Lose fat with weight lifting, not cardio?

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Legend

Platinum Member
Apr 21, 2005
2,254
1
0
Both. A proper diet increases metabolism, shifts the body towards an anabolic state, and kills excessive hunger. Weight lifting increases testosterone (which makes body composition goals a hell of a lot easier), increases muscle mass (increases metabolism). Cardio and help to burn fat.
 

Legend

Platinum Member
Apr 21, 2005
2,254
1
0
Originally posted by: skywhr
Also, I have a pretty healthy diet, I think. Usually eat high fiber cereal with whey protein and milk for breakfast around 6am, small portion meal around 10am consisting of vegetables and some sort protein(I take portions considered 3.5 servings and divide them into 5-6 servings) then again for lunch, lastly fish and vegetables for dinner. I drink tons of water and tea throughout the day and take a men's multi vitamin and vitamin c and green tea extract.

Sounds pretty good. You may learn something from this:

http://johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/leaneating_1.htm
http://johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/leaneating_2.htm
 

Special K

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2000
7,098
0
76
Originally posted by: Safeway
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Originally posted by: Special K
Originally posted by: Bateluer
Wonder what the heart looks like in someone who only lifts weights and have never done any dedicated cardio.

I don't think this fitness guru is much of a guru myself. 'Cardio Kills' he says, sounds like a dumbass. A healthy heart is essential to a healthy life.

An effective exercise routine can not include any weight lifting at all and still be very effective at losing weight and maintaining a healthy body. As others have said, the diet plays a critical role in any exercise routine. The ideal diet for a runner is going to be different than the ideal diet for a hardcore weightlifter.

Finally, I just want to add my personal opinion. :p Running is just much more fun than weight lifting. You get to go outside, get some sunlight, see interesting places, and meet interesting other people who run. In a big gym, you typically see similar types of people (weightlifting pinheads with larger biceps than brains), you get little sunlight, no traveling, etc. And how many girls are you going to meet lifting weights in the gym compared to how many you can meet if you're out running in public areas? Lot more female runners and cyclists than female weight lifters.

With running, I can't improve my appearance and will have nothing to show for after doing it for years other than a rail-thin body.

With weightlifting, I actually get to see the results of my hard work.

Also I take offense to your statement that all people who are dedicated to weighlifting are stupid.

Also when I go to the gym, it's all business. If I wanted to meet girls, I'd go somewhere else.

Me stupid.

Me lift weights.

Me also have degree in computer science.

Me software engineer.

Again, me stupid.

??


He's being sarcastic ;)
 

49erinnc

Platinum Member
Feb 10, 2004
2,095
0
0
Some comments in this thread make wonder if I'm being a little counter productive with my strength training. Can someone please let me know if my current incorporation of cardio has any adverse effects on building muscle mass or if my amount of cardio is too insignificant to do so? Thanks...

3 days a week: 3 miles on treadmill at a 11 minute mile pace. Normally I do this at a 3/2 interval. Heart rate around 150-155. This is followed by 40 minutes of strength training, 3x10 moderate-heavy weight.

1-2 days a week: 30 minutes on elliptical (heart rate in the cardio range/165) followed by 40 minutes of strength training, 3x10 moderate-heavy.

My goal is to build muscle but I am also wanting to take part in future 5K and 10K runs (ultimately a half marathon maybe) so I want to continue running on the treadmill but not at the expense of burning up muscle. Is my current routine counter productive or a good balance?
 

Majesty

Senior member
Nov 22, 1999
321
0
0
Let's see what Arthur Jones thinks about "cardio", shall we?

"Do you do any Cardio?"

No, I find "cardio" unnecessary.

First, Cardio is a poor method of burning calories. Intense exercise burns about 400 calories per hour. One pound of fat contains 3500 calories. How many hours would you need to exercise to burn one pound of fat? You can see it takes a long time and is very inefficient. And in the meantime because of all the extra activity, your appetite increases. I've tried cardio in the past and all I got was very hungry, very tired, and I seemed to lose muscle tissue. What works best for me is work out with weights 2 or 3 times per week to build muscle, and reduce my calories to lose fat. It's as simple as that.

The other reason to do cardio is to exercise the heart. Again, I feel this is unnecessary. Aerobics has been around long enough now to measure the results, and we have not seen a huge decrease in cardiac health due to aerobics. Instead, what we have seen decrease the incidence of heart attack is remove meat, dairy, eggs, chicken and fish from the diet. This is a plant based diet and many real doctors that have had the courage to break away from medical dogma are having real success with their patients in improving cardiac health without surgery or drugs.

As far as exercising the heart, I believe the body has two systems to back each other up. If the muscles are out of shape, the heart rate increases during exertion to deliver nutrients to the muscles. When the muscles conditioned to an activity, they are more efficient at extracting oxygen and nutrients and the heart rate doesn't increase as much as a back up system. It's really impossible to work the heart alone during "cardio" - you must work the skeletal muscles too. That's why I believe you can't do just "cardio" - it's really a poorly descriptive term. Instead, it's really just easy exercise carried to a point of exhaustion for the muscles so the heart rate has to increase as a back up system.

