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

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  • MonkeyBars
    MonkeyBars Posts: 266 Member
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    The best quote I ever remember reading, if you treat your body as "bread".

    Resistance training is the breadknife to cut away the crust, cardio is the pearing knife to cut the shape out of the bread!

    We need both! And to quote Gunnar Peterson, "4 legs to the table, cardio, resistance, diet & rest. We need all 4 legs to hold the table up"

    Without these 4, we're out of balance and will not be our best. Personally I've stopped lifting heavy and now do bodyweight caveman tabata style training. Battling ropes, pullups, medicine ball pushups, punchbag, swissball sprawls, etc....

    The diet part isn't actually dieting, it's measure your input/output to either maintain or improve in "either" direction! Sometimes I've wanted to put weight on, but "good" weight. My diet changes to eat more and lift more....

    Rant over, I'm going off topic!!!!

    :)
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    It's not that cardio is bad - cardio is great! You need cardio to burn calories. The reason why strength training is being promoted is because usually (women, mostly) are unfamiliar with the concept of strength training and how it can help them. If you do ONLY cardio all the time, and don't SUPPLEMENT your workouts with strength training, you're missing out on some serious benefits.

    I personally try to promote strength training as a great tool for people who want to get healthy, and encourage people not to shy away from it. But that certainly doesn't mean cardio is bad! Cardio is just what everyone seems to already be used to and familiar with, so it isn't addressed in conversation as much.

    Hope this helps!

    ^^^^^^ Well said. I'd add: Cardio isn't needed to burn calories. Can get a calorie deficit through nutrition alone or with strength training alone or a combination of nutrition and strength. Or a combo of nutrition, strength and cardio. Building lean muscle mass - soooo important! Not a cardio hater, but a strength training lover. My advice is to supplement strength training with cardio. I've seen results with strength training that I"ve never had before. I'm a former all cardio girl. I'd never been educated about strength training before - and it rocks! BALANCE. Always about the balance : )
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    Zombieland_main_std.jpg

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

    Thank you for bringing my attention to this.... It looks hillariously good! I'm pretty certain I wants this app :)

    LOL, just downloaded it and will use it on my next run. Hope I don't scare the neighbors running with a machete.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    The best quote I ever remember reading, if you treat your body as "bread".

    Resistance training is the breadknife to cut away the crust, cardio is the pearing knife to cut the shape out of the bread!

    We need both! And to quote Gunnar Peterson, "4 legs to the table, cardio, resistance, diet & rest. We need all 4 legs to hold the table up"

    Without these 4, we're out of balance and will not be our best. Personally I've stopped lifting heavy and now do bodyweight caveman tabata style training. Battling ropes, pullups, medicine ball pushups, punchbag, swissball sprawls, etc....

    The diet part isn't actually dieting, it's measure your input/output to either maintain or improve in "either" direction! Sometimes I've wanted to put weight on, but "good" weight. My diet changes to eat more and lift more....

    Rant over, I'm going off topic!!!!

    :)

    Great post! I'm stealing the 4 legs thing. If we're in the same room I'll attribute but if not, I'll claim it! :laugh:
    Well expressed and an excellent perspective!
  • dianacannon89
    dianacannon89 Posts: 235 Member
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    What is Skinny Fat?!
  • bwalgraeve
    bwalgraeve Posts: 4
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    This is not true. I do Insanity, which is cardio interval training, and if you go to Youtube and watch progress videos, a lot of those people get ripped, or at least lean muscle definition.
    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
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    20 rep squats are cardio
  • h_wst
    h_wst Posts: 9
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    I do cardio almost every day of the week. I was told by a personal trainer to loose the weight you want to loose first by doing cardio and then focus on toning with weight lifting ect.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Here is the problem with cardio. People are using it as a means of weight loss. You create a deficit through your diet and exercise. When I say exercise I mean ANAEROBIC (weight lifting, sprinting) the elliptical, long distance running will not improve body recomp goals, it will actually HINDER your goals due to cortisol production.

    While any form of exercise produces cortisol, the difference is weight lifting and sprinting produce testosterone which blunts cortisol production.

