Cardio or resistance?

[Dalenboo]

The fitbit is great for motivating you to move more and do some stairs, but, what is best for shaping you up, cardio or resistance?

[Ali]

I walk and climb stairs for cardio and weight lift twice a week for strength. Climbing stairs has done a lot for shaping me, as well as the weight lifting.

[Heybales · Accepted solution]

Shaping you up?

I'm going to assume that means your shape.

Well, cardio rarely asks the body to build more muscle, unless doing very specialized training.

It merely asks existing muscles to go farther - endurance.

As such it trains the body to store more carbs, with attached water, in the muscles. That can have side effect of the used muscle appearing a tad bigger.

But cardio does allow burning more during the session - which means when you take 500 calories off your daily burn to lose 1 lb weekly - you get to eat more. Perhaps making it easier to keep to your calorie level.

Lifting with progressive overload though is going to use existing muscles to get stronger, and when that is tapped out, ask the body to build more to meet the overload.

Some increased storage of carbs, but not nearly as much as cardio would.

But since it burns less during the session (even doing it correctly by manually logging it) - it means when you take 500 off, you don't get to eat as much. That may make it harder to keep to calorie level.

But it does burn more during repair for 24-36 hrs, whereas cardio is basically done when the workout is done.

Now, in both cases, diet, or eating less than you burn, will start showing off whatever the shape under the fat is. If it ain't a good shape, then fat loss by itself won't make it good.

And since cardio only does NOTHING to retain muscle mass, doing it only will result in about the same 20% muscle mass loss with whatever weight you lose.

Solution - strength train 3 x weekly full body to retain muscle mass. Do cardio right afterwards with whatever energy you got left to increase the calories even more to make the eating level easier to adhere to.

On between days, slow cardio to allow repair from the lifting, whatever amount you need to make eating level acceptable.

But if only time for cardio or resistance - resistance. And just suffer with lower eating level. Or don't make the deficit so great, and enjoy the results of only losing fat while muscle is getting stronger.

As long as you don't carry a scale around your neck with current weight, people will see the huge improvement in inches lost.

[slysam · Accepted solution]

Both! In addition to a good diet/nutrition and good sleep. Seriously I am not sure why people like to make it an either or proposition. I know we all have limited time though, in that case if you think in terms of your entire week--both cardio and resistance. Each day it can be one or the other. For resistance work, good results do require allowing your muscles to recover from the workout. So alternating resistance work and cardio can work well--meaning 3 days a week do resistance and 3 days a week do cardio. Some people see better results if they also include some activity like yoga, tai chi, flowing fusion workouts that help with mobility, balance, relaxation, core strength. They might find improved hormone balance, better posture (which makes you look and feel fitter), more graceful movement and better diet choices or discipline. I am one of those people, so for me if I could workout everyday but only had time for one type of activity: strength 2 times a week, Cardio 2 times a week, and yoga/fusion 2 times a week. This works best if the strength work is circuit training using compound exercises though as this does seem to help me improve my aerobic fitness and boost my metabolism a little. The strength work helps develop the muscles and boosts metabolism. The cardio burns calories/fat and improves aerobic fitness. The yoga/fusion helps me with posture, grace, core strength, balance, sleep and decreases stress or boredom eating even though it doesn't burn much it helps. I think for most it really helps to think of your intentional exercise as a balanced program where each workout offers different benefits (just alternating strength and cardio with a nice relaxing cool down after most workouts can also work very well).

[Nick17 · Accepted solution]

Definitely both.  Both modes of exercise have different benefits.  Aerobics are great for heart health, decreased blood pressure, weight loss, burning calories, and lowering blood cholesterol levels.  Resistance training is great for bone health, increasing lean mass (which burns more calories), strength, balance, and heart health as well.

The biggest difference between the two?  Resistance training increases your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is your metabolism at rest (not counting sleeping).  That means you burn more calories at rest with resistance training than you do with cardio alone.  With cardio, you expend calories while you are doing cardio.  With resistance training, the more lean mass you add, the more calories you expend while at rest.  

