Cardio vs Weight Training

[yysgirl]

I am new to these forums and judging by their size i would imagine this question has come up before but please bear with me (and/or link to previous related threads and help me find what I'm looking for).

I have always figured I should do some cardio every workout. I work out 6 days a week. Usually I alternate three days weight training, three days only cardio (well, some light weights for say core work or leg lifts). But on my weight days I start by 20-30 min of cardio. Am I wasting my time with that? Should I just warm-up and get right to the lifting? I thought I read somewhere that the body does not benefit from cardio every day. I would appreciate any thougts or expertise in this matter.

 

[TeTe]

Welcome !

If you do an Advanced Search for Cardio vs Weight Training as the title of a thread, you'll find dozens of them!

 

[NinjaMom]

Hi Mary~

Welcome to the forum. I think you will find a variety of opinions on this because what might work for one person, does not necessarily work for another. I prefer to keep my cardio and weight training separate...that is what works for me. Others may prefer to do circuits that include cardio and strength all in one workout. Maybe you could try a rotation of the different options and see which one your body responds to best.

Good luck

JJ

 

[morningstar]

I think it depends on your goal. Mixing cardio and weight training in the same session will decrease your ability to put on muscle, but it will give you a helluva workout. If you want to put on muscle, separate your cardio and strength workouts. If you want to burn lots of calories DURING THE WORKOUT, mix them up.

Note that cardio lets you burn lots of calories while the workout is going on, but none whatsoever after a couple of hours and does nothing to increase your metabolism, while strength training:

• makes you burn less calories during the workout
• increases your metabolism because muscle is more metabolically active than fat and each pound of muscle burns way more calories than each pound of fat
• allows your body to continue to burn calories for up to 48 hours after a workout

 

[tneah]

I am a cardio fool, have to be, my body type demands it. Plus, my diet isn't "perfect" and I have to maintain a certain body fat percentage so I do cardio 6 days a week, lift 4 days a week.

Tete, OMG is that a picture of Divine??

 

[kathryn]

I don't think there's anything wrong with doing 20-30 minutes of cardio before your weight work. It serves as an extended warm-up.

If your goal is more weight/fat loss, it is an excellent idea, though, as that extra cardio will increase your metabolism before you start your weight work, which will keep it elevated.

If your goal is muscle building, I wouldn't make this high-intensity cardio, though.

I don't know where you read that the body doesn't benefit from cardio everyday. It's true that the body doesn't benefit from the same type of cardio every day (increased risk of overuse injuries) or interval cardio every day (can be hard on the heart) or intense/high-impact cardio every day (increase injury risk), but cardio can be done daily if you vary the intensity and type of cardio.

 

[yysgirl]

Thanks for the tips, Ladies. I am looking to burn fat & tone, but not necessarily build muscle. I did find some other threads that were helpful as well. They reminded me of another question I have been pondering. How often should I work my abs? Since there is usually an ab section at the end of almost every dvd (or so it seems) I figured I should be working them in some way every day. Of course, I'm still trying to establish my routine. I just had my third baby in August and am finally getting down to business on reclaiming my body. A few months ago I was REALLY sore the day after I did ab work, so I did every other day. But now I do not seem to notice it so much.

 

[RapidBreath]

abs, circuits and other ideas

I do cardio 6x a week. It is one of the few things that really works on my insulin resistance. Do avoid the muscle building, go for the old circuits. If you want to lean out that is an effective way to go. It seems to work for me. I've lost 30 pounds since June of 2008 with Cathe circuits added to the mix.

As for abs, I do them 2 or 3x a week. Its a muscle like any other and needs rest to rebuild the muscle. I prefer working that part in my yoga practice (mine is a little advanced.) I would be worried about over training.

Thats just my 2c. And welcome!