HOW LONG DO YOU DO CARDIO?

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Replies

  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    Swimming - 30 - 60 minutes. 2 - 3 times per week.
    Cycling - as long as it takes me to get to work and back - 2 x 45 minutes. Twice a week - the others I have to drive.
    Running (barefoot on the beach) - as long as it takes me to get warm enough to hit the sea for my swim - about 10 minutes. Only when I swim.

    What works for me is this, plus daily session of Ashtanga Yoga (primary series) and pull-ups session x2 a week (as I feel yoga lacks significant pulling movements).

    My main focus is on my Yoga, seconded by swimming.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I'm not a huge fan of cardio- but I am a tremendous fan of food. So i plan my cardio mostly around my "off days" when I can't eat as much- so I try to sqeeze some extra in there just so I can eat more.

    not even kidding.

    I lift 3 times a week- takes me about 1.5-2 hours.
    I have dance class 3-4 times a week- roughly 2-4 hours.

    Planned cardio outside of that happens maybe 1- 2 times a week. Sometimes it's just an extra 15 minutes - sometimes it's an actual decent run or stint on the stair master- occasionally it's just jump rope.

    I'm not picky. I dislike cardio- but I like kind of just the methodical nature of cardio- it's kind of a weird zen/lose your self/think about things you never get the quiet time to think of. it's a good thing- plus I get to eat more. So win win all across the board.
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  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    until i'm done.


    i'm a triathlete. i have to get the miles in. so i do it. i've grown to love it. sometimes they're hard work. other times they can be very zen.

    but i do it because i like doing it. and sometimes i like doing it because i don't like performing poorly on race day.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    I do a hour max per week.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'

    yes. cardio will interfere with their muscle development. most cardiovascular training tends to consume muscle before it targets fat.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'


    Are you saying that my comment was proclaimed 'with pride'? Because if you are, you are reading far too much into a simple answer to a question.

    And I am not a bb'er. I do not do it as I do not like it and it is not conducive to my goals.
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  • CherylMatthews66
    CherylMatthews66 Posts: 44 Member
    I usually do 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week :smile:
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'

    yes. cardio will interfere with their muscle development. most cardiovascular training tends to consume muscle before it targets fat.

    Consumes muscle before targeting fat? Really? That doesn't seem logical for the body to do this, just purely on the number of ATP produced from triglycerides vs protein.

    This isn't exactly accurate. The issue with cardio when strength training is that you will need to fuel both, which could prove hard especially if bulking. That and intense cardio on off days from strength may make recovery harder. Now if done and fueled properly, cardio may actually enhance strength training results (unless explosive strength is what you are after).
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'

    yes. cardio will interfere with their muscle development. most cardiovascular training tends to consume muscle before it targets fat.

    If your cardio becomes catabolic before burning fat, you're doing several things wrong including fueling and intensity levels.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'


    Are you saying that my comment was proclaimed 'with pride'? Because if you are, you are reading far too much into a simple answer to a question.

    And I am not a bb'er. I do not do it as I do not like it and it is not conducive to my goals.

    OK fair enough, I did read too much into your comment, I have no idea if you are proud that you don't do cardio. Still, it is rather curious that you would answer a question titled 'How long do you do cardio?' when you fully well know that you 'don't do cardio'
    It would just seem that the fact that you answered at all means that you are at least a little proud of this fact. Most non-cardio people would just skip over the question entirely. I mean I do you click on and answer the question 'How do you like Zumba?' by saying 'I don't do Zumba' and leave it at that?

    I do have to disagree with you about being a bb'er. You may not do it for competition but your photographs and physique clearly state that you are indeed building a well-muscled body.

    You are still reading too much into it! Question: how much? Answer: zero. That is just as much an answer and relevant than Answer: 30 minutes - or whatever. The question was not: how much, but only answer if you do some. Also - How do you like Zumba? =/= How much Zumba do you do?. I only expanded my response to say I do not like in response to you.

    LISS (and HIIT if worked in properly) is fine for bb'ers, and many do it so they can keep calories up while dieting down. MISS and endurance cardio is counter-productive for bb'ers, which is why most do not do it if body building is their main goal.

    It all depends on goals and preferences.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'

    yes. cardio will interfere with their muscle development. most cardiovascular training tends to consume muscle before it targets fat.

    Consumes muscle before targeting fat? Really? That doesn't seem logical for the body to do this, just purely on the number of ATP produced from triglycerides vs protein.

    This isn't exactly accurate. The issue with cardio when strength training is that you will need to fuel both, which could prove hard especially if bulking. That and intense cardio on off days from strength may make recovery harder. Now if done and fueled properly, cardio may actually enhance strength training results (unless explosive strength is what you are after).

    Intense cardio is not conducive to muscle growth (nor to strength training). This is a good video by Eric Helms from 3DMJ that explains it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEJGR1_sZc
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'

    yes. cardio will interfere with their muscle development. most cardiovascular training tends to consume muscle before it targets fat.

