Cardio for weight loss is a waste of time??

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  • TMcBooty
    TMcBooty Posts: 780 Member
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    i think cardio is important on its own until u get to a weight u are comfortable with and then u start building muscle to tone up. its not fun to build muscle under fat.
  • sgillespie1971
    sgillespie1971 Posts: 5
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    I do cardio every time I go to the gym I have lost 34 lbs so far. I understand the strengh part of it but in my opionon you do what ever is working to get to your goal weight. Then to maintain start with strengh building.

    Steve

    BW:286 8/2/2011
    CW:252 9/8/2011
    Goal:210 1/1/2012
  • njbooklover
    njbooklover Posts: 77 Member
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    bump
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,052 Member
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    I have been following the New Rules of Lifting as my workout since November... it preaches that same exact thing. I did very minimal cardio for the first probably 8 months of the program. One day a week I would get a HIIT session in on the cross trainer.

    The biggest thing I have taken away from the book is to never do carido and strength on the same day. Pick one and focus all of your energy on doing just that... go all out. It has been working very well for me.

    I have started to do some running, and do enjoy it but I think it does take a little away from my workouts.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I lost 80 lbs the first 8 months or so, never did a sit up or lift a weight. I could only handle a treadmill at the time

    then I started, slowly, lifting weights, doing crunches and using the weight machines, lost another 70 lbs doing both cardio and weight training

    I like cardio more than lifting, it helps me get my heart rate up there and the eliptical took care of 18 inches of fat on my waist line...

    Im not an expert like your instructor, but personally, I tossed my 52 inch waisted pants for my 34 inch Im wearing as I type this...........talk to people with experience, see what helped them............Best wishes, Lloyd
  • jlowensby
    jlowensby Posts: 142
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    Yes, the trainer is pretty much right. You need a combination of cardio and strength training, not just cardio. I'm a step instructor and avid cardio girl, but I didn't see the results I wanted until I added heavy lifting. I balance this out with moderate carbs and high protein to fuel both types of workouts. If I understand what he was saying, he wasn't saying that cardio is getting you no where, but that you desired physique is dependent on the strength training more, and your overall fitness is dependent on your cardio (which you can actually do less of at high intensity to get benefit). Your trainer is actually not an idiot, just not conforming to your preferences.

    Agree 100%
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    i think cardio is important on its own until u get to a weight u are comfortable with and then u start building muscle to tone up. its not fun to build muscle under fat.

    Don't worry about building muscle under fat, it will not happen if you are in a caloric deficit, all the strength training will do is ensure you don't lose the muscle you do have, and help you become stronger. muscle needs a caloric surplus to actually increase, unless you are new to lifting you may gain 2-3 pounds of muscle even in a caloric deficit (beginners gains)
  • Soulbird81
    Soulbird81 Posts: 86
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    Cardio is a great heart workout and burns fat but doesn't build muscle.....in my opinion it is better to have more strength training than cardio BUT this philosphy is more so when you're nearer your goal weight. Cardio will help you get to a smaller version of what you already are BUT strength training goes a long way in shaping the body that you want to have so that you don't end up with a bunch of saggy body parts.

    Too each their own, I am sure there are going to be people that argue for one side over the other and vice versa. I agree that more strength training than cardio is what I will keep doing and what I know works for many people. I think he should have done a better job of explaining to you why strength training is better for your weight loss than cardio than what you stated here.

    If you want to read up on this check out any book by Tosca Reno. She explains the difference and what it does for your body beautifully.
  • irisherin82
    irisherin82 Posts: 66 Member
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    Strength training is important when trying to lose weight. It helps tone your body that way you don't end up with a ton of loose skin. 1lbs of muscle is smaller than 1lbs of fat. And I have read that muscles do help you burn more calories. A perfect routine would be to do about a 5 to 7 min cardio warm up, followed by a strength training session (15 to 20 mins) and 20 to 30 mins of cardio.

    I had a personal trainer a few years ago, and this was typically what a session was like with him, and I was dropping weight faster than when I was doing just cardio. I prefer cardio because I do feel like you burn more calories, but as you gain more muscle or strengthen your muscles your calories burned will increase as well.
  • Essexgirly
    Essexgirly Posts: 13
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    I agree with other people, i have lost 91 lbs by doing Cardio and weight training, along with regular walking and i find thats what works for me.

    I always believed that Cardio was the fat burner and weight training was to build muscle mass so your body burns more calories even when resting!

    Sounds to me like that person was after some income from Personal Training sessions!
  • patssarah
    patssarah Posts: 146 Member
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    Yea, hate to say it but that is pretty true.
    Depends on what your goals are. And its not like you are going to lose 100% of your muscle with the cardio, but you will lose some. When people lose weight the healthy way (diet&excercise (namely cardio excercise) they lose about 75%fat and 25% muscle.
    But you need to be comfortable with your workout routine and trust the trainer, and he did seem a little pushy, unfortunately a lot of trainers at clubs are forced to be salesmen too, they have quotas to meet which is why they have to be pushy.

