fed up off reading that cardio isn't beneficial

Sid1988

I've been reading quite a few posts on here recently regarding cardio and how it isn't actually effective towards weight loss.

I'm sorry but i think this is really discouraging; all exercise is good exercise.

There is no hidden secret towards losing weight, cut down on your calories, eat healthy and exercise; even if your execrise consists of just walking for half an hour a few times a week, it is still going to make a difference.

I joined MFP in May this year and so far i have lost 17lbs, at first i was very flakey with my gym schedule and would only go once or twice a week and not putting my full effort in, in the last month or so i make sure i go 3/4 times a week and i do 45mins of cardio and 15 mins of weight training 3/4 times a week and i'm losing weight.

If you're at your goal weight and want to tone up then yes, cardio probably isn't that beneficial, but for all other aspects i think it should be encouraged, not only for weight loss but for your fitness and general wellbeing.

Rant over!

cally69

I agree. Any exercise burns cals which adds to your deficit and helps with weight loss. I think people are referring to strength training which builds muscle to boost metabolism and reshape your body. Both are great but sometimes cardio takes a knock on these forums....

jesz124

I've been reading quite a few posts on here recently regarding cardio and how it isn't actually effective towards weight loss.

I'm sorry but i think this is really discouraging; all exercise is good exercise.

There is no hidden secret towards losing weight, cut down on your calories, eat healthy and exercise; even if your execrise consists of just walking for half an hour a few times a week, it is still going to make a difference.

I joined MFP in May this year and so far i have lost 17lbs, at first i was very flakey with my gym schedule and would only go once or twice a week and not putting my full effort in, in the last month or so i make sure i go 3/4 times a week and i do 45mins of cardio and 15 mins of weight training 3/4 times a week and i'm losing weight.

If you're at your goal weight and want to tone up then yes, cardio probably isn't that beneficial, but for all other aspects i think it should be encouraged, not only for weight loss but for your fitness and general wellbeing.

Rant over!

I think it depends if you want 'weight loss' or fat loss. I personally opt for fat loss so I lift heavy and have dropped my zzzz inducing 5/6 times a week gym cardio sessions. As soon as I dropped them my previously stalled scale weight loss magically began again. Doing long sessions of cardio obviously isn't the key to my fat loss, others must find the same, and have commented on it, hence the anti cardio attitiude you might sense sometimes. I just feel its a big myth that we need to spend hours on the x trainer or treadmill to loose fat.

TheVimFuego

Of course exercise is beneficial ... but is chronic cardio that much of a good thing?

If you have time on your hands and nothing better to do then get like a hamster on a wheel and burn those xxxx calories ... No guarantees that you will liberate any fat (let alone xxx calories of it) but by all means burn away ...

My plan is - Eat right, walk around a bit at a moderate pace and lift heavy once in a while.

Any exercise over this is just subject to the laws of rapidly diminishing fat-loss returns for me.

126siany

Right, cardio has a lot of health benefits and will improve your overall fitness.

I think what folks meant is that doing a lot of cardio exclusively while trying to lose weight is likely to result in more muscle loss than was necessary. That's still a new idea for many people, especially if we were in our teens or twenties in the 80's and 90's.

Strength training is also important, especially if you want to preserve muscle mass. And for all the middle aged and older folks, it's quite important as we're losing muscle each year unless we incorporate strength training.

jkcrawford

The whole idea of cardio is to get the blood pumping so you are able to do the rest of your exercises. That is my understanding.

jacksonpt

Well, you clearly know more than any of us, so who are we to argue?

AntWrig

Cardio is vital to getting ripped. You can be street lean or stage lean. There is a big difference. Very few people can get away with no cardio. Those few people don't visit this board.

dad106

In all reality, it's your diet that helps you lose weight... Cardio/weights are just really there to help you get the body you want and to improve fitness.

If you do cardio but aren't eating in a deficit or are eating too much your weight loss is going to stall.. and thats a fact.

LiftHuff

I don't see too many people saying that it's not beneficial. I see a LOT of people, with whom I agree, saying that lifting weights is a much more beneficial way to look and feel better, and that cardio is not *necessary.*

LiftHuff

Cardio is vital to getting ripped. You can be street lean or stage lean. There is a big difference. Very few people can get away with no cardio. Those few people don't visit this board.

This is simply silly. Google Martin Berkhan. He lives at ~5% bf and does little other than heavy compound lifts. Getting ripped is all in the kitchen. Sure, you can do cardio to create a larger caloric deficit, but the deficit is creating the fat loss, not the cardio specifically.

kjw1031

I like doing both strength training and cardio. I think they're both beneficial and I will keep doing both no matter what I read here.

Shange_Gully

Do you need to do cardio to lose weight? No

It's good for fitness though.

From a purely fat-loss perspective it is not necessary, exercise makes up a very small portion of the cals going out each day.

jo_marnes

I agree. There is such a thing as too much cardio, but to most people, that's irrelevent.

Cardio is not just helpful for weightloss but for HEALTH. It increases our cardiac fitness and this helps us in all walks of life.

oOMusicBabii

I do my cardio because my lungs suck.

