Does cardio really suck for fat loss?

allana1111

I hate doing cardio.. repeat.. HATE IT. boring!! and I'm hearing that it's not contributing much to my weight loss anyway... true?
cus I do cardio most days and if its not even contributing then maybe I shouldn't be

_Zardoz_

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

singlefemalelawyer

I think it depends on what your goals are. I do very little cardio but I lift a lot of weights. That's what I enjoy - and I'm loving the results I see and feel. Diet is the most important factor for weight loss. Cardio has obvious health benefits, and I do enjoy doing a bit of elliptical throughout the week, but it's not necessary for fat loss.

neanderthin

Of course it does, all exercise does. If you dislike it or don't find after giving it a good chance that that changes, then either reduce or of find a sport that you would like....it makes it easier than running, especially in one spot or similar exercises. Weight training is pretty vital for body composition, maybe include that if fat % and a lean look is desirable.

Velum_cado

If the burning of calories creates a calorie deficit, then it contributes to fat loss. But you don't have to do cardio to lose fat. That's all about calories, and you can create a deficit with your diet alone.

ShellyBell999

I've never been a fan of cardio at all, :noway:

So I lift instead.

Lost weight, inches; gained strength, n a rocken' bod. :bigsmile:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1219128-why-women-lift

ETA: thread link

eric_sg61

I stay on the extremes if I am going to do cardio it will either be walking or HIIT. I don't venture into the in-between area due to some broscience factors that I won't get into.

tennisdude2004

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

:noway:

ofccat

You need a combination of cardio and strength training as well as proper nutrition. Find a form of cardio you do like- biking? Walking? Zumba? Kickboxing? Something.

FitnessLover001

I love cardio but I agree, it can get SO boring!! What i have found, is instead of doing 30 or 45min of cardio on one machine, mix it up! Sometimes I do 15min on one machine, 15min on another, and 15min on another to get my cardio in. Take note, since it's only 15min on the machine instead of 45, go as hard as you can in those 15 min. That way it won't be so boring, since you know you'll be switching it up in 15min!

tennisdude2004

Hiit, resistance training and once a week sprints will make your exercise 1) shorter 2) more interesting.

Nerd fitness philosophy on the gym is - get in, get it done, get out!

Experiment with new things and find something that floats your boat.

Good luck!

Bernadette60614

I've never done cardio for weight loss, I do it to improve my cardiovascular capacity and overall stamina.

With a better cardio capacity and greater stamina, I'm the one who takes the stairs, doesn't mind walking a mile to get the grocery item I forgot, thinks nothing of going out to the park and playing basketball with our son at the end of the work day.

All that movement I do because I'm cardio fit, contributes to my ability to lose weight and keep it off.

IMHO, fitness is for your life, not just your body.

Go_Mizzou99

1 or 2 hours on a treadmill...shoot me now! I hated cardio until I discovered cycling.

>>>Keep searching.<<<

Ultimately I did a mix of cardio and weights (I find weights to be mind-numbingly boring too, but being fat is worse so I do it). The weight lifting purists won't like this, nor will the cardio purists...but they will probably all agree that it was better to do what I do than nothing at all.

jsjaclark

You don't mention what type of cardio you are doing but you don't only have to do eliptical or treadmill to get cardio. Walking, running, swimming, HIIT can also work. As others have mentioned, also do some weight training and mix it up.

PS I don't like the eliptical or treadmill as I think they are boring too. I would rather run outside or swim.

CampbellTony

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

Just not true. Any exercise burns calories and therefore leads to weight loss. It also leads to increased fitness. Anything which contributes to a defecit helps.

allana1111

I love cardio but I agree, it can get SO boring!! What i have found, is instead of doing 30 or 45min of cardio on one machine, mix it up! Sometimes I do 15min on one machine, 15min on another, and 15min on another to get my cardio in. Take note, since it's only 15min on the machine instead of 45, go as hard as you can in those 15 min. That way it won't be so boring, since you know you'll be switching it up in 15min!

great idea

Lesa_Sass

<<<< Body By Cardio

rworton

Cardio gives you heart and lung exercise.... no breathing = no living

Cyan99

<<<< Body By Cardio

:flowerforyou:

itsfatum

You didn't said what type of exercise you like, but I'll guess you prefer lifting, since cardio is basically any kind of activity that gets you over 60% of your maximum heart rate.

Considering that assumption, I would recommend you doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with weights. You will do cardio, but you won't have to do the same thing over and over and over. In fact, I can't even do my workout plan without looking at the exercise list every 30secs (I use the tabata method) because I can't never remember what was next :P

Give HIIT a serious try. You won't regret, it. I promise.

MeanderingMammal

I hate doing cardio.. repeat.. HATE IT.

