Is cardio bad for you?

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  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    tennisdude2004 wrote: »
    Interesting article - not sure what all the negative posts about it are.

    Cardio is an excellent exercise to do as a warm up or on rest days, but I haven't seen any evidence that the information in the article is incorrect.

    Yes, it's not written very well, but the information in it is correct, high levels of cortical in the body are not good (cortisol in it's self is an essential hormone and many great things - but as we like to say on MFP, everything in moderation).

    Chronic cardio can be extremely bad for you. If you look at some of the elite endurance runners they are probably without doubt some of the fittest people on the planet, but I should think they are also some of the most unhealthy.

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  • foursirius
    foursirius Posts: 321 Member
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    Yup burning calories will make you fat
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
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    tennisdude2004 wrote: »
    Chronic cardio can be extremely bad for you. If you look at some of the elite endurance runners they are probably without doubt some of the fittest people on the planet, but I should think they are also some of the most unhealthy.
    I don't mean to sound argumentative, hopefully I simply misunderstood your meaning.

    I did a Google image search for "elite endurance athletes" and I'm struggling to find anything that appears unhealthy with them.

    Also, in line with that I am struggling with the part where you said they are the "fittest" while simultaneously the "most unhealthy". I think that might be due to the meaning of those words:

    fit·ness
    ˈfitnəs/
    noun
    noun: fitness
    the condition of being physically fit and healthy.
    "disease and lack of fitness are closely related"
    synonyms: good health, strength, robustness, vigor, athleticism, toughness, physical fitness, muscularity; More

    It seems that in order to be fit, one is also healthy by definition.

    I'm sure it is a simple misunderstanding.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    grimmeanor wrote: »
    Cardio burns a lot of fat, it can not be blamed for making one fat.

    Some people will say that doing only cardio will make you "skinny fat". I think that's just a way of saying "lean but not ripped".
    Cardio (like any other physical activity like housework) burns calories. Once glycogen stores are depleted, then fat stores are uses as energy. But it does take quite a lot of effort to burn off glycogen stores. We burn off most of our fat at rest. In fact sleeping for 8 hours will easily burn more fat than doing 1 hour of cardio.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    dtodd62 wrote: »
    http://blogs.denverpost.com/fitness/2013/11/23/is-your-cardio-routine-making-you-fat/13461/
    Unfortunately the author strategically picked out "parts" of studies to support their stance on cardio.
    Don't always believe everything you read on the internet. Peer reviewed clinical studies (not just parts of them) are a better choice to research information that you're interested in reading and learning about. The author is basically "brosciencing" their opinion on cardio.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • DLove9321
    DLove9321 Posts: 67 Member
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    I have heard people say that alot too and i look at em like huh??
    I LOVE running.
    I had a bad winter, not working out much. But now I am back at it. Recording all my food and back to running again.
    Hope to do a few 10k’s and maybe a Half Marathon this summer if I can train properly. Looking to stay motivated and hungry, so
    Any runners out there feel free to add me! Thanks
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    edited March 2015
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    grimmeanor wrote: »
    tennisdude2004 wrote: »
    Chronic cardio can be extremely bad for you. If you look at some of the elite endurance runners they are probably without doubt some of the fittest people on the planet, but I should think they are also some of the most unhealthy.
    I don't mean to sound argumentative, hopefully I simply misunderstood your meaning.

    I did a Google image search for "elite endurance athletes" and I'm struggling to find anything that appears unhealthy with them.

    Also, in line with that I am struggling with the part where you said they are the "fittest" while simultaneously the "most unhealthy". I think that might be due to the meaning of those words:

    fit·ness
    ˈfitnəs/
    noun
    noun: fitness
    the condition of being physically fit and healthy.
    "disease and lack of fitness are closely related"
    synonyms: good health, strength, robustness, vigor, athleticism, toughness, physical fitness, muscularity; More

    It seems that in order to be fit, one is also healthy by definition.

    I'm sure it is a simple misunderstanding.

    It is!

    Fitness is a measure of physical ability!

    To get to the level of fitness achieved by endurance athletes, must train and push your body to levels that are adverse to your health and potentially reduce your life span.

    I'm not saying people shouldn't run marathons or take part in triathlon's (each to their own) but studies have proven that training and pushing your body to attain that level of fitness is detrimental to your health.

    That's all I was saying - health and fitness, at that level, are two different things.

    Also I think your google might be broken!!!!

    I typed:
    Are endurance Athletes hea....

    one of the first things was:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_heart_syndrome
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited March 2015
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    tennisdude2004 wrote: »
    It is!

