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  • Cardio yes or no?

    I have 30 pounds to lose - heaviest I have ever been in my life. Friends tell me no cardio, just weights. Family (Marines) tell me of course I need cardio AND weights until I lose weight. I'm so confused! Thanks!

  • #2
    There's no clear-cut answer for this question, either one can work depending on your situation. If you didn't hit the gym for a while, start with cardio and weights, if you have been working out for a while you may do just fine with higher intensity complexes. 30 pounds sounds significant to me, so I'd side with your family here.

    Depending on your fitness level, there may be better options than just steady state cardio - look up HIIT cardio, it's much tougher, but a lot more effective. The main difference between the two - steady state cardio burns more calories while you're doing it, but once you're done, your metabolism goes back to normal in a few hours, high intensity burns less in the process, but boosts your metabolism for 2-3 days, so you burn considerably more afterwards. If you consider yourself severely overweight or a complete beginner, start with steady state, otherwise I'd suggest HIIT as the main routine, and some steady state to burn off excess in case you don't lose fat fast enough.

    There are also workouts with weights that burn lots of calories - the two I'm familiar with are barbell complexes and death circuits. A barbell complex is just a circuit of 5-8 exercises that you keep doing non-stop for a fixed time - anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. A death circuit is a circuit of 3-5 heavy lifts, and when structured and executed right it can be as tough as it sounds, so if you're a beginner or just got back to regular exercises, wait at least a few months before trying one. You can also try high density workouts by simply taking shorter breaks. One method - for each exercise you set a fixed time and do as many sets as you can (while keeping proper technique, of course).

    The most important tool for managing body composition is the diet. If you don't track what you eat, you should start tracking before you do anything else. Also, measure your body fat regularly - it's a much better indicator of your progress. For example, if you manage to lose 15 pounds of fat while gaining 12 pound of muscle (so the net loss is 3 pound out of 30), your scale would show that you've covered 10% of your goal, but in reality you're half-way there.

    As for me, last year I was trying to lose some fat, so I had 4 weights workouts per week and 3-4 cardio sessions - 2 HIIT and 1-2 steady state to burn the excess. This year I don't do cardio at all, but have 5-6 very intense weight training sessions per week. The results are very similar, but last year I wouldn't be able to handle my current plan - it's a tough one. Hence my recommendation - if you are experienced and up to date, and not in a hurry to lose fat, stick with weights, but make sure your workout is a challenging one, otherwise do cardio. In either case, start by taking control of your diet.

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    • #3
      Stick to a balanced workout routine which includes cardio and weights Cardio is good for burning calories and doing in appropriate way is really beneficial to practice for weight loss.

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      • #4
        Doing weights burns calories and keeps burning calories while your muscle repairs.

        do a mixture of both i would say cardio just to keep you fit, being able to run while being in shape is a huge positive over being massive and cant even walk up the stairs at work.

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        • #5
          You need to balance your workout and weight. Before doing it understand your body requirement. Cardio exercise is best exercise for burning calories.

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          • #6
            Thanks everyone for the responses. I really appreciate it! I have dropped 10 pounds since I posted this and now I have 20 to go. I do the weights at the gym and do cardio over my work hour. Thanks again!

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            • #7
              Originally posted by mostlycloudy View Post
              Thanks everyone for the responses. I really appreciate it! I have dropped 10 pounds since I posted this and now I have 20 to go. I do the weights at the gym and do cardio over my work hour. Thanks again!
              Wow! Congrats mostlycloudy, Way to go

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              • #8
                I know for sure that exercise helps in many ways, both mental and physical. When I stop running from my regular routine, I notice my mood isn’t as positive and physically I feel I have less energy to take me through the day.
                I walk every evening, use my lovely elliptical [URL="http://jonsguide.org/best-proform-elliptical-reviews/"]http://jonsguide.org/best-proform-elliptical-reviews/[/URL] above one hour 3 ti,e per week and dance 2 nights a week. It relaxes me and makes me feel great.

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                • #9
                  Cardio is important to help with your physical conditioning

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by mostlycloudy View Post
                    I have 30 pounds to lose - heaviest I have ever been in my life. Friends tell me no cardio, just weights. Family (Marines) tell me of course I need cardio AND weights until I lose weight. I'm so confused! Thanks!
                    If you want to drop weight you only need to be in a caloric deficit (eating less calories than your body needs to function). Ignoring the heart & cardiovascular benefits to doing cardio - it is not necessary to do in order to lose weight. I've lost over 30lb without doing a single session of cardio.

                    Simply calculating out how many calories your body needs in a typical day to function & then eating below that amount will result in weight loss. This means you do not need to be doing weight training or cardio in order to lose weight. Monitoring your diet will yield the exact same results.

                    Now, that being said cardio can be an invaluable tool in assisting you with weight loss. If you have a big appetitive burning more calories on a treadmill (or rowing or whatever) would allow you to consume more through eating while still losing weight!

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                    • #11
                      I do both. Cardio and weights. I've heard stories wherein people lost all the weight without even having to do cardio once, so I guess it depends on you. Do what you think will work for you and your goals

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