But I Like Cardio More
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Here's some heresy:
I hardly ever lift. (It's not very fun, to me, and I'm an evil wicked hedonist). Mostly, I do some vaguely strength-y "cardio" (man I hate that term "cardio" - waaaay too broad). Specifically, I row: Boats when I can, machines when I must. Boats are fun (to me).
Periodically, I poke at actual strength training, because I know it's the right thing to do (I always tell others to do it ). For me, it rarely lasts long, sadly. That's a fault.
I don't have bodybuilder/weight-trainer muscles, but I don't have zero muscles, either. I don't think I lost much muscle during weight loss . . . I certainly don't "suffer from muscle atrophy" (!), even at age 63.
That said, strength really is important. Maybe think about doing something strength-y that you find fun?
Would you like martial arts? With weapons (saber, spear, staff)? Those are a little strength-y. Rowing, kayaking, canoeing? Biking, especially hilly biking? Rock climbing? Seriously diggy gardening? Etc.
Lifting is for sure the most efficient way to get and stay as strong as possible. (Everyone should do it, me included. ) But it's not the only way to get some strength benefits.6 -
I mean, I still have negative two dollars. So even things that don't cost much are way too expensive unless they pay me to take them home.
Also, if you don't want to lift, that's pretty much all there is to it and you don't have to justify it.
I'm sure you know all of this already, but sometimes it's good to be reminded.3 -
I definitely agree with you that cardio is more fun. Strength training does have benefits, but if you don’t want to do it, you can still lose weight by maintaining a deficit and doing what you actually enjoy.
I loved the part about your cat judging you. I sort of wish my dog would just sit back and judge me. Every time I’ve tried to do yoga with her around, she runs up and gives me kisses until I finally give up and stop. 😂2 -
I like both. Cardio in a gym is awful (boring) but my passions are hiking, kayaking, bike riding, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. I did start lifting in earnest a year or so again (in a gym) and now I feel so strong, which is awesome and amazing.4
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Would you like martial arts? With weapons (saber, spear, staff)? Those are a little strength-y. Rowing, kayaking, canoeing? Biking, especially hilly biking? Rock climbing? Seriously diggy gardening? Etc.
I'm a samurai actually. Or, I was, until my anxiety and some social politics drove me into an indefinite hiatus from training. Off for two-ish years now.
Still got my katana and all my knowledge, but it weighs like 3-ish pounds and body mechanics means my core does 90% of the work, so it's not very arm-strengthy.
Also I do this boxing game that makes my arms hurt. Does that mean its cardio and strength? Can it be strength with no weight?
Fitness is confusing to me.2 -
Would you like martial arts? With weapons (saber, spear, staff)? Those are a little strength-y. Rowing, kayaking, canoeing? Biking, especially hilly biking? Rock climbing? Seriously diggy gardening? Etc.
I'm a samurai actually. Or, I was, until my anxiety and some social politics drove me into an indefinite hiatus from training. Off for two-ish years now.
Still got my katana and all my knowledge, but it weighs like 3-ish pounds and body mechanics means my core does 90% of the work, so it's not very arm-strengthy.
Also I do this boxing game that makes my arms hurt. Does that mean its cardio and strength? Can it be strength with no weight?
Fitness is confusing to me.
Anything that makes any muscle stronger than it was is strength in my book. When I first started running and hill walking, it was strength training for my legs up to a point. It's not a question of what, it's a question of how much. How strong do you really consider strong enough for your purposes? I hate strength training, too. I do some body weight (short bursts for strength maintenance after I built up to my desired level) because I like what it does for my running (which I enjoy). As long as my muscles are strong enough for my body not to flail and bounce uncontrollably during running, and I'm strong enough to comfortably perform day to day activities that require some strength like groceries and changing the water cooler bottle without tweaking my back, I consider it good enough and I have no interest in being as strong as a hulk.
If as I grow older I find it a little bit harder to perform the activities I want to perform, I will tweak my current routine. I'm basically going by my current goals and adjusting accordingly if there is any change in my desired outcomes or goals.3 -
Everything I read is like, "you don't have to do cardio, its overrated and pointless and dumb" (I'm exaggerating slightly) and on and it seems like cardio is this huge chore to most people and they hate it?
But I like cardio and hate lifting.
Do I have to? Can't I just lose weight, do I gotta force myself into the one thing I hate above all other things?
I greatly prefer cardio over weights.
So I cycle, walk, run, row, hike, climb flights and flights of stairs.
However, I've just recently started taking a pilates class once a week, and that's all right. It's a small group, generally older people, and the instructor makes sure we're doing it right.
And I've got a few weights in my bathroom so I can spend 5 or 10 minutes now and then doing a few basic exercises.
Works for me!
