Why has cardio become a swear word on MFP all of a sudden?

Yanicka1

Cardio made me soft. Strength training is giving me the results i want. I still do both but I hate cardio.

tlhorsley

And I wanted to add that I burn more calories in my 30 mins of lifting than I do during 30 mins of cardio...even when it is HIIT

Z_I_L_L_A

I think it comes down to what your ultimate goal is and what you enjoy.

I am going to speak from my own personal experience. I trained last year for a Half Marathon and, of course, did a TON of cardio. With that said, I felt good and looked decent.

Now I am lifting heavy and the only cardio I am doing is a 5 minute warm up on lift days (bc I am doing the New Rules of Lifting from women. I am in week 3 and as of yet he doesn't have me doing cardios).

I will say that in the 2.5 weeks that I have been doing little cardio and lifting heavy I have seen more positive changes in my body then I did in the MONTHS I ran, and ran, and ran.

Have you seen the Reebok Crossfit competition on ESPN? Google it. The women are awesome, they do it all.

krissypea79

I think it comes down to what your ultimate goal is and what you enjoy.

I am going to speak from my own personal experience. I trained last year for a Half Marathon and, of course, did a TON of cardio. With that said, I felt good and looked decent.

Now I am lifting heavy and the only cardio I am doing is a 5 minute warm up on lift days (bc I am doing the New Rules of Lifting from women. I am in week 3 and as of yet he doesn't have me doing cardios).

I will say that in the 2.5 weeks that I have been doing little cardio and lifting heavy I have seen more positive changes in my body then I did in the MONTHS I ran, and ran, and ran.

I just started reading the book today I think what he has to say about cardio (or lack thereof, really) is very interesting. He doesn't seem to be fully against it, as he mentions interval training....but either way, I am looking forward to starting the workouts and seeing what happens!!

hpsnickers1

Haven't been through the entire thread.

Google "chronic cardio". There's a fine line between exercising hard and over exercising. Exercise is stress. The body will treat is as such. Too much stress isn't a good thing. Our bodies are subjected to enough stress just trying to get through each day.

When you exercise you are weakening the body (breaking it down). All gains happen during rest/recovery.

And your cardiovascular system benefits just as much, if not more, from resistance training. Try doing back to back sets of reps. I can do 6 squats with heavy barbell (only 45lbs - I just started squats with weights). I do two sets back to back and I'm already out of breath and sweating. And it only took a few minutes.

Some cardio is good. Too much isn't.

Phrak

People speak of the runners high, and how they dont ever get it from weight lifting. When im reaching a true 1rm squat or deadlifts, im seeing stars and feeling pretty high. Maybe these people need to put some weight on their back or hands. Also stop spewing that cardio is the only way to work the heart muscle...

samanthakre

I do four days of cardio kickboxing and three days of strength training, because I realize that building lean muscle is what's going to keep you burning calories. Cardio stops when you stop.
Regardless, cardio is really important. The heart is a muscle, and it needs a workout too - not to mention how much better I FEEL when I make cardio a habit.

almc170

Personally, I lift weights because I want to retain LBM while I'm losing fat. I'm also interested in retaining bone density as I get older. I'll do cardio only to the extent that it doesn't interfere with recovery.

hpsnickers1

So my plan is cardio cardio eat right! anddd then once Im at my goal weight 115 I will add more muscle.. will that be okay ?? Im so worried about doing something wrong ahhhhhhhh! there is just so much carbs, protein, cardio, weight lifting, reps, sets, when to eat, healthy fats, like i feel ike if i dont do everything perfect ill never get to where I wanna be ah HELP

It is much easier to lift and do cardio now, to retain the muscle you already have, that way you will not have to gain muscle when you get to your goal weight, (gaining lean muscle is much harder then retaining most of what you already have) and you will have a lower BF% at your goal weight, when you get there if you start incorporating strength training now.

If you are in a caloric deficit you will not gain weight from lifting, other then some initial water weight which helps protect and repair your muscles.

I knew I would find some good info from someone. As a women, gaining muscle is already next to impossible. We need plenty of testosterone for that to happen. Heck, it's hard enough for men to gain muscle.

Z_I_L_L_A

I don't think people are bashing cardio I just think fitness is taking a new direction.

hpsnickers1

I say do what you want, its ultimate up to what you want.

I personally am not a fan of any cardio even though its good for the heart. The 1 piece of cardio equipment I can stand is the Arc trainer. I hate the treadmill and elliptical. Now that I'm moving somewhere with bike trails I might do some bike riding.

I like lifting weights 5 days a week. On occasion I get in a spurt where I walk my dog a few times a week for a few weeks in a row and then stop.

