New Research Reopens the Cardio vs Weights Debate [Help a Reader Out – Which do you find more effective?]

cardio

Just when you thought it was safe to retrieve the forks and knives you hid during the “Are white potatoes a nutritious natural food or glycemic index hell tuber?” debate, scientists have given us another research study that brings up more questions than it answers. This time it’s about whether cardio or weight lifting produces better health outcomes in obese teenage girls and the answer is, well, a little surprising given the current zeitgeist in the fitness community panning steady state cardio.

The study, published in the November 2013 Journal of American Physiology, took 44 adolescent, obese girls and randomly assigned them to three groups: the aerobic exercise group did one hour of running on a treadmill or using an elliptical three times a week, the resistance exercise group did one hour of weight lifting three times a week and the last group did no exercise. 

After three months of this, the girls were not only weighed but unlike many other studies on this topic also had their overall fat, visceral fat, liver fat and insulin sensitivity measured. (Kudos to the scientists for using a more rigorous measure of health than most!) The results were, well, see for yourself:

1. No one lost any weight. The researchers were curious to see if exercise without changing diet would lead to weight loss and unsurprisingly it did not. It’s one of the lesser known truths about fitness: exercise makes you hungry and your body will try to replace the calories you burned. In many research studies exercise has been shown to be an effective tool for keeping weight off but not for losing it.

2. The aerobic exercise group lost a significant amount of visceral fat, reduced liver fat and increased their insulin sensitivity. This was seen as a major benefit to their health as fat around your organs, fatty liver disease and insulin resistance are all red flags for many diseases including diabetes and heart disease. So even though the girls didn’t lose any weight they did definitely improve their health. Which leads to another lesser known (okay it’s widely known but just not talked about enough) truth about fitness: Exercise without weight loss is not pointless! It’s great for your health no matter what you weigh and regardless of whether you lose weight or not.

3. The resistance exercise group did not. Those poor girls had no significant difference in any of the health markers as compared to the non-exercising group.

4. The scientists noted that observationally the girls in the cardio group seemed to be having way more fun.

Reader Rachel, who tipped me off to the study, summed up her and my confusion thusly:

“This study really surprised me. It’s a little opposed to the “lift heavy for body composition” argument I see a lot (and have been believing!) Do you think other studies have focused on men, and that having an all-female test group makes the difference? Problems in the study itself? I feel confused! And I think you’re more likely to read the academic article linked inside the link than I am!”

Rachel is right. There has been a huge movement in fitness, especially over the last 5 years or so, to get off the treadmill and elliptical and trade your running shoes in for some heavy weight lifting sessions in the gym. Epitomizing this mindset is fitness writer (and one of my fave people ever) Jen Sinkler who made t-shirts that said, “I lift weights. How do I get my cardio? I lift weights faster.” The shirts sold out in hours. As CrossFit’s star rose, more girls headed to the gym in “beast mode” to smack tires, farmer carry weights and squat twice their body weight. It was a far cry from the days not too long ago when all women did was cardio and any girl caught on the weight floor was warned she would “bulk out” and look like a dude.

Rachel bought into that. I bought into it. Lots of you bought into it. So is it wrong?

Here are my thoughts on why you might want to take this new research with a grain of salt (because salt is also one of those things that used to be demonized and is now coming back into favor! See what I did there??)

1. Kids mess everything up. I’m kidding. No I’m not. You should see my house. It looks like what would happen if the Lego guys took Barbie’s dream house hostage and it all exploded in a cloud of glitter-covered Bakugans. Anyhow, my point is that just like you really can’t take adult study results and scale them down for kids, you also can’t necessarily extrapolate from kids to adults. Children are not miniature adults.

2. It’s not a dichotomy. You can do both weights and cardio and you probably should. So what if you have limited exercise time and you want to know which to focus on? Circuits! It’s very simple to pull together a short but intense routine involving both weights and bursts of anaerobic cardio. All of the most effective programs in my personal experience involve both.