[StefK · Accepted solution]

I agree with all the above answers 100%. Not much to add, just make sure your protein intake is appropriate and as already has been said, do not underestimate the power of proper and enough sleep. I do both cardio and weights with great success.
Stef.

[Dalenboo]

Thanks for all the advice on the above posts. Question though. I am trying to devise a program for myself of cardio and resistance. Does the 10,000 steps and all the stairs I do each day constitute the cardio element? Or should I do a couple of stints on the cross trainer or the treadmill on alternative days to doing Pilates or some other resistance training? I also do 10 to 15 minutes swimming Mondays through Fridays. Given that I have very little spare time for exercise in the day, I try to fit this in when I can. Also, if I could do stuff at lunchtime that I didn't particularly need to shower afterwards like Pilates (hopefully) that would give me a few more minutes for exercise. Anyone have any advice on this?

[whome]

I believe cardio is generally used to mean aerobic exercise vigorous enough to raise your heart rate to a certain % of maximum - 75 to 80% if I remember right, but I could be wrong, it has been a long time - and sustained for 20 minutes or so - and again I could be off on the exact length of time. As such, your 10,000 steps a day may or may not constitute "cardio". Your swimming has a good chance to fit the definition if it is actually only 15 minutes, not 20 to be cardio, and don't need to warm up to get your heart speeded up -

Good luck

Craig

[Heybales]

If you are out of shape the steps and stairs can be cardio.

Once you are in shape though, no longer. You'll burn the same calories if you weigh the same, but it's no longer a load on your aerobic system demanding improvement from your body.

Throw in that the fact you want to lose weight, it actually becomes less of a workout.

You will lose aerobic function if that's all you did at the same pace with less weight.

You'd have to increase intensity, and for daily activity type walking - hard to do, unless you want to wear a 20-40 lb weight vest under your clothes. 😉

Here are all your recommendations for time and intensity, you can mix and match as you are able.

http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/AerobicComponents.html

But for resistance - Pilates isn't really, not with what has been talked about.

Just as walking would soon not be an aerobic workout without some increase in intensity, so also pilates would no longer be a resistance workout.

The holds are too long, that's not strength, that's endurance. Obvious requires a measure of strength, but as you weigh less, it'll actually be less of a workout.

That would be like reaching a certain weight on the bar squating - and then taking 20 lbs off and doing the same sets and reps and thinking it's going to make your body improve.

Body always matches the load put on it. You get in a coma for 3 months and your muscles will waste away because they aren't needed, and your aerobic capacity will go down to support the nothing your body is under.

That's extreme, but that's the point.

For resistance, stretchy bands, rubber tubes, body weight, pilates (which isn't even a range of motion movement when using muscle) are soon going to top out and you'll need actual weights to put a load on your body that asks it to improve, ie get stronger.

[Rosmilla]

Mix it up, do some of both but cardio is the fastest burner of calories; weights come later when you want definition to that great body.

[Rosmilla]

Really though it's just a life style change; you must enjoy it. Doing all that stuff and expecting quick results is a big ask. If it's fun you will come back for more...so get together with friends or join a group fitness class. Try lots of different exercise; be guided by people who have some knowledge in this field. Some of this discussion could be a little overwhelming for newbees.

[Heybales]

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@Rosmilla wrote:

Mix it up, do some of both but cardio is the fastest burner of calories; weights come later when you want definition to that great body.

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Actually, do nothing but cardio during weight loss will cause some of the weight you lose to be muscle mass.

And the loss of fat will reveal - nothing but flab. The skinning fat syndrome - goal weight but still appear fat.

That muscle will really be hard to get back later, not nearly as easy as everyone seems to think, especially for women.

But weights during the loss can retain that muscle, help out metabolism during loss and maintenance.

And since weight loss is merely about eating less than you burn, you can lose the same amount doing either thing.

Obviously though lifting does burn less during the session, so you have to eat less - that could be hard to adhere to.

But it burns more fat later during repair - which cardio rarely needs.

