****Official Weight Loss and Exercise Thread****

[Silock]

Originally Posted by SensibleChiefsfan

It comes down to the fact that lifting alone doesn't burn as many calories as cardio, unless you are doing circuit training.

Cardio doesn't burn that many calories, either. Using my HR monitor, I burn roughly the same amount of calories in a session of resistance training and HIIT work that I do if I JUST do cardio. Of course, the elliptical and treadmill all read ridiculously high numbers that aren't even close to being accurate.

The reality is that it is not cardiovascularly challenging and doesn't burn nearly as many calories.

Most people that do JUST cardio don't make it cardiovascularly challenging, either. You're only going to get out of it what you put into it.

You get a ton of cardio in everyday life. You are an active person. For those that the gym is the only activity in their day, cardio would burn more calories, increase circulation, and lower blood pressure much more than lifting will do.... given that they aren't circuit training.

I guess I would then question WHY they aren't circuit training. It's not like they don't have time. It doesn't take equipment to circuit train, just like it doesn't take equipment to do cardio. In the modern age, "either or" just isn't a real problem. It's all there. It's all available. You don't have to pick one or the other.