3. They were doing the cardio and the weight lifting wrong. First, lots of research has shown that shorter, intense bursts of cardio are more effective for fat loss than slogging on an elliptical for an hour but the study wasn’t comparing HIIT against steady state. Second, if you’re lifting weights for an hour you’re probably doing something wrong. I’ve seen a lot of people “lift weights” by taking 5 minute rests between sets and only working the muscle groups they can see. The girls weren’t “lifting heavy” or doing a functional routine. If you like working out for an hour than go for it (heaven knows I enjoy an hour long sweatfest sometimes) but you don’t have to go that long to see positive metabolic changes. It would have been more interesting to me if the researchers weren’t essentially comparing out-dated cardio to out-dated weight lifting.

4. I think it’s super telling that the researchers said the aerobics girls had more fun during the experiment. Traditional cardio is actually a really great way to bond with friends. One of the things I like (possibly the only thing I like) about being on a treadmill, step mill, elliptical and the like is that usually your heart rate is up enough to make you sweat but not so much you can’t do other stuff like watch TV, flip through a magazine or… talk to your buddies! You can chat while weight lifting too but you generally don’t have that side-by-side aspect of both of you standing on immovable pieces of equipment. So I would guess that the girls in the cardio group might have been putting more energy into it while the girls doing weights may have been going through the motions but not enjoying it. Just a guess.

One thing that Rachel brought up that I do think is super important though is that this is an all FEMALE study. There are not many of those in the fitness world and for a long time the theory was that a body is a body is a body so women should just be treated like men with lower centers of gravity. Of course that isn’t true. We girls have some unique physiological, metabolic and, yes, emotional differences that make fitness different for us. So perhaps the old canard about women needing more endurance while men need more strength has some truth to it? Only more research will tell.

The researchers of the original study concluded, “Given the superior improvements in metabolic health with aerobic exercise and the enjoyment factor, we propose that aerobic exercise may be a better mode of exercise for adolescent girls of this age group.”

But what are my conclusions? In the end, I’m not sure how I feel about this. For as long as I’ve been exercising I’ve found cardio stuff more fun. I love Zumba, Turbokick, step class and anything else dance-y. Weight lifting holds no joy for me. I used to have fun doing it with the Gym Buddies but that was mostly because they were a riot rather than the routine being fun. Because of that, I used to lift heavier and more often back in Minnesota. I’ve really really dropped the ball with the weight lifting over the past 6 months. I do it but I do it in the fastest way possible and mostly body weight stuff or kettlebell circuits. And – research: party of one! – I feel like I’m “flabbier” and have less muscle and tone. So I guess my personal conclusion from all of this is that girls need both to be healthy. You have to balance doing what you love with being a balanced person.

What do you guys think about this study? What have you noticed in your own life in regards to weights vs. cardio? Which is your favorite?

44 Comments

  1. Losing weight has almost nothing to do with cardio or weight training.Sure,if you run 1 hour every day you will lose some mass but it’s mostly body fluids rather than fat.That’s why most people who never did cardio before lose some mass after a few weeks and then they stop and wonder why the hell this belly fat won’t go away.

    It’s the same with weight training.First 2 months is all results and progress,you see your muscles appear and then you get stuck.

    The only efficient way to lose fat is to follow a proper diet.Cardio is good for heart conditioning and recent studies suggest too much of it has negative effects.

  2. The way I see it cardio is for cardiovascular conditioning and weight training is for strength and muscle growth.

    You can do cardio workouts with weights (high reps,low weight) but it’s dangerous if you don’t know how to lift with proper technique.

  3. I’d like to know exactly how much those girls were lifting. If they had machines on the lowest settings or were using three-pound dumbbells, then I’m not surprised. In other words: I’m skeptical that they were actually doing much weight lifting during those workouts.

  4. It sounds to me like there is no one “right” answer for the best exercise. It’s popular to have the the best answer or that there is some “silver bullet” for fitness, but I don’t think that exists. Some people like to lift. Some people like to run. Probably some combination of the two is appropriate!

  5. They need to stop pitting cardio against lifting. It’s not an either/or thing. Like you said, you can do a circuit that has both and doesn’t take an hour and is effective.

    But a cardio vs lifting story is a better sell than a cardio and lifting story so there you have it.

    And a story about how weight loss is really all about what you eat is the least exciting of them all. What? If I just eat less junk and more healthy stuff and control my portions I’ll lose weight? But there has to be some trick, so “special” thing I need to buy or eat or do, right, RIGHT?!

    I also agree with you on the “feeling flabby” front. I’ve been a lifting slacker as of late, too, and I feel like a super weakling. I don’t like that feeling at all, so it’s time to get back to my weights.

  6. My experience is that I lost weight (much too my surprise) from just taking walks. Later on in my life I wanted to lose weight and went to the gym, but this did nothing for my weight, although I did get fitter. Recently (I’m talking about approximately two years ago) I started to find a balance in my exercise again, I made long walks, did my yoga and I rode my bike. I mainly did this for my health (with much success), but I also started to lose weight.
    So in short: for me personally the gym didn’t do much good for my weight, but exercising outside and doing my yoga did.

    It also could be personal maybe? something that works for me, might not work for another female of my age? I don’t know.

  7. I have never had to lose weight, but I have had to lose fat. I did hours of cardio a day. I was skinny fat. I weighed 123lbs, was 23% body fat. I took up weight lifting 2 days a week and after about 4 months, I lost about 3lbs, but my body fat was down to 18%. I actually had MUSCLE!! I have continued to change my body composition. I still run, but lifting at least 3 days a week is a priority for me because it has also improved my running performance. Steady state cardio is actually an important thing for people to do who are just getting into an exercise program or are obese and need to lose fat. But resistance training is also something that should be done. There are many more benefits to resistance training than losing fat though. Less prone to injury, ward off muscle loss and osteoporosis, the list goes on… Sorry, I rambled.

  8. It is as researchers forget that people are holistic beings. Last time I checked an anatomy chart, everyone had both a cardiovascular system and a muscular system. That being said, instead of using out-of-date methods of cardio and lifting, what would you prefer to see? Couch to 5K against Starting Strength or something similar?

  9. Well, I think we could run the fitness/health rat-race for ever trying to second-guess scientists…but I am glad they did a study on women! And I also think that for a LONG time women associated a stigma with weightlifting and didn’t want to do it at all for fear of bulking up. So we are maybe just in the over-correction phase. The other thing to remember is that weight lifting is very good for building strong bones- which is VERY important women, especially older women.

    My approach has always been to find sports I really enjoy and tailor all my workouts around them, instead of worrying about what I “should be doing”. I like skiing, so other than skiing I do squats and wall sits, and some crazy box-jumping exercises. For biking I do spin classes. For rock climbing I lift weights. When I have a goal in mind it is much easier (and more fun!) to do things. It also relieves some of the weight about worrying whether I am doing the “perfect” exercise. I am good at my sports and getting better at them…so what if I don’t have the smallest thighs in the world- they get my up and down mountains! Doing a really hard climb or mountain bike makes me feel fitter AND more attractive (yes- even when my legs are black and blue and covered in scabs!) than any measure of body fat, weight or size ever could.

  10. I have lost weight/fat doing just yoga and weights, and I have done the same with cardio.

    I think that for me, the most important thing is consistency. And the most likely way to keep me consistent is for me to do exercise that I enjoy.

    I enjoy weight-lifting and yoga, largely because they can go as slow as you like. I am all kinds of uncoordinated, and cardio often moves too fast for me to follow and generally just makes me feel clumsy.

    I don’t subscribe to the One Workout to Rule Them All philosophy. Everyone’s different; different kinds of exercise are going to work better for different people.

  11. I’m not sure why it needs to be either one or the other. People (old and young) are more active when they do something they enjoy. Activities like Zumba and step classes are more “fun,” but I get a deep sense of satisfaction from lifting heavy weights, and running helps my overall cardio and gets me outside (even during Canadian winters). Why not encourage people to do a range of activities and to try something new from time to time?

  12. If anyone is curious and didn’t click through to the full text, it describes what exercises were used:
    “leg press, leg extension, leg flexion, chest press, latissimus pull down, seated row, bicep curl and tricep extension using stack weight equipment. In addition, a single set of push-ups and sit-ups [were performed]”. The exercises were performed at 60% of 1 rep max for the first few weeks (1-2 sets of 8-12 reps for each), and then 2 sets of 8-12 reps to fatigue for the last part of the study.

