"The Final Nail in the Cardio Coffin"

MissTomGettingThin

ooh.
Erm...
I spend about 6 hours a week on a bike or a treadmill or an eliptical. :O|
I spend about 40 minutes MAX a week with free weights.
I usually throw in a few minutes to remind my muscles I still need them.
I look good, I feel good but... I do have that flabby bit (bits) LOTS)) LOL

I'm not sure how to fix this. I think I'm still asleep so forgive me.

I'm assuming I need to do some HIIT if I want to still use the cardio machines effectively?
I've been using a training MP3 on a stationary bike which has me sprinting for short bursts so assume this is good!

I'll add more strength training and make it a proper routine as opposed to something I add on in the middle.

Thanks for this.

Any further advice appreciated.

Thanks
Amanda

MoonMyst3

Bump

chrisdavey

ooh.
Erm...
I spend about 6 hours a week on a bike or a treadmill or an eliptical. :O|
I spend about 40 minutes MAX a week with free weights.
I usually throw in a few minutes to remind my muscles I still need them.
I look good, I feel good but... I do have that flabby bit (bits) LOTS)) LOL

I'm not sure how to fix this. I think I'm still asleep so forgive me.

I'm assuming I need to do some HIIT if I want to still use the cardio machines effectively?
I've been using a training MP3 on a stationary bike which has me sprinting for short bursts so assume this is good!

I'll add more strength training and make it a proper routine as opposed to something I add on in the middle.

Thanks for this.

Any further advice appreciated.

Thanks
Amanda

weight loss can be from calorie deficit through diet or diet and exercise.

Body recomposition (fat loss with minimum muscle loss) has a few more things required. A calorific deficit through diet and exercise with a focus on progressively increasing resistance training, moderate to high protein (I personally aim for minimum 1g/lb bw). Cardio exercise is not necessary for body recomp if the nutritional intake is low however there are many other obvious benefits. I personally love my mma training so that is my cardio. On top of that, it means I get to eat heaps more and not put on weight :P

I would be looking at a beginners lifting program like starting strength or stronglifts. Do that 3 times a week. Find some cardio that you like to do on other days.

CherylYMerritt

bump very interesting, Thanks for the info!

smilebhappy

bump to read later

MissTomGettingThin

Thanks Chris!! :O)
I'll look on here and online for lifting programms.
Regards

paullie_t

Pretty significant information that I need to look at more closely.

Thanks for posting!

rileysowner

ooh.
Erm...
I spend about 6 hours a week on a bike or a treadmill or an eliptical. :O|
I spend about 40 minutes MAX a week with free weights.
I usually throw in a few minutes to remind my muscles I still need them.
I look good, I feel good but... I do have that flabby bit (bits) LOTS)) LOL

I'm not sure how to fix this. I think I'm still asleep so forgive me.

I'm assuming I need to do some HIIT if I want to still use the cardio machines effectively?
I've been using a training MP3 on a stationary bike which has me sprinting for short bursts so assume this is good!

I'll add more strength training and make it a proper routine as opposed to something I add on in the middle.

Thanks for this.

Any further advice appreciated.

Thanks
Amanda

The cardio in mind is the long duration, steady state type. Think those who try to get their heart rate in a certain zone and keep it there for 45 minutes to an hour every day.

What you want to do is Interval Training (like you are with the MP3), HIIT which is similar but you jack up the intensity a lot, Metabolic Resistance Training, Tabata training and the like. All of them will do more for fat loss than all that Cardio.

pyro13g

It doesn't matter how hard you work. Whether your heart rate is 55% or 85% of max you will burn the same amount of fat as fuel in the same amount of time.

rileysowner

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but working at a higher intensity will burn more calories than a lower intensity pure and simple. Generally a higher intensity will mean a higher heart rate, although I will allow there may be exceptions to that. Basically for fat loss cardio is the least effective option.

1113cw

Bump to read later.. need to get on the bandwagon and switch up my routine. Mainly doing cardio, 6x per week at 45-60 min a clip, and then some strength training and yoga 2x per week.

pyro13g

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but working at a higher intensity will burn more calories than a lower intensity pure and simple. Generally a higher intensity will mean a higher heart rate, although I will allow there may be exceptions to that. Basically for fat loss cardio is the least effective option.

Calories burned and the stress(cortisol) response of your body are the biggest difference. Grams of fat burned at 55% Max HR for 45 minutes and grams burnt during 45 minutes at 85% Max HR is nearly the same. http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/ask_the_expert/fat-burning_zone_myth.asp

We need to treat our cardio vascular system more like we do or muscle. Brief, hard, infrequent workouts. Manage fat loss through calorie load and where those calories come from. Keep physical and mental stress to the minimum. Get more sleep.

myofibril

I have mixed feelings about that article.

On one hand it makes a good point. That is too many people when it comes to getting a nicer physique fall into the "cut calories drastically, do endless amount of low intensity steady state" category and end up not looking the way they want. This is especially true if they do no resistance training whatsoever or impair the resistance work they do with tons of steady stae cardio.

