Cardio or weight training?

JulianaRose

New member
So, I am going on vacation at the end of August and would like to shape up as much as I can by then. I am 169 and am not too concerned about the number since I have been told by many that I do not look it.

I am 5'6" and my hip size is roughly 41-42 and I want to get down to 37-38 by then. The thing is, I am not sure if I should be just working on losing fat by running on the tread mill and such or by weight training?

I am afraid that by weight lifting I am only adding a layer underneath my fat...anyway I feel like I'm talking in circles, I hope I am making sense ^^;; I want to lose inches, not fat, so what should be my priority?

Thank you very much in advance!
 
Weight training will build muscle, cardio burns calories which leads to weight loss. Doing a combination (especially if you are not concerned with a number on a scale) is good. The muscle will not add that much to your actual girth, but rather make the layer underneat more attractive and toned when you lose the layer of fat on top of it.
 
I'd agree with that. Both is better then just one. You need cardio to burn fat, you need muscles to make your cardio even more intense and burn more. Also at a resting rate your body requires more calories to maintain muscle then it does to maintain non muscle. If you build more muscle, do not increase your eating your already ahead of yourself. Harder faster cardio is more likely if you have stronger muscles to do it with, the harder the cardio, the more calories you burn, the more intense your workouts, the more likely you can aim for something like HIIT and get even better results.

I'd make sure though that you have proper instructions for any resistance training though, I have seen so many mistakes and I am sure I'm not the only one chokeing on the laughter- aside from which you miss a very good opportunity to get a good workout.
 
You won't be building much muscle between now and August under the best of circumstances. It's very difficult to build any at all while losing weight. That generally needs a calorie surplus, not a deficit. You should do the weight training to maintain as much of your existing muscle as possible while losing the fat.
 
Figure and at the same time improve the efficiency of your body cardio workout. Appropriately chosen set of aerobic exercises will help you get rid of extra pounds.

If you want to get down properly for the fight against obesity must use professional equipment. Sitting at home and doing the bending does not get to perfection.
 
Your best bet is to let your major muscle groups burn calories while they heal. This means weight training your legs, hips and core.
Since these muscle groups are bigger, they require more energy to heal after a workout (which burns more calories.)
 
Both. Read the sticky threads in the exercise forums and you'll get a lot of information about weight lifting.
 
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