I feel guilty when I skip cardio!

weightlossdiva1219

Hey all. So I work out 5-6 times a week, OCCASIONALLY 7, but I like to have at least one rest day in. I do a pretty good mixture of strength and cardio. But I try to do a little more cardio, or at least cardio that incorporates strength....something like circuit training, because I still have a lot of fat to get rid of. On the days I skip cardio and do strictly weight training, I can't help but feel guilty. Can someone tell me why it's okay to skip cardio for one day other than your rest day? Because I know your muscles need a break to rebuild, but can skipping cardio hurt me at all?

I'm not completely uneducated on the matter. I think I just want a second opinion. Thank you!

born2drum

You don't need cardio to lose fat. Just eat at a deficit and continue lifting. I only do cardio about 3 times a week because I want to eat more. Cardio is just a good tool to use to go into a deeper deficit. Example, my TDEE is 2845 or so but I'm setting my goal at 1900-2000 but sometimes I just want to eat more so I will do cardio and end up earing like 2300cals and still in a huge deficit.

Makes me happy and I still feel good.

scrapjen

Can't help much with your question, but I'm there with you ... it's not so much that I feel guilty for skipping, it's almost that I CAN'T not do cardio. I rarely take a rest day, Sundays are usually slow, but I still get a little something in. But if I ever don't get in a workout, I actually feel MORE tired. Exercise endorphins? It may be placebo, but I really feel so much better when I get in my cardio. Plus, I feel I need the extra burn as I have a hard time sticking to a low calorie diet *Ü*

Now - admittedly, my "cardio" is often a little more steady/slow than some of the crazy burns I see people getting. But I almost always get several miles on my elliptical each day + other activities.

I'm sure it won't HURT to skip ... several times a week is still good.

brower47

Why two threads?

brower47

Why two threads?

^ This.

snazzyjazzy21

Why two threads?

^ This.

I thought I was going crazy.

MoreBean13

As far as fat loss goes, cardio primarily just creates a calorie deficit. On this program, assuming you're using MFP the way it's designed, you do your cardio and eat the calories back. Basically what cardio buys you is the ability to eat a little more. If you don't do it, you just stick to your base calories, and there's no harm in skipping.

If you do a little cardio (like 10-15mins) after you lift, it essentially boosts the hormonally driven fat loss from your lifting session, and it doesn't even have to be really intense or anything.

If you're doing it for the other health benefits, like cardiovascular benefits and endurance- you'll get what you need 3x a week.

If you're doing it for the mental benefits- stress relief and mood improvement, you should do it as often as you need to feel better; it's really personal at that point. I find around 15 mins a day is super helpful to me, mentally.

If you've figured your cardio in to your calorie allowance ahead of time, on a weekly basis, you may need to adjust your calories if you're skipping workouts regularly.

TL:DR: Cardio is the opposite of eating: Less cardio, eat less.

ninerbuff

As far as fat loss goes, cardio primarily just creates a calorie deficit. On this program, assuming you're using MFP the way it's designed, you do your cardio and eat the calories back. Basically what cardio buys you is the ability to eat a little more. If you don't do it, you just stick to your base calories, and there's no harm in skipping.

If you do a little cardio (like 10-15mins) after you lift, it essentially boosts the hormonally driven fat loss from your lifting session, and it doesn't even have to be really intense or anything.

If you're doing it for the other health benefits, like cardiovascular benefits and endurance- you'll get what you need 3x a week.

If you're doing it for the mental benefits- stress relief and mood improvement, you should do it as often as you need to feel better; it's really personal at that point. I find around 15 mins a day is super helpful to me, mentally.

If you've figured your cardio in to your calorie allowance ahead of time, on a weekly basis, you may need to adjust your calories if you're skipping workouts regularly.

TL:DR: Cardio is the opposite of eating: Less cardio, eat less.

I concur with this answer. Nice.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

lj8576

As far as fat loss goes, cardio primarily just creates a calorie deficit. On this program, assuming you're using MFP the way it's designed, you do your cardio and eat the calories back. Basically what cardio buys you is the ability to eat a little more. If you don't do it, you just stick to your base calories, and there's no harm in skipping.

If you do a little cardio (like 10-15mins) after you lift, it essentially boosts the hormonally driven fat loss from your lifting session, and it doesn't even have to be really intense or anything.

If you're doing it for the other health benefits, like cardiovascular benefits and endurance- you'll get what you need 3x a week.

If you're doing it for the mental benefits- stress relief and mood improvement, you should do it as often as you need to feel better; it's really personal at that point. I find around 15 mins a day is super helpful to me, mentally.

If you've figured your cardio in to your calorie allowance ahead of time, on a weekly basis, you may need to adjust your calories if you're skipping workouts regularly.

TL:DR: Cardio is the opposite of eating: Less cardio, eat less.

This answer helps me too. I do cardio about 30-60 min a day because I have a history of CAD and bypass, so I do it for that benefit, BUT I also felt a little guilty if I missed a day because of the weight loss thing. This helps. Thanks

weightlossdiva1219

Haha sorry I posted twice--it told me it could not be posted, so I reposted it. But then it showed up twice! :P Thanks for the answers.