Cardio-aholic?
seobstar
Posts: 169
So, I would never have described myself as addicted to cardio.....until now! Geez, what is wrong with me!!?? Since finding this EMTWL group a week ago and reading all the stickies and watching the youtube videos, etc...I have decided to cut out a little bit of my cardio and add more heavy lifting into my mix. I workout 6 days a week and was doing intense cardio all of those 6 days (with lifing added ONTO the cardio on 3 of the days). Today was the first day ever that I just went into the gym and lifted heavy and then LEFT....oh my, was it hard!!! I had to literally talk the crazy person off my shoulder and steer clear of the treadmil so as to not run 3 miles! I never even realized I was that "addicted" to that feeling of a good sweat and heart racing cardio session. But, that being said....my muscles are shaaaakin' this morning and I feel great from my weights this morning! I added heavier weights and a few more exercises to my routine! Feeling good but a little doubtful about the "less cardio" thing .....hanging in there! Anybody relate?
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haha, i def CAN NOT relate! cardio and I aren't friends. I pouted my way through a 5k last year...
I'm sure your body will thank you for the switch up in routine though. Gotta keep those muscle guessing!0 -
I can relate totally. I think you just used to doing so much cardio. As women i guess we think" if I do this much I will burn x amount of cals, then it will all be good". Well I know I always did, though looking back to last year, I was netting somhthing like 1100 cals on average and had no idea what I was doing to my body. BMR shoudl be 1400. Result - zero weight loss!
I have not been into crazy amounts of cardio since I was in my 20's (now in 30's) But I know once you get into a pattern, it is so oooooo hard to cut down, as the high you get from the hard sweat is soo addictive - to me anyway.
Nowadays I cycle to work and back most days (4-5 times a week) - its 50 minutes or so and burns about 300 cals I guess. That is pretty much the only cardio I do, other than the very odd circuit class or a swim.
I walk most local places and dont drive, but I dont class that as cardio. Otherwise its yoga and pilates the rest of the time. I just need to get into this heavy lifting thing regularly now, to give me some of all the important strength, now that I have so much more energy from eating more, and to get some more rounded fitness benefits!0 -
Sorry to the threadjack...Is doing cardio 6 days a week a bad thing? I run 3-5 miles a day and lift 3 of the days. While I burn anywhere from 900-1400 calories a workout, I just make sure to net BMR at the very least. Did I miss something about doing too much cardio?0
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Pitt, I think there is a video about it in the vids section.
The more cardio you do, the more you have to eat. And excessive cardio can deplete muscle mass I believe.0 -
Sorry to the threadjack...Is doing cardio 6 days a week a bad thing? I run 3-5 miles a day and lift 3 of the days. While I burn anywhere from 900-1400 calories a workout, I just make sure to net BMR at the very least. Did I miss something about doing too much cardio?
If you love doing it, keep doing it. I understand why people say there's limits to cardio but the reality is humans used to be nomadic, and hard workers before the desk-job era. We used to plow fields 14 hours a day. I don't think doing cardio 7 days a week is a "bad" thing if you enjoy it.0 -
THanks Heidi. I thought I had read through all the stickies. Must have missed something.
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I can relate. I was doing spin 3 days a week and running or walking the other 2 days a week. No weight training at all. The last 3 weeks I have incorporated atleast 2 days of weight training. My muscles are sore and it feels good to do something different.0
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That makes sense Brad. I use to abhor cardio. Now the days I don't go running I am grumpy and irritable. I'm addicted to the "runner's high". I think my wife would beg me to go for my run so that I wouldn't get so cranky. She always says "What happen to the guy who never wanted to do anything but play video games and watch TV"? Gotta love the changes though.
