Weight loss & cardio advice?

[Danish]

70kgs at 5'11"?!!

I see why you have such a negative attitude towards resistance training.

Well I am really more 5'10.5... but I imagine that half inch wouldn't make much difference to your response :lol:

I'll likely be about 4% body fat or so if I can get down to 70kg. I will be doing body weight exercises as well to maintain some muscle up top so as not to look too weedy... although really thats just an appearances thing as opposed to health. I am a vain man after all

Oh and as for the sexiest man alive stuff, just check out the last few winners and tell me that those guys dont lift, ever.

I'm sure they all do. I'm also sure that if you actually took their measurements most gym junkie types are trying to achieve much greater size than any of them.

Most of those blokes are 6'1 - 6'3, and weigh in the low, mid, or in Reynolds case perhaps the high 80s at his biggest. Not exactly what you'd call muscle bound freaks. Well defined and low body fat percentage for sure, but most definitely physiques that can be obtained without the need of a gym

 

[Danish]

Brad Pitt circa fight club would have been ripping it up in the gym. Men are supposed to carry a bit of lean muscle mass.

Body building and power lifting are extremes. Most people lifting weights aren't trying to grow their muscles as big as possible or get ludicrously strong.

Most guys hitting the gym want to look like fight club era brad Pitt or Hugh jackman or Taylor lautner. Are these men not considered good looking to women.

I don't disagree that most men are trying to look like Tyler Durden, however that doesn't mean they are going about it very well.

Brad Pitt weighed in at 155 pounds (70kg) as a 5'11 man for Fight Club

 

[Cliffhanger]

I don't think anybody should purely do cardio, resistance training is not only about gaining strength and definition, it's important for healthy aging and will do a lot more to improve muscle and joint health than cardio.

Further if you just run and don't at least cycle or swim you are far more susceptible to knee injuries because you will have an uneven balance when it comes to muscles around your legs.

As Kungl said resistance training also has metabolic benefits.

Cardio will make you lose fat faster, but if you're going to choose just one to get healthier go with resistance training.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Well to be fair neither Kungl nor myself used the terms "Beefcake" nor "Muscle bound freaks"

Its clear from the above examples that women, for the most part, find men with a decent amount of lean muscle the most attractive body type. Mid to high 80s would be right for a 6'+ bloke that was lean (sub 10% BF)

Resistance training, body weight or otherwise, is essential to achieving that look though. None of those blokes would just be running

 

[Cliffhanger]

A guy can have the best upper body, but if he has chicken legs it ruins it.

In terms of athletes, I think sprinters and long jumpers etc are where it's at, sports where fast twitch fibres are incredibly important.

In terms of the ultimate athletes who achieve the best of both worlds (power and endurance) it's boxers though.

You can't have power without having a lot of strength, Ussain Bolt, trains using the Olympic lifts, so would a lot of other sprinters.

 

[Danish]

Well to be fair neither Kungl nor myself used the terms "Beefcake" nor "Muscle bound freaks"

Its clear from the above examples that women, for the most part, find men with a decent amount of lean muscle the most attractive body type. Mid to high 80s would be right for a 6'+ bloke that was lean (sub 10% BF)

Resistance training, body weight or otherwise, is essential to achieving that look though. None of those blokes would just be running

As I said I'm sure they are doing some form or resistance training. However again its only necessary if you are trying to look like that, as opposed to first just trying to drop some weight (which is what the OP said his goal is).

Drop the weight, then worry about improving appearance if you want IMO.

 

[Danish]

I don't think anybody should purely do cardio, resistance training is not only about gaining strength and definition, it's important for healthy aging and will do a lot more to improve muscle and joint health than cardio.

Further if you just run and don't at least cycle or swim you are far more susceptible to knee injuries because you will have an uneven balance when it comes to muscles around your legs.

As Kungl said resistance training also has metabolic benefits.

What makes you believe that running will build up muscle imbalance? Of all the cardio workouts I'd say its the least likely to do so. Cycling being by far the biggest culprit, building massive quads/hammys.

Runners being more susceptible for knee injury simply comes from them using their knees more than anyone else. Similar to tennis players being more susceptible to elbow injuries. They are caused by poorly managed overuse rather than anything inherently wrong with the activity itself.

Cardio will make you lose fat faster, but if you're going to choose just one to get healthier go with resistance training.

I'm sure there are cardiologists all around the country giving out the same advice :sarcasm:

 

[Cliffhanger]

There are no benefits you get from cardio you don't get from resistance training. There are benefits you get from resistance training that cardio can't offer.

The latest research all points to resistance training being superior.

 

[dogslife]

Sounds like you need to increase the intensity of your resistance training if you think cardio is more important

 

[Danish]

There are no benefits you get from cardio you don't get from resistance training. There are benefits you get from resistance training that cardio can't offer.

The latest research all points to resistance training being superior.

No benefits from cardio that you don't get from resistance training.... Now you are just taking the piss :lol:

What research are you reading that makes such ridiculous claims? There are certain activities that require resistance training, and certain that benefit more from cardio. Neither are the silver bullet for all forms of activity.

