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8/28/2009 1:08:29 PM

As far as the cardio vs. strength training thing, you don't have to pick one over the other. However, if you've got a lot of extra bodyfat, not doing cardio would be a huge mistake. Anything that is going to burn extra calories is good.

The key is going to be consistency. Pick a plan, and don't come off of it for anything. If you skip a couple workout days, it becomes a week, two weeks, and you're back to where you started. You won't always see the results, but if you're doing what you know you need to do, other people will start to notice before you do.

8/28/2009 1:20:39 PM

Quote :

"However, if you've got a lot of extra bodyfat, not doing cardio would be a huge mistake. Anything that is going to burn extra calories is good."

This is not true. Lifting burns tons of calories, increases EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, how many calories you burn in the hours/days after exercise) and lifting weights while dieting will cause you to retain more muscle and lose more fat than just diet and/or cardio. Because the name of the game when it comes to not looking awful is FAT LOSS, not weight loss. I don't think so. Lifting weights also makes you stronger than cardio, increases bone density and strength (not kidding, have your grandfather do deadlifts) and will do more than almost anything to make you look good naked.

8/28/2009 1:37:53 PM

It is proven that lifting burns some calories.
It is proven that your metabolism stays in an elevated state for up to 24 hours after lifting.
But lifting does not burn a "ton" of calories.
If you need to lose a lot of weight cardio is still king.
Not saying you shouldn't do both even if weight loss is your primary goal, but weightlifting to lose weight is about like working at McDonalds to become a millionare. With enough time it might happen, but there are better ways to do it.

8/28/2009 1:44:02 PM

I barely do cardio anymore, just not for my goals of body recomposition...when I first started losing weight, I began with moderate cardio, 3-4x week, ~30min of LISS and a little bit of lower body circuit training on the machines...I didn't even get serious about lifting until Summer 08 when I had more free time. I'm not going to argue which is better than the other, since in the long run, diet and willpower will attribute to much more to any fat loss goals. So long as you've created a caloric deficit, stick with the diet, any exercise > no exercise.

I am glad I began my new lifestyle with cardio though, I believe it really helped with lifting. I built up the CV stamina to get in a solid session of lifting. I focused on endurance before I increased intensity. Don't forget to stretch too, I was so sore for the next few days after the first time I had lifted in years, I almost swore it off. I now spend, partly because of my lower back injury from HS, 20-25min total stretching and 45-50min max working out. If I do cardio, it's never on a legs day and either LISS or HIIT, really depends how I feel, hell I'll skip it if I want to, let the diet do the brunt of my work.

8/28/2009 2:23:11 PM

Muscle burns calories more than fat. Muscle requires more fuel. Weight lifting gets your heart pumping fast.

Show me one person with a "great physique" who doesn't lift weights regularly. A "runners body" is not a great physique.

8/28/2009 2:35:33 PM

nobody said it was

8/28/2009 2:38:23 PM

cardio is NOT needed to lose weight

Is it helpful? Yes, but it is by no means necessary

8/28/2009 3:28:50 PM

From what zxappeal has said, he WANTS to do cardio... why is there an argument?

Total body fitness includes strength, cardio, and flexibility. If the man wants to get healthy, he should be doing it all.

8/28/2009 3:56:11 PM

Hey zx-
when you find that motivation, send some my way.

8/28/2009 4:09:57 PM

Sometimes people don't know what's best for them. That's why they get fat in the first place.

His best plan would involve mainly strength training combined with cardio, something like:

M - Weights
T - Cardio
W - Weights
Th - Weights
F - Cardio
Sa - Weights
Su - Cardio

He'll need the off days to rest his muscles, and hit one set of muscle groups on M/Th, and the other set on W/Sa. Muscle rest days will involve cardio, something like a light jog.

8/28/2009 4:12:32 PM

Quote :

"Total body fitness includes strength, cardio, and flexibility. If the man wants to get healthy, he should be doing it all."

Perfect perspective. Cardio first, strength second, and flexibility third in order of priority.

