Cardio for weight loss is a waste of time??

patssarah

Yea, hate to say it but that is pretty true.
Depends on what your goals are. And its not like you are going to lose 100% of your muscle with the cardio, but you will lose some. When people lose weight the healthy way (diet&excercise (namely cardio excercise) they lose about 75%fat and 25% muscle.
But you need to be comfortable with your workout routine and trust the trainer, and he did seem a little pushy, unfortunately a lot of trainers at clubs are forced to be salesmen too, they have quotas to meet which is why they have to be pushy.

If you like what your doing, and it works for you, and you are happy with your results stick with it!!!

Acg67

i can only speak for myself but cardio isn't necessary to lose weight, i maybe get in about 40min or LISS a week. Most important is diet and then i would add in strength training to prevent becoming the dreaded skinny fat

felicityksr

I agree with you, Missy. I was coerced into a training program at my gym and cannot wait until it is over. Pricey and not fun! I thoroughly enjoy the group exercise - Zumba, Step, Sculpt, etc. You did the right thing.

jkestens63

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!

I agree with this. I work out really hard every day... at least 1,000 calories burned each morning. However, I have been eating like crap and completely stalled my weight loss.

Personally, I do cardio everyday usually for about 85 minutes followed by 30 to 60 minutes of strength, followed by 10 minutes of stretch. I don't recommend this type of regimen for anyone... I just happen to love the challenge of cardio (for someone who could not walk to the end of her driveway to get the mail, doing an hour on the elliptical is such a rush!) but also know the importance of strength training, especially as I get older. I mix it up upper, lower, abs, total body, and yoga.

I always tell people do what works for you but diet really important if you want the weight to come off.

Buddhaboy

I'm with the person who said..."if it works your you, then stick with it"
If you've lost over 50 lbs doing what you're doing, then tell your trainer goodbye
For me it HAS to be a balance of cardio and strength
But, I will admit I do more strength training now then ever before, but that's really all for show and muscle definition

aimeeturner

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.

I agree with this. I have found that HIIT is a good workout in between my strength training days. I alternate between strength training one day (upper or lower body) then HIIT the next day, then back to strength training, etc.

cici1028

I did a cross of cardio and strength training (circuit training) until I was within 15 pounds of my goalweight. I then switched to Ashtanga yoga (which is good for body and mind) and haven't looked back since. I practice 5 - 6 times a week for an hour - 1.5 hours depending on my practice. I don't do any running or cardio, per se, but I have dropped an additional 10 pounds and dropped about 2 clothing sizes.

EDesq

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....

Reality, ANY exercise routine is NOT for weight loss. It will help sculpt you, ASSIST your metabolism, and the HEALTH Benefits are THRU THE ROOF! BUT do not be fooled by anyone, weight LOSS and Maintenance, and Wellness is about WHAT YOU EAT (Diet). EAT WELL for LIFE (90% of Wt Loss/Maintenance/Good Health is DIET (What You Eat), 10% is ACTIVITY). Ask any Healthy Person, Any one with a sculpted body...

Be Well.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

i think cardio is important on its own until u get to a weight u are comfortable with and then u start building muscle to tone up. its not fun to build muscle under fat.

Don't worry about building muscle under fat, it will not happen if you are in a caloric deficit, all the strength training will do is ensure you don't lose the muscle you do have, and help you become stronger. muscle needs a caloric surplus to actually increase, unless you are new to lifting you may gain 2-3 pounds of muscle even in a caloric deficit (beginners gains)

This. I spent the first 2 months of my weight loss focusing primarily on cardio and lost a ton, but at 20% - 25% of that loss was muscle not fat. I spent the last month of weight loss trading out some of my cardio time for lifting time focusing and on both and that reduced to about 10% lean mass loss. Now I'm in "maintenance" which for me means increasing my weight in lean mass and further reducing my BF% without losing anymore weight by keeping this cardio/lifting balance.

Amara15

I do almost all cardio- except for when i'm following some program like Insanity or something. Mostly because I dont know how to really do strength training on my own. Does anyone have any good tips, routines, schedules they follow etc for a woman???
I have about 10lbs left to lose and i'm really looking to tone not bulk up. Thanks!

DonnaLFitz

Wow! What a stimulating discussion thread.

But there is some implied belief that cardio doesn't improve your muscles.

If you walk, jog, dance, step, or do jumping jacks, the muscles in your legs (and back) are lifting your body weight with each and every step.
With every beat of your heart, your heart muscle is flexed and worked.
With every breath, your diaphragm, rib, and back muscles are worked.

I think explicit strength training is a good thing, but to imply that cardio doesn't provide strength benefits is baloney.