    It sounds to me like the test subjects were working a lot harder in the cardio group than the weight training group, so maybe we should be interpreting the results in a more nuanced way, given the specifics of the protocol used. This study is NOT the answer to “which should you do to lose weight?” It does suggest that if weight loss and/or muscle gain is your goal, and you are an untrained/unfit person at the start, moderate intensity cardio will help you. This particular weight training protocol probably won’t.

  13. I’ve come to the conclusion, after WAY too many years spent trying to find THE PERFECT WORKOUT, that the best thing is find what you enjoy and do that. The things that work for me may not work for someone else. Yesterday, for instance, I was thinking of doing a ballet barre-type workout. But I was in a funk and needed to clear my head, so I went for a nice power walk in the cold air, just me & my thoughts. And by the time I finished, I was feeling MUCH better! So I got the cardio in and also helped clear away some of the funk. Today I’ll go to a yoga class. Tomorrow? Who knows? We’ll see what I feel like doing.

  14. It’s interesting, recently I’ve felt “flabbier” too but I think that’s due to less intense cardio sessions because I’ve actually been lifting heavier since I moved. But I stopped kickboxing and things like that. Maybe it has to do with individual body type? I really prefer cardio too (fun classes, not boring treadmills!) and I find that my body seems to respond more strongly to it. But I keep lifting because I want to do whatever I can for my bones after years of anorexia. And there is something to be said for that feeling of finishing a hard set.

  15. I think whichever one you love and you’ll actually do is the best choice for you. So you hate cardio and love lifting? Who cares! So you love cardio and don’t even like lifting up your huge ego? Then don’t! Sometimes I think we get so caught up in finding the “perfect” routine that we forget that the best routine is the doable routine. I know my routine isn’t perfect, and there are areas that could use some improvement, but I love it. And it’s a progression, because as I find ways to incorporate new things I learn to love those too.

  16. I definitely prefer cardio workouts because I find them to be more fun; which might explain why I’m happy being a runner. I do mix in circuits and some weights, but probably not as much as I “should.” I believe variety is the key to being balanced in strength, flexibility, endurance and health.

  17. I like doing both and hope to continue to do so. Strength training for…well..strength and cardio for happy endorphins. Varying it up a bit keeps me interested, and ensures I can outrun the zombie apocolypse!

  18. I believe that, despite what a lot studies & guru’s will try to imply, every person is different. However, anyone that has been paying attention all along will learn that to be a healthy person, with a healthy weight and a healthy fat to muscle ratio there are a few basic things that you need to do. Eat right, sleep well, lift heavy things, give your heart a work out, relax regularly (manage your stress) and keep limits in mind with those things that don’t contribute to your well being (bad relationships, tobacco, alcohol, stress, etc…).

  19. My case study of one: I defeinitely have a lot less negative self-talk, ED-triggers, etc. since lifting weights. I weigh more but feel less flabby. even at my smallest, I felt fat becasue I didn’t see definiteion, so body dysmorphia and all, thought I was huge…

  20. I’ve had the most success with a combo of lifting and HIIT. I actually really like Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30. (I’m not a huge fan of her, but those workouts are effective and fun for me.) I like doing functional exercises with bursts of cardio. I’ve also been a cardio junkie, was at my lowest weight, but not very healthy. I’ve also done only weight lifting and actually gained weight.Though I was more toned, you couldn’t tell because of the layer of fat on top of my muscles. (Any one else think “moose-kulls” when they write “muscles”?) So, I think whatever works for you to get you moving is the most effective, cause face it, if you don’t like doing something, you’re not going to keep doing it, which isn’t very effective now, is it?

  21. When are they going to come to the conclusion that every body works differently and some people might “do better” with cardio and others might “do better” with strength training?

    It’s the same with nutrition, I think (how some people do great on a raw diet, vegan diet, paleo, etc.). Totally dependent on the individual!

