cardio vs. heavy weight training

[lexi]

I'll try to keep this short......I used to do cardio like a mad woman and hardly did much weight training, now I have dropped the cardio and started training for a bench press competition and am doing heavy weight training. I've noticed that my weight is staying the same and I'm actually getting smaller inches wise.....how long will this last? I'm worried that sooner or later not doing the cardio will catch up with me and I'll start gaining fat. My diet is good, high protein, moderate carbs, and tons of water. I need to gain strength to compete, but I don't want to get "bulky", I want to be lean and strong. What are your thoughts???????

 

[Stryc-9]

I think you should just keep a close eye on yourself and keep on doing what you're doing!! The simplest rule of bodybuilding (okay maybe not the simplest - but it's pretty damn simple!!) is this:

Do what works!!

If you begin to notice your physique changing in ways that you are no longer happy with - then you might want to think about incorporating cardio into the mix....but like I said before, if you're happy with what you see right now...I wouldn't change anything at all!!

Actually, increasing your lean muscle mass will be beneficial in terms of fat loss in the long-run anyway....so build up those pecs!!

 

[diamonddiceclay]

if you have a great diet and fast metabolism, you may be able to avoid cardio. Otherise, when you want to get ripped, you'll need cardio

 

[FitFossil]

......I used to do cardio like a mad woman and hardly did much weight training, now I have dropped the cardio and started training for a bench press competition and am doing heavy weight training. I've noticed that my weight is staying the same and I'm actually getting smaller inches wise.....

This is "the secret"! Muscle is denser than fat, meaning the same weight in muscle will take up less space than fat. (Looks a lot better too! ) Also, since muscle burns calories whereas fat does not, more muscle will increase your metabolism. As to how long the cardio vacation will last, that's up to your diet and training.

I still do some cardio because I enjoy it (I'm just weird that way), but now I'm doing about a third as much as I used to about 2 years ago. I spend more time on weights, but still less than I ever spent on cardio. Now it seems like I'm putting forth half the effort but getting twice the results. (Cleaning up my diet helped a lot too. I used to starve or eat only crap, now I eat real food.) I weigh the same but dropped 2 pant sizes. My upper body increased a size, but it was a definite improvement.

 

[new@gettinbig]

Heavy weight training is far better than any cardio session.......you are now building lean mass...now you are burning more calories at rest etc....cant build lean mass walkin on the treadmill.

 

[lexi]

Thank you for the responses, dropping the cardio has been a really tough mind game. I've never not done cardio so it's quite an adjustment, however I really like the results I'm getting from the heavy weights, I'm definetely getting harder in areas that weren't before.

 

[Debu]

I don't get it...when I drop cardio I gain fat even when I keep the weights up...

 

[NubianBeauty]

Same thing happens to me Debu, I think it has to do with genetics. Everyone in my family(maternal and paternal) are fat, have big hips and butts so it is a struggle for me to keep it off. Seems like I can gain 10lbs in the hip/ass/thigh area overnight!!

 

[Debu]

I guess some of us are doomed to HAVE to do cardio

 

[aurelius]

Heavy weight training is far better than any cardio session.......you are now building lean mass...now you are burning more calories at rest etc....cant build lean mass walkin on the treadmill.

Just my experience, which isn´t the last word. But, especially for women, that initial muscle gain stops after a few pounds and that´s it, unless you turn to steroids.

My guess: just not enough anabolic hormones in the system naturally to turn more protein into muscle.