Concentrate on cardio only?

7L551

Hey guys
I usually go to the gym and spend around 40-60 minutes with the machines building up some muscles and then 2 hours on the elliptical trainer (2 days plan consists of Chest and Biceps day and Abs+legs day | I had a Back and shoulder day but I had to cut it down since it would be awkward to train my back when I have a small belly and some small man boobs +_+ +_+)
Aaanyways, long story short I thought maybe it would be a better idea to (at least for now until I reach a certain goal in weight) actually just 100% concentrate on Cardio and by that I mean spending 2-3 hours on the elliptical trainer alone 5 days a week until I reach like 70 kg (154 lbs) and THEN start spending most time on machines and weights.

If you want to know the reason I am thinking of this is because in a way the machines are effecting my timing with the elliptical. Right now I go to the gym 3 days a week. on the first day I spend 2 hours on the elliptical, the 2nd only 1 hour and on the third I feel soo tired and week on 40 min and some times I just drop at that time.
Now I am pretty sure the reason behind that is the machines before the elliptical, my muscles feel tired and they need some rest which the elliptical makes worse.

So what do you guys think?

candiceh3

Do you eat back your exercise calories? You sound like you aren't fueling yourself for exercise correctly.

Also - why so much cardio? It is excessive and that much cardio on a regular basis will burn muscle that is critical to weight loss.

Why so excessive???

mrsamanda86

I would say it's not the machines. Doing 2 hours of cardio will tire anyone out, especially if they aren't eating enough, which if you are burning say... 1500-2500 calories, I'm going to say you aren't eating enough. I would stick to a 30-60 minute cardio and keep the weights.

taeliesyn

Seriously dude...
1) Get a more even workout program
2) Drop the cardio down and unless you have a need for high cardio fitness even drop it nearly completely
3) Work your butt off with the machines & free weights

Ensure you're eating enough calories & definitely ensure you're eating enough protein.

rileyhall00

Keep up the weights, during weight loss you lose muscle and strength so the best way to limit that is doing weights. You will have some small muscle gains too. But the longer your in defect they will eventually go away. You want muscle because it helps our bodies burn more calories.

I only do cardio in 3 situations, when I play basketball, when I warm up 10min on bike or treadmill and when I've had a big weekend on the beers or sweets (that rarely happens now).

its awesome that your doing that amount of cardio but it seems excessive. You don't want to be in the negatives too much with your calories. Sometimes this does more damage then good to your metabolism and your weight loss efforts.

It's not a sprint its a long journey. I was hoping the more negative I was too I would lose more but found the weeks were I was borderline with my goals I had greater gains..! crazy but I speak the truth.

Fitfully_me

So what do you guys think?

I think this is not a good plan.
You don't need to spend 3 hrs per day doing any type of exercise to "get down to a certain weight". That is achieved by having a calorie deficit.

Not sure what your goals are, but I think you should look into programs geared toward beginners.

Mr_Knight

Ok, let's look at the (approximate) numbers....

Three hours on the elliptical, if done at an exertion level equivalent to running 10minute miles, will burn roughly the same as running 18 miles. So first question is...can you actually run 18 miles? If not, how far can you run in three hours?

Assuming you can run 18 miles, a 200 lb person is looking at a calorie burn well north of 2000 calories. There is no way you'll be able to maintain this effort unless you eat most of them back, because your fat stores cannot provide anywhere near enough energy, quickly enough. To make this sustainable, you'll need to eat back about 1500 calories worth.

But now we're talking about an exercise-induced deficit of 500 calories - and there are much more efficient ways of doing that than spending 3 hours killing yourself on an elliptical!

Now, what you could do is slow down the intensity of the exercise to something like a walking pace. In that same 3 hours, that same 200 pounder wlll burn about 800 calories doing a brisk walk (10 miles in 3 hours). Here's the thing - although the calories are much smaller than that generated by running for 3 hours, you may not have to eat these back. The reason is that walking burns the calories at a much slower rate, allowing your fat stores to provide most of the energy. So you could, if everything works out right, end up with an 800 calorie deficit on an 800 calorie exercise, which puts you 300 calories/day ahead of a 500 calorie deficit on 2000 calories of exercise.

Ya with me so far?

This is exactly why bootcamp training focuses on endless low/moderate effort activity - keep the soldier constantly moving for 16 h
hours a day, feed them reasonably, and the fat will melt off. Of course, what makes it possible for boot camp to do this is that you can't leave, and your only job is to shut the hell up and do what you're told. IRL, most of us can't devote that kind of time, so we up the intensity to mimic a similar result in a shorter time frame.

Good luck! Your basic thought process is solid - long periods of exertion can create fantastically large deficits - it's just that the devil is in the details, and the obvious approach isn't always the optimal approach.

mayaocean

This sounds like such a waste of time.

You're going to burn out after a few weeks of 2-3 hours of cardio, 5 days/week.

MrGonzo05

I can't think of any reason to spend that much time on an elliptical. Unless you are training for an elliptical race.

psych101

3 hours....on the elliptical?!

Yikes - I could not think of anything worse!

BlueBombers

I can't think of any reason to spend that much time on an elliptical. Unless you are training for an elliptical race.

^ what he said

DavPul

Unless you're getting a paycheck from the gym or are a competing athlete 3 hours a day us a ridiculous amount of time to be at the gym.

Alluminati

I can't think of any reason to spend that much time on an elliptical. Unless you are training for an elliptical race.

Burn.

MercenaryNoetic26

I agree with everyone. Nothing to add.

determinedbutlazy

Everyone else is right, that's an insane amount of cardio. You should only need to do between 30 minutes to an hour of cardio three times a week and balance it with weights or body weight exercises.

ninerbuff

No need to do 3 hours of exercise a day (unless you're a competitive athlete which it doesn't sound like you are). You're focusing on quantity of workout time instead of quality of workout time.