Edited for misspelling.0 -
I can *totally* relate!! I still run (ok, jog) but not as much and not on lifting days. 0
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I can't relate. I avoid cardio at all costs!! I just to HIIT 2 times a week. I do need to try to increase my time. I am wiped afterwards.0
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I can relate. I wouldn't consider myself a cardio-aholic, but I certainly do look forward to and enjoy my cardio workouts. It's just plain old fun to me and I love to get my heart pumping and work up a good sweat. I love step aerobics, floor aerobics, HIIT, and kickboxing. I feel like a kid at play while doing those workouts. I can't imagine giving that up or putting a limit on how much I do. I place as much value on cardiovascular strength as I do on muscular strength and because neither one is more important to me than the other, I go hard in my cardio workouts and I also go hard and heavy in my weight workouts. I know some fear that too much cardio burns muscle and it will, if your diet is poor. I make sure I eat enough to support my daily activities. I work out early in the am so I have a snack before my workout and I have breakfast immediately following to prevent the need for my body to tap into my muscles for energy. Also, I try to keep my daily protein intake at 1.2 - 1.7 g/kg so my body has what it needs to rebuild after doing cardio and/or resistance training workouts 5-6 days/wk.
If you enjoy your cardio workouts, continue to do them, but you should also focus on bringing balance to your workout routine by continuing to lift heavy weights. See the value in both. Weight-lifting can be just as addictive. I love the feeling of power and strength it gives and I love being able to lift weight that I never imagined I would be lifting. Also, nothing can shape and define your body like lifting heavy weights. I incorporate cardio, strength, and flexibility into my weekly workout routine for a well-rounded approach to overall fitness and I am very pleased with my results. Another thing to keep in mind is that your weight workouts will greatly enhance your performance in your cardio workouts. You will notice that as you get stronger, your cardio workouts seem alot easier and you will be able to do more in your cardio workouts. I just love having muscular strength & endurance, cardiovascular stength & endurance, and great flexibility. It makes all the hard work worth it.0 -
So, I would never have described myself as addicted to cardio.....until now! Geez, what is wrong with me!!?? Since finding this EMTWL group a week ago and reading all the stickies and watching the youtube videos, etc...I have decided to cut out a little bit of my cardio and add more heavy lifting into my mix. I workout 6 days a week and was doing intense cardio all of those 6 days (with lifing added ONTO the cardio on 3 of the days). Today was the first day ever that I just went into the gym and lifted heavy and then LEFT....oh my, was it hard!!! I had to literally talk the crazy person off my shoulder and steer clear of the treadmil so as to not run 3 miles! I never even realized I was that "addicted" to that feeling of a good sweat and heart racing cardio session. But, that being said....my muscles are shaaaakin' this morning and I feel great from my weights this morning! I added heavier weights and a few more exercises to my routine! Feeling good but a little doubtful about the "less cardio" thing .....hanging in there! Anybody relate?
LOL...I was soooo you a while back. 3 zumbas, 3 body pumps, RIPPED, and at least once a week ellip or tread...every single week. To really EM2WL I had to cut back cardio because I couldn't eat enough to support all of the burn.
You can take a look at my pics...the pink shirt is the start of cutting back on cardio and the black sports bra is 7 wks into less cardio and more food...the gains in strength and definition has been amazing and today I only do 3 days heavy lifting one zumba on normal weeks. This week has been more cardio intense but I am eating up to 3000 calories to support it, I don't want to lose any muscle mass.
Lucia0 -
Also, your goals will dictate what you focus more on...if you want endurance then the long bouts of cardio will counteract trying to build muscle. The body starts to catabolize muscle for energy during long intense cardio sessions. That is why must body builders do limited cardio.
For me, muscle retention/building is more important, but I LOVE ZUMBA, so I do it once a week only and may throw in a HIIT session for fat blasting...and once in a BLUE moon I will do a zumbathon...it is my passion...not giving it up, but just won't do 3 a week anymore...0 -
Sorry to the threadjack...Is doing cardio 6 days a week a bad thing? I run 3-5 miles a day and lift 3 of the days. While I burn anywhere from 900-1400 calories a workout, I just make sure to net BMR at the very least. Did I miss something about doing too much cardio?
It's not a "Bad" thing per say....just depends on your goal! I'm looking to shed the last 10 pounds and clearly 6 days a week of cardio isn't exactly doing it for me since that's what I've been doing for a solid year and haven't changed in weight/inches, etc. Adding in more heavy lifting should hopefully help me burn these last few pounds and inches! And, if I add more lifting and keep up my cardio then I'll be seriously over-doing it....hence why I'm cutting out just one day of the cardio! If something has to change it's going to be that for now....we'll see how it works!
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