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Pure cardio over the long term is a waste of energy and time.

2

Replies

  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
    I only lift heacy with a bit of walking for medical reasons. Am I wasting my time because I'm not doing plyo or p90x?

    I'm doing all 10 P90(X)s in a row. But no, you're doing what makes you happy, just like I'm doing what is honestly a challenge!
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Right. Because endurance and heart health have no place in my life.

    Cardio isn't just the elliptical or treadmill or running. It can be many different kinds of sports or activities. The key is to find something you like.

    Signed,
    A dedicated weight lifter :tongue:
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    OMG, OP, yes I will stop all my walking right now! How have I been so blind lo these last 4 years, believing walking was good exercise?! Let me go get my credit card and spend $150 - $407 on P90X3! That is infinitely better than saving that money for better-fitting clothes or even my rent! HOW HAVE I LOST 175# WITHOUT BEACHBODY?!?!!!

    4y1ibnkbyng3.gif

    *praise godga*
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    It works for you. Congratulations. Most of the exercising we do these days is an effort to expend all the labor that was saved by all the inventions of the ages of iron and industry. Each of us already have learned that doing nothing with our bodies both expands our bodies and our body's ability to do nothing.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    JJordon wrote: »
    I only lift heacy with a bit of walking for medical reasons. Am I wasting my time because I'm not doing plyo or p90x?

    I'm doing all 10 P90(X)s in a row. But no, you're doing what makes you happy, just like I'm doing what is honestly a challenge!

    I was joking BTW. I have no urge to do p90x or plyo :p
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,399 Member
    lithezebra wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    I only lift heacy with a bit of walking for medical reasons. Am I wasting my time because I'm not doing plyo or p90x?

    Your doctor should be able to tell you if more cardio would be beneficial. There's no need to be tied to one particular brand of cardio workout.
    Unless one likes to be tied for a particular brand of cardio.



    (sorry couldn't help it)

    There's good exercise, and improved flexibility, to be had!

    Flexibility and endurance are important! Get your cardio!
    I can do that with my hands tied!

    But if that raises your heart rate is it lack of cardio causing that?
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I think doing a variety of activities is great. I also think doing one thing you enjoy is great vs. sitting still.
    My goal isn't to be athletic though so I don't need to buy into a program.
  • tugsandpulls760
    tugsandpulls760 Posts: 206 Member
    well from all the doctors i seen (( a lot)) my highest weight was 400 now im 257 they said cardio improves your heart and strenght trainig retains muscle mass wich being almost 50 is important so i do both ok is that good for you op or your medical degree tell me diffrent
  • megzchica23
    megzchica23 Posts: 419 Member
    MissusMoon wrote: »
    Right now because I have had surgery, pure cardio is all I can do until a lifting restriction is gone. I'm killing it with pure cardio.

    I agree that strength training is essential, but I hesitate to tell the general public that ANY exercise routine they love is a waste.

    Same. Because I have a hiatal hernia I can't do a lot of exercises, especially anything with lifting or bending. My options are walking or elliptical. I have tried, thinking maybe if I was careful enough it would be, oh man was I wrong.
  • chonji4ever
    chonji4ever Posts: 120 Member
    The only cardio I'm doing right now is mowing the lawn, and I'm dropping fat like crazy hitting the weights hard 3 times a weeks in a PPL regime.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Pure cardio is my favourite insanity workout though....

  • Montepulciano
    Montepulciano Posts: 845 Member
    I don't think this was the point the OP was trying to make, but the reality is, do what you enjoy. Some of us love our long walks and swimming, but if this does not blow your skirt up, then lift or do stairs, but really what is important is moving and more than likely you will continue with activities that you enjoy.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,091 Member
    robininfl wrote: »
    I tend to think about old people - what sort of exercise do old fit people do, what have they done, what is sustainable over the long term. I do know quite a few old aerobics people, and old runners, and old walkers, roller skaters, old yogis, old dancers. When I did jazzercise, there were two ladies in there over 80!

    I wanna do what will keep me fit in a sustainable way, stuff that can be maintained over the long term. I don't want to be heroically fit, I want to be lifelong healthy.