Missy0104

Well - while I'm thrilled with losing what I have.....it was done strictly with diet alone. I went by that philospohy of Diet being 80% of it for so long that I didn't exercise like I should have I now have a skinnier but equally as out of shape version of myself from losing fat as well as muscle along the way. So I'm focusing on a good fitness plan to lose the last 50. That's why I went to them for guidance on building back the muslce I've lost and really wanted a good strength training routine for those days I do that.

So it sounds like he was right in what he was saying....his presentation could have just been better. Had he said for me to still do the cardio AND work in some days of strength training I would have been like "makes sense" but he really dismissed the cardio entirely for the results I wanted. I could have understood that if I was close to goal and looking to really tone up and get lean. But this chica has 50 lbs of fat to burn first!!!

Thanks for all the feedback.

free2beme1120

so then if i keep doing cardio ie treadmill exercises 30-60 minutes a day everyday I will not lose as much as a person who has cardio and strength training. that doesnt make sense. I would think that as the muscles build then they will eat away the fats in your body and make you more toned. I dont get this concept either. I say to if you have any pointers please let us know. Thank you and good luck to all trying to lose weight. I have 6.4 pounds gone and have 99. to lose before next summer.

kevin3344

Yeah, whatever works for you go with it. I was 165lbs in high school. I'm maybe 171lbs now. I'm 44. I've been a runner all my life. I like the way I look.

Sometimes I do weight training, but not often. I'm just getting into P90X and all that stuff (as a challenge of course).

I'm part of a run club and love running. Only the marathon runners become the skinny, lean no muscle types. I would rather ride my motorcycle than work out all the time, that's just me lol.

Looks like you're doing well, I say keep doing what you're doing.

free2beme1120

so then if i keep doing cardio ie treadmill exercises 30-60 minutes a day everyday I will not lose as much as a person who has cardio and strength training. that doesnt make sense. I would think that as the muscles build then they will eat away the fats in your body and make you more toned. I dont get this concept either. I say to if you have any pointers please let us know. Thank you and good luck to all trying to lose weight. I have 6.4 pounds gone and have 99. to lose before next summer.

free2beme1120

how do you guys add the ticker. i tried and all it shows is garble. help please! thank you.

Missy0104

He also did tell me to stay off the machines. I work a desk job so he said the last thing I want to do is sit while working out. THAT did make alot of sense to me. So it's free weights and kettlbell for me.

CrystalFlury

Wow what a dumb--butt-- :-). Yeah, I think cardio is REALLY important. I know strength training is as well but what that guy told you I totally don't agree with. I agree he was trying to get you to sign up so he could get his money. I personally think if you want help in the area of strength training you should continue looking for a DIFFERENT personal trainer. You're paying them for their services and you should share the same views as them, as well as TRUST them. This guy didn't seem trustworthy.

marz31

cardio works on the most important muscle in your body.....yes, you probably raise your heart rate during strength training, but any personal training session I've witnessed has included a stint on some sort of cardio machine. Oh and I might not have lost a ton of weight while only doing cardio for the last 2 months, but my body sure is liking it, MAJOR changes I can see with my own two eyes and can tell in the fit of my clothes. I'll work in some strength training in a few more months, but right now, my heart gets the focus.

khagans

How my doctor explained it to me was the building muscle increases metabolism, which burns fat. The older you get the more muscle mass you lose. I lost 120 lbs in 2004 and have kept it off. I have had relapses in going up and down, but for now it is down. I cannot keep my weight off without strength training. My doctor specializes in weight management and I totally trust her. She has never led me the wrong way. Another way to look at it is that strength training cannot hurt you.

Hellbent_Heidi

No offense to any of the trainers out there on MFP, but a lot of "certified personal trainers" out there are not experts in the field of fitness and nutrition. I agree that strength training is important, but if the cardio is working for you, by all means, keep it up! Eating good and moving your body more is always a positive thing.

Acg67

"The average beginner/overweight individual simply can’t burn enough calories in realistic amounts of exercise to have much of an impact. Reducing caloric intake through various means (discussed in detail in other articles on the site) will almost always have a larger impact on overall energy balance.

However, that doesn’t make exercise useless and there are other ways that activity can positively (and negatively) impact on the overall goal of weight/fat loss. The first of those is in shifting the quality of weight lost; even if exercise doesn’t affect the total magnitude of scale change, proper activity (with resistance training coupled with sufficient protein intake being superior to aerobic work/low protein) can decrease the loss of lean body mass and increase the total loss of fat.

There are also potential benefits to adherence/accountability with some people essentially coupling daily activity with adhering to their diet. Anything that makes someone stick to their diet in the long-term can only be beneficial. As noted, this can sometimes backfire, where the person then loses all good dietary habits if their exercise program is interrupted for whatever reason.

