Alright man, let’s break it down real simple. You keep hearing folks at the gym or online saying:
“You gotta do cardio to burn fat!”
Or…
“Bro, lift heavy or don’t even show up!”
So which one is it? Cardio or resistance training? Truth is — they both matter. Just depends on your goals.
🏃♂️ What Is Cardio, Anyway?
Cardio (a.k.a. cardiovascular training) is any kind of workout that gets your heart rate up. Think:
- Running or jogging
- Jump rope
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Stairmaster
- Even dancing your ass off at a Vegas pool party (counts, kinda)
Basically, if you’re moving nonstop and breathing harder than normal — that’s cardio.
🔥 What Does It Do?
- Burns calories fast
- Improves heart health and endurance
- Helps with fat loss
- Makes you sweat like crazy (which feels good after a cheat meal 😅)
🧠 When Should You Use It?
- You’re tryna cut fat or lose weight
- You wanna boost your stamina (maybe for sports or life in general)
- You’ve been eating like trash and need to move your body
Cardio’s great if you’re just starting out too. Even walking 30 mins a day helps.
🏋️♂️ What About Resistance Training?
This is the good stuff. Resistance training (aka strength training or lifting weights) is all about building muscle. It includes:
- Dumbbells
- Barbells
- Resistance bands
- Bodyweight workouts (like pushups, squats, etc.)
- Machines at the gym
If you’re doing anything that puts tension on your muscles, congrats — that’s resistance training.
💥 What’s It Good For?
- Building muscle (duh)
- Toning your body — abs, arms, back, glutes
- Preserving muscle during a cut
- Boosting your metabolism — muscles burn more calories even at rest
💡 When Should You Use It?
- You wanna gain size or strength
- You’re on a cut and don’t wanna look “skinny-fat”
- You want that shaped look — not just thin, but lean and solid
🧠 So… Cardio vs. Resistance: Which One’s Better?
Here’s the truth most influencers won’t tell you: neither is better — they just do different things.
Let me put it this way:
- Cardio is like a chainsaw — fast, effective at cutting fat, but doesn’t shape much.
- Resistance training is like carving tools — slower, but builds that masterpiece physique.
If you’re just doing cardio and not lifting? You might drop weight, but lose muscle too — and end up looking soft.
If you only lift and ignore cardio? You’ll build strength, but might have poor stamina, and fat loss will take longer.
🔄 Can You Mix Them?
Hell yeah — and honestly, you should.
Here’s a common setup a lotta Vegas lifters use:
🔹 During a Bulk (muscle gaining phase):
- Focus: Resistance training 4–5x a week
- Cardio: 1–2 light sessions just to stay healthy (walking, incline treadmill, etc.)
🔸 During a Cut (fat loss phase):
- Focus: Resistance training to preserve muscle
- Cardio: 3–5 sessions a week (HIIT or steady-state, depending on how hard you go)
Mixing both gives you the lean look with strength and endurance. Ain’t that what most of us want?
❗ Common Myths to Ditch Right Now
- “Cardio burns muscle” → Only if you overdo it and eat too little.
- “Lifting makes you bulky” → Not unless you’re eating 4000 calories a day.
- “You can’t lose fat and gain muscle at the same time” → You actually can… especially if you’re new to training or coming back after a break.