Is my time spent better doing W.T. or Cardio?

[momsenergy]

Hi I do Cardio about 3 to 4 times a week and try to do some weight training. I need to lose about 15 lbs. What is going to help me lose faster or I guess I should say which burns more calories, 45 minutes of intense stepping or 45 minutes of intense weight training like Power Hour or any of the 3 Gym Styles.

Yolanda

 

[coradora]

If you are simply looking for a change on the scale quickly you might not get it with weight training, but if you want to see a change in the shape of your body, I think weight training is soooo important.

I weight train 3 times a week and do cardio 2 or 3 times a week. I eat pretty clean (a very important factor if you want to see results). I am having a slow steady scale change, but more importantly, I am seeing a wonderful change in my body shape. Muscle definition, increased strength (which helps with my cardio work) and killer posture. I used to focus on cardio, but I now spend more of my time lifting as heavy as I can and for me (you might be different!) this has been producing better results.

You can do a search on this and will find that the folks here mostly try different variations of WT/Cardio to find what works best for them.

I don't have the Gym Styles yet - I can't wait until these are part of my collection!

 

[Miss Lee]

I have to agree with Cora on this one. I'm 52 and I can do cardio all day long, and though I might lose weight, it doesn't lean me out or make me lose inches. Weight lifting is what actually changes my body, and this is great for me because I hate cardio with every fiber of my being (except for Cardio Coach }( ). I'm not suggesting that cardio isn't necessary because, obviously, it is the best thing for heart health, but the older I get the more I find I need resistance training to make a difference in my body.

 

[LeanneM]

Another vote for more weight training! For years, I had been a cardio junkie (doing cardio 5-6 days a week) , but it was only back in August, when I got serious about weight training, that the pounds started coming off.

I've been lifting three days a week and doing cardio 2-3 days a week, and have managed to lose 15 pounds without drastically altering my caloric intake (although I have really focused a lot more on clean eating). I'm definitely a convert!

Edited to add: Although cardio burns more calories than weight lifting, the muscles you build from lifting help burn more calories at rest, and really rev up your metabolism. Like Michele and coradora said, you also get the benefit of losing inches since muscle takes up less space than fat.


Hope this helps!

 

[momsenergy]

THANKS! Everyone, I am going to try to beef up on my weight training since my main concern is inches more than pounds. I want to be slimmer more than lighter I guess and if w.t. can do this for me than that is all I am really concerned with. I love cardio but I need to try to get faster results. Summer is approaching and I really want to jump start my metabolism. Thanks again.