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

ewells2420

I hate running with a passion, but its the best thing to lose weight/fat. In my opinion it should be the main thing to do for losing weight. Thats why I used to be the best shape of my life when I was in the Army. Thats all we did, was run.

mes1119

I think they are putting down those that think cardio is the only way to lose weight. Those that spend hours on the treadmill burning every calorie they eat are the ones these demeaning messages are targeting.


Personally, I think a well rounding exercise regimen would include 3 days of strength training, 3 days of cardio and a rest day. Yoga, pilates and stretching have great benefits as well.

Moderation is key.

kdeaux1959

Balance is the way to health. Some are trying to bulk and such. Depends on your goals I suppose.

Lord007

I haven't really noticed, but then again, I've only been on MFP for a month now.

I've had success getting healthier and losing weight focusing on just that. I just ran my first 5k last week, as a matter of fact.
I just started HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) on the elliptical this past week and dropped 3 more pounds since I started. (Yay me!)
30 minutes of cardio 3-4 times weekly lowers your bad cholesterol count
Running more than 21 miles a week increases your good cholesterol.

For those reasons alone, I've been on the elliptical or treadmill 6 times a week for at least 30 minutes each session. I hate running, but I've never gotten the "flush- brain tingly" feeling from weight training as I have from pushing myself during cardio.

mgmlap

..for me..I am following the NROL4W..and cardio doesn't come into play till stage 2...so 2 more weeks..and I will be back on cardio..but then again..you have to see what works for you...I did cardio to reach my goal weight..but didn't lift enough weights..so I am "skinny fat"...

bcattoes

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.

HelloNewYou

It didn't! Where are you seeing this?

katiejneely

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

lublue

I've always taken 'skinny fat' to mean slim, but still with a high fat %, not slim and not muscley!

Buddhasmiracle

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!

I think this sums it up very well. For me, I do 30-40 mins of either eliptical trainer or a bike ride daily. I've been diagnosed with a rare genetic cardiomyopathy so it is "special" to me that I can pump my heart for health and fitness. Actually, I am fortunate to even being alive, given that I went into cardiac arrest three times. Building muscle and muscle fiber via weight lifting/training has many benefits, particularly as you age, along with strengthening your bones and connective tissue.

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.