Cardio or Muscle Training ?

Should cardio or muscle be my top priority? Mix of both? I want to reduce pain, have higher stamina while keeping power. I am new to this so any help is appreciated.

For most people, it is quicker to see noticeable gains with cardio training. I don't get the myth that there is no muscle training in cardio, it just isn't true. If, for example, you want bigger biceps then yes, strength training is what you are looking for. I feel the biggest pain reducer with regular exercise of any kind is stretching. Also cardio is quicker to burn fat and calories so if weight is an issue that is a big plus.
Welcome to the Forum.
 
For most people, it is quicker to see noticeable gains with cardio training. I don't get the myth that there is no muscle training in cardio, it just isn't true. If, for example, you want bigger biceps then yes, strength training is what you are looking for. I feel the biggest pain reducer with regular exercise of any kind is stretching. Also cardio is quicker to burn fat and calories so if weight is an issue that is a big plus.
Welcome to the Forum.
Cardio isn't quicker to burn fat than weight training, you can see noticeable gains in strength training from day 2,
 
Cardio isn't quicker to burn fat than weight training, you can see noticeable gains in strength training from day 2,
Have to agree with this.
While a weight-training workout doesn't typically burn as many calories as a cardio workout weight training is more effective than cardio at building muscle, muscle burns more calories at rest so building muscle is the key to increasing your resting metabolism. Plus muscle strengthening training with weights burns even more calories during the muscle recovery and repair periods for hours and as much as 2 days after a weight training session. So in terms of overall calories burned from any single training session weight training to the next weight training will burn more thereby depleting more fat from the body in the same amount of training time.
 
Have to agree with this.
While a weight-training workout doesn't typically burn as many calories as a cardio workout weight training is more effective than cardio at building muscle, muscle burns more calories at rest so building muscle is the key to increasing your resting metabolism. Plus muscle strengthening training with weights burns even more calories during the muscle recovery and repair periods for hours and as much as 2 days after a weight training session. So in terms of overall calories burned from any single training session weight training to the next weight training will burn more thereby depleting more fat from the body in the same amount of training time.
Agree with every thing you've said, but I'm not convinced that CRd burns more calories in the short term either

Is using muscles that burns calleries, so Say an hour of jogging Will use use a few muscles lightly and burn, 300 calories, an hour of lifting heavy weights about will use a lot of muscles heavily and burn as least twice that,

Work done equals Calories burnt, do more work burn more calories
 
I'm not very experienced with weight training but does it have to do with the afterburn from weight training? Something cardio doesn't have? What makes it more efficient?

Not sure if this is the right method but I do a full body workout (lower and upper body) 3 times a week (weight training), after every session I do 10-15 minutes HIIT.

I combine this with intermittent fasting.
Yes that as well, it's hard to make direct comparisons as there isn't a standard cardio or weight work out. but growing muscle it's self has a high calorie demand, on top of what your burn in the work out and just having big muscles means you burn more calories whilst watching telly

But the simple formUlar for work done, Reveals all you need to know, if you've Done more work, in kj,moving moving weights than jumping up and down, then you have burn more calleries. Your Tour de, France riders burn about 2000, calories an hour, but that is not a typical cardio work out, very few people can get over 500 am hour, in fact very few people can can get their heart rAte up significantly and keep it there for an hour,

Or,,, someone who slowly walks a mile carrying a 100kg weights will likely burn fat more Calleries than you if you run it
 
Last edited:
I'm not very experienced with weight training but does it have to do with the afterburn from weight training? Something cardio doesn't have? What makes it more efficient?

Not sure if this is the right method but I do a full body workout (lower and upper body) 3 times a week (weight training), after every session I do 10-15 minutes HIIT.

I combine this with intermittent fasting.


The other thing is the hiit,myth, that's going round, now don't get me wrong, hiit, has evidence of it good effects,but only in the parameters that were used in the studies, so bouncing your Heart rate ofFmax for 30/ 60 seconds, with very short rests, about half of your surge, has proven benifits, however when people say they are doing 15 mins of that, I have my doubts, as that's impossible for anyone but the hyper fit, they Either arnt, getting their heart rAte high enough or they are having longer rests,( or likely both) that's not to say that medium intensity training isNt benifical, it just not hiit, and you can't claim the same benefits as hiit
 
Have to agree with this.
While a weight-training workout doesn't typically burn as many calories as a cardio workout weight training is more effective than cardio at building muscle, muscle burns more calories at rest so building muscle is the key to increasing your resting metabolism. Plus muscle strengthening training with weights burns even more calories during the muscle recovery and repair periods for hours and as much as 2 days after a weight training session. So in terms of overall calories burned from any single training session weight training to the next weight training will burn more thereby depleting more fat from the body in the same amount of training time.
I cannot disagree but a better definition of the cardio in question is needed. I was thinking of cardio with weights, kicks, etc... In a purely aerobic scenario like running I agree.
 
