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

myofibril

Cardio leads to "skinny fat"

No.

A calorie deficit which is unsuitable for your current body composition does that.

What cardio does however, especially, low intensity steady state, and in the absence of weight / strength training is to add sometimes significantly to that calorie deficit making it excessive. This inhibits recovery and your body seeks to protect fat stores in preference to LBM.

Cardio is an excellent tool if used in the right context of a programme.

HelloNewYou

I've been an MFP member for a year and it's always been poo-pooed by a rather large segment of the members. My thoughts are there are 2 reasons:

I have come to realize that a good number of members come here from bodybuilding.com and/or other body building sites to "teach" us poor heart healthy people how to have awesomely muscley bodies, without which we cannot look good naked.

Some people care more about their abs than their hearts.

You don't get killer abs without lots of cardio and strength training!

mes1119

so skinny fat > normal fat? lol

NO...

they are the same. While skinny fat may be "smaller" they are more likely to have visceral fat: the kind that sits inside and around your organs. You can't see it, but it causes huge health problems.

Mr_240

Both work! Cardio allows yo to burn while working out. Weights burn during and after. Not to mention they tone you as well. Both are needed, hand in hand!

sportyskylar

:laugh: so true! weight training is great and yields awesome results but its okay do to cardio too as long as you eat in accordance with your exercise routine!

UrbanRunner81

I am doing new rules for women, but I am a runner, cyclist, gym rat and ect.... I love my cardio. I love lifting heavy, too. I do both. I don't go too crazy with cardio 40-60 minutes a day (unless I am training for half marathon/ect), less on days I lift. Cardio is what helps me burn a lot of stress and makes me feel good.

Sublog

I can't help to notice that cardio has been getting a seriously bad rep lately....

I get the idea that strengh/resistance whatever you want to call it is a vital part of losing weight and staying healthy, but there are more and more threads where people get told that 2 days of cardio per week is too much????

What about the health benefits of regular cardio vs just "heavy lifting"?

I know what works for me (cardio 4+ times a week from 30 mins to 1.5 hour on long runs, and lifting (though i doubt that some cousins of the Incredible Hulk on here would call it heavy! ) 3 times a week....
it gives me an all round program, burns calories, sustain lean muscle and makes me happy - oh, and got my bp down from borderline hypertention (139/89 to 117/70) and my body fat % down from 49.6 to 29%, so why the dislike of it?

Any ideas on why cardio is bad all of a sudden? :flowerforyou:

Because most people simply do too much of it match it with a bad diet that's too low in protein or too low in calories.

"Cardio is grossly overrated, and is not an absolute necessity for everyone who wants to lean down. For the most part, a calorie deficit is a calorie deficit. Weight training can easily cause the cardiovascular adaptations that people seek through cardio, with the added benefit of supporting lean body mass & strength. I’m a strong proponent of doing the least amount of formal cardio as necessary to reach the goal, starting with zero.

Achieving the goal with the least amount of ‘formal’ cardio has the following benefits, in no particular order of importance:

It saves time.
It prevents joints from incurring overuse injuries.
It promotes better recovery from weight training, particularly in the muscles that might experience work-overlap (ie, the legs).
Resistance training has plenty of cardio-respiratory & cardiovascular effects on its own, as long as you’re not training like a pure powerlifter with long rest periods between all sets.
Cardio is a good ‘trump card’ to use if/when fat loss plateaus arise and other options are maxed out. If you use the card right from the outset, you won’t have any cards to pull when you need them. It can always be added incrementally on an as-needed basis. This achieves the underlying goal of doing the minimum amount of work required to reach & maintain the goal. If your goal was to become a better runner, cyclist, swimmer, etc for performance or endurance’s sake, then the protocol would definitely incorporate the training of those qualities through cardio. However, cardio simply is not mandatory or optimal for other non-endurance pursuits – given that a sound resistance training protocol is maintained. I would also add to this that if someone ENJOYS cardio, there’s no reason in particular to avoid it. Just watch for the common tendency to overdo it.
"

With that being said, I am not anti cardio and I do low intensity cardio twice per week while cutting. However, so many people over do it.

see this as well

http://www.soheeleefitness.com/2012/01/23/cardio-bunny-stop-it-stop-it-now/

blueimp

I was just waiting on the weather to change :blushing:

What she said!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

jenniejengin

bump

sundancer1966

I think because people are extremists, all or nothing. We find that strentgh training is good, so we must do only strenght training, like eat only this type of food.

I think that a balance is needed, cardio is crucial, but not any more or anyless than doing weight training and flexibility training, each complement each other, and with a piece missing, we do not function as well.

For me personally, I need a lot of cardio, but I see results faster when I have a week where all three disciplines are followed, not in exact propotion, like 33.33% each.

BigDaddyBRC

MissTattoo

I think those saying cardio is bad and strength is the way to go are the people who have already reached or close to reaching their goals. You don't tell a 400 pound person that walking is a waste of time and that they should go lift weights instead. It's good for your heart also. We should be happy that people are moving!

I think there has to be a balance. Not one is better than the other.

