Weights vs. Cardio

The age-old question: Is cardio or weights better in the battle of the bulge?

The answer is BOTH - however us Americans tend to focus a little too much on cardio and not enough on weights - this is usually because it's very easy to push "ON" than to go figure out what all those weight machines are for. Right? :)

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the basic physical guidelines for adults under 65 are as follows:

30 Minutes of moderate intensity cardio 5 days per week
and
8-10 strength training exercises, with 8-12 reps of each exercise, 2 times per week.

This is the basic guideline.  And this is a very good place to be if you are just starting out.
Now, as a fitness competitor/personal trainer - I like to put a little more emphasis on weight lifting.  :)
If I had a dollar for every female I've heard say "I don't want to lift weights because I don't want to get bulky.", then I wouldn't be a personal trainer, I'd be retired. :)  Let me just explain to you how I workout on a daily basis - 5 days a week:

I go to the gym 5 days a week, I warm up for a few minutes then I hit the weights for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on what body part I'm working on.  I hit different body parts everyday with an end result of hitting everything 2x each week.  I like to call my style of lifting - "Like the boys".  I walk right past the 5lb dumbells and push myself in with the guys and pick up the "big girl" weights and throw those suckers around like I mean business - I breathe hard, turn red in the face, grunt occasionally (probably, my headphones are too loud to actually hear, lol), and lift until I can't anymore.  Then after the weights, I either do moderate intensity cardio for 30min or HIIT cardio for 15-30min.  I don't run - ever!, only occasional sprints on some HIIT days.  Now, do I look bulky??  Hardly!  And you won't either!

If you want a tight firm body, you have to lift weights - and I mean LIFT weights.  Picking up a 3lb dumbell and doing 15 bicep curls isn't going to do much for you.  You have to go until you lose proper form - I tell my clients to go heavy enough to finish their last rep, but not be able to do anymore after that last rep.  Train to muscle failure if you can.  It seems intimidating, but it works.  Every girl you see on the cover of a fitness magazine lifts heavy - I guarantee it. 

Also - muscle burns more calories when you are at rest - so, if you build a little muscle, you will burn more calories at work, watching TV, taking a walk, and sleeping.  Your body has to work to maintain that muscle.

I also recommend 3-5 days of weight training.  If you have been working out for awhile and not getting much results - try 3, then go to 4, then 5. Make it a point to hit those weights.

Cardio is also VERY important - it is where you will immediately burn those calories - however, there is no need to be spending countless hours running on a treadmill or zooming away on an ellipticle.  30-45 minutes of moderate intensity (65%-75% of your max heart rate) 4-5 days a week is plenty!  If you want to up the anty - try  adding in some HIIT.  This is high intensity interval training and it's no joke if you do it right.  You are doing moderate intensity cardio with bursts of all-out sprints.  HIIT can be done on any cardio machine, outdoors, etc.  My favorite is a 5min warm up, 10-15 1min intervals of 45 seconds at 50% and 15 seconds at 100%, then a 10min cool down.  You can also do 8-10 intervals of 1min at 50% and 30 seconds at 90%, then a 10min cooldown.  HIIT is awesome, and you burn fat for the entire day!  They are pretty brutal, I won't lie, but I love them because it's short-lived and the results are amazing!

So the bottom line is this:  Don't waste a ton of time on the cardio machines.  Get on the weights and build some lean muscle!  If you don't know how, hire a trainer, ask someone to show you, google some workouts, or just use the circuit machines that have the pictures with how to use them.  Just get out there and go, and go hard!  Follow your weights up with 30 minutes of cardio, stretch, and call it a day! 

The most important thing to remember is this:  You can workout for 2 hours a day, but if your nutrition doesn't back up your training, you won't get the results you want.  Remember:
Nutrition is 80% of the whole equation, what you do in the gym is 15%, and 5% is genetics - and don't forget, abs are made in the kitchen!! :)

Source:  http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home_Page&TEMPLATE=CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=7764