Can cardio without lifting make me lose muscle ?

[JamesLarod233]

Ive been lifting for a few months(bulk) and I made some gains, not that much but it's something. Problem is I got A LOT of fat so I'm far from having a defined body. I don't have time for gym these days, probably no money either. I need to lose weight for summer(those damn man tits) so I went for a cutting diet. I lost 5 pounds in the 1st week and I thought I could speed it up with some cardio. I ran my way home from college today(about 2 miles) and I burned 261 calories in 23 minutes. I plan to do it 2 or 3 days a week. Could this make me lose muscle if i am eating enough protein ? Beside the loss thats probably already there since I currently don't lift.

[CommitmentRulz]

Ive been lifting for a few months(bulk) and I made some gains, not that much but it's something. Problem is I got A LOT of fat so I'm far from having a defined body. I don't have time for gym these days, probably no money either. I need to lose weight for summer(those damn man tits) so I went for a cutting diet. I lost 5 pounds in the 1st week and I thought I could speed it up with some cardio. I ran my way home from college today(about 2 miles) and I burned 261 calories in 23 minutes. I plan to do it 2 or 3 days a week. Could this make me lose muscle if i am eating enough protein ? Beside the loss thats probably already there since I currently don't lift.

You will lose a combination of fat and muscle. You'll lose more muscle by not lifting than you would if you were lifting. It's not an exact science that you can plug into a formula.

[JamesLarod233]

You will lose a combination of fat and muscle. You'll lose more muscle by not lifting than you would if you were lifting. It's not an exact science that you can plug into a formula.

I don't quite understand what you said. Do you mean that the muscle loss would be purely because I don't lift or because of cardio too ?

[SSM12]

From a former fatty who lost 100 pounds with virtually just cardio and diet change, DON'T. Do some sort of weight training at the very least.

I am regretting it so hard and I have to work A LOT harder now to get the physique that I want where I could be there by now if I had included both in my weight loss. If anything, weight training and a proper diet is 100x more important than cardio.


Lifting preserves muscle. If you don't want to be just a smaller version of yourself, id try to find a good calisthenic routine on here full of body weight stuff if you can't get to weights.

[rubyharo]

Proper diet (hit that protein) + calisthenics ? HIIT? Sprints?

I'm not sure why you'd stop lifting though besides the fact that you can't afford it. Can't your college friends let you into the schools gym?

Good luck I'm trying to lose fat as well.

[dipatel13]

I don't quite understand what you said. Do you mean that the muscle loss would be purely because I don't lift or because of cardio too ?

It would be due to not lifting. Cardio, aside from cardiovascular/health benefits, is just another means to burn calories. You should always prioritize lifting in order build/maintain your muscle whether you're cutting/bulking/maintaining.