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It's a mix I think. I really like cardio and I definitely could not and would not have lost so much weight had it not been for calorie counting PLUS cardio ... plus some weights. I do cardio in the form of elliptical, zumba, Just Dance and walking my dogs. I do some strength training too but my trainer mixes up the various types of strength training so it stays interesting for me. I am suspicious of people who bag out an entire category of exercise!0
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I prefer cardio, too, so that’s what I spend most of my activity time doing. I still do 2 full body lifting sessions a week, even though that’s more like a chore. It only takes a half hour or so, and the benefits are significant, so it’s worth it to me.0
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Would you like martial arts? With weapons (saber, spear, staff)? Those are a little strength-y. Rowing, kayaking, canoeing? Biking, especially hilly biking? Rock climbing? Seriously diggy gardening? Etc.
I'm a samurai actually. Or, I was, until my anxiety and some social politics drove me into an indefinite hiatus from training. Off for two-ish years now.
Still got my katana and all my knowledge, but it weighs like 3-ish pounds and body mechanics means my core does 90% of the work, so it's not very arm-strengthy.
Also I do this boxing game that makes my arms hurt. Does that mean its cardio and strength? Can it be strength with no weight?
Fitness is confusing to me.
Staff/spear (and some more obscure weapons) are more flexible IMO in this regard (i.e. easier to simply increase weight of the practice weapon vs. bladed things). Since you evidently already know how to move a weapon from your center (which tends to be the hard/subtle part), you might consider either adapting some of your katana moves to a heavier item, or using MA YouTube videos (of staff/stick stuff from other MA) to make up a drill routine you enjoy, if that sounds fun.
Looked at from the perspective of the source MA, that's kinda appropriative/wannabe-ish, maybe even lame, but from the perspective of "fun activity that builds upper body strength/integration", it's fine. (Much Western practice of Eastern MA is appropriative/wannabe-ish, anyway, little as we practitioners want to think that. ).
In Winter, I used to do some long-staff practice with a short, heavy "body bar" (heavier than long staff, maybe 1/4 the length). It wasn't perfect, but I could make some progress indoors at home without smashing lamps.
While sore muscles are not the measure of a workout, I'd say that any workout that causes them is doing something for you muscularly**, be it better recruitment/more efficient utilization (neuromuscular adaptation), muscular endurance, or strength. The problem is not so much "is this giving me a little improvement now" as "how do I make this progressive (still challenging) as I improve at it" (without unacceptably increasing injury risk). For example, theoretically I suppose you could do boxing moves with hand weights, but at some point that becomes risky.
And yes, things can improve strength with no (external) weight. To your shoulders and back, your arms are a weight. Resistance (friction, isometric resistance, etc.) is a weight. And so forth.
With respect to fitness being confusing: It doesn't help that there's as much quasi-religious nonsense around fitness as around diet. Some things are more efficient than others, some things are more risky than others, there are individualized issues that matter . . . but IMO there's no "one true way" that's the exclusive route to anything. (For sure, some strategies are more efficient and can take us further than others . . . but if they make our limited time on Earth much less enjoyable, why bother? It's important to think about future (old age) quality of life as well as current, of course, and balance those. Reflex is to prioritize current life quality over future, but that's literally short-sighted.)
IMO, bottom line for fitness: Challenge yourself; persistently push current capabilities a manageable bit along any dimension (strength, endurance, flexibility, distance, intensity, CV performance, whatever); and you'll make progress along that dimension.
Only you are in a position to say whether doing a particular thing to achieve a particular goal is worthwhile to you, or not. (I hate to swim - uck to the icky! - but took swim lessons & lap-swim classes, and practiced, because rowers need to swim, for example.)
** To be clear, just because you aren't getting sore muscles, doesn't mean you aren't getting stronger. Progressivity of challenge is key. Consistently do a specific thing for a specific duration at a specific intensity, and your body adapts to it. That's progress. To keep making progress, you have to increase the challenge eventually.
Best wishes!5 -
Don't worry about it. I only did cardio - Zumba, cycling, and walking, and I have lost 25 pounds in 5 months. I have just started adding weight lifting into my routine because I felt like it. You do you. Whatever motivates you to move and whatever movement you do IS GOOD! The more you do it, the more you will do it, and the more you will try. Don't be so hard on yourself! It is a process for sure. A few years ago I was doing all kinds of crazy workouts and I tried everything. That made me happy then. I'm not as into it now. Whatever it is that you're doing is the right thing if you are doing it! I LOVE to ride my bike and walk. They are my go tos that never fail me. Sometimes I do yoga. Speaking of low funds, there are a lot of free yoga classes around. Bring a friend. It could be something you decide you like!1
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I have always hated lifting and never stuck with it. Now, I'm considering going back to it--and/or some other muscle-building activities for my upper body and core. My main concern as I age is mobility, but honestly, strength and flexibility (and balance and endurance) are all really important. Running, walking, and general activities help with most of those, but again, my upper body and core are really in lousy shape and I feel it in my back a lot. So, regardless of how I do it, I need to do it, so I'll start with the obvious and see if having well-defined goals and seeing results is enough.1
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I like both. Cardio in a gym is awful (boring) but my passions are hiking, kayaking, bike riding, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. I did start lifting in earnest a year or so again (in a gym) and now I feel so strong, which is awesome and amazing.
