Several people on this site have been saying that doing lots of cardio is bad.
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Whoops.
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MB_Positif wrote: »Honestly I think people become obsessive with cardio that is "going nowhere." Before I get attacked, I think that if your goal is to run marathons or do triathlons, then by all means do all the cardio you need to train for that. When someone is doing 3 hours a day on the elliptical for the sake of burning calories, I don't get it.
For the record I don't really do any cardio other than playing sports and goofing around with my son. I lift for the sake of getting stronger (let me tell you, I felt like a rock star when I was able to easily pick up and install our window unit air conditioners last year with no struggle at all even after my husband said, "that one is heavy." I lift because I love it. I lift because I like muscles. I have a lot of friends who lift that do not look like me. There are many reasons to lift besides getting huge.
well said!0 -
Cardio isn't bad. Just like anything, it can be overdone. But you have to be doing a LOT of cardio for that. I think it's a lot more common to see people not eating enough to support the cardio they're doing than it is to see people doing too much cardio (which, like MrM said, depends on your goals).0
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snarlingcoyote wrote: »crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
On the first three reasons - that's maintaining lean muscle mass, which is crucial as we get older. No arguments on me there! I apologize if you don't like the word "buff", but you've said, you do it to look good, so that's just semantics. As for de-stressing, ahhh! Go you! If you've got something that makes you feel good, go for it. That's why I run!
And you lift to maintain lean muscle mass.
Cardio won't do that.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »LOL - "cardio ==> bad"
I'm logging 51 miles this week. As we get closer to Spring Marathon Season that will rise to 70-80 miles a week when the two long runs a week go big-miles. Many folks would call that "excess".
Look at my profile pic.
Does that look like "cardio is bad"? Do i look "skinny fat"? Am I missing muscles that the cardio somehow ate? Does it look like I need to lift (I don't lift) to look "toned"? Does it look like age is eating my lean muscle mass (I'm 45).
Nope to all of the above. Just an old, formerly fat, now skinny, well toned, small built but well muscled distance runner.
Do all the cardio you like and don't listen to the Neurotic Dieter WooWoo.
Cardio isn't bad... and I cant believe there is such a thing as "too much cardio".
I love my cardio. . .and if you're young and fit, there probably isn't a bad thing as too much, but for me. . .yeah. Overuse how I get bursitis. I am not a young coyote!
Keep on running!0 -
crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
+1
And,
To lose inches
To focus on body comp goals, instead of fixating on a number on the scale
Because I dropped two sizes since I started, but I'm still the same weight, which means I get to eat the same # of calories.
Because it makes me feel like a badass to be strong and able to take care of myself (and move my own furniture!)
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This comes from people seeing an obscure study several years in which it was found that extreme endurance is hard on the human body, and some how through the telephone game we played as kids it comes out as "Cardio is Bad". OR Someone is trying to sell you a gym membership or personal training services.
There might be 1-3% of MFP Users that are doing enough cardio for it to be "bad" in any given context. I think if you enjoy your cardio, you're moving, and you enjoy it....just do it. Set some goals and train for those goals, and listen to your body in terms of the right amount. It doesn't have to be any harder than that.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »LOL - "cardio ==> bad"
I'm logging 51 miles this week. As we get closer to Spring Marathon Season that will rise to 70-80 miles a week when the two long runs a week go big-miles. Many folks would call that "excess".
Look at my profile pic.
Does that look like "cardio is bad"? Do i look "skinny fat"? Am I missing muscles that the cardio somehow ate? Does it look like I need to lift (I don't lift) to look "toned"? Does it look like age is eating my lean muscle mass (I'm 45).
Nope to all of the above. Just an old, formerly fat, now skinny, well toned, small built but well muscled distance runner.
Do all the cardio you like and don't listen to the Neurotic Dieter WooWoo.
Cardio isn't bad... and I cant believe there is such a thing as "too much cardio".
You do look great! Just think how good you would look if you began lifting!!
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Because cardio isn't as trendy as lifting is, at least not on MFP, so cardio hate gets regurgitated whenever possible.
*kitten* CARDIO!!!
Jk, I love it on my off days. Running is way too meditative to give up during the warmer months and biking is just too fun. I still lift and do HIIT for the good in-shape stuff and I need variety to not go crazy.0 -
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How is it semantics? Looking good = looking buff?snarlingcoyote wrote: »crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
On the first three reasons - that's maintaining lean muscle mass, which is crucial as we get older. No arguments on me there! I apologize if you don't like the word "buff", but you've said, you do it to look good, so that's just semantics. As for de-stressing, ahhh! Go you! If you've got something that makes you feel good, go for it. That's why I run!
Especially since you then said "big guns."0 -
I feel like people on this site forget about lung and heart health and think of cardio only as an exercise that if done excessively, can reduce muscle mass by creating a large deficit. They definitely favour heavy weight lifting but I think a balance is what is best, especially if you consider cardio therapeutic as well. Everything in moderation, right?0
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Each to their own. Cardio makes me want to beat my own head in so for me cardio=bad unless its boxing so I do what works for me. I box and i lift. No one told me I was doing it to look buff, I would have appreciated a heads up! I do it because its fun, it de stresses me and I get a measureable number to try and beat each time and I like feeling strong like bull
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snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
get stronger
relieves stress
and most importantly I LIKE it0 -
I feel like people on this site forget about lung and heart health and think of cardio only as an exercise that if done excessively, can reduce muscle mass by creating a large deficit. They definitely favour heavy weight lifting but I think a balance is what is best. Everything in moderation, right?
