More than an hour of Cardio a day?

elsinora

That much cardio is a waste of time if you are doing it it to help lose weight or just become physically fit.

However if you want to be an endurance athlete, that is exactly what you need to do. High volume is the most effective type of training for this.

So it depends on what you are trying to achieve that should determine how much cardio you should be doing.

Understand partly what you are saying but it is not a "waste of time". I'm not an elite athlete and neither are my friends but learning and loving long distance runs (more than 1 hour runs) is what got us physically fit for the long term!

grinch031

That much cardio is a waste of time if you are doing it it to help lose weight or just become physically fit.

However if you want to be an endurance athlete, that is exactly what you need to do. High volume is the most effective type of training for this.

So it depends on what you are trying to achieve that should determine how much cardio you should be doing.

Understand partly what you are saying but it is not a "waste of time". I'm not an elite athlete and neither are my friends but learning and loving long distance runs (more than 1 hour runs) is what got us physically fit for the long term!

Yeah but its not necessary. You are better off running shorter distance at higher intensity for general physical fitness.

elsinora

That much cardio is a waste of time if you are doing it it to help lose weight or just become physically fit.

However if you want to be an endurance athlete, that is exactly what you need to do. High volume is the most effective type of training for this.

So it depends on what you are trying to achieve that should determine how much cardio you should be doing.

Understand partly what you are saying but it is not a "waste of time". I'm not an elite athlete and neither are my friends but learning and loving long distance runs (more than 1 hour runs) is what got us physically fit for the long term!

Yeah but its not necessary. You are better off running shorter distance at higher intensity for general physical fitness.

Not necessarily, but the OP wants to increase her endurance and was asking if it's harmful and it isn't.

Point being running is a great all over body workout, can be enjoyable of it floats your boat, gives you fantastic endurance (which is what the OP) wants and teamed with strength training and right diet is great! I dont see how this is classed as a "waste of time"

BerryH

Remember the meaning of "fit" is fit for purpose. Darwin wasn't thinking of VO2max when he wrote origin of the species. Exercise -wise it means doing the appropriate training to meet your goals, such as being able to keep going for a long time rather than just shed pounds with the least exercise time

radscorpion

Wow, thanks so much for all of your replies! It's been really helpful reading through and very relieving if I'm honest. I love running and I love pushing myself further and further - it started off as a weight loss thing but it's become so much more than that and the stationary biking I've found has helped a lot with my endurance so I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and listen to my body. Thanks again for the response

grinch031

That much cardio is a waste of time if you are doing it it to help lose weight or just become physically fit.

However if you want to be an endurance athlete, that is exactly what you need to do. High volume is the most effective type of training for this.

So it depends on what you are trying to achieve that should determine how much cardio you should be doing.

Understand partly what you are saying but it is not a "waste of time". I'm not an elite athlete and neither are my friends but learning and loving long distance runs (more than 1 hour runs) is what got us physically fit for the long term!

Yeah but its not necessary. You are better off running shorter distance at higher intensity for general physical fitness.

Not necessarily, but the OP wants to increase her endurance and was asking if it's harmful and it isn't.

Point being running is a great all over body workout, can be enjoyable of it floats your boat, gives you fantastic endurance (which is what the OP) wants and teamed with strength training and right diet is great! I dont see how this is classed as a "waste of time"

Yes so in the context of building endurance it is not a waste of time.

elsinora

Wow, thanks so much for all of your replies! It's been really helpful reading through and very relieving if I'm honest. I love running and I love pushing myself further and further - it started off as a weight loss thing but it's become so much more than that and the stationary biking I've found has helped a lot with my endurance so I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and listen to my body. Thanks again for the response

That's great! That's exactly what happened with me. I used to be out of breath just walking and then I started off slow running/jogging to lose weight and then eventually started setting goals and enjoyed it so much I decided to do marathons, triathlons etc. add me as a friend if you want! would love to have more running peeps as friends and swap tips and stories! BTW my bible, so to say, that I got as a present is this book: A Competitive Runner's handbook by Bob Glover and someone else.

It's not as scary as it sounds, it actually has everything you need as a learning runner etc down to running plans and nutrition!!! x

BrianSharpe

If you've got the time go for it but mix up your workouts so you're not working the same muscle groups day in and day out eg: run one day, bike the next and don't forget to take at least one rest day during the week.

I get a kick out of the "diminishing returns" train of thought. It's called adaption, your body becomes more efficient which is exactly what you want it to do.