why is cardio so bad?

jardimgirl

I've been reading posts and so many ppl are against it or say its unnecessary, and recommend just lifting. I also read that ppl get offended sometimes by others opinions, so please dont take offense of my question. we're all here to help each other, right?

_Zardoz_

It's not.! Just some people struggle with the concept that everyone's fitness goals are different

jardimgirl

my fitness goal is to get rid of my belly but unfortunately there are no spot reductions. I get confused cause people say cardio is good for what I am aiming for, and lots of ppl here say to lift. Im new to exercising since i never was really active

SunofaBeach14

It's not but it isn't necessary for body recomposition. That only requires resistance training, sufficient protein, and a calorie deficit or surplus depending on the cycle (bulk or cut). I'm personally not inclined to drop cardio or the benefits I've felt from running (or the years of studies showing cardiovascular benefit), and the extra calories it provides, but I'm not going to push it on people either.

michellekicks

Cardio isn't bad. I run and I love it. So I do it. It's true that all you need to lose fat and improve body composition is resistance training and a caloric deficit, but I have an easier time with eating at a caloric deficit when I'm burning more calories over all. So I run and I do resistance training and I eat at a deficit. Cardio isn't necessary, for weight loss, but it is good for improving cardiovascular health. It's the endless hours of cardio with no resistance training that will generally land you in the skinny-fat camp.

kgeyser

It gets a bad rap around here because people think that they can just do lots of cardio to burn calories and lose weight, and when the fat comes off they'll have the body of their dreams. The reality is that while cardio is good for burning calories and your cardiovascular health, if you are not doing some kind of resistance training to work the muscles and maintain lean body mass, all you'll end up with is a skinnier, soft version (sometimes referred to as skinny fat). Six-pack abs and awesome delts aren't just waiting there under all the fat for you to reveal them, you need to lift weights in addition to the cardio. Hope this helps.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

It's not bad. It's just not required. Lifting gets pushed because it's the best way to retain your muscle while you lose weight. Cardio can be useful for creating calorie deficit and of course it has health benefits as well. We do see a lot of members here who do hours and hours of cardio without eating enough to support their activity, so that's part of why cardio gets kind of a bad reputation.

I do both-- I lift and I run.

RGv2

It gets a bad rap around here because people think that they can just do lots of cardio to burn calories and lose weight, and when the fat comes off they'll have the body of their dreams. The reality is that while cardio is good for burning calories and your cardiovascular health, if you are not doing some kind of resistance training to work the muscles and maintain lean body mass, all you'll end up with is a skinnier, soft version (sometimes referred to as skinny fat). Six-pack abs and awesome delts aren't just waiting there under all the fat for you to reveal them, you need to lift weights in addition to the cardio. Hope this helps.

^^^Yep.

Most of the time when an OP comes in asking questions on how to reach a specific body goal, weight/resistance training is required to meet said goal.

There's nothing wrong with cardio at all. I do as much cardio as I do lift, but lifting to maintain that muscle mass is usually the missing component the OP is after to reach their goal.

SunofaBeach14

Let me add that there are quite a few people on here who just like to trash talk, myself included. Learn to spot the difference between a serious post and a screwing around one and you will go far kimosabee

sweetpea129

Its not. Its good for your health as well as burning calories.

SerenaKitty

It is not bad! There are many health benefits, it just depends on what your fitness and overall health goals are.

carrieous

they are fooling themselves. cardio is boring. so they tell themselves its unnecessary since lifting burns calories too. Both are necessary

OhCora

A friend of mine realized that although he had a fabulous body, very fit and muscular, he could not keep up when he began running, for example during the warrior dash. His girlfriend teased him saying he was built for looks, not for speed. Yes, he is strong, but did not have a lot of endurance for physical activity outside of lifting weights. So he now makes sure to balance is lifting and cardio.

I was very happy when I dropped a chunk of weight, I always wanted a smaller butt. unfortunately, it was FLAT, which I never realized I would not like. I started lifting and doing squats, and have seen a big difference. My husband says that parts of me are much more "perky" too (with a big grin on his face, cuz he loves it.)