And only during early weight loss can lifting build muscle while losing fat. You won't get that later without the extra fat available.

So with that unique timing available only at start, really is best to focus on strength training, with whatever cardio you have time left for to support the strength training.

[TandemWalker]

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@Rosmilla wrote:

Really though it's just a life style change; you must enjoy it. Doing all that stuff and expecting quick results is a big ask. If it's fun you will come back for more...so get together with friends or join a group fitness class. Try lots of different exercise; be guided by people who have some knowledge in this field. Some of this discussion could be a little overwhelming for newbees.

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I couldn't agree more. A punishing trip to the gym will be fine for a while; and unless someone is 100% dedicated or on a training mission for a particular event or competition, odds are that it will be just another club membership going stale. But as @Rosmilla  said, if you enjoy it, you will be looking forward to your activity. The paradigm will shift from one hour or two of punishment and boredom - to one or two hours of fun and friendship.

TW

[TandemWalker]

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@Rosmilla wrote:

Mix it up, do some of both but cardio is the fastest burner of calories; weights come later when you want definition to that great body.

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Again, I agree with @Rosmilla . People have a tendency to assume that a cardio workout is just that, cardio. It can be, but it doesn't have to be.

I do cardio workouts daily - but most of the moves also include weights, using light weight dumbbells 5-8 pounds. I'm a big fan of resistance bands and unless I'm targeting a specific muscle group, most of my routines are cardio circuit training 30 min sprints.

You don't have to do heavy weight lifting or pursue bodybuilding to tone up at the same time that you're shedding the pounds.

    TW     

(If this tip solved the problem for you, please mark this post solved, as this will be helpful to other users experiencing similar issues.)

[DominicJ]

Define "Shape up"

Do you want to "shape up" and run a marathon

Do you want to "shape up" and bench press a car

Do you want to "shape up" and look good at the beach

Build bigger/stronger muscles = Increase Resistance

Remove fat on top of muscles so you can see them = calorie deficit / cardio

If you do "hard" exercise you build bigger muscles and can do even harder excercise.

Its "harder" to lift one 100kg weight once than 1kg weight one hundred times.

If you actually want to see those muscles, you have to consume the fat that hides them, and the only way to do that is to create a calorie deficit, burn more calories than you consume.

The most effective way to create a calorie deficit is to put down the fork.

The most effective way to do that via excercise is "cardio"

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Science - Actual Science too, not broscience

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A Calorie is a unit of energy, it comes from the word Calor (Greek or Latin for Heat) and its the amount of energy required to heat 1ml (ish) of water 1deg centigrade

Its about 4.81 joules

However, when we talk about calories, we talk about dietary calories, which are kilocalories, so 4,810j

Lifting an object requires energy, the mass (kg), multiplied by the height (metres) multiplied by gravity (9.81)

So lifting a 50k weight 1 metre requires 490joules, which is 119 calories, or 0.119kcal

A really hard (for me anyway, probably more than I could manage) group of 3 sets of 8 reps, each for 50kg, 75kg and 100kg would burn a measly 13calories.

Now that is a low estimate, because whilst lifting that weight, I would also be lifting myself, but its interesting all the same. 

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End’o’science

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Now of course, its not quite that simple, for example, I’m running a lot and building up quite a set of calf muscles in the process, my work trousers are loose at the hip and tight and at the calf.

But I’m also 185lbs, me running involves lifting quite a lot of weight, if youre 120lbs, it doesn’t.

[Rosmilla]

That's why it's good to get some advice or help from a professional. Joining a gym is the best option in my opinion, but making sure they help you with working out a really good program that's manageable and able to be built on.

[Rosmilla]

When you look at it that way it's much easier to put the fork down, limit intake and do food exchanges...........apple instead of chocolate. Once excess weight has been lost it seems we go on a journey of tidying up those last few kilos of fat. Replacing them with well defined muscle is the goal of most of us still hanging out at the gym daily. Then we get into the science of muscle building through what we eat. The trouble is most of us crave carbs after exercise.