No one seems to like cardio anymore...
Replies
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I would MUCH rather do cardio! Just today I forced myself to work with the fitness person at work to get a routine set up with some hand weights, then I did a TRX class for resistance.0
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These things go in phases. For a long time, lifting weights was considered a low-end exercise for knuckle draggers. Now it's hot, hot, hot! The pendulum will swing back the other way soon enough, and all the CrossFit ads will be replaced by a solo jogger in Nike runners in some beautiful setting with a voiceover saying something about getting "Back to Basics".
The reality is a well-tuned physique requires a combination of strength (from resistance training) and a strong cardiovascular system (from lots of cardio), and that's not going to change for a long long time.
I agree wholeheartedly with this.
Moreover, I find it much easier to lose weight with cardio. Lifting weights does not burn very many calories, even a 90 minute workout, even with the supposed "after-burn."
Shoot, if I go out and do a 60-minute run, I burn between 600-700 calories, net. Burning that many calories every day, or every other day, makes it really hard to eat enough to gain or maintain weight.0 -
I like non boring cardio...
Rowing Machine
Kayaking
Kettlebells
Burden runs
Hiking0 -
I like strength training but the cardio keeps me off Prozac
Yes!
This exactly0 -
Honestly, I adore cardio. It's something that gets my blood pumping and I get to spend time with my dog. I do weight lifting only because it's good for me. A lot of times, I just do body weight exercises.0
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I cut back on cardio for a lil over a month to see if it made a difference in body composition and yes it did. I now have more fat over my abs. :laugh: :sad: :laugh:
Unless you also cut back on caloric intake it stands to reason that it made a difference. If you're burning less calories you have to eat less also, or you will create a caloric surplus. Unless that surplus is used to build muscle (through resistance training) it will be stored as fat.0 -
OP- Thank you for this post. I have a herniated disk in my neck and can not lift per doctors orders until 4 months after my fusion and even then am not to go over 50# for the rest of my life. All the posts here about lifting lifting lifting being the only thing that works for fitness has been really depressing when the only things I can do are elliptical, biking, and walking.
So glad to hear some pluses for cardio!!
I lift with an upper back/neck disability! I don't do most of the lifts folks mention here because I'd be a screaming pile of nerve pain all the time if I did that twice a week, but I do very isolated lifts for the upper body. And I lift like crazy for the lower body
I agree, though, that the lifts most often mentioned aren't useful for our sort of situations. Holding lots of weight on a big barbell using the arms at all is a big no-go 
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I do cardio, weight train and yoga.
Cardio to increase my VO2 maximum (sort of like lung capacity), weight training for strength, and yoga for flexibility.
Ultimately, to me "fitness" is being functionally able...to run up stairs, carry my own stuff, and move without stiffness.0 -
Cardio helps you to lose it and weights makes it ALL look good
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I agree! I love the feeling I get after a run. I also love the feeling after a heavy lifting session like the one I have planned for tomorrow. I adore both. When I'm training for a half marathon, like right now... running gets more of my time. Otherwise I keep a pretty good balance of doing both.0
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Cardio helped me lose over 20 lbs, keep it off for over a year, and lower my blood pressure & triglycerides.
I think it's a GOOD thing!!!0 -
Check out: www.fitnessnumber1.com
It includes workouts that don't include regular boring cardio training. Instead it has exercises that give you the same results of a cardio workout, without simply running on a treadmill or around the block.
Good luck! hope this solves your problem 0 -
My husband runs marathons. He has never been overweight. He has never gone for a run because he "felt like he should", or to lose weight. He goes because he loves running. He has never gone into a gym and lifted weights. He has a lean, strong body with all his muscles toned and visible, 6 pack abs and all. He says if only people knew how good it felt to be able to get outside and run and run. I really envy him. I would love to get to that psychological stage with my running. (First, I have to get out the door more often).
Anyway, I think his example shows that for some people, pure cardio can be completely adequate to produce a fit, strong, lean body.0 -
I'm confused... isn't the point of CrossFit (aside from the controversies have read all of that) - that you build on all aspects of fitness and not that you become a cardio guru or a weight guru - but you can do everything better than average?