Most of the heavy lifters I know on here do agree that cardio is important. It's just that fewer people understand the benefits of weight lifting and so we try to promote it because there are so many benefits. But there are benefits to both.0 -
Not everyone has the same goals. Not every exercise has the same outcomes.
Cardio is good for burning fat. It is good for heart health. It is bad for optimal body composition because pure cardio doesn't build or protect muscle tissue. Doing lots of cardio without taking measures (i.e., doing resistance work) to maintain lean muscle mass will cause you to burn away not just your fat, but also your healthy lean mass. This will tend to lower your ability to burn calories in general, because muscle tissue burns a lot of calories just at rest. It can also cause you to look saggy and flabby, even if you are lightweight: some people call this body type "skinny fat."
Simply put, people who are trying hard to maintain or build muscle mass will do best focusing on resistance work and minimizing cardio. People who lots and lots and lots of fat to burn and don't mind losing muscle mass I guess can do cardio to their heart's delight.
Most people fall in the middle of these: we want to at least maintain our healthy muscle mass to feel strong and sexy, but we want to minimize fatty tissue on our bodies, also for teh sexy. So we do a balanced mix of cardio and resistance.
For people with a very high body fat percentage, lots of cardio is okay because they're less at risk of burning a lot of muscle tissue for various reasons (like, they have less of it to burn). If your calorie deficit (including exercise calories) is small, cardio is also kinda okay, but you'd be better off including some resistance work in there to help maintain healthy muscle mass. If you are doing a balanced amount of cardio + resistance exercise and eating at a small to moderate calorie deficit (including exercise calories), you're pretty golden.0 -
personally, I have never been much of distance runner, I just don't like it and I get bored. I prefer lifting heavy stuff and putting it down. However, when cutting I do mix in some HIIT and steady state cardio, but it is usually pretty minimal. I do not think cardio is bad, I just do not enjoy it as much as some do. ...0
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snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
Physical and mental health benefits that can be achieved through resistance training include:
improved muscle strength and tone – to protect your joints from injury. It also helps you maintain flexibility and balance and helps you remain independent as you age
weight management and increased muscle-to-fat ratio – as you gain muscle, your body burns more kilojoules when at rest
greater stamina – as you grow stronger, you won’t get tired as easily
prevention or control of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, back pain, depression and obesity
pain management
improved mobility and balance
improved posture
decreased risk of injury
increased bone density and strength and reduced risk of osteoporosis
improved sense of wellbeing – resistance training may boost your self-confidence, improve your body image and your mood
a better night’s sleep and avoidance of insomnia
increased self-esteem
enhanced performance of everyday tasks.
That's just the first link that popped up when I Googled "benefits of resistance training".
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How is it semantics? Looking good = looking buff?snarlingcoyote wrote: »crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
On the first three reasons - that's maintaining lean muscle mass, which is crucial as we get older. No arguments on me there! I apologize if you don't like the word "buff", but you've said, you do it to look good, so that's just semantics. As for de-stressing, ahhh! Go you! If you've got something that makes you feel good, go for it. That's why I run!
Especially since you then said "big guns."
Okay, I apologize for that. A dear friend's only goal in weight lifting was, in her words "big guns for the strapless wedding dress" and she got them! There are several pictures of her in that poof of a dress, holding up both arms with a HUGGGGGEEEEE grin on her face.
We told her she looked buff, and she looked good and felt proud. . .is buff a bad word these days?0 -
Several people on this site have been saying that doing lots of cardio is bad.
most of those people are misinterpreting information. I ride 80 - 100 miles per week on average, and I'm fine. The only people I know who have issues are those that have no idea how to actually fuel that activity and balance that out with their weight control goals and they crash their diets and do *kitten* tons of cardio on top of a very low calorie intake...that's when it's bad.0 -
snarlingcoyote wrote: »
How is it semantics? Looking good = looking buff?snarlingcoyote wrote: »crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
On the first three reasons - that's maintaining lean muscle mass, which is crucial as we get older. No arguments on me there! I apologize if you don't like the word "buff", but you've said, you do it to look good, so that's just semantics. As for de-stressing, ahhh! Go you! If you've got something that makes you feel good, go for it. That's why I run!
Especially since you then said "big guns."
Okay, I apologize for that. A dear friend's only goal in weight lifting was, in her words "big guns for the strapless wedding dress" and she got them! There are several pictures of her in that poof of a dress, holding up both arms with a HUGGGGGEEEEE grin on her face.
We told her she looked buff, and she looked good and felt proud. . .is buff a bad word these days?
No - it's just your absolute statement of the only other reason being to look buff is, obviously, incorrect. And minimalizing, IMO.0 -
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SergeantSausage wrote: »Cardio isn't bad... and I cant believe there is such a thing as "too much cardio".