I prefer lifting.
If cardio is so good for the heart (the more the better) then why do so many marathon runners die from heart attacks in their 20s and 30s? Why does a marathon runner's heart swell up and take about three months to get back to normal size?
I don't think excessive cardio is good for the heart at all.

emczech5

I've seen a couple of threads like this. I think the point that they mean to make is that if you are doing only cardio you are missing something in your work out. However, some of these threads aren't bringing out that point very well and make it sound like cardio is evil and horrible and something you shouldn't be doing. I think that there definitely needs to be a balance of both cardio and strength training. However, If someone is doing only one or the other, at least they are doing something, which is better that sitting on the couch and they shouldn't get flack for trying to better themselves. Personally, I love lifting. I started doing it in high school and I love the results it provides for me.I gives me the best visual results. It helps me to look more tone and helps me be stronger. I also like the benefits of cardio. I feel like I have more energy when I'm consistently doing cardio. That being said, I don't necessarily enjoy doing cardio. Just because I like lifting better doesn't mean cardio is bad.

ChristyU74

I am LOVING lifting heavy, and it really has made the most drastic difference in my body composition in the shortest amount of time. More-so than all the years of cardio, including training and running a half marathon. I generally do get my heart rate up and put on a good sweat when I'm lifting as well. So, I'm certain there are cardiovascular benefits working as well.

That said, I will never give up Zumba! It's my favorite!!

dperich1968

There should be a good solid balance of the two. I lift 3x per week and do cardio 3x per week and take Sunday's off completely. It seems to be working well for me as a well rounded work out plan.

This exactly! This is what I'm doing too and it's worked like a charm for me. Muscle is great to have but not at the expense of my cardiovascular health. I enjoy the best of both worlds

Ditto on the above. I love my cardio and love my strength training. For women, as we age it is very important to include strength training into our routine. Keeps our bones healthy and our bodies young.

CherryOnionKiss

Cardio leads to "skinny fat" and some people seem to have issues with the whole "skinny fat" look and think that every muscle should be worked hard and defined.. Yea sure I do strength training but I do not wanna get "ripped"

I'd like to have a "skinny fat" body.. But if people hear me say that I get stick for it

What the heck is skinny fat?

erickirb

Cardio leads to "skinny fat" and some people seem to have issues with the whole "skinny fat" look and think that every muscle should be worked hard and defined.. Yea sure I do strength training but I do not wanna get "ripped"

I'd like to have a "skinny fat" body.. But if people hear me say that I get stick for it

What the heck is skinny fat?

This has been answered multiple times in this thread already.

Essentially skinny fat is being a healthy weight but having a high BF%, usually do to very little muscle.

astrampe

There should be a good solid balance of the two. I lift 3x per week and do cardio 3x per week and take Sunday's off completely. It seems to be working well for me as a well rounded work out plan.

This exactly! This is what I'm doing too and it's worked like a charm for me. Muscle is great to have but not at the expense of my cardiovascular health. I enjoy the best of both worlds

Ditto on the above. I love my cardio and love my strength training. For women, as we age it is very important to include strength training into our routine. Keeps our bones healthy and our bodies young.

Thanks for all the responses! Did not quite expect so many, but all good...... Seems like there is general concensus that a balance is good, so I will keep on doing what I'm doing...

:flowerforyou:

bcattoes

I actually burn more doing weight lifting. I also run a 5k in 27:07 and the mile in 7:10. What is your point? Why would I be lazy? I spend 2 hours a day in the gym during weekdays and 3-4 hours on the weekend working out and I wear a HRM which shows my calories burned is more in weightlifting than cardio. Sound like you're lazy looking for the easy button. I do a half hour of fat burning cardio per workout during the week with a 1.5 hour of cardio on the weekend. You assume to know too much.....

I know very little about HRM, but an MFP member with a very muscley profile pic once posted that HRM doesn't measure correctly for lifting.

CherryOnionKiss

Cardio leads to "skinny fat" and some people seem to have issues with the whole "skinny fat" look and think that every muscle should be worked hard and defined.. Yea sure I do strength training but I do not wanna get "ripped"

I'd like to have a "skinny fat" body.. But if people hear me say that I get stick for it

What the heck is skinny fat?

This has been answered multiple times in this thread already.

Essentially skinny fat is being a healthy weight but having a high BF%, usually do to very little muscle.

Yeah but I didn't feel like reading 14 pages of rant just to know what skinny fat is. But thanks for the answer

stephen_jones

if you want a body like a marathon runner,run long distance.if you want to look as ripped as usain bolt,sprint,simple really

erickirb

I actually burn more doing weight lifting. I also run a 5k in 27:07 and the mile in 7:10. What is your point? Why would I be lazy? I spend 2 hours a day in the gym during weekdays and 3-4 hours on the weekend working out and I wear a HRM which shows my calories burned is more in weightlifting than cardio. Sound like you're lazy looking for the easy button. I do a half hour of fat burning cardio per workout during the week with a 1.5 hour of cardio on the weekend. You assume to know too much.....

I know very little about HRM, but an MFP member with a very muscley profile pic once posted that HRM doesn't measure correctly for lifting.

.

This is correct and the reason for it is that your HR is elevated due to different physiological responses then with steady state cardio. HRM's have a build in calculation that assumes a certain oxygen uptake that just doesn't happen the same with strength training. If you paused between sets the estimate would be better, but the oxygen uptake part of the calculation would still be incorrect.

