends on how much you're trying to lose. If you're just looking to knock off 10 lbs or so, you can probably get away with just diet/cardio since you're not making a huge change in body composition. But if you're like me and coming down from some obscene bodyfat number, you're gonna want that muscle mass to stick around.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    edited March 2017
    AmyHeinken4 wrote: »
    I keep hearing different things on both. Some same cardio is better, some say weights, and some say both. What are everyone else's I put.

    Weight-loss is all about staying in constant caloric deficit, so that your body burns off your fat reserves. Thats it. You can simply lose more weight by eating less than running hours on a treadmill. (You can keep gaining weight while working out if you eat more than you burn :smiley: )

    Weight-lifting is good to keep your muscles while losing fat. If you follow a good plan, you might even gain some as a newbie.

    Cardio is great for your overall health, your heart. I would def recommend it to anyone really.

  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I do both, but if I only had time for one I would choose weights, because strength training makes me feel more confident about my body. Cardio just makes it easier to walk fast up hills.
  • jedandme
    jedandme Posts: 13 Member
    I've been doing P90x which includes both, and every person I talk to says to do both, while many internet articles say only cardio is important. In the past I have always done only cardio, but now that I am doing both I feel much different in a good way.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Both - whether losing, maintaining or gaining.
    All that changes is my calorie balance.
  • krisnk0422
    krisnk0422 Posts: 1 Member
    BOTH!!!! They both have changed my life but the weights change your body!!!! I've lost 65 lbs in 1 yrs doing a mix of cardio and strength training. I go to a women's strength class 2x a week and do cardio 3 to 4 days week
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    If your only interest is short term weight loss and you must pick one, cardio will generally burn more calories (i.e. create a caloric deficit) than lifting.
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  • Blubberbuster1
    Blubberbuster1 Posts: 265 Member
    AmyHeinken4 wrote: »
    I keep hearing different things on both. Some same cardio is better, some say weights, and some say both. What are everyone else's I put.

    Hey Amy,
    I just lost 20lb in 5 weeks doing fasted cardio at 5am 5-6 days a week. It was great and motivational seeing the weight come down kept me wanting to do more and be more active. But really what happens is when you only do cardio is that you will lose weight, your body wont change much, I still looked very round after losing 20lbs. I do not like that look, a "skinny fat" look if you will. So I started doing Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 for 3 days a week and Fasted Cardio 2 days a week. This has helped me tone up my muscles a bit and will help me look more boxier as I lose the weight and not look so much "rounded out". When you incorporate weight training and cardio, your body lose weight and tone/gain muscle at the same time. I eat a bit more calories on workout days than I do on cardio days. Almost every single success story I've seen on here most people said they wish they incorporated weight lifting much sooner into their weight loss. I've lost 60lbs in a year by not changing much about my diet and only lifting 4 days week, zero cardio. I lost a lot of fat and gained allot of muscle. I was repping out 225lb on the bench press within in 8 months. You can also google your question and look at images to see what happened to those people.

  • Lavelle1980
    Lavelle1980 Posts: 367 Member
    AmyHeinken4 wrote: »
    I keep hearing different things on both. Some same cardio is better, some say weights, and some say both. What are everyone else's I put.

    Both will lose weight if you incorporate a calorie deficit diet. It just all depends on what type of physique you're wanting. Take a look at others physiques with Marathon runners, 5k runners, sprinters, or Take a look at others that are into weight lifting, such as women's weightlifting, sports, etc... Use that as a general starting place.

    For a more lean muscular physique and you're wanting cardio... Try out H.I.I.T. cardio, something that track sprinters do.

    Don't be afraid to adventure out to find something that you enjoy.
  • CranstonJ2016
    CranstonJ2016 Posts: 142 Member
    I feel better doing both. Obviously being in a cal deficit will help with weight loss first and foremost.

    When I started I did cardio cardio cardio. It does get boring, I now strength train 3 days a week and run 3-4 days a week...keeps things interesting when you change it up a bit!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Both are good.
    I tend to prioritize weight lifting for aesthetic purposes.
    Just be sure you are in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
  • Blubberbuster1
    Blubberbuster1 Posts: 265 Member
    CranstonJ2016 wrote: »
    I feel better doing both. Obviously being in a cal deficit will help with weight loss first and foremost.

    When I started I did cardio cardio cardio. It does get boring, I now strength train 3 days a week and run 3-4 days a week...keeps things interesting when you change it up a bit!

    Exact same as me! I read through success stories, learned from others and what they would have done differently, and most say they wished they did cardio/lifting from the start.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2017
    Calorie deficit for weight loss. How you get there is entirely up to you. Both cardio and strength training can help (how much can vary greatly), but ultimately it's about energy balance.
  • croftie4
    croftie4 Posts: 221 Member
    Kettlebells - strength and cardo in one and I love them. I am now moving up to 16kg and the inches are falling off. Since Christmas I'm down 3 dress sizes. I'm at a calorie deficit of 500 calories. I read loads of things on here saying do strength and diet together was more successful than just cardo and it's true, I've cut right back on cardo.

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