    So, you don't need cardio PERIOD to reach your goals. When I say cardio I mean endless hours on the spinning bike, elliptical, the "new" aerobic routines (P90x, Insansity, etc). Get out and walk for a change. Walking provides nothing but benefits to body recomp goals. I don't mean fast walking, just a nice pace.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,639 Member
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    Cardio burns fat. A person doesn't ever have to lift weights and still get results. I know my body and I'm the only one that can speak for it.
    Blanket statement. If cardio is in the upper levels of near peak output, you burn glycogen not fat. Cardio burn "calories".


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I do cardio almost every day of the week. I was told by a personal trainer to loose the weight you want to loose first by doing cardio and then focus on toning with weight lifting ect.
    Your trainer is wrong.
  • Smiler106
    Smiler106 Posts: 124 Member
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    It's not that cardio is bad - cardio is great! You need cardio to burn calories. The reason why strength training is being promoted is because usually (women, mostly) are unfamiliar with the concept of strength training and how it can help them. If you do ONLY cardio all the time, and don't SUPPLEMENT your workouts with strength training, you're missing out on some serious benefits.

    Well thank you for taking the time to educate us stupid, ignorant women.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    It's not that cardio is bad - cardio is great! You need cardio to burn calories. The reason why strength training is being promoted is because usually (women, mostly) are unfamiliar with the concept of strength training and how it can help them. If you do ONLY cardio all the time, and don't SUPPLEMENT your workouts with strength training, you're missing out on some serious benefits.

    Well thank you for taking the time to educate us stupid, ignorant women.
    And what exactly is the point of your response? Everything said was correct.
  • eberz1000
    eberz1000 Posts: 16 Member
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    LOVE CARDIO
    But I think the issue is if you do cardio without replacing enough calories, your body would just go catabolic and break down your muscle. Too much cardio also may trigger starvation mode. I used to be a cardio junkie because it felt good and I thought it would help me achieve the 'ideal' body. It really doesn't. I just ended up skinny fat with no muscle, anaemia and eventually even gained weight. It was bad.

    Balance is best, but from my experience, up to 45 minutes of cardio is the max limit
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,639 Member
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    Cardio and strength training in tandem work as a balanced program for weight loss/maintenance/fitness. You don't need cardio to lose weight. You don't need strength training to lose weight. You could do that by diet alone.
    Physically it's what each individual is trying to achieve. For some it's to look thin. For some to look fit. For some it's to run a race or marathon.
    People will pick the exercise program that fits the interest in what they are trying to achieve.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,214 Member
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    Cardio is weightlifting for your heart (your most important muscle). There's no way I can lift heavy weights without a strong, healthy heart.
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    I do cardio almost every day of the week. I was told by a personal trainer to loose the weight you want to loose first by doing cardio and then focus on toning with weight lifting ect.
    Your trainer is wrong.

    Indeed. Absolutely, need to fat burn. But, not needing to maintain/build lean muscle - I"m just floored that a personal trainer would tell you that. But then again, always need to "look under the covers" at trainers, nutritionists, indeed any "expert".
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I do cardio almost every day of the week. I was told by a personal trainer to loose the weight you want to loose first by doing cardio and then focus on toning with weight lifting ect.
    Your trainer is wrong.

    +1! I'd get a new trainer. I always wonder why people say a version of this that goes something like "I'm going to eat a deficit and burn calories through cardio to lose weight. Then I'll do strength to gain muscle." Huh?? Why would you not just do both at the same time? Lose fat, maintain muscle and lose inches and forget the da@@3%M scale! Why cost yourself muscle and then try to rebuild it?

    We get so hung up on the number on the scale! What if you could wave a magic wand and get 12% body fat and look and feel great but you stay the weight you are right now? I'd take that deal all day long! Now I'm within 10 lbs of my goal and I get it if you have 25 or 50 or 75 lbs too much but you'd still be served well by a balanced approach.
  • Dilfster
    Dilfster Posts: 434
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    i do cardio 6 days a week and don't regret a single second of it.
  • lepardmama
    lepardmama Posts: 11 Member
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    Cardio is actually what SAVED me! I was doing bootcamp 3X per week and not seeing many results because of my eating habits. When I added 2 days of cardio to those 3 days of bootcamp and started eating right, the pounds starting shedding quickly. I am a firm believer that cardio is the KEY to losing weight and inches, mixed with the weight training. So you keep going sista! :smile:

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