Too Many Cardio Sessions...a good/bad thing?

123nikki123

I just wanted to know how many cardio sessions per week should a person who is trying to lose weight do? And for how long? I run 45 minutes 6 days a week plus I lift. Is this too much?

rileysowner

It very well may be. Look here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/213976--the-final-nail-in-the-cardio-coffin

MayMaydoesntrun

I don't think it's a bad thing, but that's just my opinion. Better than sitting on your butt!

ybba12490

I don't see how that's a problem. I guess every person is different. I usually do cardio 5-6 days a week for as long as 1.5 hours and I never lift weights, just do leg exercises

alliecore

It doesn't sound like too much to me, but ultimately it depends on your level of fitness. As the body becomes conditioned to more exercise, it can handle longer periods of cardio. Listen to your body.....if you are pushing it too hard, you will feel fatigued and lethargic, rather than energized.

**Edited to add.....cardio 6 days a week isn't a bad thing (kudos for giving yourself a rest day though!) but are you lifting 6 days a week? 3 weight sessions per week is plenty.....

hpsnickers1

Yes they can be a bad thing. When you are close to or at a healthy weight your body tries to protect your fat reserves (they are low at this point). And intense cardio is stress on the body.

Check out this post in my signature: "Relatively Light and trying to get leaner". It's a long, long post but has loads of information. The OP (stroutman81 - very knowledgeable) told me (I'm 5'2" and 122lbs and trying to get rid of body fat, not scale weight).
strength training 2-3x per week (very, very important if it about physique and not weight loss)
cardio 2-6x per week AS NEEDED. I get maybe 2 bouts of HIIT's on the treadmill (no more than 40 minutes with 5 minutes warm up and cool down) per week.
1-3 servings of fruit
3-6 servings of fibrous veggies
1g of protein per pound of lean body mass or goal body weight.
25% fat
anything else I want within my calorie goal.

Since I have started lifting and eating more I am finally losing inches on my belly (my body fat calipers have dropped 4mm in the last month. That's a great number)

kimmerroze

Read the link in my signature first of all.

And then here is my opinion.

Cardio is GREAT! do it! BUT... When you do cardio ESPECIALLY a LOT of cardio which I would consider that you do, your body not only burns fat, it also burns muscle. When you lose muscle, your metabolism slows down, your body will only be able to handle less calories per day before gaining weight, and the chances of you gaining your weight back go up drastically.

If you add in Weight lifting (which I suggest you do STAT) you build muscle, which speeds up your metabolism, which allows you to eat more without gaining weight, and your chances of keeping your weight off increase significantly.

While cardio is great for the cardio vascular system, it does little for your muscles. Its okay to do cardio, but You will not be as toned as you are hoping for just doing cardio alone. Even Olympic runners lift weights, training schedules for professional atheletes and marathon runners have everyother day weight lifting. Its an important part of becoming healthy, and without building muscle, your cardio isn't going to have the long lasting effects that you are hoping for.

So to answer your question, you definately can continue your cardio if you would like I would tone it down to about 45-60 minutes, but I would suggest that you bump up your weight training or you will be disappointed in the long run. focus on losing Body fat, not scale weight. Weight lifting will lose body fat, cardio will lose scale weight (i.e. fat and muscle).

hpsnickers1

I don't see how that's a problem. I guess every person is different. I usually do cardio 5-6 days a week for as long as 1.5 hours and I never lift weights, just do leg exercises

You are losing lean muscle mass and this is what makes our metabolism. Intense cardio and calorie restriction cause muscle loss and lowers your metabolism.

Check out the post in my signature: "An email response that might help some..."

and this site gives some great info: http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html

cardbucfan

bumping to read the links later. Thanks all!

kimmerroze

I don't see how that's a problem. I guess every person is different. I usually do cardio 5-6 days a week for as long as 1.5 hours and I never lift weights, just do leg exercises

You are losing lean muscle mass and this is what makes our metabolism. Intense cardio and calorie restriction cause muscle loss and lowers your metabolism.