CrossFit isn't "real" cardio, in the sense of making you a competitive runner at meaningful distance. The only way to get there is to run those distances (and more). HIIT type activity helps, but as an adjunct to volume, not as a replacement.0 -
My daughter loves this movie!
And I agree both are good.0 -
My husband runs marathons. He has never been overweight. He has never gone for a run because he "felt like he should", or to lose weight. He goes because he loves running. He has never gone into a gym and lifted weights. He has a lean, strong body with all his muscles toned and visible, 6 pack abs and all. He says if only people knew how good it felt to be able to get outside and run and run. I really envy him. I would love to get to that psychological stage with my running. (First, I have to get out the door more often).
Anyway, I think his example shows that for some people, pure cardio can be completely adequate to produce a fit, strong, lean body.
Great example and I know the feeling, although I'm not at the marathon stage yet.0 -
So, back to the OP question: Is cardio necessary to lose body fat? No, not at all. But it does compliment weight loss very nicely and speeds the whole process up, although is not needed. Fat loss can be achieved through just careful diet alone but will often take a lot longer which is why most people tend to supplement cardio into their routine when trying to lose weight 0
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When I first started working out, I HATED it. But now I love to see how much I can push myself, how many miles I can go or going for longer. The days where I don't work out, I feel like something is missing. Cardio is such an extra push for me!0
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"Trail running, hills and sprints - weeee! And just plain walking! "...
Not weeee, Wii! Yup gotta do it...gotta put in a plug for Wii! LOL Just dance...if you don't get your heartrate up doing this, you got issues! LOL Not boring either! Low impact, don't use your legs so much...works for those if us who aren't in shape enough to run, etc., or find other things too boring!0 -
Not necessary to achieve low body fat and look good. I don't do cardio because I find it boring. Occasionally when it's nice out and I have extra energy ill go HIIT like hill sprints, but less than once a week.0
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Boring and unnecessary. My preference is to do active things that are actuallyfun .0
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So, back to the OP question: Is cardio necessary to lose body fat? No, not at all. But it does compliment weight loss very nicely and speeds the whole process up, although is not needed. Fat loss can be achieved through just careful diet alone but will often take a lot longer which is why most people tend to supplement cardio into their routine when trying to lose weight
Thanks for clarifying!0 -
An observation from this thread and others like it: people who are pro lifting (particularly heavy lifting) tend to be roughly 847 times more knowledgeable about diet and fitness than people who say things like "I just don't feel a sense of accomplishment from lifting."
This all depends on your goals. Running is fine if you enjoy running. If you like the high that comes from finishing a race or improving your mile time or whatever, then by all means, go for it. If you think it is necessary for weight loss, you are wrong. If you think it is superior to heavy lifting for fat loss (assuming an accompanying calorie deficit), you are wrong. To lose FAT and to retain your lean mass (which is what you want if "toning" is your goal), a calorie deficit, adequate protein intake, and a progressive resistance training program are your best bet.
Low-intensity, steady-state cardio can be good for recovery and/or for giving you more calories to eat. However, higher intensity cardio is very hard on your central nervous system and will make progressive lifting more difficult. Doing it a couple times per week? Fine, if your other recovery practices are in check (sleeping, eating, joint mobility, soft tissue work, etc.). Doing it 5 or 6 times a week? You won't be lifting heavy, and you won't be lifting for long. That's going to mean that a lot of whatever weight you lose will be muscle, and that's going to mean that you just look like a smaller version of what you are now. Not leaner, just smaller. So, decide on your priorities (fat loss, weight loss, race training, etc.), and base your training on that. It's not as simple as "just do what you like." Not if you have physique goals.
That's all I have to say.0 -
It's not as simple as "just do what you like." Not if you have physique goals.
Ditto for sports goals. If you want to be reasonably good at soccer, tennis, rugby, hockey, track, football, or a myriad of other sports, you're going to have to run/cycle, a lot. Neither lifting heavy, nor HIIT, will generate the physiological changes you're going to need.
