Cardio & Weights - help me be efficient!

hila_13
hila_13 Posts: 44 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Question: I'm always reading about (and seeing videos) about how its all about the lifting (more so than cardio), but when I prioritize weights, I really don't see a lot of movement on the scale (and I have at least 20 but more ideally 40 lbs to lose).

Any advice on the most productive use of time in the gym? (I can put in 45 minutes - an hour a day realistically).

Replies

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,839 Member
    edited September 4
    It's all three: lifting + diet + cardio. Lifting doesn't burn many calories, however it helps build muscle and strength, and improves body composition and posture. Cardio burns more calories which is helpful for weight loss and cardiovascular health, but you can't count on cardio alone to lose weight. Most weight loss happens in the kitchen. No calorie deficit = no weight loss.

    You say 45-60 mins per day, how many days? Let's say M-F. You could do a full body lifting workout on Mon and Fri, including squats, a row, a press, etc. Also do a full body lifting session Wed, but maybe no squats that day, instead do other things for legs that aren't as taxing. You should also do 5-10 mins cardio to warm up on the lifting days. On Tue and Thu do cardio. On weekends do something like long walks or cycle or hike or whatever.

    Aim for a deficit of about 500 calories per day. Online calculators are just estimates. Track your progress. If you're consuming an average of X calories daily and losing an average 0.5 pound weekly say, that's a deficit of 250, so you can conclude your current TDEE is X+250. And then adjust your CI from there as needed.
  • glypnirsgirl
    glypnirsgirl Posts: 5 Member
    I do Les Mills Body Pump which is fast paced lifting with low weights (my bar is 4.4 pounds and each plate is 2.2 so a total of 8.8 pounds). I do Body Pump (which is offered at our Y for free or you can watch online videos by joining) twice a week and swim on those days for additional cardio. I do Pilates 3 times a week for posture and flexibility. My exercise calorie goal is 2400 per week.

    My former goal was 1200 per week. I am 70. I started Body Pump as my 70th birthday present to myself. It is also when I increased my exercise calorie goal. I aim for a food calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. I weigh 215 pounds this morning. Down from 297 when I started again in earnest to lose weight.

    I use MFP to record my food, my exercise, and weight. I recently added taking measurements because I was told that when I started Body Pump, I might not see much difference on the scale and I did not want to get discouraged.

    I agree that what you eat is the most important part of losing weight. It is almost impossible to lose weight by exercising alone.

    Be accurate and honest about what you are eating. Track it! Be accountable to yourself,

    I wish you a safe and healthy journey!
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,597 Member
    hila_13 wrote: »
    Question: I'm always reading about (and seeing videos) about how its all about the lifting (more so than cardio), but when I prioritize weights, I really don't see a lot of movement on the scale (and I have at least 20 but more ideally 40 lbs to lose).

    Any advice on the most productive use of time in the gym? (I can put in 45 minutes - an hour a day realistically).

    There is increasing evidence that weight bearing exercise is crucial for longer term health, including the prevention of falls or recovery from falls. One of the UK’s leading orthopaedic surgeons (who pioneered quick recovery from hip replacements using cycling) is prescribing weight training to all his patients - based on the evidence of the role muscle mass plays in falls as we get older.

    So yes, everyone is now on the weight bearing exercise bandwagon, but for purely weight loss, calories are what matters. For health, some cardio to strengthen the heart and weight lifting to strengthen the bones and build muscles is key.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,208 Member
    hila_13 wrote: »
    Question: I'm always reading about (and seeing videos) about how its all about the lifting (more so than cardio), but when I prioritize weights, I really don't see a lot of movement on the scale (and I have at least 20 but more ideally 40 lbs to lose).

    Any advice on the most productive use of time in the gym? (I can put in 45 minutes - an hour a day realistically).
    fatloss is mostly diet as structured exercise programs don’t burn as many calories as your BMR and NEAT (day to day activities) so concentrate on overall weekly calorie amounts.

    Weights are important for overall strength maintenance and cardio is good for heart health. Both are important. They DO contribute to helping achieve a calorie deficit but do not directly burn off stored fat as some think.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,166 Member
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    It's all three: lifting + diet + cardio. Lifting doesn't burn many calories, however it helps build muscle and strength, and improves body composition and posture. Cardio burns more calories which is helpful for weight loss and cardiovascular health, but you can't count on cardio alone to lose weight. Most weight loss happens in the kitchen. No calorie deficit = no weight loss.

    You say 45-60 mins per day, how many days? Let's say M-F. You could do a full body lifting workout on Mon and Fri, including squats, a row, a press, etc. Also do a full body lifting session Wed, but maybe no squats that day, instead do other things for legs that aren't as taxing. You should also do 5-10 mins cardio to warm up on the lifting days. On Tue and Thu do cardio. On weekends do something like long walks or cycle or hike or whatever.

    Aim for a deficit of about 500 calories per day. Online calculators are just estimates. Track your progress. If you're consuming an average of X calories daily and losing an average 0.5 pound weekly say, that's a deficit of 250, so you can conclude your current TDEE is X+250. And then adjust your CI from there as needed.

    This is great advice, 100% endorsed.

    Retro is (I believe) lifting-centric in his own practice. I am (assuredly) cardio-centric (because of my sport). But we agree about what he wrote. The cardio and lifting are for fitness and health, plus so that you can eat a few more delicious calories while losing at the same sensible rate.

    The calorie intake level from our eating - no matter how much exercise we do - needs to be lower than our calorie expenditure, in order to lose weight.

    I trained hard 6 days most weeks for a dozen years and stayed overweight/obese. When I ate the right amount, I lost weight quite handily.

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