I cannot disagree but a better definition of the cardio in question is needed. I was thinking of cardio with weights, kicks, etc... In a purely aerobic scenario like running I agree.

The problem is people using the term cardio when they mean aerobic, anything that ramps the heart up, is cardio, training your aerobic system is a bit different, that is purely, increasing the bodies ability metabolis , transport , useand store oxygen, even then their is likely to be an increase in muscle size as a byprodict , if you start kicking things, even running, then a certain amount with be done by the anaerobic system
 
ut
The problem is people using the term cardio when they mean aerobic, anything that ramps the heart up, is cardio, training your aerobic system is a bit different, that is purely, increasing the bodies ability metabolis , transport , useand store oxygen, even then their is likely to be an increase in muscle size as a byprodict , if you start kicking things, even running, then a certain amount with be done by the anaerobic system

Not necessarily. There is not an anaerobic system per se, there is an anaerobic ENERGY system in the description of anaerobic. In simple terms, aerobic means with oxygen, anaerobic means without. If I kick at a pace that never gets me to the anaerobic phase it is akin to what a healthy runner does.
I am not certain of the exact definition but cardio is anything that gets and keeps the blood pumping at a higher than normal level.
To the OP's query, I think he was referring to something much more than just an aerobic exercise when he says cardio.
Age, time to commit, big picture goal(s), all apply to the answer. When I had a trainer for competition, I would weight train mostly with a weight 30%-40% of max for long reps. Shortening and bulking muscles was as always a concern to prevent loss of speed & flexibility. There was a mild cardio component but not much. I would often do gymnast type static exercises using my body as weight. Very cardio, sometimes close to anaerobic. B*ll busters. I would also do different gasser exercises, totally anaerobic. Much of the intent was to extend my aerobic range and increase my ability to handle the anaerobic stress. The cardio component, of course, followed a very similar curve.
 
ut

Not necessarily. There is not an anaerobic system per se, there is an anaerobic ENERGY system in the description of anaerobic. In simple terms, aerobic means with oxygen, anaerobic means without. If I kick at a pace that never gets me to the anaerobic phase it is akin to what a healthy runner does.
I am not certain of the exact definition but cardio is anything that gets and keeps the blood pumping at a higher than normal level.
To the OP's query, I think he was referring to something much more than just an aerobic exercise when he says cardio.
Age, time to commit, big picture goal(s), all apply to the answer. When I had a trainer for competition, I would weight train mostly with a weight 30%-40% of max for long reps. Shortening and bulking muscles was as always a concern to prevent loss of speed & flexibility. There was a mild cardio component but not much. I would often do gymnast type static exercises using my body as weight. Very cardio, sometimes close to anaerobic. B*ll busters. I would also do different gasser exercises, totally anaerobic. Much of the intent was to extend my aerobic range and increase my ability to handle the anaerobic stress. The cardio component, of course, followed a very similar curve.
No, movement use both, if you start kicking a bag, you will first use the anaerobic system, when that is exhausted you move on to the aerobic sysyem, that's why it takes a while to start getting out of breath, as your not using oxigen. Anaerobic exercises do increase the heart rTe, as all though you don't need oxygen for the process you do need blood. then there is the complication that you are carrying more oxygen in the blood stream, so you need to burn that, before you start Metabilising oxigene

If you keep kicking bags your anaerobic capacity will increase to the point that it's very difficult to activate you aerobic capacity. An 800 meter runner will do the whoLe thing, except maybe the Sprint at the end on an Anaeirobic
 
Last edited:
Should cardio or muscle be my top priority? Mix of both? I want to reduce pain, have higher stamina while keeping power. I am new to this so any help is appreciated.

Just from doing previous sports and activities, I think it is important to have your definition of what "cardio" and "muscle" are. Is muscle based on strength or resistance? Is cardio based on endurance and repetition and precision? Etc.
 
I think you should focus on both cardio and muscle building. I believe both have their merits in MA and feel that only doing one would not be as beneficial as doing both.
 
Back
Top