Strength Training or Cardio for the obese?

empressjasmin · February 2019

So at minimum, I have at least 60 pounds to lose. I enjoy strength training but I know that strength training can be said to cause you to bulk? While I would like to lose weight first and then tone, I wasn’t sure if strength training first, would cause me to not shed the necessary pounds? I am most concerned with being healthy but do know that I am considered obese and need to lose some weight as well. Just wondering for someone who has a significant amount of weight to lose, if one is better than the other? Thanks everyone!

estherdragonbat · February 2019

Strength training will not cause you to bulk unless you seriously work for it. Someone on these boards once said that you can no more "accidentally" become bulky through strength training than you can "accidentally" become a Nascar driver by taking driver's ed.

Strength training will help you hang onto and strengthen existing muscle while you lose weight. Cardio will improve your heart. Both are important for different goals.

Fflpnari · February 2019

Do what ever you enjoy. Building muscle asap is great. I am 80 pounds down with 30-40 to go. I love weight lifting and recommend it to anyone and everyone!
Calories deficit is how you lose weight! Weights and/or cardio is just a bonus for health and to be able to eat a few more calories

whatalazyidiot · February 2019

I do both and think both are important. But I only did cardio for the first month or so.. I still prefer it and like the calorie burn.

rheddmobile · February 2019

You can't gain weight in a deficit. Muscle has to obey the laws of physics. If you lift heavy while eating at a deficit and are also an obese newbie lifter, you may have enough stored fat to provide enough energy when put with your food to allow you to develop some muscle, but you will still lose weight overall.

Anyway the pounds on the scale are not the most important thing! What's important is losing fat and looking better. If two women of the same height both have the same overweight BMI but one is very muscular and the other is not muscular at all, the muscular one will look shapely and fit, and the other one will look doughy and fat.

For optimal health you should be doing some cardio activity regularly and strength work at least a couple of times a week.

empressjasmin · February 2019

Thanks, everyone!

Cahgetsfit · February 2019

Just confirming what has already been said above.

I prefer lifting to cardio, but that's just me. Both are good. lifting will eventually give you shapeliness too, once you start losing more kilos, and that's always a bonus too right?

And re what was said above about the same BMI overweight and muscular - very true. The other day I was with someone who weighs less than me (same height) but I was more compact than her - kind of denser if that makes sense. She didn't look fat because hard to look fat when you weight 57 kilos and are 168cm tall, but I weight 62 kilos - 5 kg more than her - and I look like I occupy less space than her. I suppose soft vs hard.

MikePTY · February 2019

Both are good. But I think strength training is extra important during weight loss. Not only will it help you lose weight, it will protect the muscle you do have so that your loss is comprised of fat and not lean muscle mass.

kshama2001 · February 2019

Start strength training now - this will help you preserve muscle as you lose weight. As others have said, there is no danger of you accidentally getting bulky

Strength Training or Cardio for the obese?

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