    Scienced. 🙂

  22. I lost 75 pounds with cardio- mostly walking, weight lifting 4 times a week and having reduced calorie intake. EVERYTHING works together, who the hell cares what the studies show, you know?? We are individuals!! I laughed when I read the “kids mess everything up” statement- truth!! I am an art teacher…… that’s all I have! 🙂

    I ADORE getting and reading your emails, you have an extraordinary voice. Funny, honest, sincere. Thank you!

  23. It’s like I always say, there’s no such thing as a weight loss exercise. The only thing you body cares about is capability. Every exercise, from cardio to lifting to juggling flaming chain saws conditions capability. Changes in fat or muscle are side effects as best.

    You can’t train skinny. You can train strength, power, endurance, speed, flexibility and vertical jumping power, but no, there is no exercise to trim this or that any more than an exercise can improve your skin tone. Not saying exercise won’t change body fat, just saying that it doesn’t have to.

  24. A couple thoughts-three months isn’t that long. I’d be more interested in where the girls were after a year.
    And two-did they take any measurements, track waist or clothing size? Cause if the one group lost fat and stayed the same weight, that would imply they gained muscle, which is denser than fat, so their waist circumference/other measurements probably went down… Which is what many people want more than the actual number on the scale.

  25. Your summation of what was wrong with this study didn’t leave a lot of room for further comment, so I’ll just reflect on the fact that I wasn’t stuck in traffic today, because although I live in upstate NY where it was below freezing and the snow was falling, I was outside riding a bicycle that actually goes places, and to places I went.

    As such, it would be pointless for me to go to a gym to do cardio, because by the time I got there, ya know, I’d be done.

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  28. Thanks for addressing the article! I’m bummed because I’d hoped it was giving me an excuse to leave the weight-room forever! Oh well.

  29. Why leave the weight room?Weights give you muscle strenth,stronger ligaments and strengthen your bones.

    Doing both (cardio and weights) is the only correct way to train your body properly.

    Cardio alone is boring and on the long run it could damage your heart if you do too much of it.

  30. I read studies but don’t live by them. No secret I LOVE weights BUT I have always lived by doing weights, cardio, core & stretching – I think you have to do it all for successful weight loss, maintenance & long term success… food has to be right too of course but I stand by finding the balance that works for you & it will change with age! 🙂

  31. Pingback:New Research Reopens the Cardio vs Weights Debate [Help a … | Sculpted Muscles

  32. I have always done both weights and cardio, since I was a kid…along with stretching and breathing exercises for flexibility and recovery. Recently adding some yoga for strength I did not know I was missing.

    Now at the age of 53…I can spur of the moment decide to run 15 miles, and still have enough strength to climb a 30 foot rope with just my arms when I finish. My bodyweight exercises (210 pounds) includes handstand pushups and one-arm pushups, one-leg squats, as well as chinups with different grips.

    I use a doorframe chinning bar and toss it up grabbing a few sets when I can, along with the other bodyweight exercises and then when I have time to hit the gym, my weight/reps have not diminished.

    I also have a heavy-bag that I punch and kick for a few rounds.

    I like to throw in occasional surprises to myself and my body to keep it all fresh.

    I have very little bodyfat…although I eat…basically whatever. I try to lean more on protein, but I do not stress the details…and I only eat junk occasionally.

    Even doing it most of my life…I still find it all fun. Pleasantly theraputic.

    Cardio is never boring to me. In fact, I used to have asthma…but I maintained my running and other cardio…then a few years ago I signed on for a pharmaceutical trial at the local university testing a new asthma medication. They tried to force an asthmatic reaction…and they carefully went through all of the study parameters…then exceeded them…but they could not force an asthmatic reaction. I have excellent lung health and excellent heart health.

    Cardio strengthened both.

    Exercise is never a chore or a bother. Its a gift to me.

    (And to my friends and relatives who ask me to help move furniture and pianos, or the stranger who needs help pushing a car out of snowbank. )

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  34. Personally I hate weights and love a steady boring run, but most recommendations are for both cardio AND muscle building exercise for optimal health.

  35. I agree with Jody you need to enjoy cardio, these girls probably didn’t want to do it so went at it half heart-idly so didn’t see the benefits.
    I recently posted a similarly article about dumbbells and their usefulness

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