    I'm sure you know this, but there are old weight trainers, too. Just this morning I was watching my rowing buddy Jeanie learning to carry her new racing single (rowing shell) down to the river. The boat only weighs 30-odd pounds, but it's awkward as heck, especially in the wind: it's 26 feet long. She was unhesitating. Then she hopped in and rowed for 6-7K.

    She's been weight training consistently (and heavy) since her thirties, among other things. Appearance-wise, you'd take her for mid-50s, probably, except she's stronger than most women two decades younger than that, even. She's 71.

    (I did the same thing, but heck, I'm only 60. I wanna be like Jeanie in 10 years.There may be a payoff in something closer to heroically fit . . . .)
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    edited June 2016
    I enjoy the best of both worlds. Getting in the gym and weightlifting 3 days a week, and walk / running several miles outside every day enjoying the great summer weather.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    robininfl wrote: »
    I tend to think about old people - what sort of exercise do old fit people do, what have they done, what is sustainable over the long term. I do know quite a few old aerobics people, and old runners, and old walkers, roller skaters, old yogis, old dancers. When I did jazzercise, there were two ladies in there over 80!

    I wanna do what will keep me fit in a sustainable way, stuff that can be maintained over the long term. I don't want to be heroically fit, I want to be lifelong healthy.
    @robininfl

    I do long distance non-competitive cycle events and there are loads of "old people" (even older than me!) who take part and have remarkable fitness and endurance. Often they have been cycling for many decades but have gravitated to the more social / scenic rides - they are typically 100 mile events so by no means easy.

    Most extreme example I've personally come across was competitor I chatted to before the start of a 24hr event - thought he was probably early sixties but turned out to be in his mid-seventies.

    But what is also striking is their mental acuity and pure joie de vivre along with the physical fitness and physiques of people much younger. Legs carved from teak and a big smile seems a winning old age to me.

    Yes. My "oldest fit person story" is also the story of the moment I started thinking about sustainable exercise. This old guy ran past me as I was waiting for a daughter to come out of gymnastics class - he showed me his new driver's license and I mistook his birthday (2 digit year format) for the renewal date. He was 95 years old and RUNNING past me to get to aerobics class on time. It was an amazing moment and made me think about how much exercise, or at least moving around a lot, is important to a healthy life. It also made me think about how there is masters' swimming, running, diving etc. but no "Masters' Gymnastics", gymnastics doesn't seem sustainable over the long term.

    And yes of course I know some people lift till they are old - Jack f'ing Lalanne! Amazing man. The Fiance can't seem to sustain anything except weightlifting, he doesn't like much else, has a stack of notebooks spanning years documenting his workouts...He's 51 and I would predict will do that ongoing, he says he may step down to lighter weight though.

    For me I don't think a marathon is in the cards, though if I do them, it will take me until I am old to train for it so I guess I will be doing those as an old lady if at all. I work in endurance sports and know a lot of older people go from running triathlon to just swim-bike, the running does wear out joints for some.

    Anyway, I don't think pure cardio over the long term is a waste of energy and time, it seems to work fine for some people.

    And yeah I mean 70-and-up when I say OLD, not sure how I will feel when I get there, but that's when people start seeming old to me usually, so I am guessing that's when I will feel like an old lady.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    I love how this has turned from a debate into a loooooong term exercise thread! I am going to start one in the Fitness board.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Renwa82 wrote: »
    I started my fitness journey at 216lbs back in 2010. At 5'9", that put me in an uncomfortable where I was really not happy with my health or my appearance. It was one of many sources of depression so I decided to start working out and eating better. I've went through many trials and tried just about everything to test for myself which would work best. I've tried something like the South Beach diet, vegetarian diet, organic only diet, balanced diet, low cal diet, intermittent fasting, etc... I've tried workout videos, running, weight training, martial arts and so on. I actually started out running. I remember getting on that treadmill and only being able to run for an 1/8 of a mile before my body seemed to die of exhaustion and my lungs bursting for air. At the start, a quarter of a mile seemed like a mountain. I stuck with it though and was able to build up to running 6 miles pretty regularly at a 8 minute mile. My longest run was 12.9 miles just to see what I could do. That was done at a 10 minute mile.

