importance of weight training vs cardio

I have never been into weight training (although after this thread I want to start) and I guess my Monday thru Friday routine would be considered cardio... I swim 5 days a week for an hour and a half (although I only log an hour to allow for warm up and cool down). My swim practices are structure and timed. Although I am often out of breath (leading me to believe swimming is cardio) I am also pulling myself through the water (leads me to believe there is some strength training involved)... Opinions?

If you can do more than 15 reps, then it is endurance training, not strength training. Most likely 15 reps wouldn't even get you 1 pool length.

i hope i don't sound like an exercise dummy. lol.
i've always had this impression that cardio is where it's at, and doing any type of strength/weight training is really only necessary AFTER you've lost fat and want to tone. but after doing jillian's 30 day shred and reading some things online, i'm feeling like weight training is just as important, if not even more important (?) as cardio. i know they're both important, but it seems that building the muscle WHILE i'm trying to lose the fat helps me lose the fat faster AND keep it off?
i'm really not super educated about this type of stuff so any info helps!

Do both. You'll see better results, feel better, and you won't have to pick a side in this tiresome argument.

Ok, originally I posted a "just the facts" post about where to reference information on cardio vs weights. However, I didn't elaborate on what I do. I still stand firmly that ALL activities are necessary for OVERALL health (cardio, strength, flexibility, balance, and nutrition). Since others have posted this information, I thought I would share as well.

That being said, most MFP'ers (myself included) will classify me as a "runner". Yes, I run quite a bit (20-25 miles per week), no, I have never run a marathon - not even a half. However, 2-3 days per week, I go into the gym and I lift HEAVY - 5-7 reps of the heaviest weight I can for multiple muscle groups. Granted, I do so more on my upper body and abs, just because I generally am running enough that my legs are fairly tired on most days, so I lift less with them. However, I do things like squats and dumbbell presses to work on compound muscle strength as well as balance. Free weights are great for working more than one muscle group AND for working on balance. Lunges, done with fairly heavy dumbbells, are GREAT for building strength, flexibility, and balance!

The other thing I want to clarify (and this is in the book that I mentioned early in this thread), as we grow older we are fighting a battle with our bodies to stop the loss of muscle strength, dexterity, balance, and flexibility. When the human body hits 35ish (not a magic number - just in there somewhere), you begin to experience muscle strength decline annually about 1-2%!!! Additionally, you are at your GREATEST bone density between the ages of 25 and 35! So for those of us (note - me included here at 42 years old) that are OVER 35, it is CRUCIAL to focus on more than just one type of exercise so that we reduce the degeneration of muscle and bone density, and continue to maintain body flexibility and balance.

In case anyone cares, here is a typical exercise week for me:

Sunday - run 4-6 miles (hopefully outside) OR run 1 mile, heavy lifting/circuit training, run 2-3 miles
Monday - rest
Tuesday - run 1 mile, heavy lifting/circuit training, run 2 miles pace, run 1-2 miles using HIIT (sprints with recovery)
Wednesday - run 6-8 miles at pace
Thursday - run 1 mile, heavy lifting/circuit training, HIIT, run 2-3 miles
Friday - run 3-4 miles
Saturday - run 3-4 miles OR swim OR play basketball OR rest

Additionally, I am set at 1910 calories on MFP, but generally consume 2300-2400 based on what I am burning. Obviously, on the days where I am running 6+ miles or doing the run/lifting combos, I can't go into a large deficit because I have no energy. Some days I actually consume 2500 calories.

This actually resulted in me losing 30 lbs over the course of a year (I didn't really lose much in the beginning because I was not focused on my nutrition - only running 10-12 miles per week). Also, my last BF% check using calipers by a licensed and trained specialist was 13.5% (down from about 25%). My 5K time went from 34:11 in January 2011 to 22:20 in March 2012 - a reduction of nearly 12 minutes or 4 minutes per mile.

Mix it up - but ultimately, include ALL of the facets of physical exercise as mentioned earlier, especially as you approach 35 or if you are 35+.

greg

True

I love cardio. I rather do it than solo weight training. I know that I don't have to lift weights to get the results that I'm looking for. I can use my own body to get my results. I strength train, but I don't have to use weights to strength train. I prefer to do cardio/strength than to do solo strength training.

this is a four part process: cardio, strength training, nutrition, and rest. no one is more important than the other.

As gmpearson indicated, I do weights, cardio, and yoga to help me lose weight. I love my cardio, but I adore weight training. Nothing in the world feels better than feeling muscles develop under the fat, knowing that the more muscle I have, the faster I burn fat. Yoga has been not only a wonderful way to increase flexibility, but also center my mind as I go through the emotional process of losing weight and changing my lifestyle.

If you're a blog follower, you can check mine out at fatandflexible.tumblr.com - It's kind of an all around fitspiration blog that I put all of my experiences in.

It's all important. I'd never neglect cardio in favour of strength.

I lost all of my weight doing cardio alone but the addition of strength keeps me interested in working out (I get bored easily).

Can someone tell me what is classed as strength training?

I do Jillian Michaels 'No More Trouble Zones' twice a week.....and I class this as strength although the weights I'm using are only 3lbs. Low weights, high repitition.

Am I fooling myself?

I hate hate hate cardio, but I do it to create a bigger deficit, around 4 times a week.

JM is just more endurance training. Just because you include weights doesn't classify it as strength training. I don't know if there's an official definition of reps and sets, but I consider weight training to be anything that I can't lift more than 12 - 15 times, and my goal is generally more around 6 - 8.

They are both important. No need to pick one. Eat less to lose, add some cardio in for endurance and heart health (and to eat more lol), and lift weights for sculpting....i am choosing to focus on running 5 days a week and will lift weights twice a week for now.