On the other hand, it seems to make the argument that high intensity work is, to nick a phrase from Matt Perryman, "The One True Way" which is of course nonsense. It makes me think that someone wants to try and sell me something when that card is played

As anyone who has engaged in both HIT and HIIT at the same time (clue: me) will tell you this potent combination has the massive potential downside of sending your recovery ability up in smoke real quick. Managing recovery and stress outside of the gym is just as important, if not more so, than what you do inside it. When you are running a calorie deficit this is just one more thing to chuck into the mix which will impair recovery.

In reality low instensity steady state cardio is a very useful tool in your fat loss armoury if you implement it properly and in appropriate doses. Now, I find it as dull as dishwater myself. However, I understand that it has multiple benefits which makes the boredom a little more palatable...

pyro13g

In reality low instensity steady state cardio is a very useful tool in your fat loss armoury if you implement it properly and in appropriate doses. Now, I find it as dull as dishwater myself. However, I understand that it has multiple benefits which makes the boredom a little more palatable...

Yeah just not insane amounts of it and truly low intensity.

Mountain_woman

Wow. I love this. It confirms in a small way what I have been thinking on my own for a while. Makes sense.

RunHardBeStrong

I love Rachel Cosgrove and her books! Also love "New Rules of LIfting for Women" by Lou Schuoler and Alwyn Cosgrove even tho it's basically a spin off of Rachel's book "Female Body Breakthrough" I knew all the info from reading Rachel's book a couple years ago and have been lifting heavy ever since but Lou's book just reinerated alot of it and gave me some new routines! Thanks for posting!

chrisdavey

well said msf74

rileysowner

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but working at a higher intensity will burn more calories than a lower intensity pure and simple. Generally a higher intensity will mean a higher heart rate, although I will allow there may be exceptions to that. Basically for fat loss cardio is the least effective option.

Calories burned and the stress(cortisol) response of your body are the biggest difference. Grams of fat burned at 55% Max HR for 45 minutes and grams burnt during 45 minutes at 85% Max HR is nearly the same. http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/ask_the_expert/fat-burning_zone_myth.asp

We need to treat our cardio vascular system more like we do or muscle. Brief, hard, infrequent workouts. Manage fat loss through calorie load and where those calories come from. Keep physical and mental stress to the minimum. Get more sleep.

Ok, now I understand what you are saying. Yes, the "fat burning zone" is one of the biggest myths out there along with long duration steady state cardio being a good fat burner.

rileysowner

I have mixed feelings about that article.

On one hand it makes a good point. That is too many people when it comes to getting a nicer physique fall into the "cut calories drastically, do endless amount of low intensity steady state" category and end up not looking the way they want. This is especially true if they do no resistance training whatsoever or impair the resistance work they do with tons of steady stae cardio.

On the other hand, it seems to make the argument that high intensity work is, to nick a phrase from Matt Perryman, "The One True Way" which is of course nonsense. It makes me think that someone wants to try and sell me something when that card is played

As anyone who has engaged in both HIT and HIIT at the same time (clue: me) will tell you this potent combination has the massive potential downside of sending your recovery ability up in smoke real quick. Managing recovery and stress outside of the gym is just as important, if not more so, than what you do inside it. When you are running a calorie deficit this is just one more thing to chuck into the mix which will impair recovery.

In reality low instensity steady state cardio is a very useful tool in your fat loss armoury if you implement it properly and in appropriate doses. Now, I find it as dull as dishwater myself. However, I understand that it has multiple benefits which makes the boredom a little more palatable...

While it is true that HIT and HIIT can do a number of your recovery it strikes me the main reason that is the case is because many people enter into that type of workout modality with a cardio mindset. So they take these high intensity modalities and try to do them every day without sufficient rest and recovery time allowed. That is a recipe for disaster.

Of course the number of repetitive movement injuries from long duration cardio due to the huge amount to time doing them is very high as well. They are not overtraining things, but they are just as much of a problem, in fact some of them a more of a problem because they are often so hard to treat because they are the result of long term cumulative damage.

MissTomGettingThin

ooh.
Erm...
I spend about 6 hours a week on a bike or a treadmill or an eliptical. :O|
I spend about 40 minutes MAX a week with free weights.
I usually throw in a few minutes to remind my muscles I still need them.
I look good, I feel good but... I do have that flabby bit (bits) LOTS)) LOL

I'm not sure how to fix this. I think I'm still asleep so forgive me.

I'm assuming I need to do some HIIT if I want to still use the cardio machines effectively?
I've been using a training MP3 on a stationary bike which has me sprinting for short bursts so assume this is good!

I'll add more strength training and make it a proper routine as opposed to something I add on in the middle.

Thanks for this.

Any further advice appreciated.

Thanks
Amanda

The cardio in mind is the long duration, steady state type. Think those who try to get their heart rate in a certain zone and keep it there for 45 minutes to an hour every day.

What you want to do is Interval Training (like you are with the MP3), HIIT which is similar but you jack up the intensity a lot, Metabolic Resistance Training, Tabata training and the like. All of them will do more for fat loss than all that Cardio.

Thanks for this too.
I'm about to go to the gym so will see what I can today to incorporate what you guys have said.

x