"No one who does only cardio looks good"

12357…15

Replies

  • tabik30
    tabik30 Posts: 443
    4 months of only-cardio got me here:
    2/23/11 - 150 lbs
    12102525_7995.jpg


    1 month of heavy lifting + 1 week high protein diet/no cardio got me here:
    3/23/11 - 144.6 lbs
    12102525_7010.jpg:


    wow!
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    Looks are about perception. Anyone that differs from that is a fool.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    Fu** it.
    I give up.
    No one gets that it was a generalization that is correct in 98% of cases.


    The person was asking which of the two if they had to choose, so I used a simple statement.
    No one has even proven that statement wrong in the 4 pages of this thread. Other than "michael phelps" who does lift weights btw.
  • zombilishious
    zombilishious Posts: 1,250 Member
    It's whatever a person WANTS to look like. I just had this convo this morning with a coworker. She started an intensive (100+lb) weight loss journey in March and is doing well with it by using the treadmill and taking zumba classes. It's not the first time I've suggested she try to incorporate weight training, and she's certainly seen the changes it's made in me lately. Her response was: "you can keep the definition and tone, if that's what you think looks good. I'm a soft, southern girlie girl and I think it's gross"
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
    I lost weight with cardio only, but just started with circuit training and using small weights. (30 DS) and I have already noticed the inches coming off in just a week.

    So I definitely think you need to do more than cardio when it comes to inches.
  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Might be cliche, but damn it, its true!

    Like!
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    It's whatever a person WANTS to look like. I just had this convo this morning with a coworker. She started an intensive (100+lb) weight loss journey in March and is doing well with it by using the treadmill and taking zumba classes. It's not the first time I've suggested she try to incorporate weight training, and she's certainly seen the changes it's made in me lately. Her response was: "you can keep the definition and tone, if that's what you think looks good. I'm a soft, southern girlie girl and I think it's gross"

    Gonna go out on another limb here and say anyone that needs to lose more than 100 pounds probably has morphed ideas of what "definition and tone" are, and what looks "good".

    :D
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    It's whatever a person WANTS to look like. I just had this convo this morning with a coworker. She started an intensive (100+lb) weight loss journey in March and is doing well with it by using the treadmill and taking zumba classes. It's not the first time I've suggested she try to incorporate weight training, and she's certainly seen the changes it's made in me lately. Her response was: "you can keep the definition and tone, if that's what you think looks good. I'm a soft, southern girlie girl and I think it's gross"

    Gonna go out on another limb here and say anyone that needs to lose more than 100 pounds probably has morphed ideas of what "definition and tone" are, and what looks "good".

    :D

    I agree
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    4 months of only-cardio got me here:
    2/23/11 - 150 lbs
    12102525_7995.jpg


    1 month of heavy lifting + 1 week high protein diet/no cardio got me here:
    3/23/11 - 144.6 lbs
    12102525_7010.jpg:


    wow!

    glad I wasn't the only one drooling, lol
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Well, girl, you look good. In fact, in general girls can get away with being skinny fat if they have the right assets, although plenty of women do look better tones or even need to tone to look good. Men absolutely need some muscle to look good, as they go from paunchy to emaciated pretty quick. Of course, looks are just looks. It's about how you feel. And most people feel better with some resistance training thrown in.
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    I wrote it.
    And I stand by my opinion.


    I've never seen a person look good who only runs. Women can probably get by with it and look decent, but men need to lift weights.

    You are referring only to running? Or all cardio? Not sure that I've ever seen a male swimmer and thought "gee- he needs to lift weights"...

    Thats because they probably lift weights.

    No, they don't. It would mean their muscles would not develop properly for swimming speed. Remember, the goal of a competitive swimmer is to swim fast, not look good. The looking good they end up doing wasn't the goal, it's a by-product.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member


    No, they don't. It would mean their muscles would not develop properly for swimming speed. Remember, the goal of a competitive swimmer is to swim fast, not look good. The looking good they end up doing wasn't the goal, it's a by-product.

    Yes they probably do.
    The goal of lifting isn't always to "look good".
    Some of us lift for performance.
    Swimmers need to be strong as well, and I'm willing to be the elite level ones do a bit of weight training.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/540018-women-who-only-lift-weights?page=1#posts-7566629


    women who only lift.
    go look in there.




    feel free to start a "people who only run" and see if any good physiques pop up.


    /arguement
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    It's whatever a person WANTS to look like. I just had this convo this morning with a coworker. She started an intensive (100+lb) weight loss journey in March and is doing well with it by using the treadmill and taking zumba classes. It's not the first time I've suggested she try to incorporate weight training, and she's certainly seen the changes it's made in me lately. Her response was: "you can keep the definition and tone, if that's what you think looks good. I'm a soft, southern girlie girl and I think it's gross"

    Gonna go out on another limb here and say anyone that needs to lose more than 100 pounds probably has morphed ideas of what "definition and tone" are, and what looks "good".

    :D

    Morphed? Morph means to "change smoothly from one image to another." Did you mean to say warped?

    And you know what? What makes you assume that overweight peoples' ideas of what is attractive aren't as valid as yours? I don't find muscular women attractive either. Give me the "cardio-only" woman any day.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    "Looks good" is subjective. For example, my calves always look great, no matter what I am doing. My legs are pretty muscular on their own, so provided I am the right size, they'll look pretty good...no strength training. My arms on the other hand, need some help. And my waist.

    Even people with softer bodies (Kim Kardashian comes to mind) still lift weights and do strength training. And she certainly doesn't look muscular.

    So my belief if strength training, even with body weight only, will make your body look better than cardio alone. If I do pushups for a few weeks, my arms and shoulders look better. And the strength training helps you get firmer (and shapelier).
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member


    No, they don't. It would mean their muscles would not develop properly for swimming speed. Remember, the goal of a competitive swimmer is to swim fast, not look good. The looking good they end up doing wasn't the goal, it's a by-product.

    Yes they probably do.
    The goal of lifting isn't always to "look good".
    Some of us lift for performance.
    Swimmers need to be strong as well, and I'm willing to be the elite level ones do a bit of weight training.

    But the goal of a competitive swimmer is always to swim fast, and competitive swimmers DO NOT lift because it doesn't make them faster it slows them down. Swimming performance isn't enhanced by lifting.
  • Chipmaniac
    Chipmaniac Posts: 642 Member
    I think it's pretty accurate. For example, I can walk miles a day and my calves will still be soft. A month of calf raises with a dumbbell and they're firm again.
    That's not true for the majority. Since doing running/elliptical/stair etc. my calves have become rock hard and defined. I don't think your observation bears out.

    The main problem with cardio is the muscle groups that aren't getting worked. In most cases, the legs get plenty of work and develop excellent muscle definition. It's the upper body that most often suffers.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I want to run because I want to run. Not because I think it will make me look better. In fact, I know it probably wont do much if anything at all for me appearance wise. Maybe a little to my legs, I don't know. I do strength training because I think it will make me look better. But I really don't like it.
  • becka63
    becka63 Posts: 712 Member
    Last year I only did cardio- Zumba, jillian michaels DVDs and the like. My lowest MFP weight was 1lb lower than it is today, but IMO I look much better now I've incorporated some regular resistance through ChaLean extreme. However, nothing gives me a flat stomach like running does!
  • AreneeG31
    AreneeG31 Posts: 256 Member
    I have lost the weight I wanted to lose with mostly cardio, now It is time for me to incorporate more weight training to actually tone and change the way my body looks. In my opinion, you must have both. :)

Categories