I despise cardio, but...

bettienuggs

I need help, I'm clueless when it comes to workouts. How much cardio do I need to fit into my workouts per day/per week??

rybo

None really. Especially if you hate it.

Sarasmaintaining

I don't like cardio so I don't do it, except for a couple of family walks each week during nice weather (2-4 miles of walking each week). I refuse to do something that I don't enjoy doing, because it won't be sustainable long term for me.

lemonsnowdrop

What are your fitness goals? If you're just wanting to burn fat, cardio is nice in some form, but personally I just run a mile pre workout to warm up and then focus mainly on weight lifting. So cardio isn't necessary, per se. Just depends on what you enjoy doing.

Need2Exerc1se

It depends on your goals. The medical recommendation for heart health benefits is 30 min of cardio, 3 days a week.

bettienuggs

Great news! I thought I'd have to at least be doing a few miles on the treadmill every other day but i'd much rather strength train.

Need2Exerc1se

bettienuggs wrote: »

Great news! I thought I'd have to at least be doing a few miles on the treadmill every other day but i'd much rather strength train.

You don't have to get on a treadmill at all to do cardio. You just have to move enough to get your heartrate in the aerobic zone.

bettienuggs

I definitely want to burn fat, maybe 1lb. A week. If a 1 mile warm up will do it then that's not so bad

cwolfman13

bettienuggs wrote: »

Great news! I thought I'd have to at least be doing a few miles on the treadmill every other day but i'd much rather strength train.

You should also broaden your idea of cardio...it doesn't have to involve droning away on some machine. I personally ride, do some hiking in the mountains, and enjoy swimming in the summer...and I lift as well.

I personally always recommend a mix of both cardio and resistance training for general fitness. Unfortunately, I do know quite a few people who have great physiques and do really well in the weight room...but their stamina and endurance is for *kitten*...hell, one of my best friends gets winded and tired on an easy hike...it's kind of hilarious because he looks fit as hell..but he's not at all.

activgrl

Cardio will help fat burn. My recommendation (especially to burn EVEN MORE) is HIIT. 15-20 minutes of this a few minutes a week with strength training will make a huge difference. If you aren't familiar with HIIT, start with a moderate work/Heart rate, and then do a short burst of very high work and heart rate, then repeat. So you could do one minute of slow jogging on the tread mill, followed by a 30 second sprint, and repeat. You can also do HIIT with weights to get your heart rate up. It requires far less time and burns more fat than traditional cardio.

Unknown

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littleblue2

asflatasapancake wrote: »

Personally I only do cardio to have some extra calories to eat. Find something you enjoy to do instead. Also, if you want to lose 1lb/week, just eat at a calorie deficit.

Yesss what he said! Cardio allows me to eat extra food (I so love food), but lets not kid ourselves, I have lbs to lose so its helping with that too. LOL.

amusedmonkey

If you don't like it don't do it. You don't need cardio (or weight training for that matter) to lose weight. Don't dismiss it all together though, there are so many types of cardio some of which you may really enjoy and miss the opportunity to try because you've decided you don't like it. Have you tried kick boxing? Swimming? Indoor (or outdoor) rock climbing? Competitive sports? Kettlebell swings? Scuba diving? Martial arts? Orienteering? Obstacle courses? Dancing? Hiking?... and the list goes on.

dopeysmelly

I didn't do any cardio while I was losing (I've lost 65 lbs to give some context), other than shoveling snow in winter and some nice strolls when the weather was good, which couldn't really be counted as cardio. I really didn't feel comfortable working out until I'd lost the weight. Funny thing is, I love it now since movement is so much freer and I'm doing things I would never have thought I'd enjoy (I tried Spinning for the first time today, and LOVED it, but a year ago, I would have hated it).

T_Ciku

I think cardio has just gotten a really bad rep. Any time anyone ever thinks of cardio it's of weight loss. But cardio is really, really, really good for your heart (and a bunch of other things). In a way that strength training, despite what anyone says, simply can't be. Yes, strength training can have cardiovascular effect if you push yourself hard enough but it can't be better cardio than cardio.

