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

Eleisabelle

(Funny image...)

Speaking of... anyone used the Zombies, Run! app successfully in their area?

Not yet. I'm waiting for it to come out for Android. But I want it!

AZackery

I love doing cardio. I don't care how much strength training a person tries to push. They can only speak for their body and not mine. I know about strength training and I strength train, but not as much as I do cardio. I prefer doing cardio/strength than just solo strength training and I don't believe in lifting heavy. I know what I'm aiming for and what I need to do to get there.

Cardio burns fat.

rileysowner

My cardio work is not long steady state stuff. It is intervals or the like either High Intensity or not. I do it that way due to time constraints and the fact that other than cycling in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter, I don't like most other cardio types, and I don't have the time to do 4 days a week of long periods of time. I can workout my cardiovascular system just as well in a 30 minute or less Interval session. It is all personal preference.

The other reason it is getting a bad rep is that extremely long duration cardio, is counter productive for muscle building and maintaining. Many don't want that.

rileysowner

I'm losing weight to get healthy, and my doctor insists on cardiovascular exercise as part of my plan. I respect his highly educated opinion.

I hope your doctor has taken some extra courses, because all the doctors I have met have no training in the area of weight loss and exercise. My family doctor is completely honest in this area, she simply commends me on my progress, and if I want expertise she refers me to either a dietitian or someone specializing in exercise. She is highly trained in treating disease, and that is all. Maybe your doctor is different. It would be nice to see some doctors actually take time in this area as it is key to disease prevention.

jmonique27

So I have to be honest, I am not a big fan of cardio, but I've had the best results doing it, especially with interval training! (30 sec sprinting, 30 sec walking) :happy:

echoica

cardio ftw!!!!

LorinaLynn

As much as I love running, after my race this weekend, and seeing a bunch of other runners... I'm really glad I do both strength training and cardio.

They had low body fat. They had visible muscle. They weren't skinny fat by any means. But it wasn't the same kind of SHAPE you get from doing both.

meshashesha2012

i think the problem is people want to apply one size fits all rules. this goes for diet and exercise. its hard to troll what someone.s individual body will do when a "rule" is applied. for instance, it's pretty hard for an obese person to reach starvation mode.

same with doing weights and cardio. these aren't incompatible, our ancestors followed a similar program and to them it was called living. i think too often people read too much hypothetical stuff about what their bidies should be doing and don't spend enough time actually trying to find out what works for their body. i think the individual in the body is going to know what's going on better than a stranger making conclusions from a compiled study

shack1157

Bull Crap!!! I did cardio six days a week for a year! Nothing but cardio! After the year was up I started doing strength training three days a week but still do cardio six days a week! Lost 103 pounds and am off most meds I was taking! So Bull Crap that cardio is bad! Dr. Says I am in great shape so much better than I was before! So do what works for you and ignore the fads and hipe!

lgladybug

I think that both are equally important. However Cardio in my opinion is the most important but it should be an all around approach to health by doing both cardio and strength training. I've always wondered, if you do cardio with resistance wouldn't that be the same as doing both in one? Not saying that it's a replacement for both individual workouts but I'm meaning in general.

mmapags

bump

Dan112358

Go cardio yourself.

funkycamper

I think for optimum fitness you should do a mix of things. I lift heavy but I also do some "Barbie weights" in fitness classes which builds muscle endurance. And I do some bodyweight exercises, too. I do HIIT sessions but I also do some longer, steady-state cardio. Now and then I throw in a Tabata. I am starting to add more plyometrics into my workouts and I do some flexibility stuff but also need to do more of it. I think doing a good balance of things makes exercise more fun because I rarely do the same thing more than once a week. And this way I won't be as inclined to get any kind of repetitive injuries. I do think that the most important thing with exercise is finding something you like enough to keep doing it.

cutiepie2628

i really think that both is needed... some just like to do more than the other... it just really depend on the person.

killagb

Cardio burns fat.

Calorie deficits burn fat. :indifferent:

heybales

Cardio burns fat.

Weight lifting burns more fat after the actual workout is done.
http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/WT&End.html

And actually, cardio has a much easier potential of burning higher % of carbs than fat. Anything but the lowest level of HR is starting to burn more carbs than fat, starting at 60 to 100% when you go anaerobic with sprints.

And do to much cardio day after day on calorie restricted diet (like on MFP), and you have a great potential of burning up too much carbs, causing muscle breakdown to keep the blood sugar level correct.

Now, maybe you don't need the extra muscle in your upper body like the long distance runner in the picture above, because your racing ability relies on no extra weight were you don't need it (same with pro road cyclists BTW).

That being said, love the long cardio bike rides, even though I know I burn up muscle in the summer!

