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Weight Loss - Cross Training verse Weight training (Read 213 times)

Muebele


    In the last couple years I have put on a lot of weight through bad eating and a lack of exercise.  I know I need to eat better, but what else?  In addition to running, should I be looking to try and cross train using biking and swimming (I love triathlons) or should I strength train using classes at the YMCA or things like the Iron Strength works or even Crossfit (!!!!).  I really have never lifted with any consistency or intensity.

     

    What I do know is that just running is not working.  Any advice?


    an amazing likeness

      Diet controls weight.

      Exercise for fitness.

      Research shows the best exercise is the one(s) you enjoy and will consistently perform.

      Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

      Teresadfp


      One day at a time

        I agree with milktruck, but for me I would say exercise helps me feel better about myself, which makes it easier to lose weight.  I've gained a lot of weight over the last few years due to family illnesses and tragedies.  I've finally started losing consistently.  I found a gym that does a modified CrossFit program that's tailored for people who are a little older and not as athletic.  I'm going to the gym three days a week and running at least one mile every day.  I've cut out most sugar and have found I don't crave it as I used to.

         

        The other thing I've realized is that it's going to be a SLOW process, and that's OK!

         

        Good luck - keep us posted on things go for you.

        Seattle prattle


          do what you like and you'll stick with it. Of course. You probably know that.

          But if what you want is to maximize you weight loss, the truth is that some resistance training is what trainers usually prescribe. Muscle burns calories, fat in particular, more than a cardio work out does. ANd muscle burns the calories long after the workout is over, unlike cardio.

          Research it, there's lots written online. I first came across this when i heard trainers at the gym getting newbies going on the resistance machines. The idea is to establish some muscle right away since it is do good at burning fat.

          From my own experience, when i primarily ran, i found that my appetite fell off. BUt when i added some weight training and resistance training, i get absolutely famished. And not just after a workout - all the time.

          Trust me. That's the way it works. Please research it and you'll see.

          haroldjiii


          run, rest & read

            I gotta go with Milktruck as well. Diet is everything for weight loss. My exercise habit has been anything but consistent as I've staggered from one injury to the next, but cutting out snacking and really watching sugar has done the trick for me.

             

            I started making those better decisions through meditation. 15 minutes a day leaves me in a much better place to make good choices relating to food, and pretty much everything else. There are all kinds of resources to be found if you want to begin. I started off with the app Headspace and went from there. You'll find the body is a much simpler beast to train than the mind, but the payoffs are immense.

            Re-Run


            Misinformation Officer

              Agreed.

              Personally, I find that my mental health and overall outlook on the world is significantly better when I exercise regularly.  For me, that's consistent (but not large distances) running and heavy duty weight-lifting.

               

              Diet controls weight.

              Exercise for fitness.

              Research shows the best exercise is the one(s) you enjoy and will consistently perform.

              Runs like a dj mixing songs while wearing festive outfits.
              5k PR 5/31/21 24:21 

              10k PR 5/23 54:43

              HM PR 1/2024 1:59:10

              janiegray


                SPAM

                  If you want go see "fat-to-fit" success stories, go to the forums at bodybuilding.com. There is (or at least used to be) a hundreds-of-pages thread with all kinds of inspiring progressions on it, all the result of diet and strength training. As has been mentioned, muscle burns calories while you rest, but weightlifting also has an advantage in that one can lose fat and build muscle in the same time period. (EDIT: without injury!) At first you can do both simultaneously,  then you can bulk>cut>bulk>etc.

                   

                  As far as what I've seen, the most effective means are #1) weight training/diet #2) running/diet #3) cycling/diet #4) any one of the aforementioned without diet changes #5) diet alone.

                   

                  YMMV.

                  Seattle prattle


                    i particularly like the summation offered in the last post: "As far as what I've seen, the most effective means are #1) weight training/diet #2) running/diet #3) cycling/diet #4) any one of the aforementioned without diet changes #5) diet alone."

                     

                    So, to throw the next level at it, a study was done recently that showed often changes in exercise do not achieve the desired reduction in weight as one might expect, and the reason is simply becuase when the subjects exercised more, they also would become more sedentary the rest of their time as a means of resting up. Net sum gain of zero.

                    See my point?

                    Which leads me to the advice i have to offer, and that is just to not over-analyze the thing and get out there an have at it. It's all a step in the right direction and what one thing lacks, the other thing will back fill, plus some. Is there anything wrong with doing a little weight training and then some cross-training when time allows? They do different things, and the combination if frankly better than either alone.

                    Or, you could cross train in ways that mimic weight training (i.e: short, steep hill sprints; bike hill sprints, plyometrics, etc) or you could weight train in ways that mimic cross-training (i.e.: ankle weights, weighted backpack, weighted sled).

                    My advice is to vary it up.There's unique benefits to each, and even though one may not be as optimal as the other in terms of any single criteria, it will offer other equally as useful benefits. Avoidance of injury, for one, is not to be under valued, at least in my opinion.

                      i particularly like the summation offered in the last post: "As far as what I've seen, the most effective means are #1) weight training/diet #2) running/diet #3) cycling/diet #4) any one of the aforementioned without diet changes #5) diet alone."

                       

                       

                       

                       

                      My list would be: no. 1 diet/running/weights, no. 2 diet/running, no. 3 diet/weights.

                       

                      I've lost a bunch of weight three times in the last 34 years. Each time, I used no.1 but you could probably switch running with crossfit, biking, walking, swimming, etc. The thing about walking and biking IMO is that they take too damn long to burn the same no. of kcals as a 1-hour run.

                       

                      The first two times, in my case, my cardio exercise was basically ice hockey 5 x per week, which would be like crossfit I think.

                       

                      This last time (still going on), it started w/walking for a month and then running for the last 12 months.

                       

                      As an aside, I stopped running in 2017. I kept lifting and eventually got to the 1,000 lb club, but I gained about 30 lbs, most of it was fat.

                      Running Problem


                      Problem Child

                        Soooo.....19 months later what has worked?

                        Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                        VDOT 53.37 

                        5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                        Muebele


                          Unfortunately, nothing.  But mostly it was my fault.  I have been eating like crap.  LIKE CRAP!!!!!

                           

                          I tried crossfit, but my own hang ups derailed me.  I couldn't get over how much everybody else was lifting compared to me.  Sometimes I would be lifting 100+ less than other people and it really bothered me.

                           

                          I have been riding my bike (indoors) or doing spin classes two days a week.  I am not sure how much it is improving my fitness.  According to my heart rate, it is a good workout, and it really beats up my legs a lot less than running does, and I enjoy it.  So regardless that helps.  Plus, my schedule has been so busy recently I don't get a chance to work out until later at night.  It is easier to get myself to ride the bike than it is to run when I am tired.

                           

                          Overall, I really believe it all about my diet.  You can't out work a bad diet!