WalkingAlong

The fear of 'skinny fat' here is a bit overblown, in my opinion. In general, this site reflects a predominant bodybuilding stance, which is 99% great, in my opinion. But bodybuilders scoff at cardio, for the most part, and for good reasons. They're trying to grow not shrink, usually. But most people here are looking to lose weight, period. Women aren't going to be building significant muscle mass while losing weight (or any, or ever). Muscles that are strong look pretty much the same as muscles that aren't. Though I think you have better posture and more confidence when you're strong. But the muscular look you see in some women is due to low body fat, for the most part. Reducing body fat can be aided by burning more calories per day, and adding cardio is a good way to do that.

Doing resistance training to keep from losing too much lean body mass is terrific but doing cardio to speed up weight loss is, too.

birdiecs

It's not that it's bad, personally I got burned out on it but that's my own thing. What you see a lot is women having focused on cardio, reached goal weight or close to goal but still have that belly pooch or saddle bags and they are at a loss as to why.

That was me a year ago at 115lb my waist was 27" and still flabby. I'm 131lbs now and my waist is 27.5 and firm. I'd rather weigh more and have a tighter more compact body then be light and jiggly.

I still do cardio because there are benefits to it that I enjoy, but cardio is not the focus of my workouts anymore.

Calliope610

Let me add that there are quite a few people on here who just like to trash talk, myself included. Learn to spot the difference between a serious post and a screwing around one and you will go far kimosabee

Best MFP advice - E.V.E.R.

resistance_freak

I agree with most everyone on here that's telling you cardio is NOT bad. In fact, I'm not sure I've seen anyone every say that it's bad, but there are a lot of people that like to belittle its benefits in favor of resistance training.

But the fact is that cardio training (and that can mean running, biking, swimming, circuit training, etc...) will help burn a lot of calories and help keep the weight off. And depending on what type of cardio training you do, it can also help you to get a more defined, lean look - If you incorporate some kind of muscular resistance into your workout as is the case in circuit training.

Bottom line is to decide what you want to accomplish from a fitness perspective and then find the best training / nutrition plan to help you get there. Chances are you would do well to incorporate some type of resistance training and cardio training.

Just my two cents

cwolfman13

It's not bad...but too much and you reach a point of diminishing returns for which you would be better off doing something else. Hours upon hours upon hours of cardio is completely unnecessary and, like I said...you reach a point of diminishing returns. The only reason to train hours of cardio like that is if yoiu're training for an endurance event and then you obviously need to log your miles running or on you bike or whatever...but even then, when I'm training for an event I have one day that is a long ride...the rest of them are in the 60 minute range.

A good fitness regimen is going to have balance and incorporate elements of cardiovascular fitness as well as strength/resistance training. They're both very important. You really shouldn't ignore either.

Like I said...the real issue is that people don't really understand fitness and they think they need to go do an hour of zumba and then another hour on the elliptical...then another hour of bootcamp circuit training in the evening. It's completely unnecessary to workout in that way.

From a fitness perspective, cardio is just weight lifting for your heart and lungs...weight lifting/resistance training is for your muscles and body composition.

Azdak

It's not. Most of the "anti cardio" comments are 95% ideology, 5% science (if that).

Not to mention that exercise fads go in cycles and for years everyone just parroted the idea that cardio was superior to everything else, so now you have the inevitable backlash.

And finally, since I am nothing if not fair and balanced, there are a lot of people who drone on and on doing the same low-level cardio routine for years.

Azdak

The fear of 'skinny fat' here is a bit overblown, in my opinion. In general, this site reflects a predominant bodybuilding stance, which is 99% great, in my opinion. But bodybuilders scoff at cardio, for the most part, and for good reasons. They're trying to grow not shrink, usually. But most people here are looking to lose weight, period. Women aren't going to be building significant muscle mass while losing weight (or any, or ever). Muscles that are strong look pretty much the same as muscles that aren't. Though I think you have better posture and more confidence when you're strong. But the muscular look you see in some women is due to low body fat, for the most part. Reducing body fat can be aided by burning more calories per day, and adding cardio is a good way to do that.

Doing resistance training to keep from losing too much lean body mass is terrific but doing cardio to speed up weight loss is, too.

