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

amccrazgrl

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.

dicars79

I think cardio is good--if only to relieve stress levels. A good workout on the elliptical and I'm as good as new!

belgerian

Ive been primarly doing cardio for the last year and that was worked great to slim down, but now I am getting interested in some type of resistance training to tone up. I will still do my running I love it helps my focus, Keeps depression and anexity away, and I burn A lot of calories.

amymrls

love cario and high impact aerobics they rock.

Gwendalyne

I do both. I use to be all cardio and I was losing the weight, but I found that although I was getting smaller, my body didn't look like I wanted it to, so I did P90x which is a combo of cardio/strength..Now I'm into lifting heavy weights and I love it. Doesn't mean I don't run my 4 miles. I think a healthy balance between the two is key.

But there is no cookie cutter formula, do what works for you.

Z_I_L_L_A

Hulk faster and stronger than super cardio girl....Actually I do both...

Fit_Canuck

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

tlhorsley

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.

siloparek

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

BPayton27

I will never stop doing cardio. I will never replace cardio with lifting, either. I strength train twice a week to tone and get some definition, but I enjoy cardio more. I like the feeling of sweat dripping down my face and my heart gurgling. :P

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.