    If your cardio becomes catabolic before burning fat, you're doing several things wrong including fueling and intensity levels.

    interesting. tell me more.

    like i said previously, i'm a triathlete, so i do a lot of cardio, and different types as well. endurance and speed work. some long sessions i go for time, and others i go for milage. the intensity is always varied.
  • kinmad4it
    kinmad4it Posts: 185 Member
    I'm a postman, so at least 3 hours a day while working. Obviously stopping and starting so often and having done it for over 15 years my body is used to it which in turn means it's not really exercise, but it still burns calories.

    Gym wise I do 10 minutes on the Eliptical before and after my lifting sessions which are four times a week. Then on Weds and Sat I do about an hour minimum shared between Exercise Bike and Eliptical on what I like to call cardio days.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Sunup to sundown; I'm a farmer.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Zero minutes. I don't do cardio.

    Are body building people anti-cardio or something? I see so many proclaim with pride that they 'don't do cardio'

    yes. cardio will interfere with their muscle development. most cardiovascular training tends to consume muscle before it targets fat.

    If your cardio becomes catabolic before burning fat, you're doing several things wrong including fueling and intensity levels.

    interesting. tell me more.

    like i said previously, i'm a triathlete, so i do a lot of cardio, and different types as well. endurance and speed work. some long sessions i go for time, and others i go for milage. the intensity is always varied.

    As a tri-athlete you should understand that the entire cardio is inherently catabolic is false ... especially compared to the timing of biochemical signals to transition to metabolize fat for energy.
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
    you're going to get such a diverse set of responses based on the athletic goals for the individual.

    In my case, anything from 45 min (recovery ride) to 6 hours (150 km on gravel roads with climbs). Then again, I am a cyclist and my only interest in weight management is for athletic performance.

    And for what is worth, I used to be a "power" athlete (volleyball) and never had muscular legs before starting cycling. The anabolism/catabolism is not as simple as "cardio kills your muscles". There's issues like nutrient composition, timing, recovery periods, etc.
  • OkamiLavande
    OkamiLavande Posts: 336 Member
    I do body weight training every day with maybe one day off and cardio just about every day with a day off or two if I really don't feel up to it. I do between an hour to two hours of cardio a day because I just love it. It makes me feel so energized and it's worked better than my antidepressant so I'm going to keep my 1-2 hours of cardio a day. It's helping me sleep better too.
  • biggsterjackster
    biggsterjackster Posts: 419 Member
    20 min running 7 days a week.
  • abbymgonzo
    abbymgonzo Posts: 8 Member
    I don't ever do more than 30. I Do my cardio first (usually running) and then weights for about an hour.... I have seen results by doing this!
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    about 1.5 hours. I do this 4 times a week, and 1 hour one day a week, the last two days it's like 10 min each.

    oh and I don't do any other exercise but running.
  • FitnessLover001
    FitnessLover001 Posts: 188 Member
    60 min 6 days a week.

    30 minutes straight on one machine. Then I do three 10 minute intervals on an elliptical/bike and in between each interval I do a set of weights, depending on if it is leg or arm day. Doing intervals with cardio makes time go by faster and I feel better because I'm not getting slack/sluggish while on the machines like I would if I just did one machine for 60 minutes. It's fast and I push myself with high resistance during my entire cardio session. I love getting sweaty ;)

    I also love love LOVE cardio. If you don't, then I would recommend finding something you do like to do and stick to it. No need to be miserable while trying to get a hot body! :)
  • ybee1991
    ybee1991 Posts: 106 Member
    30 mins HITT on treadmill
    30 mins run OR 30-60 min bike ride.

    I only do cardio 2 days a week (the rest is strength) b/c it bores me to my very soul lol.
  • caitrocks8
    caitrocks8 Posts: 10
    For me, a minimum of 35 minutes but I aim for 60 minutes, four to six times a week.

    I always do 30 minutes on one machine (usually intervals on an elliptical) with a 5 minute cool down. Then, I switch it up between different machines (treadmill, bike, stair master) for 15 minutes to keep my heart rate up during my strength training workouts.

    If you get bored, switch it up! Even if you don't get bored, switch it up! Your body will get used to doing the same thing again and again. I like to play quiz games on my phone when I get bored during cardio - Quiz Up is awesome and helps to pass the time!

    Cardio is my mood booster!
  • Mrscheyfleming
    Mrscheyfleming Posts: 149 Member
    About 45-60 mins
  • Rogiefreida
    Rogiefreida Posts: 567 Member
    I do one 40 minute cardio session a week right now, do heavy lifting 4 times a week. When I get into contest prep next year, I'll have to add more cardio and anticipate doing 4-5 cardio sessions a week.

    I used to love cardio and running, then broke the living sh** out of my ankle last summer and was left with some long term/permanent problems that make all high impact cardio a no-no. So my cardio choices are bike (hate it), walking incline on a treadmill or the elliptical trainer. So I'm no longer a fan of the cardio, but I know it's good for my heart.

    The biggest changes I've made to my body have been through diet and weight lifting, for whatever's it's worth.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Pretty self explanatory...How long do you do cardio for a day?

    Depends on the session:

    Running - Generally 60-90 minutes three sessions per week, 120-180 minutes once per week
    Road cycling - 60 minutes to 180 minutes
    Swimming - 60 minutes
    Rowing - 45 to 60 minutes
    Mountain biking - 120-240 minutes