# Stop weightlifting for cardio?



## xiphoscesar (May 12, 2010)

so i want to get in better shape for the summer

mostly just want to shed the excess fat on my stomach

and someone told me that if i want to lose weight, that i should stop weightlifting just for a bit and do cardio because the weightlifting/cardio combo at the same time doesnt work to well to loose weight

what do you guys think
i plan to do cardio by jump roping


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## jymellis (May 12, 2010)

cardio every day. easy cardio to start up the weights. hard cardio on your off day


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## xtrustisyoursx (May 12, 2010)

cardio+plus weights is the best. If you're just going to do one to lose weight, then do cardio. But weights can be an effective weight loss tool as well. Building muscle raises your basal metabolism, which means you'll burn more calories just existing. It also allows you to do more cardio. Work large muscle groups.


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## SevenStringSam (May 12, 2010)

verticle pushups (handstand pushups). they use a lot of muscles. and just holding the position will burn calories or burn like hell


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## FretWizard88 (May 12, 2010)

SevenStringSam said:


> verticle pushups (handstand pushups). they use a lot of muscles. and just holding the position will burn calories or burn like hell



I had a teacher in middle school who made us do those if we were late for class. Needless to say, he was an asshole.


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## xiphoscesar (May 12, 2010)

so should i combine weights with cardio to maximize fat loss?
or should i just stop weightlifting and do cardio for a bit then get back at the weights after ive lost weight


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## SevenStringSam (May 12, 2010)

yep they suck horse dick. but they do amazing things for you


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## xtrustisyoursx (May 12, 2010)

xiphoscesar said:


> so should i combine weights with cardio to maximize fat loss?
> or should i just stop weightlifting and do cardio for a bit then get back at the weights after ive lost weight





xtrustisyoursx said:


> cardio+plus weights is the best. If you're just going to do one to lose weight, then do cardio. But weights can be an effective weight loss tool as well. Building muscle raises your basal metabolism, which means you'll burn more calories just existing. It also allows you to do more cardio. Work large muscle groups.


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## xiphoscesar (May 12, 2010)

xtrustisyoursx said:


>


so the thing about weightlifting+cardio not making you loose weight isnt true?


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## lobee (May 12, 2010)

How to Lose Fat with Cardio: Long Duration Cardio vs HIIT | StrongLifts.com
Fat Loss 101: How to Lose Fat Fast (with Free Fat Loss Diets) | StrongLifts.com


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## Aurochs34 (May 12, 2010)

One of the most effective things you can do to lose fat...
wait first off, yes yes yes cardio, and there's really no reason to stop lifting (as xtrustisyoursx said--cred where it's deserved!) unless you don't have the time and have to choose only one...so do both.
BUT, assuming you will be AT LEAST doing some substantial running (swimming is fantastic cardio too, but this only really works for running ),
take one of those big black outdoor hefty-ass trash bags, rip independent holes for your head and each arm, and draw the drawstring sealed around your waist. Then run your ass off.


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## helly (May 13, 2010)

What is HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training | Project Swole

This website has a wealth of information. Definitely do HIIT as opposed to standard cardio, though.


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## Aurochs34 (May 13, 2010)

helly said:


> What is HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training | Project Swole
> 
> This website has a wealth of information. Definitely do HIIT as opposed to standard cardio, though.



Yeah HIIT is definitely great.
Wear a trash bag while you sprint and you'll probably pass out. So be careful. But, aside from looking like a douche-BAG (YEAS!), the bag thing it's helpful.



Good luck man


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## xtrustisyoursx (May 13, 2010)

You can get a sauna suit for pretty cheap at walmart.


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## iondestroyer1527 (May 13, 2010)

if you consentrate mostly on cardio for a while you WILL lose weight BUT cardio does reduce muscle mass. depends on the type of look your going for but doing more cardio will shed the pounds more light weight lifting higher reps gets you cut.


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## Fionn (May 13, 2010)

^period. doing weights and cardio will reduce the amount of muscle lost, in fact done right you'll gain mass, but not a lot lol. keep the weights heavy to not look flat. high rep weights are only any good if they're really high intensity! And they wont do shit to the way you look, if anything you'll look smaller.


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## Tiger (May 13, 2010)

I do about 3 hours of cardio a day, weight training constantly and I see defined gradual improvement constantly. Anyone telling you that cardio hurts muscle gains is either uninformed or looking at it from a skewed perspective. 

Heres something out of the blue: Get one of these and follow its Training Effect guides on everything you do.

