Cardio Versus Weight Training. The other day, I got an email from a reader of building muscle 1. The debate between cardio versus weight training has been going on for over a decade. How To Build Muscle and Burn Fat.. FAST!! This FREE report will explain how to burn fat and build muscle in the FASTEST way possible. This is report will show you HOW to build a muscle building and fat burning plan that allows you to reach your goals in the fastest manner possible! This report is top SECRET and the information in this report is not widely shared among the professionals.. Get FREE access today!! Click here to get the report. Well, I have my own ideas about cardio versus weight training but I wanted to see first, what popular media was saying on the subject so I did some research on the term, “cardio versus weight training”.
Weight loss workouts to help you get in shape and lose weight fast. With the Fitter U ipod weight loss workouts you'll never workout alone again! I came across sites that were very scientific stating the benefits of each, but were lacking a very fundamental question which was.. What Are Your Goals? You see, cardio vs weight training is a very broad term because it doesn't take into account what a persons goals are. If your goal is to simply lose weight, you don't have to do neither, cardio or weight training. Cut your calorie intake by 5. However, if you're more specific in your goals, such as, “I'd like to lose weight, burn fat and tone my body up”, well you're going to require a little more than eating less. Now, you're talking about specific exercise that are geared towards your goal. In fact, this got me thinking. My sister is on the Herbal Magic Diet and on this diet, they don't require you to do any exercising at all. In fact, they don't even recommend it (I really don't like this diet). Anyways, she is losing weight, but the one thing that she is noticing is that she is still “soft”. She is noticing that she still has “flab” behind her arms. She is getting smaller and softer everywhere, and on some parts of her, she doesn't want to get smaller and softer. She wants toned and sleek. So, she asks me the other day, “I want to tone up my body - How do I do it?” Her original goal was to simply lose weight, but now that she's doing it, she can see what is actually happening to her body. Now, she has identified another goal, which is to tone her body up while she is losing weight. She now wants to know which is the best way to attain this goal. She's thinking cardio but she is also wondering about weight training. Well, this got me thinking.. Popular media has always stated that if you want to lose weight, you have to do lots of cardio each and every day. That can be a half hour walk every morning, an hour on the elliptical trainer every day or anything else that gets your heart rate pumping. On the other hand, popular media has always stated that if you want to bulk up and get huge muscles, than you have to weight train. I couldn't help but think of the gyms I've trained at over the years. I've trained at Gold's, World's, and a bunch of other gyms in and around some of the provinces in Canada. If there is one thing that I've noticed when I've trained at these gyms is the sheer number of people in the cardio rooms. There were times when I'd go into the cardio room to look for an exercise bike, treadmill, or elliptical trainer and I'd just turn around because there was a line up for the machines. Wondering what type of weight training workouts are best when your goal is burning fat without losing muscle and strength? Here's what you need to know. Cardio before or after weight training? I'm going to tell you what I think is better in this article. In fact, I remember going to a particularly popular gym looking to do a cardio workout. I remember having to go through this big sign up process just to use the cardio machines. Once that was complete, I had to sign my name on a huge board which had days, times, and a bunch of names on it. I actually had to sign my name in advance so I could guarantee use of the machine for the following day - I couldn't use the cardio machines on that day because the sign up line was too long! This is especially true right after New Years because everyone has a goal of getting back into top shape and losing weight as a new years resolution. Take a look at the cardio room and take a look at the weight room, which is going to be more popular? So, as I read through the email, I couldn't help but think of the ongoing debate of cardio versus weight training. Traditionally, weight training has been associated with muscle, strength, and power while cardio has been associated with weight loss. Which would explain why most cardio rooms will be packed to the rafters while the weight room will be all but bare. Well, as I mentioned before, popular media has distorted our perceptions of cardio and weight training. Let me ask you something. Have you ever noticed the physical difference between a pure cardio freak who does no weight training and the hard working weight trainer who does mostly weights but little cardio (in the same weight class - IE 1. I'm going to bet that the cardio freak is in great condition but despite that, looks a little “soft”. However, all things being equal (including diet and fitness levels), the weight trainer will seem “hard”. Here's the analogy I like to use - It's called the pear analogy. Let's take a person who is over weight and shaped like a pear. Let's assume that person wants to lose weight. Based on traditional thinking, that person will start to do tons of cardio and will, ultimately lose weight (providing the diet is on par). Let's also assume that this person is scared of weights for fears of “bulking up” and she does no resistance training of any kind. So, day after day, week after week, this person hopes on the treadmill and does 4. Well, this person will have ultimately lost weight, which is great. However, what you're going see is a smaller version of the pear shape she started with. With no resistance training of any kind, that person hasn't stimulated any muscle fibres so there is no reason for any lean tissue to get stronger and grow. This is what is called “shape”. Like my sister and the herbal magic diet, that person didn't grow the muscle to bring shape to her body so the muscle stays “soft” and will always appear “soft”. However, if the muscle was strengthened and stimulated through resistance exercise, the muscle will appear hard and toned. This, is the main difference between cardio and weight training. Here's my view on cardio versus weight training. Each is a different form of exercise and is very efficient at what it does - if done correctly. Cardio exercise is exactly that, a form of cardiovascular activity that specializes in one thing, improving cardiovascular conditioning. That is, doing this type of exercise with varying degrees of intensity will improve your aerobic conditioning which will improve your bodies ability to efficiently use oxygen. This exercise will also help reduce your overall body fat percentage which is a by product of this type of exercise. If your goal is to improve your cardiovascular conditioning, lose weight and decrease your body fat levels, this form of exercise will certainly help. Now, weight training uses the muscular system. It's pretty simple, you push a weight up and down with varying degrees of intensity. The main focus of this exercise is also very simple, it is meant to strengthen the lean tissues of your body. That is, it will strengthen your lean tissues such as your muscles and bone. The focus of this exercise is not to help with your cardio vascular endurance - Cardio does that. The focus of weight training is to strengthen lean tissues and to get them working again. Muscle tone is a by product of this type of exercise. If your goal is to tone your arms, chest and butt, than this is the type of exercise you should be doing. I think the real question is what's a better fat burner, weight training or cardio? Well, this is certainly up for debate but in all honesty, what it comes down to is exercise intensity. Exercise Intensity Here's the way I look at it. Intensity is the key to optimal fat burning and/or muscle building. Low intensity exercise will do little to improve 1) Fat burning; And 2) Muscle building. That goes for both, cardio and weight training. The harder you force your body to work, the more fat you'll burn and/or the more muscle you'll tone/build. Steady state cardio is a low intensity exercise. So is light weight training using machines. Personally, both are fine to do, if you are just starting out and want to start to get back into shape. However, over time, you will need to adjust your intensity levels in order to get the most from either exercise. This is the true way to look at fat loss. Fat Loss equals: “Energy In The Form Of Calories Going Into Your Body Minus The Amount Of Energy You Expend Doing Certain Activities” So, if your goal is to lose body fat, the question becomes, “What's better for fat loss, cardio or weight training?” Well, as I said before, it's a matter of exercise intensity. Personally, the way I look at it is this, the harder you work at certain activities, the more calories you'll expend. Here's perfect example. Back in high school, I worked for this brick laying company for a summer. All we did, day in and day out was carry bricks back and forth from the crates to the job site. We did this for 1. Those guys that I worked with looked like body builders and they didn't even touch weights. They didn't have an ounce of fat on them and they didn't use any type of cardio exercise. All they did was move bricks day in and day out. To top it off, they ate huge amounts of food. They all had these huge arms, backs and shoulders, and after that summer, I did too! These guys burned more calories doing a very physically demanding job than they were taking in. They built muscle and burned fat. So, the question is not so much as “cardio versus weight training” it becomes, what is harder to do ? Cardio or weight training . To tell you the truth, both can be hard to do, depending on your intensity levels. Steady state cardio for 4. Doing 1. 5 minutes of light weigh training using machines is not hard to do. Doing heavy squats for 7 sets of 1. However, as I said before, each will produce different results because of the dynamics of the exercise.
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