Just curious.....I still have a lot of weight to lose. But if I strength train (using the machines at the gym), how many sets/reps should I be doing?

Alos, right now I am trying to go to the gym on my lunch break and usually only get a 30-40 minute workout. If I go 5 days a week, should I do strength training 3 days and cardio the other 2?

**I also have an elliptical at home that I could use for cardio and only do strength training at the gym. But would 5 days a week doing strength training be too much?

Thoughts on what would help me to better achieve my goals??

With strength training you need to allow time to rest in between. I would say no more than three times a week if you are doing it for long amounts of time. Don't forget to get your protein in as well to help build and repair those muscles.

Just curious.....I still have a lot of weight to lose. But if I strength train (using the machines at the gym), how many sets/reps should I be doing?

Alos, right now I am trying to go to the gym on my lunch break and usually only get a 30-40 minute workout. If I go 5 days a week, should I do strength training 3 days and cardio the other 2?

**I also have an elliptical at home that I could use for cardio and only do strength training at the gym. But would 5 days a week doing strength training be too much?

Thoughts on what would help me to better achieve my goals??

Look into a program if you're not familiar with lifting, I used NROL4W and to switch it up a bit will probably roll off onto Strong Lifts next but I'll look into a few. Doing compound moves instead of isolated moves on a machine will decrease the amount of time you spend in the gym and increase your overall functional strength. The potential issue with machines is that you don't work the stabilizer muscles and therefore while you may become stronger at lifting the plates on your machine, you will basically only be stronger on that machine and not in every day life since our bodies don't really work in isolation. Not to say that machines don't have their purpose. What program you use will determine 1) the amount of time you spend in the weight room, and 2) the number of days you spend in the weight room. I lift 3 days a week, NROL4W is generally 30 - 45 minutes of lifting (except in the last stage which takes me just over an hour).

Cardio is great for endurance and heart health but is not needed for weight loss. The deficit needed to lose weight can be done through diet alone, cardio will allow you to eat more and have the same deficit.

While this statement may be true, it's also a little misleading. All other things being equal, a person burning 500 calories doing cardio every day will weigh less than the same person, eating the same diet and sitting on the couch. So cardio can help you achieve the calorie deficit needed to lose weight. True that it might not be the most efficient way...

Cardio isn't a necessity for weight loss. It's a tool for creating a bigger calorie deficit and there's health benefits to doing it, but to claim that it's a must for weight loss is just plain silly.

Agreed. Though I can definitely see how, psychologically, some people can view it as a necessity. I think that when some people go for a run or pound away on the elliptical -- or whatever -- it puts them in the "weight loss" frame of mind and more conscious eating goes along with it. They don't want to "spoil" their hard work, so to speak. On the flip side, it can also make people ravenously hungry, so much so that they go off the rails and do, indeed, spoil their deficit. Also, I wonder if cardio can have someone different hormonal effects on people. (Note, I don't have any actual basis for this, it's just what I've observed and my own speculation.) Cardio often makes me less hungry -- at least temporarily. I can be relatively hungry, go for a 30 minute run on an empty stomach, and then not feel like eating for several hours. Other people have said as much too. Now, maybe this is evidence that I wasn't actually hungry, but rather bored or just wanting to eat, but I do find that some intense cardio has always gone hand in hand with keeping my eating in check.

Mathematically, of course, I know that a deficit is a deficit and how I got their shouldn't really make a difference.

To the OP, definitely don't wait to lift weights. Weight lifting will do more to shape your physique than cardio is going to. When you lose weight while lifting, you'll be losing mostly fat, and you'll reveal the slim, strong body you are probably after. When people lose weight doing only cardio, they often lose a lot of muscle and fat and end up looking just like smaller versions of the same out of shape person they were before. They might look good with clothes on, but not naked. :happy:

I do not know the answer to this question... but I do agree with the post above that losing weight with just cardio can make you look "like a smaller version of the asme out of shape person they were before". I feel this way about my weight loss and have now just started to incorporate strength training. I waited until the end of my loss, but I now feel that I should have begun strength training earlier.

Cardio is great for endurance and heart health but is not needed for weight loss. The deficit needed to lose weight can be done through diet alone, cardio will allow you to eat more and have the same deficit.

While this statement may be true, it's also a little misleading. All other things being equal, a person burning 500 calories doing cardio every day will weigh less than the same person, eating the same diet and sitting on the couch. So cardio can help you achieve the calorie deficit needed to lose weight. True that it might not be the most efficient way...

Read what you wrote, eating the same diet. Therefore, the deficit created by the cardio in person A on the same diet is not present in the diet of person B, eliminating the deficit. Yes, 2 people eating the exact same foods with one doing cardio, one will lose weight and the other will not. You're completely ignoring the fact that its the calorie deficit itself that causes the weight loss, not the method in how the deficit is established.

Person A does zero cardio, has a total daily energy expenditure of 2000 calories. Person A needs to eat 1600 calories a day to cause a 20% caloric deficit to induce weight loss.

Person A now decides to do 500 calories of cardio, raising their total daily energy expenditure to 2500 calories. Person A can now eat up to 2000 calories a day and still be creating a 20% caloric deficit to induce weight loss.

Aside from the stamina and cardiovascular health, CARDIO IS A TOOL TO LET YOU EAT MORE. Strength training increases your lean body mass, which increases the amount of calories you need just to exist, thus letting you eat more.

Cardio = Immediately allows you to eat more, but the increase stops if you stop doing cardio.

Weights = Slowly allows you to eat more, but the increase fades away slowly as well.

I'm not sure if you left things out to simplify or not, but if not...you're missing huge portions of what these things do for (and to) your body...and none of them directly have to do with calories or what you can eat.

Additionally, why do you recommend only two sets with higher reps? Just curious.