Cardio vs. Strength Training

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TrishPretti
TrishPretti Posts: 51 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I need some help. If I have about 30 pounds that I would like to lose, should I start focusing more on cardio in comparison to incorporating the strength training in order to reach my goal? Some people say do both because it will pay off in the end, but you have to ignore the scale ... not really sure which way to go now.

I currently TRY to workout at least 5 days a week, cardio averages 50 minutes combining treadmill/elliptical/stair master and alternating lower/upper body every other day (because I didn't want saggy skin)

Thanks in advance for your help guys :)

Replies

  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
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    here are some recent threads on this subject

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/581221-is-cardio-only-a-setup-for-failure



    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/371227-cardio-after-weights-to-burn-fat
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
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    Do both! You will get the best results that way. I do cardio 5 days a week, and lift 4 days a week. I hate cardio, so I only do between 15-20 minutes at a time, but I do HIIT, so it's still a very hard workout. I am at my goal weight, though, so maybe you should do more cardio if you have weight to lose. NEVER stop strength training!
  • pisilisa
    pisilisa Posts: 7
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    Do both.

    Cardio will burn more calories while doing it, but strength exercise will boost your metabolism and burn more calories per day.
  • redcat17
    redcat17 Posts: 267 Member
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    Do both.

    Strength training to maintain as much lean mass as possible, and cardio for health and to aid fat burning. I weight train 4 days a week and do 30 minutes of interval cardio three of those days. On the other days I just do light walking or stretching. Mix up the cardio (use different machines) and do intervals and you won't need to do so much of it.
  • ummmuhammad5
    ummmuhammad5 Posts: 2 Member
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    I do both, but if u have weight to lose mayb u should do a little more cardio. I'm at my weigh goal so I do 30 -45 mins of cardio 6 days a week and strength train 3 days a week.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
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    Do both. Do full body workouts (compound movements) using heavy weights 3x per week with a day of rest in between lifing sessions.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    do both. i dont understand why people treat it as a either/or type thing. they arent exclusive. one doesnt negate the other unless you're working out 3+ hours a day
  • kazzari
    kazzari Posts: 473 Member
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    But if you truly only have time for one, strength. You can get a cardio effect by lifting heavy weights and keeping rest periods short...then you don't need additional cardio. Over the last seven years my best results came from lifting with little to no added cardio. When I added triathlon training to the mix, I lost 2 lbs. When I cut back on strength in favor of the tri training due to lack of time, my weight didn't change much but I ended up fatter. I'll never let that happen again.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    Do both as in cardio/strength workouts. I prefer cardio/strength workouts over solo strength workouts. Cardio burns fat.
  • TrishPretti
    TrishPretti Posts: 51 Member
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    Wow, thanks you guys, I didn't expect so many responses. I see how I could benefit by adding more cardio in the mix, but don't discontinue the strength training. I was scared that I may be hurting myself by doing this the way I am, so I'll keep it going.

    And thanks for the links to the other threads.

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