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

skadoosh33

I can't think of any reason to spend that much time on an elliptical. Unless you are training for an elliptical race.

I just signed up for my first elliptical race. I'm doing an 8 week training program.

doIlhands

3 hours....on the elliptical?!

Yikes - I could not think of anything worse!

LOL THIS! I can barely do 15 minutes on the elliptical and even then im bored out of my mind.

CoachDreesTraining

Hey guys
I usually go to the gym and spend around 40-60 minutes with the machines building up some muscles and then 2 hours on the elliptical trainer (2 days plan consists of Chest and Biceps day and Abs+legs day | I had a Back and shoulder day but I had to cut it down since it would be awkward to train my back when I have a small belly and some small man boobs +_+ +_+)
Aaanyways, long story short I thought maybe it would be a better idea to (at least for now until I reach a certain goal in weight) actually just 100% concentrate on Cardio and by that I mean spending 2-3 hours on the elliptical trainer alone 5 days a week until I reach like 70 kg (154 lbs) and THEN start spending most time on machines and weights.

If you want to know the reason I am thinking of this is because in a way the machines are effecting my timing with the elliptical. Right now I go to the gym 3 days a week. on the first day I spend 2 hours on the elliptical, the 2nd only 1 hour and on the third I feel soo tired and week on 40 min and some times I just drop at that time.
Now I am pretty sure the reason behind that is the machines before the elliptical, my muscles feel tired and they need some rest which the elliptical makes worse.

So what do you guys think?

.......um......

MrGonzo05

I can't think of any reason to spend that much time on an elliptical. Unless you are training for an elliptical race.

I just signed up for my first elliptical race. I'm doing an 8 week training program.

You are a bit early. The elliptical races are typically held on January 2nd.

Leadfoot_Lewis

I can't think of any reason to spend that much time on an elliptical. Unless you are training for an elliptical race.

LOL - EXACTLY! People really need to get over the mind set that cardio is the only way to lose weight. I would like to know the reasoning behind why anyone would do cardio for 3 hours straight? (training for a race, etc. excluded)

SuperCrsa

Eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight.

I throw a cardio in now and then, but just because SOMETIMES its nice to get all hot and sweaty with cardio.
BUT I much rather prefer weight training which I started 6 weeks ago for the first time in MY LIFE! My body looks and feels amazing, I am amazed at the progress. If I had known this would happen to my body I would have started AGES ago!!

And lifting is so much more satisfying than cardio.
Go try some lifting!

kaotik26

Sounds like you are tryin to kill yourself lol! Best advice I have received is to keep it even between cardio and weights, I think all you really need is maybe an hour a day plus healthy eating in order to lose weight. If you want to keep doing more then for sure eat more!

bethanytowell

If i were you, I would Trade in your elliptical workouts for some HIIT workouts, you will spend 1/4 of the time and get twice the results. I would Never give up the weights. Find a well rounded full body weight lifting program that you can do 3-4 days per week and it should really take no more than 45 mins to an hour. Trade in the excess elliptical hours for 2-3 HIIT sessions per week, no more than 30 mins a piece. That is a much more efficient and well rounded program. I wish you the best of luck.

bizco

Agree with everyone else. Train smarter, not longer. 3 hours on the elliptical is just wrong. Step away from the machines (cardio and weight machines) and pick up a barbell and dumbbells.

sdreed25

Mental, I'm in training for a ha;f marathon and I only do cardio for 2 hours a WEEK. As many have advised get a more balanced workout and 3 hrs on that machine is fairly pointless IMO

Escape_Artist

:sick: sooooo much cardio

No one needs to do that much cardio, that's crazy!

As others have said, balanced lifting program and IF you want to add a little cardio then do, but really it's not necessary, especially 2+ hrs a day :noway:

jeffpettis

As just about everyone else has said you are doing way too much cardio. Cardio is fine but it is not required for weight loss. You can lose fat with diet alone, no exercise needed. That being said you should be trying your best to keep from losing any muscle while losing fat. The only way to do that is lifting. Dumping a day of weight training for cardio is craziness!!! I'm not saying cardio is not a good thing because it is, but too many people use cardio for weight loss when cardio should be used for "cardio" strengthening and conditioning. Muscle is the only tissue in the body that uses fat for energy so why would you want to do so much cardio that you risk losing the one thing that is going to burn the fat off in the first place?

ggxx100

Bless your heart. Cardio is torture for me, and I haven't touched an elliptical in two years.


My biased feelings aside, 3 hours still seems a bit much...or more than a bit much. Pry your hands away from the treadmill bars and lift 3 times a week, and start slow. Your body will thank you.

Mr_Knight

My goodness, there is a lot of bad advice being given in here.

HIIT does not produce the same physiological improvements as extended cardio, and therefore you cannot replace extended cardio with "30 minutes of HIIT three times a week". HIIT performed without first establishing a strong cardiovascular base results in much slower improvements to cardiovascular fitness than straight "cardio".

"Hours" of cardio is not "too much cardio" unless you haven't built your way up to it.

Cardio is a fantastic way to lose weight because, done properly, it creates a larger deficit from TDEE than pretty much anything else you can do.

So if you like doing it, keep doing it! Personally I would also through in a couple of sessions a week of Starting Strength or something similar, but ultimately, that's up to you.

FrnkLft

Dude, if you're weight training and you're doing cardio, and you're still not loosing weight, what's left?

It's your diet. Evaluate it, and fix it.

Diet = Weightloss/Gain
Cardio = Just a good, efficient way to burn calories and build up conditioning/cardiovascular health
Lifting = Good for maintaining mass on a deficit, and the only way to build muscle on a bulk.