I hate cardio. It's one of the reasons I find it hard to drag myself to the gym. I know that weight loss comes from being in a caloric deficit, mostly through diet. Therefore, I assume it is possible to lose fat without cardio. But without cardio, my workouts would be so short. I'd like to go into the gym and do only strength training, with maybe one day of cardio. But does that mean I should be doing more strength. Right now I'm doing a full body workout, consisting of 5 exercises, 3 sets. Is that enough? My goal is to get toned.

You are a female, correct? If so, use an exercise ball to your advantage. This can help tremendously in building a core and getting abs as your username suggests that you want. Cardio is a pivotal aspect in losing weight, and without it I can't imagine you ever getting the body you want. Your workout should range anywhere from 45min-1h30m. This includes sufficient rests in between sets, and doing quite a bit of weight training. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be spending 20 minutes on a treadmill, elliptical, or bike every time you hit the gym. While weight lifting does burn calories, there are certain things you need cardio for. It is great for increasing your overall fitness and health, and making your heart stronger. Try going for runs/walks outside. I personally find it much more satisfying and much less boring than treadmills.

Hope this helps.

I'm going to offer a slightly different perspective and say you can certainly get lean without cardio.

Being lean is merely a matter of losing fat while preserving muscle.

Losing fat is merely a matter of expending more energy than you consume.

I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to ditch cardiovascular exercise completely. It provides you many more benefits than energy expenditure.

But to answer your question, yes, you can get lean without cardio.

And no, just b/c you ditch cardio, it does not mean you should increase your strength training. They are not one in the same.

My advice would be to find forms of cardio you enjoy beyond the basic running. You can do circuit weight training, complexes, hiking, some sort of aerobics class, etc.

In order to lose fat, you need to burn calories. You don't have to do cardio to burn calories. Lifting weights burns calories too.

As I pointed out. I personally feel there are certain aspects of your health you can only improve through cardio. Your heart is one of those.

Eh, I quoted the wrong post. I didn't mean to quote you. I meant to quote the OP. My bad.

what would you say is better, a long walk or a short run?

A lot of people tend to stress the time aspect, "exercise [this many minutes] a day". But doesn't it seem better to think about intensity as more important?

It's not an either or proposition. And one is not better than the other. It's completely dependent on the individual (fitness level, capability, etc).

I'd pick the long walk over the short run anyday. But thats because I can walk outside. Maybe I'll have to try running outside, and see if I like it better.

There are many exercises besides running, walking, elipticals etc. that can give you a cardio workout. I would think you hate cardio mostly because it is boring and repetitive, which I can't argue with there. But there ARE some good exercises than can be done with weights that will give you a damn good cardio workout, as well as strengthening and toning workout...ALL IN ONE! WOO!

Forward lunge exercises, then switching your feet with a jump, is a GREAT exercise (done without weights) that will sculpt your thighs and bum while giving you some good cardio in the process!

I think I have a 50/50 chance of this being helpful or not for you...but I hope its helpful!

Complexes are great for a metabolic workout with weights.

I don't know of one person that has lost weight and toned without cardio. Personally, I mean. I read about people all the time that say they have, but I have my doubts. I would suggest walking. We are made for walking, so the chance of injury is very low, and you don't need a gym. I certainly know how you feel. Cardio is my least favorite, but I've found ways to sneak it in. Parking farther away from the store, Taking the stairs, Walking a block on my breaks....and so on and so on. Good luck!

me. havn't done a step in almost 3 years now aside from 2min warmup before i lift. it's very easy to tone without cardio. in fact it's the easiest way of all if you're trained in technique enough to be able to push yourself at an intensity that effectively makes use of your bodies atp-cp and lactic acid based systems in the body.

pic reference
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/befor...ss-update.html

I try and do at least 20 min on the tred mill hten weight, but i only got for about 2.5 hours 3 times a week, but just doing that and changeing my diet i have lost weight

while you can lose weight without cardio, it's like trying to play the drums without any drum sticks! The best weight loss is done by using cardio exercise, diet and weight training. weight training does burn calories as you train, and builds muscle that consantly burns caloriesi the long term but cardio burns a high number of calories right there and then!

running in a treadmill can be boring, as can cycling, rowing etc... try out the group classes at the gym, such as spinning, bodypump, boxercise etc... these can be great fun and combine cardio with weight training