I agree that much of today's exercise conversation is unfortunately skewed by a tiny percentage of niche hobbyists.

toddis

The only bad part of cardio that I know of is in bodybuilding circles. If you are training for strength and do medium intensity cardio it may inhibit/alter the growth of muscle to adapt to both forms of exercise. This of course is a negative for people trying to grow large muscles.

DamePiglet

Short answer:

A mixture of calorie deficit (not starvation) + cardio + resistance = great recipe for sensible weight loss.


There are other methods, too, but the one listed above is full of moderation and works well for most.

dserious111

Short answer:

A mixture of calorie deficit (not starvation) + cardio + resistance = great recipe for sensible weight loss.


There are other methods, too, but the one listed above is full of moderation and works well for most.

^^^This!! I've done a combination of cardio and strength since August. Works wonders! But regardless, everything mostly is in your dieting

jardimgirl

Great tips. Thanks everyone. But say I want to get a flatbelly, not a six pack, will a calorie deficit and cardio work or do I need strength training?

F00LofaT00K

I am under the impression that cardio is excellent. It improves cardiovascular health and helps with a calorie deficit.... but unless you're training for a marathon or something, doing more than a half hour or so is more-or-less pointless. It won't improve your cardiovascular health much more if you do 3 hours of cardio or 30 minutes of cardio. It also doesn't do very much for muscle retention. If my foot wasn't broken, I would be doing cardio because that's what is best for me to reach my current goal. If I wanted to build or retain a good amount of muscle, I would be lifting.

Cardio is excellent. Lifting is excellent. They are beneficial for different goals though.

If your goal is to build muscle, retain muscle, or build strength... cardio won't help you reach that goal, you will have to lift.

If your goal is to run a marathon someday, improve cardiovascular health or create a caloric deficit... lifting weights won't help you reach that goal. You should be focused more on cardio for that.

To lose a belly, you may benefit from lifting or cardio. Cardio will help you burn calories and get rid of the fat. Lifting will help you to develop abs. You need to figure out if you just want a smaller stomach, or if you want some muscle definition as well. Adjust your goals accordingly. To heck with everybody who tells you cardio is bad for you.

SunofaBeach14

Great tips. Thanks everyone. But say I want to get a flatbelly, not a six pack, will a calorie deficit and cardio work or do I need strength training?

The difference between a flat belly and a six pack is a combination of a lower body fat percentage and more strength training for the latter. Please start strength training if you haven't. I'm serious when I say the benefits can't be overstated. Think about when you're 70 and the difference between a gallon of milk being impossibly heavy and it being just another thing. There's also bone mass to think about. It's not all about looking "ripped."

3dogsrunning

I don't think cardio is bad. I do think that there is often an issue on this site where people think more cardio = better for weight loss, I don't agree with that. There's a difference between doing cardio and killing yourself with cardio. Excessive cardio is not necessary unless you are training for something specific (which I have no problem with). Excessive cardio paired with a low calorie intake can even be problematic for weight loss.

meshashesha2012

if you're not necessarily looking into making strength gains then doing circuit style workouts will have a good combination of the two. just remember to pick a weight that's challenging enough that you have to work hard but not so much that you have bad form, and keep moving between the exercises to keep your heart rate up

here's a link to some good ideas (i love the tumminello and cosgrove complexes)

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/screw_cardio_four_complexes_for_a_shredded_physique

but you can also make up your own circuits of 3-4 exercises.

DamePiglet

Great tips. Thanks everyone. But say I want to get a flatbelly, not a six pack, will a calorie deficit and cardio work or do I need strength training?

You can get a flat belly through just diet (calorie deficit) actually, especially if you don't have excess skin issues.

To be fit, a mixture of move more + eat less works.

Resistance will add some more firmness to your tummy (toned appearance, rather than just flat).

I'm like you; I am not craving defined abs (6 pack).
But for me, I also don't want to feel smooshy & wobbly.
At 45 years old, I discovered that just diet & cardio made a smaller me, but I am not as firm as I'd like to be.

It's your call, OP. You can lose the fat with just diet & cardio, or you can add resistance, too.
It's your body. Make it how you want.

jardimgirl

does using body weight count as strength training??

DamePiglet

does using body weight count as strength training??

Body weight is resistance (so yeah, as far as I'm concerned).
I definitely think planking has made my core stronger.