lifting vs cardio?

Here is a brief history of the past couple of years. I started out weighing 282lbs in Jan 2008. At that point, I couldn’t believe how out of shape I had gotten. I started hiking about 3 miles a day and started making better food choices including cutting back. So, I lost 40lbs by summer and felt pretty good. I was still 240 though. I kept the weight off over the summer and fall and I kept active. In Jan 2009, I decided I was ready to move on. By early spring I was down to about 210 and picked up cycling. I do road riding and also mountain biking. Since then I have put in about 2000 miles over the spring/summer and today I am at roughly 185lbs…so just short of 100lbs lost. So, life is good right?…the problem is that in Ohio it gets seriously cold in the winter and more importantly it is dark by 6p. That doesn’t give a lot of time for us working stiffs to get in much riding, so I need something else for the winter. I stopped by the gym last night and rather than be bored out of my mind on the indoor bike, I decided to hit the weights.

So help me understand….I have heard and read that muscle weighs more than fat. I have friends who start out on exercise programs and say they aren’t losing because they are lifting, etc. For those reasons, I didn’t want to chance it having a negative impact on the scales when I was trying to lose. I really didn’t need discouragement. So, from the very beginning, I have stuck to cardio workouts. So, the other day I happen to catch an episode of Biggest Loser. (I don’t watch much TV these days). Anyway, on the show, it appears they are hitting the weights pretty hard. So does lifting have a negative impact on weight loss or not? My goal with lifting is to stay active and burn cals so I can add onto my 6 months of successful maintenance. Surprisingly after losing almost 100lbs, I don’t have a lot “flab” issues, so I am really just looking to tone up a bit. Should I expect a slight weight gain? Should I cut back on cals to compensate?

I've just been reading about this very subject in 'Lean for Life' by Clarence Bass.

According to Bass, a good exercise programme should include weight lifting and cardio work. Muscle burns calories - the more muscle you've got, the more calories you burn.

The evenings are getting darker over here in the UK as well (though it won't get quite so cold!). This means I'll be doing less cycling and more weight training. I don't expect this to affect my current weight loss (I'm on course to hit my target weight of 177 lbs in February 2010). Muscle does weigh more than fat but it's a "good weight".

While you're maintaining over the winter it would perhaps a good idea to focus your attention on your waist measurement rather than getting hung up about your weight. If you can keep your waist size the same then you'll know you're not getting fat.

It seems to me that you are too preoccupied with the number on the scale. That really doesn't matter. I try to pay more attention to my body fat %. At the moment, I am 5' 3", and I weigh 139 pounds. However, I am much smaller than other women I know who are of a similar height and weight, because a lot of my weight is actually muscle, which takes up less space than fat.

If you want to "tone up" a bit, you have to start lifting.

And congrats on your weight loss.

If you are running a calorie deficit, then you cannot gain muscle mass.

What lifting during a weight loss plan does is help slow down lean muscle loss.  Lean muscle burns more calories than fat, and you get the added bonus of prolonged fat burning as your muscle recover (in some cases for almost 2 days).

Cardio burns calories, too - but it's main benefit is overall heart health.

Try some bodyweight exercises to get started.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/07/17/no -gym-no-problem-bodyweight-exercises-and-the- nerd-fitness-challenge/

Thanks for the replies…At the moment, I am not intentionally running a calorie deficit, although I have lost about 12lbs since I started “maintaining” 6 months ago. I am having trouble finding the right balance of exercise and diet. I intentionally started my intake a little low as I felt it would be better to increase the cals as needed. I started at 2500 and have gone to almost 3000. I am 5’11” and 43yo. I have found that at 2800-3000, I have lost about 2lbs in the last 2 months. In that same time, I have dropped a pants size from 34 waist down to 32. Strange that I am smaller, but my weight isn’t really dropping anymore. I am guessing this is due to mountain biking and exercise all the time.

Yeah, I guess I am preoccupied with the scales. In fact, I weigh myself every day. I know it isn’t the best thing, but I have been doing it for SO long and the numbers were incredibly important over the past couple of years. Seeing the scale drop was motivation. That said, today I have a “magic number” and as long as I am below that number, I eat what I feel is a regular intake, but if I go over that number, then I will slightly cut back for a day or two.

I've been maintaining for over a year, and still weigh myself every day (if I'm home, that is), but don't necessarily log it - I just keep tabs on where my weight is. But I don't consider myself preoccupied with the scale - I simply don't want to lose track like I did several years ago (which brought me here).