If you're not already doing single leg deadlifts, please consider them. You don't need any weight, an empty cup is perfect (because it forces you all the way down). Next time you're on your skis you'll thank me.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »I like both. Cardio in a gym is awful (boring) but my passions are hiking, kayaking, bike riding, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. I did start lifting in earnest a year or so again (in a gym) and now I feel so strong, which is awesome and amazing.
If you're not already doing single leg deadlifts, please consider them. You don't need any weight, an empty cup is perfect (because it forces you all the way down). Next time you're on your skis you'll thank me.
Oh yes. No equipment needed. It has been one of the best strength exercises I introduced to support my running. I had to build up to it to protect my back, but it's very useful for training stability, core, hamstrings, and glutes all in one go without added strain on my back (I like exercises that train multiple aspects because it means shorter sessions). I don't have to like strength training to admit it's very useful in certain situations and in general.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »I like both. Cardio in a gym is awful (boring) but my passions are hiking, kayaking, bike riding, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. I did start lifting in earnest a year or so again (in a gym) and now I feel so strong, which is awesome and amazing.
If you're not already doing single leg deadlifts, please consider them. You don't need any weight, an empty cup is perfect (because it forces you all the way down). Next time you're on your skis you'll thank me.
Never heardof these! Must Google...
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NorthCascades wrote: »I like both. Cardio in a gym is awful (boring) but my passions are hiking, kayaking, bike riding, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. I did start lifting in earnest a year or so again (in a gym) and now I feel so strong, which is awesome and amazing.
If you're not already doing single leg deadlifts, please consider them. You don't need any weight, an empty cup is perfect (because it forces you all the way down). Next time you're on your skis you'll thank me.
Like this?
https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/single-leg-deadlift0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I like both. Cardio in a gym is awful (boring) but my passions are hiking, kayaking, bike riding, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. I did start lifting in earnest a year or so again (in a gym) and now I feel so strong, which is awesome and amazing.
If you're not already doing single leg deadlifts, please consider them. You don't need any weight, an empty cup is perfect (because it forces you all the way down). Next time you're on your skis you'll thank me.
Like this?
https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/single-leg-deadlift
Weird thing: The video and text description show/describe something that doesn't match the still photos: Photo shows KB in hand that's on the side with the lifted leg. Description/video says the opposite.0 -
I keep trying to explain to a friend of mine that if she hates the idea of jumping jacks and crunches, there are other exercises she can try. I think she thinks exercise for adults is like being stuck in a middle school gym with a grumpy PE teacher and the wafting smell of 20 kids hitting puberty.
Maybe I should point her to this thread.....2 -
kshama2001 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »I like both. Cardio in a gym is awful (boring) but my passions are hiking, kayaking, bike riding, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. I did start lifting in earnest a year or so again (in a gym) and now I feel so strong, which is awesome and amazing.
If you're not already doing single leg deadlifts, please consider them. You don't need any weight, an empty cup is perfect (because it forces you all the way down). Next time you're on your skis you'll thank me.
Like this?
https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/single-leg-deadlift
Weird thing: The video and text description show/describe something that doesn't match the still photos: Photo shows KB in hand that's on the side with the lifted leg. Description/video says the opposite.
My PT made it sound like it's the same exercise, but using the opposite leg is the more difficult variation.
This is a great exercise to improve balance and ankle strength, there are moments on Nordic skis that feel very similar. Turning quickly involves putting most or all of your weight on one ski in a manner that feels almost exactly like SLDLs.0 -
Here's some heresy:
I hardly ever lift. (It's not very fun, to me, and I'm an evil wicked hedonist). Mostly, I do some vaguely strength-y "cardio" (man I hate that term "cardio" - waaaay too broad). Specifically, I row: Boats when I can, machines when I must. Boats are fun (to me).
Periodically, I poke at actual strength training, because I know it's the right thing to do (I always tell others to do it ). For me, it rarely lasts long, sadly. That's a fault.
I don't have bodybuilder/weight-trainer muscles, but I don't have zero muscles, either. I don't think I lost much muscle during weight loss . . . I certainly don't "suffer from muscle atrophy" (!), even at age 63.
I'm hoping to start climbing on a regular basis in the winter because it will be significantly easier to get myself to do that than to do any sort of strength training. I climbed competitively when in my pre-teens/early teens was very strong. That was without doing any strength training and I was in no way an anomaly. Conveniently it will also probably complement rowing well, especially given that my hands historically skip any form of blistering and go straight to calluses3
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