IMO there are few situations where a mix of both isn't the right call - how that ratio is determined will depend on the individual's specific fitness goals.0 -
An observation from this thread and others like it: people who are pro lifting (particularly heavy lifting) tend to be roughly 847 times more knowledgeable about diet and fitness than people who say things like "I just don't feel a sense of accomplishment from lifting."
This all depends on your goals. Running is fine if you enjoy running. If you like the high that comes from finishing a race or improving your mile time or whatever, then by all means, go for it. If you think it is necessary for weight loss, you are wrong. If you think it is superior to heavy lifting for fat loss (assuming an accompanying calorie deficit), you are wrong. To lose FAT and to retain your lean mass (which is what you want if "toning" is your goal), a calorie deficit, adequate protein intake, and a progressive resistance training program are your best bet.
Low-intensity, steady-state cardio can be good for recovery and/or for giving you more calories to eat. However, higher intensity cardio is very hard on your central nervous system and will make progressive lifting more difficult. Doing it a couple times per week? Fine, if your other recovery practices are in check (sleeping, eating, joint mobility, soft tissue work, etc.). Doing it 5 or 6 times a week? You won't be lifting heavy, and you won't be lifting for long. That's going to mean that a lot of whatever weight you lose will be muscle, and that's going to mean that you just look like a smaller version of what you are now. Not leaner, just smaller. So, decide on your priorities (fat loss, weight loss, race training, etc.), and base your training on that. It's not as simple as "just do what you like." Not if you have physique goals.
That's all I have to say.
I have yet to see post that suggest cardio is the only way to lose weight. Most here seem to support the idea of doing both and are questioning why some people have chosen to avoid cardio altogether for lifting. You don't have to run or lift anything to lose weight. That can be done completely with a calorie deficit and sitting on your butt. Strength training is beneficial and I think people shouldn't be afraid of it, but cardio is great for your overall health, Your cardiovascular health should be just as much a priority as the number on the scale. What is the point of having physique goals and not having overall health goals. Some very cut people still have heart attacks, still end up on high blood pressure and high cholesterol meds.
I may never feel the same sense of accomplishment after a lifting session as I would after crossing a finish line, but I suck it up and do it because it is good for me. Same goes for cardio. The duration, intensity and activity is up to you, but I have yet to see a legitimate reason not to do it period. (it's boring is an excuse not a legitimate reason).0 -
Strength training is beneficial and I think people shouldn't be afraid of it, but cardio is great for your overall health, Your cardiovascular health should be just as much a priority as the number on the scale. What is the point of having physique goals and not having overall health goals. Some very cut people still have heart attacks, still end up on high blood pressure and high cholesterol meds.
I've improved my heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health doing heavy lifting. It's not like you don't get your heart rate up doing it.0 -
I like cardio.. I've lost almost all my weight by leaving my car in the driveway, walking to work, and walking for errands (plus hiking on the weekend). Hiking in nature is so uplifting I wouldn't trade it for anything. It has raised my whole quality of life.
Editing to add do what you love and do what you can do, whatever it happens to be.0 -
I jog/walk 5 miles and then put the weights to me
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Find a sport! I love tennis because I'll run/sprint as much as I possibly can, but I just don't think of it as 'exercise'.0
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Strength training is beneficial and I think people shouldn't be afraid of it, but cardio is great for your overall health, Your cardiovascular health should be just as much a priority as the number on the scale. What is the point of having physique goals and not having overall health goals. Some very cut people still have heart attacks, still end up on high blood pressure and high cholesterol meds.
I've improved my heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health doing heavy lifting. It's not like you don't get your heart rate up doing it.
Good for you that you have seen these kind of results. But in the case of my husband, lifting heavy was not enough and he is now on blood pressure and cholesterol meds and told to increase his cardio by his doctors. He still doesn't do a lot of it, but now sees the benefits. Obviously so many factors come into play when talking about your overall health and fitness, diet, exercise, genetics. Some people can do nothing or everything with no negative impact on their health, while others will find that that a balance diet and exercise regimen is their key to avoid or minimize health risks.0
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