    Fitness is a measure of physical ability!

    To get to the level of fitness achieved by endurance athletes, must train and push your body to levels that are adverse to your health and potentially reduce your life span.

    I'm not saying people shouldn't run marathons or take part in triathlon's (each to their own) but studies have proven that training and pushing your body to attain that level of fitness is detrimental to your health.

    That's all I was saying - health and fitness, at that level, are two different things.

    Also I think your google might be broken!!!!

    I typed:
    Are endurance Athletes hea....

    one of the first things was:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_heart_syndrome
    Aha. OK, I was not familiar with that heart syndrome, which seems to affect many kinds of athletes. Although one might be able to conclude that endurance athletes, with the length of time they exercise, would be most susceptible. Seems reasonable.

    So I figured it can't be too hard to find info to support that which wasn't in a sports/fitness site, or one of the commonly debunked studies tossed out by some of the common cardio haters. The NIH fits that bill, but doesn't seem to match that line of reasoning though.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450727

    The men on my mothers side of the family have a history of heart issues. The oldest one (was one of the younger actually) is a life long marathon runner. Granted, that is n=5, but still...

    My doctor hasn't warned me about distance running. He was thrilled actually.

    It is good food for thought though. If someone can prove it, then it would be worth considering. Clearly this hasn't been proven though, I have a really good doctor (in my opinion). He is up on things for sure.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    grimmeanor wrote: »
    tennisdude2004 wrote: »
    It is!

    Fitness is a measure of physical ability!

    To get to the level of fitness achieved by endurance athletes, must train and push your body to levels that are adverse to your health and potentially reduce your life span.

    I'm not saying people shouldn't run marathons or take part in triathlon's (each to their own) but studies have proven that training and pushing your body to attain that level of fitness is detrimental to your health.

    That's all I was saying - health and fitness, at that level, are two different things.

    Also I think your google might be broken!!!!

    I typed:
    Are endurance Athletes hea....

    one of the first things was:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_heart_syndrome
    Aha. OK, I was not familiar with that heart syndrome, which seems to affect many kinds of athletes. Although one might be able to conclude that endurance athletes, with the length of time they exercise, would be most susceptible. Seems reasonable.

    So I figured it can't be too hard to find info to support that which wasn't in a sports/fitness site, or one of the commonly debunked studies tossed out by some of the common cardio haters. The NIH fits that bill, but doesn't seem to match that line of reasoning though.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450727

    The men on my mothers side of the family have a history of heart issues. The oldest one (was one of the younger actually) is a life long marathon runner. Granted, that is n=5, but still...

    My doctor hasn't warned me about distance running. He was thrilled actually.

    It is good food for thought though. If someone can prove it, then it would be worth considering. Clearly this hasn't been proven though, I have a really good doctor (in my opinion). He is up on things for sure.

    But ... wikipedia ....
  • congruns
    congruns Posts: 127 Member
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    yep... i put on a few pounds training for the LA Marathon. now that its done with, i'm going back to the couch
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    brianpperkins wrote: »
    grimmeanor wrote: »
    tennisdude2004 wrote: »
    It is!

    Fitness is a measure of physical ability!

    To get to the level of fitness achieved by endurance athletes, must train and push your body to levels that are adverse to your health and potentially reduce your life span.

    I'm not saying people shouldn't run marathons or take part in triathlon's (each to their own) but studies have proven that training and pushing your body to attain that level of fitness is detrimental to your health.

    That's all I was saying - health and fitness, at that level, are two different things.

    Also I think your google might be broken!!!!

    I typed:
    Are endurance Athletes hea....

    one of the first things was:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_heart_syndrome
    Aha. OK, I was not familiar with that heart syndrome, which seems to affect many kinds of athletes. Although one might be able to conclude that endurance athletes, with the length of time they exercise, would be most susceptible. Seems reasonable.

    So I figured it can't be too hard to find info to support that which wasn't in a sports/fitness site, or one of the commonly debunked studies tossed out by some of the common cardio haters. The NIH fits that bill, but doesn't seem to match that line of reasoning though.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8450727

    The men on my mothers side of the family have a history of heart issues. The oldest one (was one of the younger actually) is a life long marathon runner. Granted, that is n=5, but still...

    My doctor hasn't warned me about distance running. He was thrilled actually.

    It is good food for thought though. If someone can prove it, then it would be worth considering. Clearly this hasn't been proven though, I have a really good doctor (in my opinion). He is up on things for sure.

