Weight Training Alone... Can it keep wieght off?

[Maria777]

I was wondering.... I do right now half cardio and half weights...

What about those bodybuilders... do they do only weights or do they also do cardio like treadmills or jumping the rope like boxers do?

 

[cjbate]

From what I've read they do more weights, and not as much cardio as you might think. 3x a week, 30 minutes intense, it seems like I've read, can't remember where. BUT their eating is VERY strict. Clean, lean protein, fibrous veggies, oatmeal, egg whites, and THAT IS IT.

Jen

 

[angie_nrs]

I do much more heavy weight lifting than cardio and it has done nice things for my body. However, everyone seems to respond differently - so, give it a shot for a while and see how it goes for you.

Also, I bought BodyFlex~BodyMagic by Anja Langer, a former Miss Olympia runner up on half.com for about $6. I haven't read the whole thing but it is very interesting to see exactly how female bodybuilders do their thing. I am soooooo not that disciplined!

It's definitely an interesting book that flows very well. It also has lots of pictures and some neat tips. In fact, maybe I'll go thru this again over the long weekend.

Hope this helps!

 

[kathryn]

From what I've read, a lot of bodybuilders do primarily weights, especially in their 'growth' cycle, but add in more cardio (short, intense cardio) during their cutting phase, to reduce body fat.

Doing what body builders do is not necessarily the best idea, as they often go to extremes to get a contest-ready body, and quite a few of them gain fat as well as muscle during their bulking stage (at least the men).

I think doing circuit-type weight workouts, that move quickly from one body part to the next for more calorie burn, would work fine for maintenance. But there are benefits to cardiovascular exercise other than weight loss or maintenance.

 

[kariev]

for me the less cardio i do the stricter my diet has to be so in order to stay sane i do 3-4 intense cardio sessions per week that way i can have some junk food and not worry about it too much.

 

[SRP]

And just remember that serious body builders are lifting A LOT more weight than the average exerciser, so they burn more calories that way, too.

 

[moni_stout]

I have stopped doing cardio almost completely and have had great results. I lift heavy four days per week and try to also do one day of yoga. My body fat % is the lowest it has ever been. Like some others mentioned -- everyone respond differently, try some different things. If I do through in a cardio session it is typically no more than 30 minutes long. I did aerobics for years and wasn't really getting anywhere. Started getting into weights more using Cathe's DVDs. I now lift without DVDs, just because I need longer breaks and do less reps.

Good luck in figuring out what works for you. You can get a lot of great advice on this message board.

Monica