What is excessive cardio and why is it bad?

bunnylion

Hi there!

So I am determined to get the whole getting fit and losing weight thing right this time around. I read a lot of great articles and good advice and am beginning to understand why my previous attempts have failed. It seems that building some strength is key to losing weight and keeping it off. For the first time in my life I am now doing strength exercises :glasses: I'm taking it slow (every third day I do the nerdfitness beginner's routine) because I have no experience and no strength.

But I like to do cardio as well. I read a few times that one shouldn't do excessive cardio. So my questions are:
1) Why?
2) Define 'excessive'?

I do cardio around five times a week 30 minutes to one hour (TurboFire workouts or running). Does that classify as excessive?

I just like it, plus I'm happy about having some more calories to eat back :drinker: I don't want to sabotage my progress in weight loss and strength training, though. Hence my questions.

Thanks for any advice!
Bunny

fitandfortyish

I don't think 30-60 mins of cardio, 6 days a week is excessive at all. I've done that much myself. Just make sure you are eating back exercise calories so you don't lose the lean muscle mass from your resistance training. Listen to your body too, if you feel fatigued dial back the workout and up your carbs.

Llamapants86

I think there are a lot of factors that play into what would be deemed excessive cardio. Primarily your training state (did you jump into doing that much right away, or did you build up to it) and diet, do you eat enough to support that activity level. This things are very individual and having a hard line in the sand is very hard to do.

Over training is real but I highly doubt that it would happen without outward signs (fatigue, long recovery times, lack of progress) so listen to your body.

As for the why I think it is because of excess cortisol that causes water retention that masks weight loss. The other possibility is that if you over train you will stop training because you just feel like crap.

fitandfortyish

On these boards "too much cardio" relates to loss of muscle mass with the end result of your body looking like some Olympic marathon runner.

Unless your goal is running marathons you likely won't ever morph into that.

ElliottTN

We did not become the top predator on this planet by sitting on our *kitten* all day like we do now. 1 hour cardio everyday is a cake walk for your bodies potential. Just don't go run a ultramarathon every day of the week and you will be fine.

rsclause

A lot of what you hear is that you can't build strength or muscle while eating at a deficit and doing lots of cardio. I don't dispute this but my goal was to lose my gut, be fit and arrive at my proper weight. I do a Nautilus set three days a week to build some muscle tone & strength but I don't want to get "big", its more about getting fit. I am tired of buying new clothes as my body size changes. I used cardio to help burn those pounds off and to allow me to eat (and drink) more. When I was logging I would eat back my exercise calories. When i was really trying to lose I would run about 35 miles a week. Now that I am maintaining I run 25 miles a week and take the weekends off. Just settle into what feels right for you and your goals. Everything can be overdone but that voice in your head will already have told you if you listen to it. Enjoy the ride!

JTick

On these boards "too much cardio" relates to loss of muscle mass with the end result of your body looking like some Olympic marathon runner.

Unless your goal is running marathons you likely won't ever morph into that.

:huh:

Alrighty then. I'll be sure to let all my awesome marathon friends know how awful their bodies look. :indifferent:

Beautifulbridgittlee7

I can do 1 to 2 hrs of cardio 5 times a week and 30 mins of strength 2-3 times a week, but I like to try different activities and do races.

Veil5577

If you like doing it, why stop?

Hornsby

I feel like the questions have been answered. Your routine is definitely not excessive in my opinion.

powderdonut88

Just remember you may end up having to do it 6 days a week or more to maintain/proceed. Start slow. I do 3 days a week, lift 4, and eat my macros! New veins each week and just hit another bench PR

bunnylion

Thanks for the opinions! I'll go do some cardio now :-D

Brolympus

No reason not to do cardio. Cardio workouts help improve my endurance and energy levels. Would never do without them.

The problem with people that lift and also do cardio is they just don't eat enough calories, or don't eat back the right kind of calories. You need to consume calories in excess of your daily calorie needs (300+ extra calories for men, 150+ extra calories for women). This assumes you actually have an accurate reading of your daily calorie needs. MFP's formula is not the best for people who are in the healthy to fit body fat % ratings. You might want to check out this forum to figure out best formula to use for your body: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

You also need to be supplying your body with the correct amount of protein. Example: a 200lb guy eats 200g of protein a day, he is trying to build muscle. He hits the gym, does cardio and burns 500 calories, and does some weights and burns maybe another 250. Some people will say "HEY! I have 750 extra calories now! Splurge time!" and they end up filling up those calories with "dead food" (breads, sugars, or other foods with a high glycemic index). This is where their plan falls apart. Sure they are eating back the calories, but that is like saying to a team of masons "Well I want you to build this house, but I don't have enough bricks. We have plenty of mortar though!". It just doesn't work.

You body burns up protein for calories too, not just fat and carbs. Protein and carbs actually produce the same amount of calories. You need to eat back ALL the calories you burn at the same ratio you were the rest of the day in order to build muscle at the fastest rate (0.5lbs/week), which should be about 35%/30%/35% (fats/carbs/protein), favoring protein and then fat intake over carbs whenever possible. So having a whey shake, or a nice big 8 oz piece of chicken or steak after a workout is how you should be reclaiming those calories.

sijomial

It seems that building some strength is key to losing weight and keeping it off.

No - the key to losing weight and keeping it off is finding the right calorie balance when losing weight and when at maintenance.

As long as you are fuelling yourself appropriately then it's very hard to do "excessive cardio".
The problem comes when people try to do too much with too big a deficit and that applies to both cardio and strength training.

Everyone's mix of cardio and strength training will be different depending on goals and capabilities plus what they enjoy. I enjoy both so I do both, even cycling up to a 100 miles in a day didn't stop me making good strength gains and VO2 max improvements at the same time.

bostonwolf

I don't think 30-60 mins of cardio, 6 days a week is excessive at all. I've done that much myself. Just make sure you are eating back exercise calories so you don't lose the lean muscle mass from your resistance training. Listen to your body too, if you feel fatigued dial back the workout and up your carbs.

Agreed. I'll add that if running is part of the program make sure to do some weightlifting as well, as running alone can cause some muscle imbalances that you'll want to correct. Runner's World is a good site to find a few easy programs.

kirkor

chronic cardio:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-evidence-continues-to-mount-against-chronic-cardio/

bunnylion

chronic cardio:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-evidence-continues-to-mount-against-chronic-cardio/

To cardio or not to cardio?
I guess I'm still confused after all....

Azdak

On these boards "too much cardio" relates to loss of muscle mass with the end result of your body looking like some Olympic marathon runner.

Unless your goal is running marathons you likely won't ever morph into that.

Since those types are genetically selected, ALMOST NO ONE will ever look like that, no matter how much cardio they do.

Azdak

It seems that building some strength is key to losing weight and keeping it off.

No - the key to losing weight and keeping it off is finding the right calorie balance when losing weight and when at maintenance.

As long as you are fuelling yourself appropriately then it's very hard to do "excessive cardio".
The problem comes when people try to do too much with too big a deficit and that applies to both cardio and strength training.

Everyone's mix of cardio and strength training will be different depending on goals and capabilities plus what they enjoy. I enjoy both so I do both, even cycling up to a 100 miles in a day didn't stop me making good strength gains and VO2 max improvements at the same time.

Whoops! Inconvenient truth Alert!

Azdak

chronic cardio:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-evidence-continues-to-mount-against-chronic-cardio/

To cardio or not to cardio?
I guess I'm still confused after all....

You need to choose better sources for your info. That will solve a lot of the "confusion".