    But ... wikipedia ....

    I'm not anti cardio - I was just pointing out chronic cardio can be bad for your health.

    Doesn't mean people shouldn't do it. I was just not being blind to it - there's a common misconception that more is good (everything in moderation).

    http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/118/8/800.abstract?ijkey=678b3f685d0f4ac69f65328d5f174ec5dd8a744c&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

    Too much can be bad:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19633305
    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261531.php
    http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/46/Suppl_1/i37.full#ref-22
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21200345
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16941810








  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    gilmore606 wrote: »
    I took up running and gained 600 pounds. I died. Don't let it happen to you.


    lol
  • racheldennis
    racheldennis Posts: 4
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    Too much food makes you fat. Not cardio.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Too much of anything is bad for you. I'm very much an all things in moderation kind of guy. Go out and exercise...including some cardio...lift some weights...eat well...and enjoy life and take it easy once in awhile...have a slice of pizza and wash it down with a beer.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    The article is basically a bunch of crap.

    Basically taking some research on hormonal fluctuations caused by cardio exercise and extrapolating that to conclude that you will get fatter is logically flawed especially when studies exist which ACTUALLY LOOK AT FAT LOSS instead of hypothesizing about long term effects.

    And when you actually look at those studies you see that SUPRISE CARDIO HELPS PEOPLE LOSE FAT.

    Jose Antonio has a good blog post about this and Ben Carpenter has a great facebook thread, both referenced, that address the exact article in question. Suffice it to say that the article is a gigantic steaming turd.
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
    edited March 2015
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    lovelaughrun wrote: »
    AllanMisner wrote: »
    This is an excellent question! Our bodies were designed to do certain things, our genetics drive what we’re best at, and volume can be a problem for even the best of us.

    Elite endurance athletes often struggle with very bad health issues. Why? Because they pushed themselves so far for so long. Exercise is stress, and the more intense, more often, longer we’re under stress, the more acute the response. In short, or light bouts, that can lead to adaptive improvement. And then there’s the line where it becomes chronic.

    From personal experience, I’ve found my appetite goes crazy when I’m pushing out a lot of cardio. So, when I’m training for a longer run (like a marathon), I’m likely to put on weight. If I train doing long, slow distance and mix in some HIIT, I’m able to avoid the appetite pop.

    Fat loss comes from what and how much you eat. Exercise should be geared toward other health and fitness goals. If you want good cardiovascular endurance, then by all means, train that way. But don’t think, I’ll burn more calories and lose faster. Patience and persistence are key.

    this guy ^^ gives out good, solid advice
    Well, you know, except where exercise DOES burn more calories and can make you lose faster if you don't start eating more to compensate for it.

    So, other than being wrong, or at best misleading.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    AllanMisner wrote: »
    This is an excellent question! Our bodies were designed to do certain things, our genetics drive what we’re best at, and volume can be a problem for even the best of us.

    Elite endurance athletes often struggle with very bad health issues. Why? Because they pushed themselves so far for so long. Exercise is stress, and the more intense, more often, longer we’re under stress, the more acute the response. In short, or light bouts, that can lead to adaptive improvement. And then there’s the line where it becomes chronic.

    From personal experience, I’ve found my appetite goes crazy when I’m pushing out a lot of cardio. So, when I’m training for a longer run (like a marathon), I’m likely to put on weight. If I train doing long, slow distance and mix in some HIIT, I’m able to avoid the appetite pop.

    Fat loss comes from what and how much you eat. Exercise should be geared toward other health and fitness goals. If you want good cardiovascular endurance, then by all means, train that way. But don’t think, I’ll burn more calories and lose faster. Patience and persistence are key.

    Back in my hay-day of mountain biking on a single speed, I would consistently pull 2-4 hour rides 3-4 times every week. Each ride, I would easily burn 1000-2000 calories, 1800 being the most consistent number (I averaged 600 calories/hour).

    Was I hungry when I got home? Yeah, a little. I certainly ate a lot since I managed to maintain my weight at 180-185 lbs, but there was no way I could eat more than 1800 calories within a couple of hours after the ride.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    i'm a triathlete... best shape of my life
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    AllanMisner wrote: »
    Exercise should be geared toward other health and fitness goals. If you want good cardiovascular endurance, then by all means, train that way. But don’t think, I’ll burn more calories and lose faster. Patience and persistence are key.

    So this. I do my runs every other day to give my body time to catch up. I do love my gains in endurance and cardiovascular health. Even my doctor has noted how much perkier I look.

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