Question: In my running training (and I'm a total newbie) I am advised to take a rest day between run days to allow my muscles to recover. So doesn't that imply that there is such a thing as "too much cardio [at once]"? My physiotherapist has just advised me to dial it back a little and add some stretches to work out an imbalance (stiff hips, wobbly knees).
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I feel like people on this site forget about lung and heart health and think of cardio only as an exercise that if done excessively, can reduce muscle mass by creating a large deficit. They definitely favour heavy weight lifting but I think a balance is what is best. Everything in moderation, right?
Most of the heavy lifters I know on here do agree that cardio is important. It's just that fewer people understand the benefits of weight lifting and so we try to promote it because there are so many benefits. But there are benefits to both.
Agreed. I should have clarified that I didn't mean ALL people on this site haha. I mean a few. And I definitely know a few runners who still eat at maintenance (and therefore don't lose weight), don't lift and have incredible leg muscles (same with cyclists which is also "cardio"). To me, some cardio can be a form of calisthenics as well. It just may not get you there as quickly and can be somewhat localized.0 -
Has everyone forgotten that cardio is all about heart health??? Strength training does have these effects, too, but not like cardiovascular exercise. Most people who are on this site are concerned with losing weight and you can lose weight and improve your blood test results. However, a lot of us have been eating cholesterol laden foods (hence the reason we are fat) and sitting on our butts most of our lives. To re-ignite the health of the heart and lungs, the best thing to do is cardio! Like anything else, the best results come from moderation. Balance cardio with lifting for the best results all over.0
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snarlingcoyote wrote: »
How is it semantics? Looking good = looking buff?snarlingcoyote wrote: »crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
On the first three reasons - that's maintaining lean muscle mass, which is crucial as we get older. No arguments on me there! I apologize if you don't like the word "buff", but you've said, you do it to look good, so that's just semantics. As for de-stressing, ahhh! Go you! If you've got something that makes you feel good, go for it. That's why I run!
Especially since you then said "big guns."
Okay, I apologize for that. A dear friend's only goal in weight lifting was, in her words "big guns for the strapless wedding dress" and she got them! There are several pictures of her in that poof of a dress, holding up both arms with a HUGGGGGEEEEE grin on her face.
We told her she looked buff, and she looked good and felt proud. . .is buff a bad word these days?
No - it's just your absolute statement of the only other reason being to look buff is, obviously, incorrect. And minimalizing, IMO.
And I apologize.
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How is it semantics? Looking good = looking buff?snarlingcoyote wrote: »crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
On the first three reasons - that's maintaining lean muscle mass, which is crucial as we get older. No arguments on me there! I apologize if you don't like the word "buff", but you've said, you do it to look good, so that's just semantics. As for de-stressing, ahhh! Go you! If you've got something that makes you feel good, go for it. That's why I run!
Especially since you then said "big guns."
Yea I guess I'm doing it completely wrong since I don't have "big guns".
My apologies.0 -
All good. Carry on.0
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snarlingcoyote wrote: »
How is it semantics? Looking good = looking buff?snarlingcoyote wrote: »crystalflame wrote: »snarlingcoyote wrote: »Well, why do you do it?snarlingcoyote wrote: »So long as you do enough to preserve your lean muscle mass as you age, you're fine. The only other reason to lift weights is to look like you're buff.
Personally, I'm happy with the look of my legs when I run and don't really care about having big guns. . .
If you're happy with the look of your body and like the exercise you're getting, I think you're fine!
What? Sorry but you're wrong there.
So besides muscle retention every person that lifts weights is in it to look buff?
Well, why do you do it?
To make moving through my day-to-day life easier. To try to prevent osteoperosis. To increase strength for other exercises like running. To look GOOD, but not necessarily buff. To de-stress after a hard day at work. Just to name a few.
On the first three reasons - that's maintaining lean muscle mass, which is crucial as we get older. No arguments on me there! I apologize if you don't like the word "buff", but you've said, you do it to look good, so that's just semantics. As for de-stressing, ahhh! Go you! If you've got something that makes you feel good, go for it. That's why I run!
Especially since you then said "big guns."
Okay, I apologize for that. A dear friend's only goal in weight lifting was, in her words "big guns for the strapless wedding dress" and she got them! There are several pictures of her in that poof of a dress, holding up both arms with a HUGGGGGEEEEE grin on her face.
We told her she looked buff, and she looked good and felt proud. . .is buff a bad word these days?
No, but you don't get "buff" or "huge guns" from just lifting. There is normally a lot of physical work, diet work, and a plan to get there. It isn't something that just happens from lifting. I lifted extremely hard when I was younger, but my cardio workouts were even more grueling due to the sports I played. I didn't get bigger from the lifting. I maintained my mass while improving my strength, flexibility, etc. The same way I improved my agility, speed, etc from the type of cardio I did.
The whole getting "huge guns" from lifting assumption isn't that well received because, honestly, it's really hard to do and you need to follow a plan to do it..0 -
Just in to say I lift to get buff...0
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