You would be AMAZED at the flexibility I have for someone my size. Or someone 50 lbs lighter than I. LOL.

8/28/2009 4:45:36 PM

Quote :

"Muscle burns calories more than fat"

I guess so since fat is made up of calories and doesn't burn any calories whatsoever.

A pound of muscle burns about 35 calories per day at rest. Working that muscle causes it to burn more. Most of us would be lucky to put on two pounds of muscle per month. Professional bodybuilders, people who train all day and have dietitians working for them, aim for four pounds of muscle per month of growth. So a person who works his ass off for three months is doing well to put on 6 pounds of muscle...aka, enough muscle to burn off a 20 oz coke every day.

I say to mix it up too, but if your goal is weight loss cardio is the way to burn a lot of calories.

8/28/2009 4:57:33 PM

I've only been lifting seriously at a gym for about 9 months--my background is mostly as a cyclist, runner, and a rock climber/mountaineer. My observation is that a lot of guys have problems with reducing caloric intake and/or they don't lift at a great enough intensity. A lot of these guys get strong but only seem to marginally improve their appearance.

My impression is that high intensity strength training is the fastest method for an un-fit person to lose weight and improve their body. Crossfit-style workouts are in this high-intensity spirit but there are other equally effective programs.

But if you do cardio intensity is also very important. My gym is full of chubby girls doing 50 minutes on the elliptical burning off maybe a quarter of the Starbucks Mocha they got that morning.

[Edited on August 28, 2009 at 9:18 PM. Reason : x]

8/28/2009 9:15:22 PM

Gotta take care of my joints too. They get inflamed at the drop of a hat. I have a lot of joint pain everywhere. Concerned that high intensity strength training is gonna end up fucking me up. Shit on it. I have a long day of heavy lifting tomorrow.

8/28/2009 9:21:55 PM

Listen to God
The kid has clearly done his hwk

8/29/2009 6:18:55 AM

So looking for a good lifting routine to lose weight. Nothing to advanced as I have been in Korea for a year getting fat on booze and MREs

Any suggestions for cardio/lifting split and how I should do the lifting days?

8/30/2009 3:24:20 AM

Quote :

"Hm. I'm a post-baccalaureate student, so I'm unsure if I get access to the gym."

Alumni (or people who live with alumni) can get a gym membership for like $15 a month.

8/30/2009 3:33:14 AM

everyone keeps talking about cardio cardio cardio and weights

has anyone mentioned diet yet? Otherwise, fail.

8/30/2009 8:40:12 AM

i was saying I attribute 90% of my success to diet and willpower

8/30/2009 10:33:40 AM

I encourage you to go through your pantry and toss anything that doesn't offer nutritional value. Keep the fresh stuff and toss the high-sugar carbs. Replace fatty meats and cheeses with lean proteins and healthier dairy products.

Toss all chips, cracker, ice cream, cookies, candies, etc. These items have no place in a healthy diet.

8/30/2009 10:42:02 AM

what would you do if you wanted to gain weight? the inverse?

I'm having a hard time physically eating 4000 calories a day. I want to eat that many but my body doesnt like me too .

8/30/2009 10:44:46 AM

For easy ways to hit 4000 calories, find low-volume, high-calorie foods that still offer lots of nutrition. Lean beef over lean chicken. Avocadoes and nuts. Natural peanut butter (peanuts only--no sugar added). Drink milk and healthy juices (no sugar added).

Do you take any whey supplements? Shakes may be a great addition to your diet.

[Edited on August 30, 2009 at 10:54 AM. Reason : .]

8/30/2009 10:49:37 AM

I love nuts

8/30/2009 10:58:56 AM

Then put them in your mouf

8/30/2009 11:02:50 AM

http://www.menshealth.com/bellyoff/success-stories/Confident-Man.php

8/30/2009 12:26:25 PM

how are your eating habits? exercise is good for you but to really lose weight you have to eat healthy. You'd have to run 3.5 miles to work off one blueberry muffin!