 

[Joker's Wild]

As I said I'm sure they are doing some form or resistance training. However again its only necessary if you are trying to look like that, as opposed to first just trying to drop some weight (which is what the OP said his goal is).

Drop the weight, then worry about improving appearance if you want IMO.

Again, not true. Studies show that if you combine BOTH cardio and resistance training you will burn fat stores to a higher degree than just doing cardio alone.

Why would you limit your weight loss by only going for a run? Pretty silly

 

[Danish]

Sounds like you need to increase the intensity of your resistance training if you think cardio is more important

I'd wager my sprint and fartlek sessions are more intense than the vast majority of workouts undertaken by people here (not withstanding Cliffy, who is a freak).

 

[dogslife]

I'd wager you'll struggle lifting your car keys when you're old and grey too if this is your attitude towards resistance training ;-)

 

[Fire]

A guy can have the best upper body, but if he has chicken legs it ruins it.

In terms of athletes, I think sprinters and long jumpers etc are where it's at, sports where fast twitch fibres are incredibly important.

In terms of the ultimate athletes who achieve the best of both worlds (power and endurance) it's boxers though.

You can't have power without having a lot of strength, Ussain Bolt, trains using the Olympic lifts, so would a lot of other sprinters.

There is the answer.

 

[dogslife]

I do roughly 20-30 mins of cardio after weights 3-4 times a week. But if you've never done a legs workout where you're near exhaustion afterwards, you're doing it wrong

 

[Danish]

Again, not true. Studies show that if you combine BOTH cardio and resistance training you will burn fat stores to a higher degree than just doing cardio alone.

Why would you limit your weight loss by only going for a run? Pretty silly

What research is that? Do you have links?

From my understanding the best way to burn fat is to run at a calorie deficit. The best way to run at that deficit is to take in less and burn more. Eating healthy takes care of reducing calories in, and the most efficient exercise to increase calories out is high intensity cardio i.e. burns the most cals over a given amount of time. You can do that through skipping, running, swimming, cycling, whatever. Regardless of which one you choose, providing you do it as much as possible you'll end up burning the most calories and thus losing the most weight.

I've read all sorts of advice from "fitness professionals" (usually personal trainer types and fitness mags) that preach mixing things up to "trick" your body and keep it on its toes (as though your body is some sort of sentient being outside of your own mind that you need to outwit) but a lot of that falls under the fitness fad hokum as opposed to medically sound, clinically researched advice.

 

[Danish]

I'd wager you'll struggle lifting your car keys when you're old and grey too if this is your attitude towards resistance training ;-)

Won't need car keys as I'll just walk/run to wherever I need to go

 

[Joker's Wild]

What research is that? Do you have links?

From my understanding the best way to burn fat is to run at a calorie deficit. The best way to run at that deficit is to take in less and burn more. Eating healthy takes care of reducing calories in, and the most efficient exercise to increase calories out is high intensity cardio i.e. burns the most cals over a given amount of time. You can do that through skipping, running, swimming, cycling, whatever. Regardless of which one you choose, providing you do it as much as possible you'll end up burning the most calories and thus losing the most weight.

I've read all sorts of advice from "fitness professionals" (usually personal trainer types and fitness mags) that preach mixing things up to "trick" your body and keep it on its toes (as though your body is some sort of sentient being outside of your own mind that you need to outwit) but a lot of that falls under the fitness fad hokum as opposed to medically sound, clinically researched advice.

Yes a calorie deficit is the fundamental way of doing it. The 3 ways of reaching a calorie deficit is to burn calories by exercising, reducing the number of calories you ingest AND raising your resting metabolic rate by increasing your lean muscle mass.

Sure you can only do one or 2 of these but it doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out that combining them all will give you a greater fat loss potential.

A quick Google will find many articles endorsing this. Like:

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/300013/be

http://news.menshealth.com/weight-loss-lies/2011/09/02/

http://www.mcnewsletters.com/articles/foundations-of-fat-loss.html

http://healthfitness.com.au/articles/weights/weightloss.html

 

[Cliffhanger]

Danish you do realise I am an exercise scientist right? Your fitness may improve more doing cardiovascular but it will still improve if you do resistance training only. That's what I meant by you can get the benefits of cardio from resistance training.

 

[adamkungl]

Well I am really more 5'10.5... but I imagine that half inch wouldn't make much difference to your response :lol:

I'll likely be about 4% body fat or so if I can get down to 70kg. I will be doing body weight exercises as well to maintain some muscle up top so as not to look too weedy... although really thats just an appearances thing as opposed to health. I am a vain man after all



I'm sure they all do. I'm also sure that if you actually took their measurements most gym junkie types are trying to achieve much greater size than any of them.

Most of those blokes are 6'1 - 6'3, and weigh in the low, mid, or in Reynolds case perhaps the high 80s at his biggest. Not exactly what you'd call muscle bound freaks. Well defined and low body fat percentage for sure, but most definitely physiques that can be obtained without the need of a gym

No ones suggesting scoffing down supplements (largely a waste of time and money based on my research) or become a beefcake gym junkie.

Just saying if you exercise 4-5 times a week, mixing it up with cardio and weights will most likely get you the best weight loss results. + the various non-weight related benefits of both.