One thing I can't stand is the people who talk crap about cardio. You don't have to like it but don't say it's useless or a waste of time. The people who are all about strength training are all about training their muscles but guess what, your heart is a muscle as well! It needs to be worked. Just because it won't improve your physique doesn't mean it can be forgotten. Plus cardio can also help your recovery time after a serious strength training session by flushing out the lactic acid. That's in layman terms because that's as scientific as I get.

tl;dr Don't ignore cardio. It's important. Go swimming, dancing, kickboxing, hiking, play with children. The list is endless. The recommended amount of cardio by the NHS is 75 minutes of moderate-high intensity per week.

bettienuggs

Thanks everyone! I'll be taking all this great advice and figure out something that works best for me. I'm just getting started so I'm going to try to branch out a little bit from basic running an all that boring stuff.

peter56765

T_Ciku wrote: »

I think cardio has just gotten a really bad rep. Any time anyone ever thinks of cardio it's of weight loss. But cardio is really, really, really good for your heart (and a bunch of other things). In a way that strength training, despite what anyone says, simply can't be. Yes, strength training can have cardiovascular effect if you push yourself hard enough but it can't be better cardio than cardio.

One thing I can't stand is the people who talk crap about cardio. You don't have to like it but don't say it's useless or a waste of time. The people who are all about strength training are all about training their muscles but guess what, your heart is a muscle as well! It needs to be worked. Just because it won't improve your physique doesn't mean it can be forgotten. Plus cardio can also help your recovery time after a serious strength training session by flushing out the lactic acid. That's in layman terms because that's as scientific as I get.

tl;dr Don't ignore cardio. It's important. Go swimming, dancing, kickboxing, hiking, play with children. The list is endless. The recommended amount of cardio by the NHS is 75 minutes of moderate-high intensity per week.

barbiereynolds701

peter56765 wrote: »

T_Ciku wrote: »

I think cardio has just gotten a really bad rep. Any time anyone ever thinks of cardio it's of weight loss. But cardio is really, really, really good for your heart (and a bunch of other things). In a way that strength training, despite what anyone says, simply can't be. Yes, strength training can have cardiovascular effect if you push yourself hard enough but it can't be better cardio than cardio.

One thing I can't stand is the people who talk crap about cardio. You don't have to like it but don't say it's useless or a waste of time. The people who are all about strength training are all about training their muscles but guess what, your heart is a muscle as well! It needs to be worked. Just because it won't improve your physique doesn't mean it can be forgotten. Plus cardio can also help your recovery time after a serious strength training session by flushing out the lactic acid. That's in layman terms because that's as scientific as I get.

tl;dr Don't ignore cardio. It's important. Go swimming, dancing, kickboxing, hiking, play with children. The list is endless. The recommended amount of cardio by the NHS is 75 minutes of moderate-high intensity per week.

Perfectly stated. Im in to fitness for health benefits. Therefore, I strive for cardio, to improve my overall health.

ExRelaySprinter

Totally agree with @T_Ciku.
Cardio is good for you!
I can understand that you might find going on a treadmill at the Gym boring, but there's so many other forms of Cardio.
Any form of exercise where i can listen to Music is great to me!
I normally Powerwalk in the Park with my Headphones on, while listening to good Music.
Not boring at all.
Maybe try exercising outdoors.

DaveinSK

I like doing a little cardio in the morning before a workout because it helps wake me up, but without dietary changes running a mile every day isn't going to burn a pound a week on its own. Better to approach weight loss through diet than trying to sweat off the pounds doing something you hate.

joejccva71

I'll bite and say that moderate cardio 2-3 times per week is good. Even HIIT is beneficial, but it's not necessary to maintain good heart health. But on the flip side of that, I know people that run 5-7 days a week for 5-10 miles each session and I can't help but shake my head. I'm not going to go into reasons why I don't believe it's a good idea to do that much running, but that's not "moderate cardio". It's insanity.

I know this is going to bring out the the devil in the runners on this forum and that's fine, but to top the icing on the cake I even asked a guy at the gym why he never trained legs. His response was: "I don't need to, I run."

I left the building.

peter56765

joejccva71 wrote: »

I'll bite and say that moderate cardio 2-3 times per week is good. Even HIIT is beneficial, but it's not necessary to maintain good heart health.

The Center for Disease Control, American Heart Association, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, UK National Health Service, World Health Organization, European Heart Health Initiative plus pretty much every other major health organization disagrees with you.

lilRicki

I loath cardio too, but I suck it up and do it 15 minutes before and after I lift...and I've really enjoyed hiking through the river valley lately. If you can borrow someone's dog, it always makes it more fun

Emilia777

Tinabob777 wrote: »

joejccva71 wrote: »

I'll bite and say that moderate cardio 2-3 times per week is good. Even HIIT is beneficial, but it's not necessary to maintain good heart health. But on the flip side of that, I know people that run 5-7 days a week for 5-10 miles each session and I can't help but shake my head. I'm not going to go into reasons why I don't believe it's a good idea to do that much running, but that's not "moderate cardio". It's insanity.