Running is better exercise than walking. Sprinting is better exercise than running. Sprinting up steep hill is better exercise than sprinting on flat terrain. Why? Because each works the muscles harder. So why do a bunch of easy exercise and call it cardio? Instead, do high-intensity exercise - work the muscles as hard as you can - that's why I call it the natural evolution of "cardio".
****

That's it for M. Jones. Now, read and learn: http://www.charliesgym.info/wst_page4.php
 

mrkun

Platinum Member
Jul 17, 2005
2,177
0
0
Originally posted by: edro
If you have a good weight lifting routine, it counts as cardio as well. Cardio is nothing more than a continuous raised heart rate.

Yeah, seriously. People think there's something magical about running on a treadmill that makes it cardio. Full body circuit training with weights will burn tons of fat.
 

Special K

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2000
7,098
0
76
Originally posted by: 49erinnc
Some comments in this thread make wonder if I'm being a little counter productive with my strength training. Can someone please let me know if my current incorporation of cardio has any adverse effects on building muscle mass or if my amount of cardio is too insignificant to do so? Thanks...

3 days a week: 3 miles on treadmill at a 11 minute mile pace. Normally I do this at a 3/2 interval. Heart rate around 150-155. This is followed by 40 minutes of strength training, 3x10 moderate-heavy weight.

1-2 days a week: 30 minutes on elliptical (heart rate in the cardio range/165) followed by 40 minutes of strength training, 3x10 moderate-heavy.

My goal is to build muscle but I am also wanting to take part in future 5K and 10K runs (ultimately a half marathon maybe) so I want to continue running on the treadmill but not at the expense of burning up muscle. Is my current routine counter productive or a good balance?

That depends. What is your weight training routine, and how much are you eating each day? Are you gaining weight (hopefully muscle)?
 

sourceninja

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2005
8,805
65
91
I tried the gym 3 days a week with weights/cardio with a trainer. It didn't help me lose any weight. I started training in bjj, and I cut about 40 pounds in 6 months. Nothing but tons of cardio, fighting, and body weight exercises.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
Originally posted by: Brainonska511
I do both. To not do both is kind of pointless.

Naw...that's a MAN workout :D All weights, no cardio! You see those guys all the time at the gym: huge chest and chicken legs.
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,337
136
Originally posted by: Snatchface
This whole No-Cardio-Weight-Loss thing was brought about by this guy who wrote a book on the issue. It is based entirely on non-scientific, anecdotal evidence. This guy was on some evening news program. He has so little idea what constitutes scientific evidence that he seemed quite proud of the fact that he determined this by simply observing how it worked for him, rather then through scientifically controlled study. It's a joke. He is actually dangerous. People will believe him and stop doing cardio and wind up with more cardiovascular disease and overall poorer health.

Originally posted by: ABC News article
"Cardiovascular exercise kills a weight-loss plan, your internal organs, your immune system, your time and your motivation. If your true goal is to lose weight, interval strength training is the only way to go," says (Jim) Karas, an ABC News correspondent, celebrity trainer and fitness expert.

People like easy solutions. This is why they buy into fads. This Karas guy is no different, he's just trying to sell yet another fad diet/exercise craze that will not work. And why won't it work? Because there are no easy solutions.
 

SVT Cobra

Lifer
Mar 29, 2005
13,264
2
0
Originally posted by: Safeway
Originally posted by: edro
SVT jumped to conclusions, thinking BMI... and got owned. :)
Sorry Cobra. :)
He jumped to the conclusion that I had no clue what I was talking about.

:disgust:

No I did not, BMR is something that newbs bring up. If you post in the BB.com fat loss section you know what I am talking about.
 

crt1530

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2001
3,194
0
0
Originally posted by: Fritzo
Originally posted by: Brainonska511
I do both. To not do both is kind of pointless.

Naw...that's a MAN workout :D All weights, no cardio! You see those guys all the time at the gym: huge chest and chicken legs.

Here's an example of a man who did all weights and no cardio. He could probably use some pointers from you, Fritzo.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
Originally posted by: crt1530
Originally posted by: Fritzo
Originally posted by: Brainonska511
I do both. To not do both is kind of pointless.

Naw...that's a MAN workout :D All weights, no cardio! You see those guys all the time at the gym: huge chest and chicken legs.

Here's an example of a man who did all weights and no cardio. He could probably use some pointers from you, Fritzo.

It looks like he needs a pointer on how to get the booger off of his finger.
 

crt1530

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2001
3,194
0
0
Originally posted by: mrkun
Originally posted by: crt1530
Here's an example of a man who did all weights and no cardio. He could probably use some pointers from you, Fritzo.

Like some of us have said, weights used in a particular way = cardio.

What "particular way" would that be and how does that include olympic weightlifting?
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
16,843
2
0
Originally posted by: Bateluer
Wonder what the heart looks like in someone who only lifts weights and have never done any dedicated cardio.

