"The Final Nail in the Cardio Coffin"

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  • dzdame
    dzdame Posts: 89
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    So, if I am trying to lose the last 10 lbs...right now I do Chalene Extreme 3X/week(using heavier weights, fewer reps), as my strength training program (I need someone to keep me on track and showing me what to do next, along with motivating me to keep going) along with short cardio sessions on those days..I do a combination of different types of cardio on 3 other days (love kickboxing, turbo jam, tae bo and interval running on the treadmill at the gym)..I also just started a Crossfit class at the gym...I usually take one day/week off or just do yoga or stretching or abs on that day...I don't know if kickboxing and Tae Bo are considered "steady-state" cardio sessions...I have been at a plateau for awhile and want to tone up and lose these last 10 by summer...any advice would be appreciated!
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    I posted the link originally and I'm glad it got it's own thread now. :flowerforyou:

    My experience of doing an Ironman was exactly the same as Rachel Cosgrove's which is how I came across her originally.
    And her New Rules of Lifting book is great.

    Another very interesting article in a similar theme is by Tom Venuto regarding slowing metabolism and cardiovascular adaptation.

    http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2011/04/cardio-and-metabolism.php
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    So, if I am trying to lose the last 10 lbs...right now I do Chalene Extreme 3X/week(using heavier weights, fewer reps), as my strength training program (I need someone to keep me on track and showing me what to do next, along with motivating me to keep going) along with short cardio sessions on those days..I do a combination of different types of cardio on 3 other days (love kickboxing, turbo jam, tae bo and interval running on the treadmill at the gym)..I also just started a Crossfit class at the gym...I usually take one day/week off or just do yoga or stretching or abs on that day...I don't know if kickboxing and Tae Bo are considered "steady-state" cardio sessions...I have been at a plateau for awhile and want to tone up and lose these last 10 by summer...any advice would be appreciated!

    kickboxing is definitely not steady state cardio :)

    From the limited youtube vids I saw on chalean extreme, it looks like a lot of isolation movements. You want to focus on compound exercises (one's that hit as many muscles as possible) and progressively increase weights. Exercises you should focus on are squats, deadlifts, bench/overhead press, chin ups, dips. This hits everything (and takes heaps less time :))
  • BR1986FB
    BR1986FB Posts: 1,515 Member
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    Also do Crossfit type circuits with a day of kettlebell intervals, 2 days of HIIT (23 minutes) and one day of walking for 30 minutes on the treadmill. My weight training (Crossfit) days are 15-20 minutes of heavy, high intensity compound lifting (deadlifts, cleans, squats, weighted vest pushups/pullups/dips) with a 15 minute P90X or Insanity ab session immediately following. The kettlebell workouts are typically 15 minutes of alternating arm swings and two arm swings (no get ups or anything like that).

    Since switching to the shorter workouts and implementing a Paleo diet the bodyfat/pant sizes have dropped like crazy. I had completed 5+ rounds of P90X/Insanity and it was beating the heck out of my elbow joints. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the Beachbody programs and they got me into great cardiovascular shape but I'm at the point now where my body doesn't require 60 minute workouts.

    As far as the cardio aspect, Mark Sisson (Primal Blueprint) refers to all of the running, etc as "chronic cardio." I see people on the Beachbody programs that get so gung ho that they do a P90X workout and then go run 5k or do "doubles" with an Insanity workout. Pure overkill, IMO. I now firmly believe that "less is more" when it comes to cardio and short bursts/HIIT is where it's at.
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,410 Member
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    Bumping to read over and over again. Maybe this will help me change my mindset!
  • clohessy
    clohessy Posts: 394 Member
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    bump
  • WrenLynn
    WrenLynn Posts: 213
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    bump-want to read all this after work
  • mrb_9110
    mrb_9110 Posts: 189 Member
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    I buy it completely. Her husband has some input in my favorite book "The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler.

    Women if you want to get sexy - lift heavy weights! Get going!
    I just bought this book and started the workouts this week. I was surprised that the short strength workout had such an impact on my body; I'm still sore two days later! I will definitely continue with the workouts!
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    Bumping this.....

    LESS IS MORE!
  • TrophyWifeSass
    TrophyWifeSass Posts: 490 Member
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    BUMP! I have got to figure all this out! I am killing myself at the gym 6 days a week on the DREADMILL. I am losing but I want to be strong too. I am planing on doing C25K in August should I just do that and start with free weights as well? I have a month of hiking, kayaking, walking and swimming, no gym no scale coming up and I am a bit worried about my progress slowing down! I am a caterpillar and I want to be a butterfly that kick some *kitten*!
  • luvmykid28
    luvmykid28 Posts: 185 Member
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    Thank you for this I have been relying on cardio as my workout to lose weight :/ I was originally doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and saw great results and since stopping that I felt that my mid-section was getting a bit flabby again :( I was also thinking of switching to doing HIIT and this article made that choice easy. I guess I will be starting the shred again!! Thanks for the great info. :happy:


