Cardio or weights?

[tdchicago 12]

I have been crushing cardio, and was told by a friend to do less cardio and more weights to lose weight faster

Today my doc said cardio is more important...

Opinions? I can treadmill hills for an hour now and burn 1100 calories. I don't run, just walk at 3.5

I like it all, but I want faster results, I'm not losing weight now...staying steady and working my ass off!

[stalledoutstartingover2013 0]

keep up the good work. sometimes endurance is key you might be having a platu. I'd continue with your cardio and maybe add some light weights to start out to your workout routine maybe every other day add the weights. Or talk to a fitness trainer.

[catfish87 3,471]

I have been crushing cardio, and was told by a friend to do less cardio and more weights to lose weight faster

Today my doc said cardio is more important...

Opinions? I can treadmill hills for an hour now and burn 1100 calories. I don't run, just walk at 3.5

I like it all, but I want faster results, I'm not losing weight now...staying steady and working my ass off!

I agree with your doc....for weight loss and overall health, cardio is what I've seen the best results from. After all, weight loss boils down to calories in vs calories out. Could you burn 1100 calories of weight training consistently? No way I could...

Stick with what works for you....and don't expect a scale loss every week. It will come, provided you just stick with it. I've learned that lesson finally, as sometimes I'll go two/three weeks without seeing it on the scale, then the next week be down 5 lbs....

Best of luck to you!

[lellow 1,713]

Basically cardio is for weight loss. Strength training is for strength (duh) and also to increase your metabolism. Short answer is that muscle requires energy, and having muscle will increase your body's need for energy.

So yes cardio is what you need to do for weight loss, but muscle is what's going to help you keep it off.

[B-52 7,113]

I vote for Cardio....AND weights...but Cardio first....

[lellow 1,713]

I vote the same as B-52. I am now at my desired weight and I have dropped formal cardio from my exercise routine so I don't lose anymore. But will be starting on weight training...

[healthy and happy 64]

I am with B-52. I get some kind of cardio in everyday, whether its the treadmill or elliptical at the gym or a good bike ride or run outside. I do believe however that weight training will kick your weight loss up a notch too. Muscle revs up your metabolism helping you to lose even more. Plus it tones everything up as you are losing. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Do both.

[Bubie1916 59]

Both!!

[goalseeker 695]

I would try to change up the cardio routine a it if you've hit a Plateau and add some weights a couple times a week. It's amazing how doing something different can help our body start to let go of the weight again.

[trisket 46]

Add weights! I say this for a few reasons. First, the more muscle you have the higher your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is which means you burn more calories when resting. Second, as you lose weight it is nice to replace some of that space with muscle (at least I've found that to be true in my case).

Now don't stop cardio! That's important to help build up endurance and help prevent heart disease.

[GodsTyro 63]

Cardio is very important, however, so is resistance training.

Resistance allows you to tone while you lose weight, and depending upon what you do in resistance you can actually get a pretty good cardio workout at the same time.

I have been with a trainer off and on many times, and it wasn't until these past 3 months I found one I absolutely love. I have toned a significant amount with her, and I work out 45 minutes to an hour in cardio and workout with my trainer 3 days a week for an hour.

The days I have my trainer I am at the gym for 1.5 hours to 2 hours depending upon if I do 30 minutes of cardio or 45 minutes.

[lisacaron 5,075]

I posted a comment similar to this in another forum, but I think the issue with weight loss for us is that we are not sure of how we should exercise for our condition.

I think the surgeons should add a physiologist to their team of experts along with the pschyo Dr.'s and nutrionists. It's a combination of diet and exercise that's going to help us lose weight.

From what I learned it's all in the combination of exercises that we perform. When we do cardio we need to keep our heart rate in the target zone for fat burning and not endurance. If we are walking or running too fast we are burning carbs and not fat. If we want to burn the fat we need to keep our heart rate in the target zone and that might mean slowing down. It did for me. I was walking at 3.5 and now I walk at 2.3 -2.5-2.7 to keep my heart rate in the target zone for fat burning which is for me 107-110 bpm.

When we do strength training or weights, we are building up muscle that helps become leaner and there for able to burn fat more effectively. So it's really the combination of both of these things that will help us get to our goals.

So far, following this strategy has helped me to get the scale to move in the downward direction after a bit of stall.

[Mellzbellz21 21]

I do both. I've read that if you do your weight training before you do your cardio, you burn more calories.

I must admit, if I do cardio AFTER lifting, I feel both physically and mentally more prepared to kill it on the treadmill.

I did a 13 minute mile yesterday, jogging at about 4.5 mph. That's down from a 17 minute mile last month! And when I'm done, I really feel amazing.

[GuyMontag 1,264]

Both. Cardio works as a fast fat burner but the more muscle you have you'll generally burn more fat overall. If you're only going to pick one then go with cardio for fat loss.