    As I continued that journey, I noticed my knees started aching quite a bit and I really thinned out. I got down to 159lbs and lost a lot of fat and muscle mass in the process. I liked being lean, but not weak. I started to feel the wear and tear on my body and the consequences to a one-dimensional fitness. Sure, my cardio was good but add resistance to that and I was done for too quickly. Additionally, I wasn't really doing anything to maintain a good agility and flexibility.

    1356.gif


  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    robininfl wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    robininfl wrote: »
    I tend to think about old people - what sort of exercise do old fit people do, what have they done, what is sustainable over the long term. I do know quite a few old aerobics people, and old runners, and old walkers, roller skaters, old yogis, old dancers. When I did jazzercise, there were two ladies in there over 80!

    I wanna do what will keep me fit in a sustainable way, stuff that can be maintained over the long term. I don't want to be heroically fit, I want to be lifelong healthy.


    I do long distance non-competitive cycle events and there are loads of "old people" (even older than me!) who take part and have remarkable fitness and endurance. Often they have been cycling for many decades but have gravitated to the more social / scenic rides - they are typically 100 mile events so by no means easy.

    Most extreme example I've personally come across was competitor I chatted to before the start of a 24hr event - thought he was probably early sixties but turned out to be in his mid-seventies.

    But what is also striking is their mental acuity and pure joie de vivre along with the physical fitness and physiques of people much younger. Legs carved from teak and a big smile seems a winning old age to me.

    Yes. My "oldest fit person story" is also the story of the moment I started thinking about sustainable exercise. This old guy ran past me as I was waiting for a daughter to come out of gymnastics class - he showed me his new driver's license and I mistook his birthday (2 digit year format) for the renewal date. He was 95 years old and RUNNING past me to get to aerobics class on time. It was an amazing moment and made me think about how much exercise, or at least moving around a lot, is important to a healthy life. It also made me think about how there is masters' swimming, running, diving etc. but no "Masters' Gymnastics", gymnastics doesn't seem sustainable over the long term.

    And yes of course I know some people lift till they are old - Jack f'ing Lalanne! Amazing man. The Fiance can't seem to sustain anything except weightlifting, he doesn't like much else, has a stack of notebooks spanning years documenting his workouts...He's 51 and I would predict will do that ongoing, he says he may step down to lighter weight though.

    For me I don't think a marathon is in the cards, though if I do them, it will take me until I am old to train for it so I guess I will be doing those as an old lady if at all. I work in endurance sports and know a lot of older people go from running triathlon to just swim-bike, the running does wear out joints for some.

    Anyway, I don't think pure cardio over the long term is a waste of energy and time, it seems to work fine for some people.

    And yeah I mean 70-and-up when I say OLD, not sure how I will feel when I get there, but that's when people start seeming old to me usually, so I am guessing that's when I will feel like an old lady.

    Gymnastics at 70? 80? How about 92?

    https://youtu.be/luBWRYJRTNg

    He's a street performer in Frankfurt. Does bottle planks for 5 minutes or more.
  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    I think you should reword your title. I don't like Cardio, and I think you should stop doing it because I don't enjoy it.

    Why would I want to be outside in the outdoors, smelling that fresh air, seeing the country side as well fast paced life of the inner city when I can be lifting weights with ever other Weight Hamster out there.

    Why would I rather feel the splash of water on my leg in stead of reaching for a barbell and my hand sliding around on the sweat soaked bar in front of me?

    Now I will the first to admit you need a mix of both, but to exclude cardio from your workout routine is pure rubbish. And encouraging people to quit cardio based exercises is and utter rubbish.

    If I had to rely on the weight room to lose my weight.... Well I'd still be 326 pounds instead of 217 pounds.

    You can keep the weight room, I'll keep the bike and running shoes.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member

    Gymnastics at 70? 80? How about 92?

    https://youtu.be/luBWRYJRTNg

    He's a street performer in Frankfurt. Does bottle planks for 5 minutes or more.

    My goodness, that is AWESOME!