Cardio vs. strength training

I'm not busy with either but I'd pick cardio for sure.

 

Strength and when you do circuit training it may as well count as (lighter than some workouts but still...) cardio anyways.

I'm personally focusing on (since Im pregnant and realllly wanting to stay in shape this time and not gain a ton of weight...) just simply two things (because you really gotta watch what you do when you're pregnant-for example you can work your abs but you can't work your abs directly...)- daily walks for a half hour and strength training... really been having to dig to find out what strength stuff I can do and what I can't but luckily there is a good deal I can safely do.

 

Definitely strength training. I do cordio once a week for endurance training, but other than that it's all strength.

 

I suppose my priority is muscular power not raw strength. And also internal energy.

With cardio vs strength I tend to operate within certain parameters.
Basically, my fitness is martial arts focussed. But explosive sessions rather than the 2.5 hr sessions I used to do.

Sometimes, I'll focus on football as a change.

 

I think cardio is more important that strength.

Cardio will give you strength but strength wont give you cardio.

It comes down to personal preference, but id rather be able to run miles then lift vs lift then run.

Cardio also seems way more beneficial to the body than strength training. Not taking anything away from lifting though. Just my opinion.

 

gotta go with strength. cardio feels too much like torture.

 

i get cardio during strength training... no more than 15 seconds between sets in the gym. the reason i do is for mtn biking the name of the game is going hard and recovering as quickly as possible before going hard again and thats what that will train yourself to do. no sitting around and resting checking cellphone after a set.. its in and out.. get a lot done quickly that way too.

 

Sounds like burst training, which is what I do. To me, doing intervals is the best form of cardio, and it has proven to burn the most fat while having the least catabolic response. Interval training has been found to significantly build muscle, and is associated with elevated levels of human growth hormone. In conjunction with intermittent fasting, the results are just incredibe. They have been for me anyway. I will never go back to conventional cardio again, with the exception of the occasional 4-5 mile walk/run, as well as bicycling, which I love to do in the spring before it gets too hot.

 

my bike sometimes feels like an extension of my body, i ride it so much. all year round, baby!

rat, what if someone is trying to build muscle only - NOT burn fat? doesn't seem like intermittent fasting would be necessary or beneficial in that case, right?

if i were to lift weights, or strength train, i would certainly have to change my diet if i wanted to build mass....more protein i'm sure. that seems like the more difficult part to me than actually working out.

 

Actually, intermittent fasting helps to build muscle, because, like I said in my other post, it coincides with an increase in human growth hormone, as well as sex hormones like testosterone. This is why it's optimal to train while in a fasted state. I usually work out after fasting for 20+ hours. I take BCAA beforehand, which are branched-chain amino acids, to prevent any possible catabolic response. But generally fasts which are under 24 hours do not cause you to burn muscle, but can actually help you gain muscle. What you eat during your eating window is also important, and it's important that you get enough calories during that eating window, whether it's 8 hours, 6 hours, or 4 hours or less. Most people associate fasting with calorie restriction, but IF is not about that. It's more about optimizing your hormone levels so that you both lose fat and gain muscle. Intermittent fasting is good for people looking to either lose fat or gain muscle. Or both.

You might need to make some changes to your diet, but you don't need to eat an ungodly amount of protein to build muscle. I personally consume a moderate amount of protein, with most of my calorie intake coming from healthy saturated fats. Fat is just as important to building muscle as protein. Fat is important for making the hormones needed to help you build muscle. Most people overlook fat and focus too much on protein when it comes to building muscle. Too much protein isn't good for the body, but it also gets converted to glucose by way of gluconeogenesis if you eat too much of it, and can make you gain fat along with muscle.

 

Lots of protein. Dont overdo it though. Some bodybuilders like to get one gram over protein per day per pound of bodweight. A dietitian told me it can be bad for your kidneys. Id recommend a balanced diet of fruits veggies carbs and dairy with an emphasis on extra protein and high calories.

Personally i find it easy to get the extra protein. Lifting makes me crave it naturally

Fasting to increase muscle mass and strength sounds like nonsense to me til i see a reputable source say otherwise. Get your dietary advice from a real dietary expert. Not some new age shmuck at a supplement shop. Consider the source

 

Ever heard of Martin Berkhan, Mark Sisson or Ori Hofmekler? Didn't think so. None of them are "new age shmucks." They all are bigger than you, and they're not fat either. All are staunch proponents of intermittent fasting for fat loss and muscle gain.

You might want to try starting here:

http://www.leangains.com/

If you want more reputable sources, just Google "intermittent fasting, muscle gain" and see all the hits you come up with. In recent years IF has become pretty huge with bodybuilders and fitness buffs because it works so damn good.

Get informed before making such a dumbass statement. Stop getting your advice from some anonymous moron on the bodybuilding.com forums or the fucking Hodge Twins. Wait, but even they advocate intermittent fasting, and they're pretty much as pro-broscience as it gets.

 

i do not think my body is cut-out for intermittent fasting. if i worked out in a fasted state...i feel like i might die.

plus....i'm probably not gonna start working out anyways. but thanks for the advice.

 

I would imagine that your body gets used to it, porkstock.

I have some bad memories of when I first became fit/active.

 

i think you might be imagining me as my avatar
(and also, i wasn't clear.)

i'm pretty active and fit, i just don't "work out" to build muscle.

and i really don't think fasting is for me. i'm 6'3" and about 150 lbs.

 

Haha, no, I've seen you. You're naturally thin!

So am I. But I used to be "skinny fat." So when I started becoming more active I had some issues at first, that's all. I should mention that I tried the fasting thing as well.

I am aware that you are not a floating pig head in a police hat. .

p.s....that reference just clicked in my head. It's a "pig." Duh.

 

Pure cardio for me. I like/prefer the slim physique of a long distance runner. I am probably pushing it too much though. Did a 16.5 mile run last night and had a recent week where I did 13+ miles three times in a week (basically three half marathons in a week, and my knees after last nights run are starting to rebel). I will probably cut back on the distance as the temps climb and do shorter distance with more "fartlek" training where I sprint for 400m, run at slightly below race pace for 800m, 400m spring, 800m off, etc. and do that for about 4-6 miles. Too hot to run any more than that in DC during the summer unless it is colder than normal or rainy in which case I might do a 10-12 miler.

 

IF isn't for everyone, but it does take some time getting used to. I also find that it works better for people on high fat/low carb diets. A person's height and weight isn't really an issue. There is also a difference between being skinny or thin, and being lean. IF isn't about getting thin (though it can be) as much as it is getting lean. There are plenty of "skinny" people who have levels of body fat that are higher than they might think. I didn't begin intermittent fasting until I got down to a normal weight, and I did so mostly to get rid of the remaining fat from my stomach. I still do intermittent fasting to get down to the desired percentage of body fat, and I plan on continuing to do so for the foreseeable future.

 

Yeah, chronic cardio, especially in the form of long-distance running, is not good for the body. It puts a lot of strain on the heart, as well as the musculoskeletal system. It creates an overall inflammatory response in the body. My father was a marathon runner in his younger years, and is now suffering the consequences in the form of terrible joint pain in his kness.

 

I recently read an article that talked about how humans are actually born long-distance runners. We are the only species that can endure running for several miles. Most predators can run very, very fast, but are physically unable to sustaining this for long distances (think cheetah). I'll cite an article below, but scientists believe we became successful at hunting simply because our prey animals could run faster then us, but we could run much longer, especially in hot weather:

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/04/humans-hot-sweaty-natural-born-runners/

That being said...humans also used to die much sooner, so they probably never experienced the long term results of running on the knees and body.