Check out the post in my signature: "An email response that might help some..."

and this site gives some great info: http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html

agreed. people think cardio slims you, and that is true, because it is cutting precious muscle off your body as well as fat. definately read the link in hpsnickers or my signature. SOOO HELPFUL!

VictorinoDennis

I do 45 min cardio before lifting and then 30 after. So I think your'e ok. Just be sure to eat enough

gp79

I'll share my experience because up until 2 weeks ago I was doing 100% cardio for weight loss in addition to my nutrition. I followed MFP guidelines for 1.5lb weight loss and the weight came off, no problem. I was eating my calories back so really..had I not been exercising and simply following MFP I feel I could have achieved the same weight loss but NOT the same level of fitness I have now.

Last fall I ran a 35 minute 5k (3.1 miles) and after all the running I'd been doing, I ran a 5k race a couple weeks ago and ran 24 minutes. So as you might imagine, my body became a more efficient runner; my muscles became stronger in those areas and I ran a faster time all the while it was much easier than before, running at 280'ish lbs.

2 weeks ago I felt the onset of a plateau where I would have needed to up the intensity of my cardio workouts to get the came benefit and progress as I had been use to getting. My weight loss temporarily slowed and I swapped to more weight lifting and a little less cardio. 3 weight days, 2 cardio days and 2 rest days. Almost instantly, the weight loss picked back up again.

My advice is to listen to your body. Are you meeting your goals? Are you feeling strong? Full of energy? Are you improving in your running? Are you happy? Everybody is a little different, just find what works best for you.

callipygianchronicle

It very well may be. Look here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/213976--the-final-nail-in-the-cardio-coffin

Yes. There is mounting evidence that when it comes to burning fat and not muscle, lots of cardio exercise is counter-productive. Resistance training in combination with cardio intervals, or short cardio sessions twice a week, seems to be increasingly recommended as the best route to burning fat, increasing your lean muscle mass, and improving your chances for long-term weight loss. In addition to the excellent article above, see here: http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2011/04/cardio-and-metabolism.php .

dkopka

Bump

johnwhitent

As one of the older posters (58) I guess it falls to me to advocate the old ways. I have read the topic on "the final nail in the cardio coffin" and I have read the various articles on the internet and in magazines. I embrace the value of HIIT training, but I think it is going overboard to jettison years of research and tens of thousands of success stories from long slow distance. So I mix it up. In my years I have seen many new good things come, but rejecting decades of research and human experience is going too far for me. I cycle, and the evidence is clear that high intensity intervals can propel one's cycling fitness dramatically. But a good base of long slow (I prefer steady) distance is absolutely required. Anyway, to bring it back to your question, I think that six or more sessions of cardio per week is fine. I often do two-a-days, AM and PM. But you defiantly need time off to rest and repair. I would mix it up though. I run (hamstrings) and cycle (quads) usually on alternating days. If you want to run only then you can vary your routine - hills, speed work, lsd, etc. Sure, embrace the new research, but not by turning loose of all the old ways that have worked for millions of people. There are literally millions of people out there who have lost weight and gotten fit using long slow distance. They did not all burn all their muscle instead of fat. One thing I can guarantee you is that there will be new research later offering a newer, better way. What is all the rage now will one day be seen as obsolete, even funny. Take it from an older guy who has seen a lot of fitness fads, find what works for your body, learn from others, but do what works for you.

bmontgomery87

It seems a bit excessive to me combined with lifting.
I lift MWF and do cardio tues and thursday. Then play soccer on sundays.


It's good to find a rest day. And I find cardio on the same day as weight training to be a bit overboard. It's too taxing on me.If you're weight training hard enough then you won't have the energy to run for 45 afterwards.

WrenLynn

Interesting. Want to read all the posts later after work.

smilebhappy

bumping to read later

123nikki123

It seems a bit excessive to me combined with lifting.
I lift MWF and do cardio tues and thursday. Then play soccer on sundays.


It's good to find a rest day. And I find cardio on the same day as weight training to be a bit overboard. It's too taxing on me.If you're weight training hard enough then you won't have the energy to run for 45 afterwards.

I was thinking it was! I usually have 1 rest day (Sunday's) and I do my cardio before I lift.