Try lifting. It's a really great way to get more fit, and you know what to do if you notice the scales creeping up a little. Plus, given that you've lost some weight since reaching your goal, gaining a little shouldn't be a problem, right?

A good way to get both resistance training and cardio in at the same time is to implement HIIT with body-weight exercises. Burpees are a great exercise. One of the best overall conditioning exercises. You get a full body workout and intense cardio all in one. They are an ass kicker. There is also body-weight circuits as well where you do 3 exercises back to back with no rest, take 60 seconds rest, and repeat that 4-6 more times.

Weight training will always be the best to trigger new muscle growth. However, if you are more interested in fat loss and maintaining the muscle you already have, look into more body-weight exercises implementing a circuit style of training and other high intensity interval style exercises like burpees, mountain climbers, etc.. The best thing about body-weight training is that it can be done in your home. So that will help with the problem of it being really cold outside.

Riding at night is fun as hell, just get some good lights and reflective clothing.

UD

Change that "vs" to an "and"! Resistance and cardio is the best combination. Ideally, you don't only want to control your weight, but also to be stronger, fitter and have a body that's capable of doing more.

Whether you use weights or bodyweight, lifting is work ("work" in the physics sense). Work burns calories. You would only gain if you increased your food intake to an extent that it more than compensated for the exercise you do.

Original Post by mephyle:

Change that "vs" to an "and is"! Resistance and is cardio

Check out this article. It might help clear up any confusion you have about weight lifting and weight loss.

http://www.stumptuous.com/strength-without-si ze-how-to-get-stronger-without-getting-bulky

This article is also helpful

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sp orts_body_training_performance/the_hierarchy_ of_fat_loss

I found both of these articles on this website forums (someone else posted them for us to read). I found it helpful, so maybe someone else will too.

Good luck.

I did the New Rules of Lifting for women and it incorporates interval training during stages 2 and 5 but I would also do a step aerobic class on my non lifting days.

I am now doing the New Rules Of Lifting Fat loss II and its kicking my booty.  My heart rate monitor is registering 173 on some of the lifts - understand I'm soon to be 50 so this is pretty intense cardio workout.  I can't run fast enough or pedal hard enough to get my heart rate that high doing cardio machines.  So don't think for a second that weight lifting can't be a good cardio workout too.

If I ate right I know my weight would be less- but even not losing anything on the scales I am losing inches.  The last time I weighed this amount I was wearing size 16's I now wear 12s and if it weren't for my thunder thighs I could probably wear 10's 12s are real baggy in my waist 

There are also so many more advantages to weight lifting for women -- it also helps build bone which wards of osteoporosis.

Original Post by dbackerfan:

There are also so many more advantages to weight lifting for women -- it also helps build bone which wards of osteoporosis.

 

That is what I told my mom who has been suffering from osteoporosis for awhile now. Up until three months ago, she never lifted a single weight and the only exercise she got was walking 5 days a week. So I took on the job of training her. I had her do all compound lifts and HIIT 3x a week. Now three months later, her strength has increased tremendously and she is doing good. She is happy that she listened to me because she finds lifting and HIIT to be much better than walking.

Her main obstacle is diet. I try to tell her to eat 5-6 small meals a day, but she just won't budge. She only takes in like 1300 calories a day, and I try to explain to her with all the intense exercise she is doing, she needs more to speed up her metabolism. Some people just don't believe they have to eat more to get results.

OOPs -- just noticed the Original poster is male - but men get osteoporosis too-- Also you would probably just want to go right into New Rules of Lifting.  Its a great book for beginners needing a weight lifting program and all the workouts to build strenth muscle or fat loss are all spelled out 

Also check out Tnation's "Really Fast Fat Loss" workout program.  I know lots of people who had success with that program as well.  I think the key to all these fat loss workouts has been the HIIT and interval training.  Plus you can do 20 minutes of HIIT and burn the calories of a 1 hour regular workout.

When I do weight lifting and interval training I'll burn about 250 - 400 more calories in the hour than I do during step aerobic class.

Too many people are too specific in their workouts and would benefit from a more rounded/holistic approach. Resistance and cardo are both tools for different strength and energy systems and both are vitally important for different reasons beyond just weight control. Just as you balance your diet you really need to balance your exercise regiment too for optimal, over-all health and wellbeing.