Stay in Shape
Cardio And Strength Training – Use Both To Lose Weight
While you may have an exercise preference, consider incorporating cardio and strength training to meet and exceed your fitness goals.
Cardio exercises help your body to increase endurance and stamina. They usually raise the heart rate level for an extended period of time and burn calories at a higher rate in a short period of time if executed correctly.
Common cardio exercises are walking, jogging and swimming. Cardio exercises provide the physical challenge your body and mind needs. While they are challenging, it is well worth it.
Some benefits of cardio exercise can include lowering the risk of heart disease and increased energy levels. It can also help increase focus and reduce stress.
If you want to start off with own cardio exercise program, you need to look no further than your front door. Whatever your exercise level or preference is, you can start off with a 20 minute walk or jog. For people that are looking for low impact exercises, there are many low impact exercises such as walking and swimming that also focus on the cardio system.
While regular cardio exercise is extremely important for added energy endurance, you should add strength training to your life style.
Some people get confuse strength training with bodybuilding and are afraid of getting “too muscular”. However, this concern is not valid. Bodybuilders are professionals and have years of experience at their craft. So don’t worry, chances are you won’t be as muscular as them.
The goal for strength training is to keep your muscles strong. As we get older we start aging by losing muscle. You don’t need to buy a weight set or join a gym right away if you don’t want to. All you need to do is make sure you are taxing your muscles properly so you can stay in shape.
You can start off with body weight exercises such as push ups, pull ups and crunches. These three exercises will work out a lot of your upper body and use your body weight to provide the resistance you need to work out.
If you do join a gym or have weights at home, weight lifting is a great way to keep your strength. Start out will exercises that work large muscle groups (such as the incline dumb bell press). These types of exercises require more weight to lift and will incorporate more muscles.
Using a combination of cardio and strength training exercises will provide the best results in your quest to remain lean and fit. If you are concerned about the time it takes to do both, you can still work out with both in less than an hour’s time. This of course depends on the intensity you work out with.
John Purfield
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/cardio-and-strength-training-use-both-to-lose-weight-89884.html
November 9, 2009 - 2:35 pm
Which is more important to lose weight: strength training or cardio?
I know you need a mixture of both, but my boyfriend says it’s more important to focus on strength training than cardio. He said if I go to the gym for an hour I should do 40 min. of weights and 20 min. of cardio. I usually did the other way around. So which will better help me in my weight loss efforts?
I know dieting is crucial too. And no I’m not fat, but I’ve gained some weight recently and want to get it off!!!!
I want to lose weight and tone up.
November 9, 2009 - 7:37 pm
dieting?
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November 9, 2009 - 7:39 pm
Cardio is better. Strength will just build up muscle density. Do lots of running to burn off the weight.
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November 9, 2009 - 7:41 pm
cardio, it is what burns the fat , you are correct they way you are doing it
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November 9, 2009 - 7:43 pm
Depends on your body…If your a fluffy fat chick, hit the treadmill…If you only have problem areas, strength train…
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November 9, 2009 - 7:45 pm
Cardio to burn the fat.
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November 9, 2009 - 7:47 pm
it’s different for different people.. as you build muscle, the muscles help you burn fat off your body.. but as you work on cardio, it increases your metabolism which also helps you burn fat.. like you said, a mixture of both is best..
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November 9, 2009 - 7:49 pm
I will have to said cardio and strength training
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November 9, 2009 - 7:51 pm
strength training will make you gain weight since muscle weighs more than fat. if you JUST want to lose weight, I would do 40 min cardio, 20 weights
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November 9, 2009 - 7:53 pm
I think it is more important to do Cardio because you will lose the weight and when you are feeling like you feel great and then you can start to work the rest of you body but only to tone the areas that you want to see be better.
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November 9, 2009 - 7:55 pm
When I took aerobics we always started with cardio, 30 min, did 20 min of strength training and 10 min cool down. I think the cardio is more important. Due to my schedule I can no longer do aerobics and only use the treadmill at home and have maintained my weight loss.
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November 9, 2009 - 7:57 pm
Cardio for weight loss–strength train for toning..Go 40 on Cardio and 20 on the weights. eat proteins and you should slim right down.
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November 9, 2009 - 7:59 pm
Here is a sure-fire way to lose weight (And I know!) You were doing it right before – more cardio, less weights.
Try to do cardio for 15 minutes, then 10-15 of weights, 15 more cardio, 10-15 more of weights, and then finish it off with another 15 of cardio. Mixing it up is the ultimate fat loss burner.
Good luck!
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November 9, 2009 - 8:01 pm
streanght training builds muscle, which weighs more than fat. cardio burns calories and prevents fat. Are you trying to look good, or loose weight? looking good, try a combination of both with a healthy diet. for weight loss, don’t strenght train.
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November 9, 2009 - 8:03 pm
alot of people say just cardio, however, you can accomplish more with strenght training. with cardio you can break down you muscles and not help them. with strenght training, you will build lean muscles, look leaner, feel better, plus the muscles will burn more fat and this makes you loose more overall. You can do cardio but you want to focus on building lean muscles as a girl. what is the use of a skinny girl with a saggy ass. do some squats and train. better body all the way around.
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November 9, 2009 - 8:05 pm
i think more cardio. when i went to the gym i had a personal trainer and he had me walk an hour on the treadmill first, then do some weight, then run for 30 min to an hour depending on what i felt like that day, and then more wieght, and walk for an hour. definately do more cardio.
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November 9, 2009 - 8:07 pm
Sorry, unless you BF has evidence to rebut scores of kinesiologists and doctors, the evidence unanimously supports aerobic activity as a greater and faster way to lose excess weight, rather than anaerobic activity.
Now, he’s absolutely correct that weight lifting will continue to burn calories long after you’ve left the gym.
But equal amounts of vigorous aerobic activity (running, cycling, swimming) will provide much higher calorie burn for a given period of time.
In addition, doctors confirm that aerobic activity should be performed first, prior to anaerobic activity, as the warm-up benefits to the heart and vascular system are demonstrable. Finally, resistance (weight) training gains are most accomplished on the negative stroke (returning the weight to rest), not the positive stroke. It’s basic physiological physics – the majority of strain and resultant micro-tearing of muscle fiber happens on the negative stroke, when you should make sure you are slow and controlled.
Concentrate on aerobic (cardio), and make sure you get this in prior to anaerobic (weights).
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From research PhD currently finalizing study on best practices for exercise as a primary means to extend quality of life in adults, especially seniors.
November 17, 2009 - 7:43 am
dieting? oh.. very hard for me