I don't think this fitness guru is much of a guru myself. 'Cardio Kills' he says, sounds like a dumbass. A healthy heart is essential to a healthy life.

An effective exercise routine can not include any weight lifting at all and still be very effective at losing weight and maintaining a healthy body. As others have said, the diet plays a critical role in any exercise routine. The ideal diet for a runner is going to be different than the ideal diet for a hardcore weightlifter.

Finally, I just want to add my personal opinion. :p Running is just much more fun than weight lifting. You get to go outside, get some sunlight, see interesting places, and meet interesting other people who run. In a big gym, you typically see similar types of people (weightlifting pinheads with larger biceps than brains), you get little sunlight, no traveling, etc. And how many girls are you going to meet lifting weights in the gym compared to how many you can meet if you're out running in public areas? Lot more female runners and cyclists than female weight lifters.

Weight training != weightlifting

Theres probably less then 3 guys here that do weightlifting, everyone else does weight training.

Koing
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
16,843
2
0
Originally posted by: mrkun
Originally posted by: edro
If you have a good weight lifting routine, it counts as cardio as well. Cardio is nothing more than a continuous raised heart rate.

Yeah, seriously. People think there's something magical about running on a treadmill that makes it cardio. Full body circuit training with weights will burn tons of fat.

Not just the fat but the AFTER effects:
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1526539

Did anyone bother to read it?

Originally posted by: sourceninja
I tried the gym 3 days a week with weights/cardio with a trainer. It didn't help me lose any weight. I started training in bjj, and I cut about 40 pounds in 6 months. Nothing but tons of cardio, fighting, and body weight exercises.

BJJ is great training and seriously good for cutting fat. I would guess you weren't training properly with weights/ cardio if you didn't manage to lose weight. What time frame did you have? The trainer was probably sh!te if he couldn't get you to drop fat within 4-6 week period. You may not weigh less on the scales immediately but if your looking trimmer that is okay.

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Originally posted by: crt1530
Originally posted by: Fritzo
Originally posted by: Brainonska511
I do both. To not do both is kind of pointless.

Naw...that's a MAN workout :D All weights, no cardio! You see those guys all the time at the gym: huge chest and chicken legs.

Here's an example of a man who did all weights and no cardio. He could probably use some pointers from you, Fritzo.

It looks like he needs a pointer on how to get the booger off of his finger.

Hey hey! Have some respect or a triple Olympian Medalist. 2 Golds and 1 Bronze, 96, 00 and 04. That guy is a LEGEND. He weighs 84.xx Kg in that picture. Phenomenal Weightlifter!

Koing
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
16,843
2
0
Originally posted by: crt1530
Originally posted by: mrkun
Originally posted by: crt1530
Here's an example of a man who did all weights and no cardio. He could probably use some pointers from you, Fritzo.

Like some of us have said, weights used in a particular way = cardio.

What "particular way" would that be and how does that include olympic weightlifting?

HIIT, circuits with weights with short rests inbetween sets of no longer then 45-50seconds to keep the heart rate jacked. You can get plenty lean doing th is. You just won't lift heavy weights or heavy weights for that many total reps due to the lower rest periods.

Do you Olympic weightlift?

Koing
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
12,207
1
0
Originally posted by: OneOfTheseDays
It seems like there is way too much conflicting information in this thread.

I think it comes down to genetics and personal preference. Basically though if you do any activity it's better than nothing. Fact of the matter is, if you want to get "ripped" diet is more important than cardio.
 

49erinnc

Platinum Member
Feb 10, 2004
2,095
0
0
Originally posted by: Special K


That depends. What is your weight training routine, and how much are you eating each day? Are you gaining weight (hopefully muscle)?

M: 39 min. on treadmill; chest/biceps: 3 exercises per muscle group @ 3x10 to exhaustion
T: 20 min. elliptical; shoulders/back: same as above
W: 39 min. treadmill; legs/abs: same as above
TH: Off
F: same as Monday
SA: 20 min. elliptical; triceps/legs (and/or abs)
SU: Off

I eat primarily 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat. Probably a little high on the carbs but most are before I leave work at 4pm and head to the gym. Whey protein isolate shake in the AM and another post-workout.

I've gained two pounds in the last month but have lost a little in the waist so I'm attributing it to muscle but not positive. I see a bit of difference in the mirror (mostly my arms) and definitely a difference in strength at the gym. But nowhere what I'd expect/like to see given how much time I spend in the gym. With me becoming more and more interesting in running, I just want to find a balance so I'm not doing anything counter productive to building muscle.
 

Special K

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2000
7,098
0
76
Originally posted by: OneOfTheseDays
It seems like there is way too much conflicting information in this thread.

That's because most of the people on here don't have a clue when it comes to body recomposition. A lot of the fitness myths seem to keep getting repeated on here (i.e. - doing low weight, high reps will get you ripped, and other such nonsense).