Trail_Addict

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

Ultra marathoner - 50 marathons, in 50 days, in 50 states. Look how emaciated he is.

micls

Some people need cardio for weight loss as it makes it easier to maintain the calorie deficit required to lose weight and meet their goals. Yes, they could lose the same amount of fat if they simply ate less calories, but if it were that simple no one would ever be fat. 'Just eat less calories' doesn't help. Having the option to 'earn' more calories helps a lot of people along the way of changing their lives. I know personally, I could never have stuck to my calorie goals without any extra help from doing some cardio.

Obviously, the heart and lung fitness is another important aspect.

That said, the benefits of weight training for weight loss and muscle building/toning/looking hot are well documented and irrefutable imo.

Everyone should incorporate both, those who want more calories to eat should add more cardio, those who want toned muscles should add extra weight work.

I've never seen anyone on here tell someone they should never do cardio, wouldn't mind a link to that?

econut2000

I haven't read all the responses.. there are too many! lol So if I'm repeating....sorry. Anyway, I cannot for the life of me remember what I was reading (I believe it was a magazine) and the article was from a personal trainer that basically said cardio was bad and you should only be lifting. I thought it was the most assinine thing I ever read and still do. Cardio is necessary for a healthy heart. Of course weight training should be incorporated into that routine but you need a good balance between the two. So yes, I think this is some stupid fad, which doesn't even make logical sense.

keiraev

I have cardio to thank for all my weightloss- and I do genuinely enjoy it!

However- I WISH I had start lifting along side it sooner as although I got slimmer, I didn't lose any B.F (maybe 2% in a year even though I lost 25lb!).

I started NROLFW at the beginning of Feb and am already seeing my overall shape improve a bit.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with just doing cardio though- especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. Give people a break, surely ANY exercise is better than none and some people literally did nothing before.

heybales

Ultra marathoner - 50 marathons, in 50 days, in 50 states. Look how emaciated he is.

And you are insinuating that this picture was taken after that effort?

Doesn't matter, you can train properly to burn mostly fat as fuel, that doesn't happen often with recreational runners - hence the "wall".
Dean does, and advocates the Maffetone method or similar. He also includes cross training and other activities for well rounded system. He is expert. But find some of his old photos, he's gotten wiser and smarter. And stronger.

Trail_Addict

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.

Please provide your source for this statement. As a runner, I certainly would hate to fall over dead from running... or did these few cases have previous genetic heart conditions that were offset due to their choice of cardio?

I'd love to read more about this chronic problem. :ohwell:

blakejohn

cardio cardio cardio.........................................................nope it's just not the same!!

Trail_Addict

Ultra marathoner - 50 marathons, in 50 days, in 50 states. Look how emaciated he is.

And you are insinuating that this picture was taken after that effort?

Doesn't matter, you can train properly to burn mostly fat as fuel, that doesn't happen often with recreational runners - hence the "wall".
Dean does, and advocates the Maffetone method or similar. He also includes cross training and other activities for well rounded system. He is expert. But find some of his old photos, he's gotten wiser and smarter. And stronger.

No, I'm not "insinuating" anything. It was called sarcasm.

I keep reading comments that long distance running leaves you looking like a POW survivor. This was an example showing that to not be true. You can be a distance runner and have muscle.

taunto

3 folks in my friends list who've lost more than 100 lbs have lost lbs simply by WALKING! Not even jogging, running, other hardcore cardio but the humble walking have brought them to 100+ lbs lost. I wouldnt even dream of shutting down cardio.

Also, Lately I've been hitting my neighborhood Boxing Academy. The workouts there are all cardio. We dont do anything with weights. We simply do high intensity cardio. If you think somebody who only does weight lifting can do those workouts, you're very wrong. Sure weight lifting is great but you cant diss out cardio now

devilsangel2

I lost over 80 lbs with just walking and diet, so you certainly can't knock cardio for pure weight loss as far as I am concerned. However, since I I regained a relatively small amount of weight (15 pounds) when I stopped smoking nearly 2 years ago I have been back on the weight loss drill once again. Cardio/diet alone is just not working anymore, so I have started to really mix up my exercise. I now have 3 x cardio days, 3 x weight days + boxing technique classes once per week. 1-2 of my cardio days are HIIT and every 4th weights day is a circuit. I like to mix it up and have a constant challenge, whether that be cardio, weights, HIIT or boxing it is all exercise and it is all working together to give me the results I have been looking for.

I think you just need to find what works for you and what anyone else thinks really doesn't matter a s**t

rml_16

There's a running store where I live owned by two men who competed as sprinters in the Olympics. One of them came in fifth overall in one of his events (two places out of a medal). They are both very thin and look more like the photo of the marathoner that was posted earlier than the sprinter.

Body type means a lot. My boyfriend's job, what he does for eight hours (or more) a day involves a lot of very heavy lifting. He's extremely strong. You'd never know by looking at him, though.

Iamkim73

Cardio is still good in my book. Cycling and running are my favs and weight training.

Yep... Me too!!

ahsats

Its been super interesting to read a million comments that simply state, "I love cardio."

m4nd479

Bump to read later