I know this is going to bring out the the devil in the runners on this forum and that's fine, but to top the icing on the cake I even asked a guy at the gym why he never trained legs. His response was: "I don't need to, I run."

I left the building.

My running is the reason I train my legs! Gotta get them stronger!

To train my legs, I squat all the weight I can. Strength I believe comes from lifting heavy weights, and endurance from running. I do both, but my main focus is strength training. In my opinion, anyone who says strength training doesn't require serious cardio involvement hasn't lifted heavy enough.

To each their own though, at the end of the day.

Emilia777

Tinabob777 wrote: »

Emilia777 wrote: »

Tinabob777 wrote: »

joejccva71 wrote: »

I'll bite and say that moderate cardio 2-3 times per week is good. Even HIIT is beneficial, but it's not necessary to maintain good heart health. But on the flip side of that, I know people that run 5-7 days a week for 5-10 miles each session and I can't help but shake my head. I'm not going to go into reasons why I don't believe it's a good idea to do that much running, but that's not "moderate cardio". It's insanity.

I know this is going to bring out the the devil in the runners on this forum and that's fine, but to top the icing on the cake I even asked a guy at the gym why he never trained legs. His response was: "I don't need to, I run."

I left the building.

My running is the reason I train my legs! Gotta get them stronger!

To train my legs, I squat all the weight I can. Strength I believe comes from lifting heavy weights, and endurance from running. I do both, but my main focus is strength training. In my opinion, anyone who says strength training doesn't require serious cardio involvement hasn't lifted heavy enough.

To each their own though, at the end of the day.

That's what I was saying. The reason I squat and train my legs heavy is to improve my running.
I was mocking the dude who said he didn't need to train.

Oh, got it! I wasn't sure what you meant, thanks for clarifying. I just really love them squats and deadlifts.

joejccva71

peter56765 wrote: »

joejccva71 wrote: »

I'll bite and say that moderate cardio 2-3 times per week is good. Even HIIT is beneficial, but it's not necessary to maintain good heart health.

The Center for Disease Control, American Heart Association, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, UK National Health Service, World Health Organization, European Heart Health Initiative plus pretty much every other major health organization disagrees with you.

I guess I don't have a healthy heart then.

Machka9

bettienuggs wrote: »

Great news! I thought I'd have to at least be doing a few miles on the treadmill every other day but i'd much rather strength train.

A few miles on the treadmill every other day is one form of cardio ... but certainly not the only form.

Simply going for a brisk walk at lunch to take a break from the office is another. That can be a good way to get 30 min in while getting some sunshine and fresh air.

But there are many other things you can do too ...

-- cycling
-- spin classes
-- hiking
-- kayaking
-- dancing
-- swimming
-- cross-country skiing
-- snowshoeing

Perhaps you might like some team sports instead ...

-- hockey
-- soccer
-- basketball
-- netball
-- lacrosse


You might like the pace of sports like ...

-- racquetball
-- squash


Strength training is good ... but so is cardio, and you don't have to limit yourself to jogging on the treadmill ...

Look ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports

arditarose

OP, you don't need much, if any. I'm actually experimenting with doing basically no cardio right now (down from a whole hour a week, ha).

I hate it so much, I'm trying to see how little I can get away with to be in maintenance and feel comfortable.

Ocrgrrrl

joejccva71 wrote: »

I'll bite and say that moderate cardio 2-3 times per week is good. Even HIIT is beneficial, but it's not necessary to maintain good heart health. But on the flip side of that, I know people that run 5-7 days a week for 5-10 miles each session and I can't help but shake my head. I'm not going to go into reasons why I don't believe it's a good idea to do that much running, but that's not "moderate cardio". It's insanity.

I know this is going to bring out the the devil in the runners on this forum and that's fine, but to top the icing on the cake I even asked a guy at the gym why he never trained legs. His response was: "I don't need to, I run."

I left the building.

Haha! You, I like.
No, but seriously...weave your cardio into your strength training. For instance, perform a set of squats, then immediately perform a cardio burst (jump squats, sprint on the treadmill, jump rope) for 30-60 seconds. It will blow your mind (and be much more entertaining! ).