Suunto T6 Fitness and Heart Rate Watch, Fast Free Shipping

I got one about a month ago and its proven to be an AMAZING training tool for all types of cardio. Once properly setup, its scary how much it knows about your body and the training being done...follow the appropriate Training Effect levels and weight train when you need a lower one. Its made my recovery (and results) so much easier to predict.


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## nhersom (May 13, 2010)

gaining muscle mass is attributed to tearing and rehealing your muscles. Heavy weight lifting will make you strong but not big. There needs to be a good mixture of heavy and high rep lifting. Just because you are big doesn't mean you are strong. Cardio will make you lean and make you muscles look bigger for that reason. if you are in it for strength and size i would stay away from cardio as much as possible.


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## antigluten (May 13, 2010)

Cardio is good - but make sure to keep up some weight training as it will keep your metabolism high.

I'd suggest trying kettlebells for muscular activity. It's excellent aerobic exercise and strengthens your body substantially. 

Flipping big fucking tires is a lot of fun too  You can get 400 pound ones for free from re-treadding companies - they have to get rid of the ones that are too worn to retread.


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## xiphoscesar (May 13, 2010)

nhersom said:


> gaining muscle mass is attributed to tearing and rehealing your muscles. Heavy weight lifting will make you strong but not big. There needs to be a good mixture of heavy and high rep lifting. Just because you are big doesn't mean you are strong. Cardio will make you lean and make you muscles look bigger for that reason. if you are in it for strength and size i would stay away from cardio as much as possible.



yea thats pretty much why im gonna do cardio,
i want to lose the excess fat to look leaner and make my muscles look defined more


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 13, 2010)

Cardio in the morning, and then weightlifting in the afternoon. If you do cardio alone you'll end up being 150 pounds and looking like richard simmons jr.


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## iondestroyer1527 (May 14, 2010)

Fionn said:


> high rep weights are only any good if they're really high intensity! And they wont do shit to the way you look, if anything you'll look smaller.


the exclamation part is right, but high reps are to get cut/build size, ask any actual body builder. this dude that used to lift at the gym i went to was a MASSIVE pussy when it came to the amount of weight he was lifting, but if i stood next to him you would probably guess that he could lift more than me...simply not so. but when i say high reps light weight im not saying use the colored womens weights and stay at the gym all day, i just mean drop it down a little and REALLY push yourself. IMO everyone's different though, VERY important fact to remember... not to run on but my friend took n0explode and it did wonders for him but i could take the max and it did NOTHING just an example of how diff. people's muscles react to different things.


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## xiphoscesar (May 16, 2010)

thanks guys ill keep that in mind


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## shanike (Jul 13, 2010)

cardio + weights + quality nutrition. 
all 3 elements are equally important!!
I start my workout day with 20min cardio (usually running), then lift weights.


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## Konfyouzd (Jul 18, 2010)

xiphoscesar said:


> so should i combine weights with cardio to maximize fat loss?
> or should i just stop weightlifting and do cardio for a bit then get back at the weights after ive lost weight



i don't work out much anymore, but i don't remember weight lifting being a bad thing. in fact, for the first few weeks starting a weight lifting routine i generally saw nothing as far as definition or muscle mass. i generally just lost about 10 lbs before i saw any sort of change in my muscle mass. 

i was doing a lot of cardio along with it, though. usually jump roping or something...

i've also lost about 30lbs in a month one time before (i'm not sure how healthy that is) by eating nothing but lean meats and dark green veggies and taking super long walks every day or every other day. i typically walked for about 5-6 hours... not everyone has that kind of time, though...


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## espec1000 (Jul 19, 2010)

Try working out your leg muscles too as they are the biggest muscels in your body and will burn a lot of fat.


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## Tiger (Jul 19, 2010)

BTW, look up tabatas and just do that. Its all purpose and it takes no time. People just looking to lose fat should do that for 20 minutes and eat healthy.


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## rectifryer (Jul 19, 2010)

There are 3 day a week lifting programs that will leave with plenty of time to do cardio. Often times they are much more effective than the 5 day programs. Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength is an amazing program that many have used successfully. Its a very practical program. wannabebig.com has a forum that is pretty awesome to learn from. 

Losing weight is a function of nutrition. When the calories you eat are less than what you use , you lose weight. Dont let people complicate that for you. 

There is alot of miss-info in this thread. DO NOT take anything as gospel in this thread. This is not the right place to get info like this.


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