That being said, during recovery from strength training your metabolism may stay higher for up to 48 hours, with cardio you are lucky to get more than 1-2 hours.

emczech5

I say do what you want, its ultimate up to what you want.

I personally am not a fan of any cardio even though its good for the heart. The 1 piece of cardio equipment I can stand is the Arc trainer. I hate the treadmill and elliptical. Now that I'm moving somewhere with bike trails I might do some bike riding.

I like lifting weights 5 days a week. On occasion I get in a spurt where I walk my dog a few times a week for a few weeks in a row and then stop.

I prefer lifting.
If cardio is so good for the heart (the more the better) then why do so many marathon runners die from heart attacks in their 20s and 30s? Why does a marathon runner's heart swell up and take about three months to get back to normal size?
I don't think excessive cardio is good for the heart at all.

I think this says a lot right here. "I don't think excessive cardio is good for the heart at all." I totally agree with that and I think that is part of the point that people are trying to make in the "cardio bashing" threads. That being said, I still think that cardio is good for the heart, but I don't think I need to run for hours and hours a day to get those benefits. 20-30 minutes a few times a week, will work my heart and give it recovery time too. This is exactly how I treat strength training. I only lift a few day a week. I work out and make sure I give my muscles a chance to repair before I work them out again

BootcampJunkie

I think MFP consists of two extremes Cardio people vs Strength people. Each side seems to like bashing the other. I dont know if its people just following fads or just a lack of education from both sides. There is pros and cons to each. At the end of the day it comes down to GENETICS! What works for some doesnt mean it works for others. But it is smarter to do both.
I learned in my fitness certification course that to see an improvement in strength you only need to strength train twice a week for 20 minutes. Honestly! I had no clue about this but knowing this now I use it as a guide that I must do atleast this amount every week anything extra is just gravy.

Z_I_L_L_A

I actually burn more doing weight lifting. I also run a 5k in 27:07 and the mile in 7:10. What is your point? Why would I be lazy? I spend 2 hours a day in the gym during weekdays and 3-4 hours on the weekend working out and I wear a HRM which shows my calories burned is more in weightlifting than cardio. Sound like you're lazy looking for the easy button. I do a half hour of fat burning cardio per workout during the week with a 1.5 hour of cardio on the weekend. You assume to know too much.....

I know very little about HRM, but an MFP member with a very muscley profile pic once posted that HRM doesn't measure correctly for lifting.

.

This is correct and the reason for it is that your HR is elevated due to different physiological responses then with steady state cardio. HRM's have a build in calculation that assumes a certain oxygen uptake that just doesn't happen the same with strength training. If you paused between sets the estimate would be better, but the oxygen uptake part of the calculation would still be incorrect.

That being said, during recovery from strength training your metabolism may stay higher for up to 48 hours, with cardio you are lucky to get more than 1-2 hours.

I also do super sets and calisthenics in part of my workout. Where I'm breathing heavy and breaking sweat as much as I do in cardio training. I point is fitness has taken a new road where you do more for your health than we use to do. Incorporate all of these things like cross fit training. Lifting, cardio, calisthenics and nutrition is the new road. No bashing of cardio just a new direction.

bcattoes

Some cardio is good. Too much isn't.

Well, sure. But the same is true of any exercise. Overtraining is not limited to cardo.

nnylee

Cardio and Strength Training is what I do. I like me cardio.

Z_I_L_L_A

I think MFP consists of two extremes Cardio people vs Strength people. Each side seems to like bashing the other. I dont know if its people just following fads or just a lack of education from both sides. There is pros and cons to each. At the end of the day it comes down to GENETICS! What works for some doesnt mean it works for others. But it is smarter to do both.
I learned in my fitness certification course that to see an improvement in strength you only need to strength train twice a week for 20 minutes. Honestly! I had no clue about this but knowing this now I use it as a guide that I must do atleast this amount every week anything extra is just gravy.

I would say 3 extremes, 3rd being incorporate all cardio, weightlifting and calisthenics.

bcattoes

That being said, during recovery from strength training your metabolism may stay higher for up to 48 hours, with cardio you are lucky to get more than 1-2 hours.

There was a controlled study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2011, where 100% of the participants showed a significant afterburn (increased metabolism) after 45 min of intense aerobic exercise (spinning). The average length of the afterburn was 14 hrs.

ttkg

Edited because I cannot brain today for I have the dumb.

Oh my...I just lauhed and laughed - thank you!!

bahacca

I don't think it is a swear word, but when someone posts GOALS that are not conducive to a cardio routine, then why shouldn't someone say "You need to lift heavy to attain that goal." Most often i see people stating that people should do heavy lifting when they say "I want to tone up". So why is this swearing cardio? It isn't like people are saying "I'd like to run a half marathon. Where do I start?" and people are telling them "Don't do cardio--you need to do heavy lifting." Cardio, diet and lifting ALL have a place in the trifecta of HEALTH. Some people use the trifecta differently than others. It all depends on the ultimate goals we as individuals have.