Cardio for weight loss is a waste of time??

Missy0104

This is the philosphy the trainer at my gym tried to convince me of. Their ploy to get me to sign up for weekly sessions was to say that cardio would do nothing but burn fat and muscle and that basically I should focus more on the strength training for the weight loss and stick to cardio for the health aspects.

I argued the whole "calorie in - calorie out" benefits to the cardio exercise but he basically stated that I was burning muscle as well as fat causing my metabolism to crash even further. Again, I think he was really trying to sell personal training sessions but it was rubbing me the wrong way and NOT the best way to go about it.

I wasn't arguing that strength training wasn't crutial and in fact went to him for the sole purpose of getting a good strength training routine into my week to go along with my cardio but to come out and basically say that the cardio is doing nothing for my weight loss bothered me and went against everything I THOUGHT I knew....

Needless to say I didn't feel comfortable doing any further training with him. I'm going to continue with my daily cardio and 2-3x/week strength training on my own. I'm no professional but to me that seems like the best win-win plan for me to get to my goal for now.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts though. I know there are trainers on here and would love to get their opinions on his theory....

rileamoyer

bump

TavistockToad

Since i have been maintaining i have been doing a lot more strength than cardio, and while i hadnt lost any weight up till last week, i was still losing inches like crazy, so i am a big fan of strength training.

erickirb

Steady state cardio that lasts any length of time will burn muscle along with fat. (look at long distance runners, no muscle) Then look at a sprinter's body, they hardly do any cardio, all high intensity for short bursts which is anaerobic, like strength training.

For cardio you can do less at a higher intensity, you would burn the same number of calories in a shorter amount of time. check out HIIT as an alternative to your regular cardio 1-2 days/week.

soloral

He is somewhat right.

Strength training, lets you get more muscle which in turn would burn more calories over the day.

But what he should of sold you on was the intensity of the cardio, because you can build muscle with cardio.

Look up HIIT cardio exercises.

strattonkitts

Let me guess, you go to Coops gym? Have they discussed with you their diet plan? I am not an expert, but it doesn't seemed balanced to me....both the diet and exercise plans.

chevy88grl

Well. I guess for me - results are what speak to me. I do cardio every single time I go to the gym. I also do strength training AND I do circuit training.

I've lost 60lbs and am currently maintaining my weight. I guess for me - I don't really care what someone else's OPINION of cardio is. If it is working, why change it?

Another reason I'll continue doing it? Went to the hospital recently and had to have an EKG done. When they read the results the nurse AND the doctor both said "Wow! Textbook perfect! What do you do?" I told them "Cardio" and they said "Well, keep it up. Rarely do we see a textbook perfect result!"

For me, that tells me all I need to hear.

lauristewart

A combination of the 2 is important, but cardio is what burn off calories immediately. I don't think that was good advice at all!! But I do agree you need a good mix of both.

ClareB1974

I do strength training and cardio. Over the childrens' summer holidays, unfortunately cardio gave way to other stuff with them, although I always made sure I did my strength training. I ate no differently then than I do now and did before the summer. My average weight loss was much lower over the last six 'cardio-free' weeks than it was before and a sneaky peek on the scale this morning suggests that the weight loss is back up to where it was before the holidays.

I can't argue the science as I'm not qualified, but I can tell you my experience.

LUCYRENEE

I agree with you!! The best plan has both cardio and strength training. Alternating them seems to be what I've heard. I am not an athletic trainer, but as a nurse I believe cardio is important-for your heart and overall health. Have you ever been to Jazzercise? It is a great blend of both and to great music.

dsjohndrow

One of my trainers said that diet was 80% of weight loss. He did programs that were a mix of cardio and strength. I am doing alright, but I prefer cardio over weights and stuff any day!

teraann4

bump

elfie9863

I think he is full of hooey. I have done cardio only, one hour a day on the elliptical, and lost a little over 10lbs in 4 weeks. I am thinking that I will do some sort of strength training at about the 20lb mark and begin toning up. My experience with gyms is that those "trainiers" are there for the money. I bought my own elliptical and set it up right in my living room. It has been the best thing I have ever done and is WAY easier than going to they gym.

Just my opinion.

ecs1516

I agree with you. Can't understand what he would mean. It seems like your doing the right thing you have lost 58 pounds so far.
A personal trainer wrote in our newspaper that you need to do a program that contains all types of fitness to be fit. Cardio, weight training, Flexibility, core strength, and coordination.

Kristy085

I've been doing cardio at least 3 times a week for almost a hour since February and have lost 35 pounds. I do my own strength training at least 1-2 times a week. I've gained muscles and lost fat/inches. Maybe it's the different ways our body responds to certain exercises. I'd like to know more about this topic, too!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Yes, the trainer is pretty much right. You need a combination of cardio and strength training, not just cardio. I'm a step instructor and avid cardio girl, but I didn't see the results I wanted until I added heavy lifting. I balance this out with moderate carbs and high protein to fuel both types of workouts. If I understand what he was saying, he wasn't saying that cardio is getting you no where, but that you desired physique is dependent on the strength training more, and your overall fitness is dependent on your cardio (which you can actually do less of at high intensity to get benefit). Your trainer is actually not an idiot, just not conforming to your preferences.

FoamyRiver

I think you made a wise decision dumping the trainer. I agree that both are important but I know that when my weight loss started lagging it was because I had started doing more strength training and less cardio. I bumped up my cardio and the pounds started coming off again. However, I didn't reduce the amount of strength training I was doing so I also saw an increase in inches lost and more definition to my body.

Missy0104

Thanks - I googled HIIT and will definitely try that during my cardio days!

I know cardio is really important for health as well as weight loss but it irked me the way he played off my efforts as a complete waste of time.

I did do a kettlebell workout last night which seemed to be the best of both worlds. My muscles are screaming at me today yet I was sweating buckets during the workout.

aippolito1

I think that's complete bullsh|+. It's happened several times with me that I wasn't doing enough cardio and wouldn't lose weight and as soon as I added back in JUST 30 minutes cardio after strength and an hour cardio on cardio-only days, I started losing again. I'm doing that now: 30-45 minutes strength 3x/week followed by 30-45 minutes cardio, and then on non-strength days I do 45 minutes-1 hour of cardio and I'm losing just fine.


You need cardio. You have to have BALANCE. That's all weight loss is about is balance. It's the biggest thing, I think. Experiment and find what works for you.

dad106

Unfortunately, the trainer is correct in a sense... If your doing only cardio, you will be losing muscle along with fat. If you don't retain some of that muscle mass, then you're going to look skinny fat. Plus muscle burns more calories then fat at rest.. so you are burning extra calories everyday, without even doing anything extra.

ashesoh1234

I love doing cardio. It's great for my stress level and for my emotional health. It's great for my heart! I do strength training, too. I don't neglect strength. But I love cardio! So I'm sticking with my cardio.