In terms of hunger and appetite, exercise seems to have an overall beneficial impact but interactions with the individual psychology of the dieter can affect this greatly; some people will rationalize the consumption of food based on a misunderstanding of their actual calorie burn. This can completely overcome any benefit of the exercise in terms of energy expenditure.

Finally, exercise appears to have the greatest potential benefit in terms of long-term weight loss maintenance; here studies have shown that regular exercise improves long-term weight loss maintenance. However, it takes quite a bit with upwards of an hour or more of daily activity required to completely offset post-diet weight gains."

www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/exercise-and-weightfat-loss-part-2.html

Lisa__Michelle

He actually knew what he was talking about. If you only do cardio you will lose fat AND muscle! If you incorporate strength in with your cardio you will be building muscle instead of losing it.

erickirb

Wow! What a stimulating discussion thread.

But there is some implied belief that cardio doesn't improve your muscles.

If you walk, jog, dance, step, or do jumping jacks, the muscles in your legs (and back) are lifting your body weight with each and every step.
With every beat of your heart, your heart muscle is flexed and worked.
With every breath, your diaphragm, rib, and back muscles are worked.

I think explicit strength training is a good thing, but to imply that cardio doesn't provide strength benefits is baloney.

Cardio does not build muscle at all, you need to overload the muscle to tear the muscle fiber then feed and rest them, it is during the rest and from the feeding that they grow, to overload a muscle you need strength training, the heavier the better.

erickirb

so then if i keep doing cardio ie treadmill exercises 30-60 minutes a day everyday I will not lose as much as a person who has cardio and strength training. that doesnt make sense. I would think that as the muscles build then they will eat away the fats in your body and make you more toned. I dont get this concept either. I say to if you have any pointers please let us know. Thank you and good luck to all trying to lose weight. I have 6.4 pounds gone and have 99. to lose before next summer.

You will probably lose more weight, but a lot of that weight would come from muscle, so you may reach your goal weight earlier but would be that weight with a higher % Body Fat than if you did strength training.

NOLA_Meg

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.

When you do cardio you will burn calories during that time and perhaps for a couple hours after that. When you do strength training (like kettlebells, etc) you can have a calorie burn that lasts for the rest of the day. Strength training is definitely important and you can burn just as many calories, oftentimes in shorter sessions.

Nich0le

Cardio is important but so is weight training. Cardio of course is good for the heart but it also burns through calories but you have to add strength training for lasting effects. Weight training will buld muscle and building muscle will help your body burn more calories on it's own during the day.

I love running, I do it 6 days a week for a minimum of 5k and on top of that I do 4 hours a week of weights, I like mine in the form of a body pump class but I try to mix it up with free weights and machines.

Besides, not all trainers are created equally, if you are going to hire a trainer get info and references and take a look around at the trainers in the gym, choose one that you see working out at they gym on occassion or one that you have seen transform their own physique you are likely to get better training out of those trainers.

My gym offers free monthly fitness assessments, I schedule my assessment with one of three trainers at the gym that I think look like they walk the walk and talk the talk, they know I'm not going to buy any sessions and they will give me advice on how to break through plateaus etc or how to switch up my routine and I continue to get results without pricey training sessions.

starboardzor

I have been following the New Rules of Lifting as my workout since November... it preaches that same exact thing. I did very minimal cardio for the first probably 8 months of the program. One day a week I would get a HIIT session in on the cross trainer.

The biggest thing I have taken away from the book is to never do carido and strength on the same day. Pick one and focus all of your energy on doing just that... go all out. It has been working very well for me.

I have started to do some running, and do enjoy it but I think it does take a little away from my workouts.

I'm really interested in the New Rules of Lifting.. I looked it up on Amazon and I see a couple different books. Where should I start? I've been doing P90X on and off for about a year and I'm ready to progress from there. Thanks!

chedges9090

GREAT Post and string of replies. Cardio and weight training are both essential. Your heart rate, while you do each, is very important also. (I didn't read the whole string, so someone may have already mentioned that.) Also, remember to do what you like.. within reason.. to get your results. It is important to enjoy !

rybo

After having been on both extremes of the fence, I would pick lifting weights over cardio when it comes to losing weight. Granted I've never been in a situation where I wanted to lose a lot of weight, but when i was lifting hard & heavy, I could eat anything and everything in sight. I did no cardio, just lifting, and if I did want to drop a few pounds when my eating habits put on a few, all it took was a couple weeks & a little bit of watching and it was gone.

Now I primarily run for all my exercise, doing minimal upper body workouts (push ups & pull ups) so as not to totally lose all muscle, and i have to be MUCH more strict on diet to lose or maintain weight.