Cardio vs. Weight/Strengh training

2

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I prefer strength. I did cardio a lot over the summer and really liked it, then got back into lifting and remembered I liked it much more. Now I have a hard time convincing myself to do the cardio when I need to.
  • jennieodwyer
    jennieodwyer Posts: 1,036 Member
    I am a weight lifter at heart. I basically hate most forms of cardio so I usually do some HIIT to get it done fast. haha!!
  • juliecat1
    juliecat1 Posts: 3,450 Member
    Im not a big cardio fan. I get bored. Strength I love. It hurts in all the good ways, my body feels amazing after too. Too bad it doesnt burn calories like cardio.
  • Gratzi
    Gratzi Posts: 21 Member
    I love strength training. I want to be strong!
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    I love cardio.
  • gumigal82
    gumigal82 Posts: 350
    I won't choose, because I think it's essential to do both. I generally have more fun in cardio kick-boxing workouts though.
  • InsomniaticDND
    InsomniaticDND Posts: 24
    Both. I don't do massive weights, but do some 1kg ones while I'm doing stepping on my aerobic step. So I like to mix it up a little! I don't like the being breathless part or being sweaty though, so I guess for me strength slightly tips it...
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    I like both but i live for my strength training days so i can see my progress. i just read an article in Men's Fitness mag that dispels the rumor that cardio training burns more calories than strength training. has anyone else heard this?

    I've never believed that myth. Both burn calories. How many you burn depends on how hard you work.

    Completely agree! I actually burn more when doing weight training circuits with some jumping jacks between sets then when I do straight 45 min intervals on treadmill.
  • tangal88
    tangal88 Posts: 689
    I do both, and have very similar (and high) calorie burn on both. 500-800 per hour.

    My weight training is more along the line of a circuit style, so heavy sweat, high heart-rate, fast paced and fun. I use heavy weights, moving fast from one exercise to the next, doing callestentics during breaks - always moving.

    Its always a challenge, lift a bit more, perfect form a bit more, tweak this and that a bit more, tighten and/or build that area a bit more, etc. And each week I can see improvement. :)

    I personally much prefer weights over cardio.

    Heavy weights, I see MUCH faster results, more cut look, more body fat loss, more leaning out. Scale weight tends to be higher, but size wise I am much smaller and tighter. So it balances out.

    I hate cardio, I do it , but hate it. Boring to me.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    i can't like both?? i love going for a run or bike ride outside, and checking out the scenery. but lifting is fun, and you can notice the results.
  • CaveGal
    CaveGal Posts: 29 Member
    I prefer strength training, I really enjoy it too:) I do cardio but I MUST have a few good songs to push me through it
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
    Weights all the way. I don't do any cardio at all. I do think I should, but I hate it, so I don't.

    I hate cardio but I end up doing it anyway. but I triple set my lifts to keep my heart rate up and get the sweat going. So I don't have to do as much cardio. But I want better performance for the other sports I do so running, jumprope etc.... are necessary evils.
  • scoell
    scoell Posts: 25 Member
    I hate both!! I do try and mix them both up for that reason, hahaha!
  • danapearly
    danapearly Posts: 17 Member
    I enjoy strength training a lot more than cardio!!
  • kimsy1222
    kimsy1222 Posts: 34
    I prefer cardio, but there are times when my body just craves weight lifting, so I do incorporate both in my routine.
  • HeatherR930
    HeatherR930 Posts: 214 Member
    I prefer cardio ONLY if it's Zumba! Otherwise, I strongly prefer strength training. The other cardio I do is kickboxing & the elliptical. Although I feel good doing them, they're not much fun & go by pretty slowly. I love seeing how much stronger I'm becoming when I do weights!
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
    i love the burn of weights, i love being able to feel the burn for a day or 2 after the work, you know you've done some good if you can feel it the next day.

    but i tend to do more cardio, i seem to do it for longer.
  • FatPandaBandit
    FatPandaBandit Posts: 33
    I think I enjoy strength training more, simply for the fact that I can amaze myself at my almost weekly increases. I am a girl, so I just do more reps and barely ever increase the weight so I don't bulk up. But I do enjoy cardio, since I get to listen to my great music. Or watch some tv at the gym if I forgot my music.

    I think my weak knees help with my choice of strength over cardio, as the first thing that hurts or burns when I run, do step ups, etc is my knees.
  • jlchow
    jlchow Posts: 40
    Strength all the way. Sometimes I imagine I'm a dinosaur lifting dumbbell shaped cars. I imagine everyone does that... right? I mean... I can't be the only one...

    Seriously though, strength is way more interesting. Cardio's only good for when I'm listening to NPR.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    I am a cardio queen. :)
  • kodibear123
    kodibear123 Posts: 185 Member
    I love lifting weights! I have been lifting on and off for over 30 years. I actually had to count! I started at at 15 and I still look forward to lifting, pretty amazing actually! I do some cardio a few times a week and incorportate HIIT training.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    I love both for different reasons. Strength training makes me feel powerful and leans me out soooo much faster than cardio ever did. The cardio I prefer (Turbo Kick and running) is fun and I like to increase my endurance for strength training. I also like to challenge myself with running certain speeds or distances.

    A well planned fat loss program includes both, not just cardio and not just weight training. If you find some cardio that you think is fun and a weight routine that you like, exercise is something you look forward to everyday.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    I love variety.

    Love lifting heavy stuff, doing bw exercises, kb's etc

    Love Muay Thai, bjj, hiking, climbing also.

    Need a bit of both. No good if you can lift 500lbs & get puffed walking up stairs & also no good if you can run 20miles but can't lift someone out of a burning building.
  • cheeksv
    cheeksv Posts: 521 Member
    I love running but, have no problem doing both.
  • HoneyBadgerVin
    HoneyBadgerVin Posts: 166
    Do both, but definitely favor strength training over cardio.
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
    Stopped doing cardio, only did strength, then the gym was suddenly a lot more fun. I now go pretty much every day
  • brownmami22
    brownmami22 Posts: 36
    So do you think I would be able to loose my weight (specifically in the stomach area) faster with weight training added. I was doing 60 minutes of cardio and strength training on one day then on alternate days just 60 minutes of cardio. Now I have just been doing 150 minutes of cardio.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    I do both, but I always prefer strength training. It just feels so much more...productive.
  • Dragongrl
    Dragongrl Posts: 186 Member
    Strength.
  • MissMaggie3
    MissMaggie3 Posts: 2,464 Member
    I like both but i live for my strength training days so i can see my progress. i just read an article in Men's Fitness mag that dispels the rumor that cardio training burns more calories than strength training. has anyone else heard this?

    According to my HRM, cardio burns a lot more. But I simply don't believe it, because I get SO HUNGRY after strength training - usually the following day. I've heard that strength training means that you continue to burn calories after you have finished working out, unlike cardio, but that might just be another rumour! How does Men's Fitness explain it?
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