Quote :

"From my experience, I'd attribute 90% of my success to diet and willpower, viewing exercise as just a means for expending calories."

porcha was very disciplined and I'd say most people have a hard time matching his approach. If you enjoy exercise or have some kind of commitment you'll be more likely to do it. Finding a workout buddy is a good start. If TWW doesn't come through, try craigslist or maybe you can post an ad at your gym.

And when you get in better shape to play a sport you can join a sports team or club. That way you'll make friends and have a commitment to show up.

8/30/2009 1:04:45 PM

Quote :

"So looking for a good lifting routine to lose weight. Nothing to advanced as I have been in Korea for a year getting fat on booze and MREs Any suggestions for cardio/lifting split and how I should do the lifting days?"

Plan a routine using this site and what equipment you have

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

For example,

Monday: Chest, biceps, delts
Tuesday: Lats, triceps, spinae
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Repeat

EDIT: Oh, and the only "dietary changes" I made was to not eat Wendy's every day. I eat fast food maybe once a week, and I only have a few sodas a week. I usually cook most of my meals.

[Edited on August 30, 2009 at 6:31 PM. Reason : ]

8/30/2009 6:30:35 PM

^ So do a 3 day cycle and Sunday as a rest day? Throw in Cardio before or after lifting?

Also, would you recommend keeping with the exact same exercises for a while, or switching it up every week?

8/30/2009 11:29:04 PM

I was doing a 3 days on 1 day off program, was quite fun, I front loaded the workload so my hardest day(legs) was first, 2nd hardest day(chest/back/shoulders) was second, and 3rd hardest(arms/traps) were last and then I'd rest up before blowing up the legs again.

I really wouldn't cite any workout as the best...I'm just not experienced/knowledgeable yet to make those types of calls...I'd say just design a program that _you_ like to accommodate _your_ goals and do work. I get my ideas from other programs but I never follow them to the T, I always go in, test the waters and find out what I like best. As far as cardio before/after lifting, I tend to split my cardio up into separate sessions. I had been doing cardio post workout, but once I increased my intensity, I realized, cardio after lifting wasn't helping my situation nor was it fun. I was spending wayyy to much time in the gym as it was. So now I'll do it either later in the day or allow at least an hour between cardio and lifting, either before or after. I never ever do leg based cardio on a legs day either. I trash my legs so bad I stagger around the gym like a drunk after. I'm lucky to be able to put my pants on and walk to class I'm usually so beat after a Legs day. I really don't like reading that someone just did Legs and 25min HIIT. Yeah, OK.

Personally, my primary goal is to reduce body fat, next goal is muscle gain, a hard balance when you're caloric intake is maintenance, rather than surplus/deficit, so my gains are slow in either direction, but they're there. So I've designed my workout to just be high frequency, rather than high volume, but at the end of the week, I've still done the same amount of work regardless of program. I'm able to do my favorite exercises more often, then again, I'm able to do my least favorite exercises more often too. And just like my food choices, I don't like to repeat everything I do, so next time I'm out, I'll usually switch angles/exercises/dbs/bbs for exercises...because it's so high frequency in my program, the options are vast. When I was doing high volume days, I tended to stick with the same routine of lifts every week, since I usually only hit that group of muscles once per week. Again, it's all about _me_ in _my_ program.

8/31/2009 12:05:51 AM

^^^ and ^^Unless you're trying to be a bodybuilder there is no reason to train like one...body part splits are useless IMO for anyone looking for overall health, body fat reduction, etc. I would stick to either an Upper/Lower split or 2-3 full body workouts a week.

Train movements, not muscles.

Also, def. train the same movements until strength or progression halt, before you even think about changing exercises. I would even mess around with rep ranges and rest before changing movements.



[Edited on August 31, 2009 at 1:45 PM. Reason : ]

8/31/2009 1:43:07 PM

Quote :

"Any of you in the RTP or Brier Creek area and either interested in doing the same or doing a little fitness coaching and motivation? And if any of you are Gold's members @ RTP, that's a big plus"

Any interest in working out this Saturday? I need a guest pass for the weekend! <3

9/3/2009 2:35:18 PM