IronmanPanda

I think you're reaching in your conclusions trying to stir up drama.

tinkermommc

I've seen this too! I think it's crazy! But there seems to be an opposite opinion on here for everyone. I think if you start a post saying that the sky is blue you'll get replies with links telling you that it is not. I'm not lifting weights. I don't have time or money too. But I'm fat and can work cardio into taking care of my kiddos so that is what I'm going to do. Cardio is good. It burns calories. It builds muscles, and if it doesn't can someone tell me how if I push my cardio harder my muscles are sore, they have got to be doing something. I can lift heavier things around the house than I could 3 months ago. It may be slower than weight lifting but this whole process is going to take awhile anyway.

Ruger2506

I would like to think with the obesity epidemic in this country that someone trying to better themselves with Weight Watchers or "just cardio" wouldn't be ridiculed for attempting to better themselves by being referred to as "skinny fat" or whatever other terms the fitness elitists want to throw around.

MissTattoo

yes! lol I suppose if you bulk up you wouldn't need to run from zombies since you could just punch a hole in their heads. lol

killagb

FYI - Cardio doesn't make you lose weight. Calorie deficits do. Cardio helps create deficits.

HotBodUnderConstruction

The negativity around cardio is not about whether cardio is good or bad...it's usually framed with respect to weight loss. To lose weight, all you need to do is eat less than you consume. This can be done with our without cardio. All cardio does is increase the amount of calories you burn on a daily basis allowing you to eat more and still maintain your 500 calorie deficit. Weight training is advised so that when you are creating this deficit you reduce the amount of LBM that you will undoubtedly lose from dieting. Again, it's not negativity, it's the misinformation regarding the role of cardio in weight loss.

scottb81

Skinny fat is when you are thin, but have a high body fat percentage. I've never really figured out how cardio causes this since.. well, cardio burns fat. But.. alright then.

^^^^^ This

Running does not cause skinny fat unless someone has a moronic diet at the same time.

I run 70+ miles a week and have a bodyfat % of less than 10% with LBM right around 160 lbs. I got there by lifting 0 weights in the past 15 years.

I also don't run to lose weight but I lose weight to run more and win races.

jocelyn_martin

I love doing cardio and absolutely hate weights. I think though that the key is balance. Right now I tend to do more cardio than weights, but I'm planning to slowly start working weights back into my exercise. Really, you need both.

BootcampJunkie

THe people that think it's "bad" are probably too lazy to do enough of it..........

I totally agree with this.

I find that the majority of lazy people I try to work out with just want to sit and lift weights or lay down and lift weights. God forbid them to work out more than one muscle group at a time.
I always joke with people that if a bigger person tries to pick a fight with me that they will have to catch me first. LOL I'd rather be tonned and wiry than ripped with no endurance.
Or if the Zombie apocalypse ever happens it will be the fast people who will survive.

myak623

I think both are important. How much you do of one or the other is dependent on your goals. I enjoy lifting heavy. So, I wouldn't do as much cardio since it would potentially affect my lifting routine. Some people enjoy cardio and lifting heavy would potentially make them sore and would affect their cardio routine.

There have also been a lot of posts where people hate to exercise. So, any routine that you love and will stick with is going to be the best for you.

keeponkickin

I do both cardio and heavy lifting but I LOVE cardio the best ;-)

astrampe

I think you're reaching in your conclusions trying to stir up drama.

:noway: Uuhmmm...I was asking a question....not stirring up drama....Or do I misunderstand and you are not talking to me but rather to the voices in your head?
Maybe go for a run, it helps me tremendously when I have a serious case of PMS grumpies....:flowerforyou:

SWEETS1234

I'm a cardio person it's what I like, so it's what I do. I'm not into strenght training if I'm up for it maybe once every two weeks I might do some push-ups or planks, just general use your own body resistence kind of thing but that's it.
I'm strong by nature so the way I look and the strength I have comes only from cardio.

I believe we are all different and we all need to do what works best for each of us.

HIGH Five to everyone for doing something good for your body whatever it maybe.
:flowerforyou:

ironanimal

THe people that think it's "bad" are probably too lazy to do enough of it..........

I totally agree with this.

I find that the majority of lazy people I try to work out with just want to sit and lift weights or lay down and lift weights. God forbid them to work out more than one muscle group at a time.
I always joke with people that if a bigger person tries to pick a fight with me that they will have to catch me first. LOL I'd rather be tonned and wiry than ripped with no endurance.
Or if the Zombie apocalypse ever happens it will be the fast people who will survive.

Sigh. You're missing the point entirely. Cardio and Strength Training achieve different things. As to not working out more than one muscle group at a time...lol. Heard of a compound lift? Do some clean, jerk and presses in a set, with good form, as many times as you can and see if you're not breathing heavy by the end, to boot.

infamousmk

There is an awful lot of misinformation and snap judgement going on in here... My only contribution is this:


Cardio is good for endurance. Endurance is required for good sex.

Muscles are sexy. Strength training is required for strong muscles.

MFPAddict

Anyone?

Sorry, I was busy doing some curls. :bigsmile:

Eleisabelle

http://www.snorgtees.com/zombies-hate-fast-food

Ding724

Personally, I have recently cut back on cardio a bit to focus more on strength training now that i'm near the end of my weightloss - but I definitely wouldn't use it as a swear word because I know that i've only come this far doing TONS of it

(however, I probably have viewed the word as a swear word in the past...for example: I have to do that freakin' car*** session later! UGH!) :laugh: