HELP! I hate cardio

someblackgirl

I'm a cardio fan, but my fitness level (at present) is not going to let me go hard yet. BUT, I do play dancing video games and go for brisk walks. Anything fun. I also have solo dance parties in my bedroom (one lasted two hours!). I'm basically saying if you want to incorporate cardio, but hate it, think outside the box. any cardio is good. Just make sure you do it safely since you're on meds. Best of luck to you!

nz_deevaa

I have two lifting days where I always ensure I do a PB on those days (I work out with my trainer those days).

I always have a rest day after those days.

However, I also 2 other days a week at the gym, but I lift by myself, and I don't work quite as heavy. I don't bother with a rest day after those sessions.

tobnrn

Cardio is NOT a must. The only cardio I do is 5 minutes of raquetball before I lift 3 days a week. I eat at a moderate calorie deficit. My clothing sizes have decreased dramatically since doing this.

What Lori here said.

Although she didn't mention that she hikes 1-2 days a week for peace of mind...and this does help her get in basic health type cardio (which we really shouldn't neglect). As her trainer...I can most certainly attribute the fact that she's gone from a very tight size 12, to a size 6...in less than a month, to the strength training/relaxed diet program I have her on.

She was hiking, and actually substantially more active, prior to us working together...yet the changes were nowhere near as dramatic.

I do a ton of hiking in the fall which will probably make up my cardio during those times. Right now it's just SOOOO hot here in Arizona to go hiking. I miss it like crazy though.

Nobody has answered my question on how long should I rest between lifting days? Is rest needed after every lifting day?

I live in phoenix & go hiking at 6:30 am. Its breezy on the mountain.

As for rest, I lift M, W, F

ladytinkerbell99

Have you tried incorporating the two? I like to do 10 mins. elliptical-15 to 25 mins kettlebell/balanceball (incorporating different moves keeps the heart rate going-then 10 more mins elliptical. I love it and this method works for me because the elliptical is BORING.

^ This is a great idea, it keeps things fun and elevates your disinterest. :happy:

dougt333

If your muscles are sore, then your burning calories. So if your heavy lifting, don't worry about it.

If you really feel cardio is necassary than find something you enjoy. (swimming, tennis, soccer, that kind of stuff)

cersela

The elliptical can get tedious, do you listen to music, read or watch tv while you do it? Is there any other exercise you do like Dancing, swimming, bike riding, walking?

crisanderson27

Cardio is NOT a must. The only cardio I do is 5 minutes of raquetball before I lift 3 days a week. I eat at a moderate calorie deficit. My clothing sizes have decreased dramatically since doing this.

What Lori here said.

Although she didn't mention that she hikes 1-2 days a week for peace of mind...and this does help her get in basic health type cardio (which we really shouldn't neglect). As her trainer...I can most certainly attribute the fact that she's gone from a very tight size 12, to a size 6...in less than a month, to the strength training/relaxed diet program I have her on.

She was hiking, and actually substantially more active, prior to us working together...yet the changes were nowhere near as dramatic.

I do a ton of hiking in the fall which will probably make up my cardio during those times. Right now it's just SOOOO hot here in Arizona to go hiking. I miss it like crazy though.

Nobody has answered my question on how long should I rest between lifting days? Is rest needed after every lifting day?

Most good programs for fat loss would have you lifting 3x a week with full body compound lifts, for about an hour (an intense hour), on non consecutive days. M/W/F for example, but you can break that up however you like as long as your lift days aren't one after another. Some will have you doing 4-5 lifts, some as few as 2. The intensity and weight being heavy enough you can only lift 5-8 reps in a given set is the key.

Lori's workout involves two separate programs, and she alternates them one after the other. Hers is a strength program with a focus on fat loss. My personal program is also strength/fat loss based, but is more for a lifter who is at a bit higher level. I have three dedicated programs, and repeat them weekly. Monday is deadlift/ weighted chinup/rows, Wednesday is bench/weighted dips/shoulder press, and Friday is Squat/weighted lunges/calf raises. Her sets are a 5x5 format, mine are a reverse pyramid, with 3 warmup sets, and 3 working sets at 4, 5, and 6 reps respectively.

xiaoxu193

At 300 lbs, a healthy diet is the best way to lose weight. Cardio is not needed.

In addition, if you are doing slow running, that's barely burning any fat, if any at all. If you don't hit a certain heart rate (60% of max heart rate), then the running you do is burning the glycogen storage, not fat. At that rate, you literally need to run for 8-10 hours to start burning fat.

If you are set in doing cardio, do interval sprinting instead. Make sure your heart rate stays around 70-80% of your max. Your max heart rate is calculated as 220 - Age. So 25 year old has 220 - 25 = 195 bpm max heart rate.

In summary: healthy diet. I suggest you check out the Keto eating style. Cut down on carbohydrates so your body depletes all your glycogen storage, forcing it to burn fat.

More info on keto: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aiHSPoto_YqsNTDvL-g60nytMnyH-CJcCbiAx1IEUYM/edit?pli=1

NerdyTXChick

I hate cardio too and have been trying to find something I like. And I'm in the same sweltering boat living in TX. There have been a lot of good ideas here - I personally like the idea of listening to audio books on the treadmill since I'm a book fiend.

I had a suggestion, and while its not right for me, I thought I would throw it out there. I know a couple who have joined an indoor soccer team as a way to get some exercise. Its indoors, so its not too hot, and since they're on a team, they're kind of obligated to show up so they won't let the others down (good incentive). They really seem to enjoy it. I'd like to find something of this nature that would be fun and not seem like exercise.

faithchange

Great job so far! I think you are absolutely doing right in your weightlifting. As far as cardio, I believe it is a good thing to work your heart out. The best way to work the heart out is cardio. That could be the things you listed with ball slams, ropes, ect. There is so many things out there considered cardio. You could walk outside or inside on a treadmill with an incline. You could do Zumba (incredibly fun)....kickboxing or just a lot of upper boxing moves if the lower body is not friendly with the kicks. There are so many DVDs out there. A lot of them utilize the weights within the workouts so you get an added burn too.

Keep up your hardwork and try to research all the cardio possibilities that would help further your results. I think without cardio you'll still get results, but they won't be as fast as with cardio added (if that makes sense).

Michelle

Jbarbo01

Exercise isnt a must for weight loss in general, its a must for fitness. Weight loss is 80-90% about your diet, not time spent in the gym. This is proven by multiple studies. However, if you want to look toned and fit at the end of your weight loss then some weight training is a must! However cardio is simply physical fitness, its good for your heart. I wouldnt worry about it yet, right now just walk. Cut you carbs, eat really clean foods, and fill up on the produce. No processed corn, wheat, or soy products should cross your lips. Thats really how you get the scale to move. If you want awesome curves when you're close to your weight goal, thats where fitness comes in. People who say its necessary to do cardio to lose weight are simply wrong.

tvanhooser

I don't like exercise period....of any kind. Which is why I have to take Agent K's advice and not ask myself a question I don't want to know the answer to. ha ha People keep telling me I will learn to like it and be energized by it, excited about it and so on. I say "pish posh" ) If I put my energy into trying to convince myself to actually like doing something I've hated my entire life and that feeling isn't changing no matter what anyone says -- at least not yet, and I don't really expect it to -- then I am wasting energy better spent on just getting it done and over with. I can always find something I'd rather do if I allow myself the leeway of asking myself the question. Even pondering on how much I dislike what I'm doing is likely to lead to giving myself an excuse to stop. So I just can't think about it at all! It's not even a question, it's just what I have to do and I get it out of the way as quickly and efficiently as possible so I can move onto things I actually enjoy for the rest of my day.

MoreBean13

Exercise isnt a must for weight loss in general, its a must for fitness. Weight loss is 80-90% about your diet, not time spent in the gym. This is proven by multiple studies. However, if you want to look toned and fit at the end of your weight loss then some weight training is a must! However cardio is simply physical fitness, its good for your heart. I wouldnt worry about it yet, right now just walk. Cut you carbs, eat really clean foods, and fill up on the produce. No processed corn, wheat, or soy products should cross your lips. Thats really how you get the scale to move. If you want awesome curves when you're close to your weight goal, thats where fitness comes in. People who say its necessary to do cardio to lose weight are simply wrong.

While this (bolded) may be true for YOU it's certainly not true for everyone. Not everyone needs the excruciating dietary restrictions you self impose.

crisanderson27

Exercise isnt a must for weight loss in general, its a must for fitness. Weight loss is 80-90% about your diet, not time spent in the gym. This is proven by multiple studies. However, if you want to look toned and fit at the end of your weight loss then some weight training is a must! However cardio is simply physical fitness, its good for your heart. I wouldnt worry about it yet, right now just walk. Cut you carbs, eat really clean foods, and fill up on the produce. No processed corn, wheat, or soy products should cross your lips. Thats really how you get the scale to move. If you want awesome curves when you're close to your weight goal, thats where fitness comes in. People who say its necessary to do cardio to lose weight are simply wrong.

While this (bolded) may be true for YOU it's certainly not true for everyone. Not everyone needs the excruciating dietary restrictions you self impose.

:flowerforyou:

My response wasn't as politely worded.

mndamon

Given my body type I have to do cardio otherwise I just can't burn fat efficiently. I do 5 min before lifting and 20 min of moderate afterwards. That's about 3 days a week. Then on 3 of the "off" days I do 20 minutes of HIIT cardio. Next week I'm going to try bumping the HIIT up to about 30 min.

carhickman

I could not get through my cardio without an ipod filled with up-beat songs I love. I have to rotate the mix. I tend to change machines so I do 2 or 3 during my 45 mins of cardio. When I started I could barely to 5 mins on the elliptical or stair climber. Hang in there.

lusciousgirl8

I didn't like cardio much until I started rebounding a few years back. Now I absolutely love it! I read somewhere that 20 minutes of rebounding is equivalent to running 3 miles. You work up a great sweat, and your whole body starts to feel the difference. Its great for your lymph. Not only that, but there are so many rebounding videos out there, or you can do it while you watch tv. Just make up your own moves. My skin just glows now.

cmeade20

I greatly dislike cardio machines, treadmill, elliptical, ect. I, however, have found a love of cardio classes, I love kickboxing, I do tae bo, I love the Insanity dvds, and Zumba...if you told me to do an hr on the treadmill I would push it off and find an excused, but pop in a tae bo dvd or something, I seriously could do hours!

Same. I have zero problems kickboxing for an hour but I hate the machines

subcult

I hate all exercises also sometimes I semi enjoy lifting but usually not. I finally found something this year that I absoluty love. Trail mountain biking is awesome fun and a killer workout to boot.

_tjejen_

why not just go for a walk? at my weight I burn a tonne of cals just walking...and after a while you start to feel like you need it...the fresh air, the space, the me time.

edit: not machines tho...walk...outside and go somewhere :P