    If you like what your doing, and it works for you, and you are happy with your results stick with it!!!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    i can only speak for myself but cardio isn't necessary to lose weight, i maybe get in about 40min or LISS a week. Most important is diet and then i would add in strength training to prevent becoming the dreaded skinny fat
  • felicityksr
    felicityksr Posts: 208 Member
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    I agree with you, Missy. I was coerced into a training program at my gym and cannot wait until it is over. Pricey and not fun! I thoroughly enjoy the group exercise - Zumba, Step, Sculpt, etc. You did the right thing.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    One of my trainers said that diet was 80% of weight loss. He did programs that were a mix of cardio and strength. I am doing alright, but I prefer cardio over weights and stuff any day!

    I agree with this. I work out really hard every day... at least 1,000 calories burned each morning. However, I have been eating like crap and completely stalled my weight loss.

    Personally, I do cardio everyday usually for about 85 minutes followed by 30 to 60 minutes of strength, followed by 10 minutes of stretch. I don't recommend this type of regimen for anyone... I just happen to love the challenge of cardio (for someone who could not walk to the end of her driveway to get the mail, doing an hour on the elliptical is such a rush!) but also know the importance of strength training, especially as I get older. I mix it up upper, lower, abs, total body, and yoga.

    I always tell people do what works for you but diet really important if you want the weight to come off.
  • Buddhaboy
    Buddhaboy Posts: 60 Member
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    I'm with the person who said..."if it works your you, then stick with it"
    If you've lost over 50 lbs doing what you're doing, then tell your trainer goodbye
    For me it HAS to be a balance of cardio and strength
    But, I will admit I do more strength training now then ever before, but that's really all for show and muscle definition
  • aimeeturner
    aimeeturner Posts: 225 Member
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    Steady state cardio that lasts any length of time will burn muscle along with fat. (look at long distance runners, no muscle) Then look at a sprinter's body, they hardly do any cardio, all high intensity for short bursts which is anaerobic, like strength training.

    For cardio you can do less at a higher intensity, you would burn the same number of calories in a shorter amount of time. check out HIIT as an alternative to your regular cardio 1-2 days/week.

    I agree with this. I have found that HIIT is a good workout in between my strength training days. I alternate between strength training one day (upper or lower body) then HIIT the next day, then back to strength training, etc.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
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    I did a cross of cardio and strength training (circuit training) until I was within 15 pounds of my goalweight. I then switched to Ashtanga yoga (which is good for body and mind) and haven't looked back since. I practice 5 - 6 times a week for an hour - 1.5 hours depending on my practice. I don't do any running or cardio, per se, but I have dropped an additional 10 pounds and dropped about 2 clothing sizes.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
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    This is the philosphy the trainer at my gym tried to convince me of. Their ploy to get me to sign up for weekly sessions was to say that cardio would do nothing but burn fat and muscle and that basically I should focus more on the strength training for the weight loss and stick to cardio for the health aspects.

    I argued the whole "calorie in - calorie out" benefits to the cardio exercise but he basically stated that I was burning muscle as well as fat causing my metabolism to crash even further. Again, I think he was really trying to sell personal training sessions but it was rubbing me the wrong way and NOT the best way to go about it.

    I wasn't arguing that strength training wasn't crutial and in fact went to him for the sole purpose of getting a good strength training routine into my week to go along with my cardio but to come out and basically say that the cardio is doing nothing for my weight loss bothered me and went against everything I THOUGHT I knew....

    Needless to say I didn't feel comfortable doing any further training with him. I'm going to continue with my daily cardio and 2-3x/week strength training on my own. I'm no professional but to me that seems like the best win-win plan for me to get to my goal for now.

    I'm curious to hear your thoughts though. I know there are trainers on here and would love to get their opinions on his theory....


    Reality, ANY exercise routine is NOT for weight loss. It will help sculpt you, ASSIST your metabolism, and the HEALTH Benefits are THRU THE ROOF! BUT do not be fooled by anyone, weight LOSS and Maintenance, and Wellness is about WHAT YOU EAT (Diet). EAT WELL for LIFE (90% of Wt Loss/Maintenance/Good Health is DIET (What You Eat), 10% is ACTIVITY). Ask any Healthy Person, Any one with a sculpted body...

    Be Well.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    i think cardio is important on its own until u get to a weight u are comfortable with and then u start building muscle to tone up. its not fun to build muscle under fat.

    Don't worry about building muscle under fat, it will not happen if you are in a caloric deficit, all the strength training will do is ensure you don't lose the muscle you do have, and help you become stronger. muscle needs a caloric surplus to actually increase, unless you are new to lifting you may gain 2-3 pounds of muscle even in a caloric deficit (beginners gains)

    This. I spent the first 2 months of my weight loss focusing primarily on cardio and lost a ton, but at 20% - 25% of that loss was muscle not fat. I spent the last month of weight loss trading out some of my cardio time for lifting time focusing and on both and that reduced to about 10% lean mass loss. Now I'm in "maintenance" which for me means increasing my weight in lean mass and further reducing my BF% without losing anymore weight by keeping this cardio/lifting balance.
  • Amara15
    Amara15 Posts: 211 Member
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    I do almost all cardio- except for when i'm following some program like Insanity or something. Mostly because I dont know how to really do strength training on my own. Does anyone have any good tips, routines, schedules they follow etc for a woman???
    I have about 10lbs left to lose and i'm really looking to tone not bulk up. Thanks!

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