    This is exactly what I was thinking. I def. saw big changes in my body when I was doing the shred. I am going to go back to it tonight. My abs were beginning to form and since I stopped the shred, I don't see them as much.
  • verlouria
    verlouria Posts: 21
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    There's an Australian show called "What's Good For You" and they did a segment once about this doctor who did research on the most efficient and effective way to lose weight. He said basically the same thing about short bursts of exertion to raise the heart rate then a short rest period and so on. They said they came up with an equation that for 20 minutes a day on a stationery bike they rode as hard and as fast as they could for 8 seconds and then normal speed 12 seconds (not sure on this number might be 10), and they did this for the entire 20 minutes. They said they tried all kind of variations on time, but this was the one they found to be the best for a number of reasons. All the people that were part of the study lost more weight than people doing other types of work outs. I have not tried this yet, because I do physical therapy now (strength training) and I ride my bike there and home or walk. However, I might try doing once a week on the stationery bike and work myself up to more days, especially after reading this. Kind of reaffirms what I saw on the show.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    BUMP! I have got to figure all this out! I am killing myself at the gym 6 days a week on the DREADMILL. I am losing but I want to be strong too. I am planing on doing C25K in August should I just do that and start with free weights as well? I have a month of hiking, kayaking, walking and swimming, no gym no scale coming up and I am a bit worried about my progress slowing down! I am a caterpillar and I want to be a butterfly that kick some *kitten*!

    I'd take 3 of those days and do strength training with supersetting. My heart rate gets WAY more elevated doing weights than any kind of cardio, running included.
  • ColoradoRobin
    ColoradoRobin Posts: 510 Member
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    I want to weigh what my Saint Bernard weighs
    I love your goal! I was doing New Rules of Lifting for Women before I went on vacation, and while my weight went up a couple pounds at first due to water gain from mild inflammation (sore muscles), the inches were coming off. I need to get back into it as soon as I recover from my post-vacation cold. I do cardio in the form of biking, occasional swimming, and zumba. I don't try to do those every day, but keep it up because I enjoy it and want to improve my cardio fitness. I will have to look into kettlebell routines a bit, and give that a try for interval training.
  • BR1986FB
    BR1986FB Posts: 1,515 Member
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    Dumped the long, intense cardio workouts for three 45 minute walks a week. Train heavy with weights the other three. The walking burns the fat WHILE sparing the hard earned muscle that I've put on in the weight room.
  • jmtp
    jmtp Posts: 26 Member
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    Bump!
  • kingkong123
    kingkong123 Posts: 184 Member
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    bump
  • bustertriscuit
    bustertriscuit Posts: 13 Member
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    Very glad to see this. Something I've been wondering about for a while.
    I decided to go balls to the wall with exercise and have been to the gym at least 6 days per week doing around 40-60 minutes of elliptical each time. I probably lost about 8-10 pounds in a 5 week period but plateaued VERY quickly despite adding 30 day shred and doing it just about every day with only 2 or 3 sessions missed. I've been at a plateau for at least 2 weeks and it is not budging to the point that I think something has got to be wrong with my scale!
    My clothes are fitting differently though and I know I'm looking better so that's motivation, but I would love to lose another ten pounds or so.
    I'm going to try to cut the cardio to 3-4 times per week and maybe add in an extra shred somewhere.
    Does this make sense?
    I'm almost afraid to do it because I feel like in my mind I'm failing and I'm concerned the power of suggestion will make the scale creep.
    Stupid, I know.
    Thoughts?
  • Countrymade
    Countrymade Posts: 183 Member
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    Bump
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Very glad to see this. Something I've been wondering about for a while.
    I decided to go balls to the wall with exercise and have been to the gym at least 6 days per week doing around 40-60 minutes of elliptical each time. I probably lost about 8-10 pounds in a 5 week period but plateaued VERY quickly despite adding 30 day shred and doing it just about every day with only 2 or 3 sessions missed. I've been at a plateau for at least 2 weeks and it is not budging to the point that I think something has got to be wrong with my scale!
    My clothes are fitting differently though and I know I'm looking better so that's motivation, but I would love to lose another ten pounds or so.
    I'm going to try to cut the cardio to 3-4 times per week and maybe add in an extra shred somewhere.
    Does this make sense?
    I'm almost afraid to do it because I feel like in my mind I'm failing and I'm concerned the power of suggestion will make the scale creep.
    Stupid, I know.
    Thoughts?

    If you have the time, focus and ability to do that much exercise, then something like 30 DS is a complete waste of time, IMO. It is a mediocre program to begin with.

    The problem with cardio is not necessarily "excessive" cardio as much as it is unfocused cardio. I have read the anecdote from rachel cosgrove in numerous places and every time I read it, my first reaction is not, oh, cardio is bad, but "wow you must have been doing some incredibly crappy cardio training".

    A balanced program includes endurance cardio, tempo cardio, interval cardio and weights. If you are a group exercise type person, maybe a higher intensity circuit training instead of weights.

    It would also be a good idea to have your body fat tested to make sure your scale goals are appropriate.

    Just some things to think about.

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