Define cardio in the sense you're using it? If you mean hamster wheels in an air conditioned room then I'd agree, very dull.

Personally i prefer to get outside and run or cycle.

Key to fat loss cf weight loss is tretention of lean mass, so that your weight loss is predominantly from fat. Weight bearing CV helps do that, as does resistance training. Optimally you need a mix of both. Plus CV gives you more calories to play with, so widerfood choices. I burned an extra 1500 calories running this morning, not something many people will do with resistance training.

Bernadette60614

1 or 2 hours on a treadmill...shoot me now! I hated cardio until I discovered cycling.

>>>Keep searching.<<<

Ultimately I did a mix of cardio and weights (I find weights to be mind-numbingly boring too, but being fat is worse so I do it). The weight lifting purists won't like this, nor will the cardio purists...but they will probably all agree that it was better to do what I do than nothing at all.

I agree with this completely! I never got into cardio, but then I started doing an annual stair climbing event. It gave me a goal. Last year, I climbed 54 flights of stairs in 12 minutes. Not bad for a woman who is 50 plus who couldn't run around the block 5 years ago.

I do the elliptical trainer and the high intensity programs and I'm done in 20 minutes per session, then onto weights and stretching.

cingle87

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

Just not true. Any exercise burns calories and therefore leads to weight loss. It also leads to increased fitness. Anything which contributes to a defecit helps.

Well the previous poster had it right, you don't need to do a single minute of exercise to lose weight, its all down to calorie deficit which can be achieved through diet alone.

Now a different matter altogether exercise in any form is benificial to your body but not needed for pure weight loss.

aarondnguyen

Aside from being beneficial to your cardiovascular health, doing cardio only puts you in a calorie deficit. You can achieve weight loss without doing any cardio by simply eating in a calorie deficit (consistently). I've personally seen and worked with a few clients that in the past, did nothing but cardio whenever they were in the gym. Despite losing weight, they were still "skinny fat".

If your goal is to lose fat and gain some muscle, I would suggest keeping cardio to a bare minimum and incorporating weight training into your regimen--especially if you're a female. You won't get "bulky" like the guys because you don't naturally have enough testosterone.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

You don't have to do cardio to lose weight, however , I find for me that as long as I keep tracking my food intake, the times of the year that I do regular cardio are usually my leanest.

SLLRunner

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

This.

I LOVE my runs 3 days a week. I do heavy lifting the other 3 days, and nothing one day. I do cardio a WL because it makes me feel good. I don't do it for weight loss.

Do what you like doing. Exercise is not a must for weight loss but it is for toning and endurance.

SLLRunner

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

Just not true. Any exercise burns calories and therefore leads to weight loss. It also leads to increased fitness. Anything which contributes to a defecit helps.

Yes it is. All that is required to lose weight is a calorie deficit. The proof is in the people who lose weight without exercise.

zyxst

If you hate cardio so much, stop doing it. Find something you love and do that.

daybehavior

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

Just not true. Any exercise burns calories and therefore leads to weight loss. It also leads to increased fitness. Anything which contributes to a defecit helps.

Yes it is. All that is required to lose weight is a calorie deficit. The proof is in the people who lose weight without exercise.

Yes but they're saying that exercises INCREASES your caloric deficit therefore aiding weight loss...

CampbellTony

Your calorie deficit is why contributes to weight loss not specific exercises. Exercise is for fitness. Diet is for weight loss

Just not true. Any exercise burns calories and therefore leads to weight loss. It also leads to increased fitness. Anything which contributes to a defecit helps.

Yes it is. All that is required to lose weight is a calorie deficit. The proof is in the people who lose weight without exercise.

Reading comprehension would help here.

I was disagreeing with his statemement that exercise is not for weight loss. It is and can be. More than eating less can cause the needed deficit, one of those things being exercise. Exercise uses calories. Its not difficult to understand what I meant, just easier to misunderstand i guess. Maybe thats my fault? Possibly my bad explanation?

jimmmer

Depends on what you call cardio.

I could have you doing barbell complexes, kettlebell snatches and hill sprints a couple of times a week and if your diet was in order you'd look pretty rad eventually with nothing else required.

You could also go for a couple of nice walks a week, get your diet in order and you'd lose fat.

You could go to muay thai or boxing or krav maga three times a week and as long as...

You could run a 5x5 routine...

You could do a 5 day bro-split...

You could train for a tri...

There's a million ways to get lean. Lifting is one. Circuit training is another. Martial arts. Go for a nice bike ride a couple of times a week. Enter a 10k and raise some cash for the local Children's hospice. Whatever.

Seems like around here unless you're kissing the ringer of the god of heavy lifting or training for a marathon then you're not getting "results". Just do something you'll enjoy, and will therefore stick with, and get your diet in order.