That and I LOVE running...gave up treadmill running as it was boring (although, those fancy treadmills with the screen that shows different trails while you run look like fun), but I enjoy nice runs outside and I feel my lungs getting used to the abuse and getting better with each stride. I do strength training 3 times a week and while I'm not lifting heavy yet, I'll get there someday. My goal for just about any lifting is 190lbs (I bet my bf that someday I'd be able to bench-press him :X)

I think for the optimal benefit, people need both cardio and strength training. Maybe instead of ragging on the cardio addicts, politely suggest to them to add some strength training to make their workouts better and them stronger.

loublou33

I think the key is to vary your workout, whatever it is. We will all reach a plateau if we don't challenge our bodies. If you do the same old workout week in week out of course your body will become used to it and burn less calories. It will take less energy as you body needs to work less hard to do it as you muscles have becomed conditioned to that exercise. If a person who uses the cross trainer every time they go to the gym move to the treadmill, bike or rower they will give their body a shock and require different muscles to do the work. Variation is the key, challenge the body, whether thats cardio, weights, whatever. x 8-)

myofibril

Cardio is vital to getting ripped. You can be street lean or stage lean. There is a big difference. Very few people can get away with no cardio. Those few people don't visit this board.

This is simply silly. Google Martin Berkhan. He lives at ~5% bf and does little other than heavy compound lifts. Getting ripped is all in the kitchen. Sure, you can do cardio to create a larger caloric deficit, but the deficit is creating the fat loss, not the cardio specifically.

You're right in that there is no real "need" to do cardio just as there is no real dietary need for carbs. It's the deficit which causes the loss ultimately which cardio contributes to as you say.

Just because there is no need for it does not mean it cannot be incredibly useful. For many individuals cardio can play an important role especially if dietary adherence is difficult on less calories. Some people just do much better eating more and doing more activity on top of their weights. You could make the argument that this approach actually leads to preferable body comp results if you follow the "G - Flux / Energy Flux" line of thinking. Ronnie Coleman knows a thing or two about getting lean and does a couple of hours cardio per day (split over two separate sessions - morning and evening) to prep for competitions.

Finally, as far as a I am aware Martin Berkhan does advocate doing some cardio on a cut - just not excessive amounts of it. I don't many people would disagree with that.

The problem has always been low calorie dieting coupled with excessive cardio whilst forgetting to include resistance training....

twinmom1993

im a beginner so i do mostly cardio. every day for at least 30 minutes. I just started to incorporate strength training. i dont lift heavy because i dont want big bulky muscles. I want to tone the muscles i do have and use those muscles to "eat away" at the fat surrounding them... i can say that i started this MFP in may and before may i did VERY little exercise. so no one can say cardio doesnt help with weight loss. im down and i love t...

aimeero2012

Cardio is good for your overall health and fitness as well as weight loss.

erickirb

I've been reading quite a few posts on here recently regarding cardio and how it isn't actually effective towards weight loss.

I'm sorry but i think this is really discouraging; all exercise is good exercise.

There is no hidden secret towards losing weight, cut down on your calories, eat healthy and exercise; even if your execrise consists of just walking for half an hour a few times a week, it is still going to make a difference.

I joined MFP in May this year and so far i have lost 17lbs, at first i was very flakey with my gym schedule and would only go once or twice a week and not putting my full effort in, in the last month or so i make sure i go 3/4 times a week and i do 45mins of cardio and 15 mins of weight training 3/4 times a week and i'm losing weight.

If you're at your goal weight and want to tone up then yes, cardio probably isn't that beneficial, but for all other aspects i think it should be encouraged, not only for weight loss but for your fitness and general wellbeing.

Rant over!

All people mean by that is that for weight loss it is the deficit that matters (this can be done with cardio and diet or diet alone) and strength training is great as you retain lean muscle as you lose weight instead of losing it alone with the fat.

Cardio is great for endurance, heart health etc. But weight loss is not one of the benefits, as you can easily just eat more to counter the cals burned. Cardio allows you to eat more and lose the same weight as you could do with diet alone. For some this is the only way they can lose as they cannot just lower their caloric intake, and even so it is the deficit from not eating more that creates weight loss, not the cardio itself.

Hendrix7

Cardio is vital to getting ripped. You can be street lean or stage lean. There is a big difference. Very few people can get away with no cardio. Those few people don't visit this board.

This is simply silly. Google Martin Berkhan. He lives at ~5% bf and does little other than heavy compound lifts. Getting ripped is all in the kitchen. Sure, you can do cardio to create a larger caloric deficit, but the deficit is creating the fat loss, not the cardio specifically.

Read what he said again.

marie_cressman

Eh, I like cardio and strength training personally. Cardio... good for the heart? Am I wrong (no seriously, am i? I've done some reading, but let's be honest... I have a horrible memory)? I want a healthy heart.
I enjoy strength training as well because... I used to be more of a wienie than I am right now. Yep. I was a wimp. I didn't do yard work. I didn't do much of anything that required me to be strong to be honest. I like being/feeling stronger physically. I actually couldn't do a push up at all at one point in time. I can't do a whole crap load... I don't think I could hang with my husband and his friends just yet, but one day I will... and I'll blow those guys out of the water. Yep. I am a BAMF in progress son! LOL

That being said, I think it's beneficial to do both for general health and fitness. I don't aim to be a body builder. I don't aim to be a marathon runner. I aim to be healthy and more fit (and right now I'm more fit than I have ever been in my life).

CarleneOelofse

I wholeheartedly agree with you!

djsupreme6

I find it beneficial to do both, however I normally do cardio both aerobic and anaerobic as well as cardio based strength training which consists mostly of bodyweight movements...things like Tabata style...HIIT workouts...interval training can incorporate aspects along with eating well of course

erickirb

im a beginner so i do mostly cardio. every day for at least 30 minutes. I just started to incorporate strength training. i dont lift heavy because i dont want big bulky muscles. I want to tone the muscles i do have and use those muscles to "eat away" at the fat surrounding them... i can say that i started this MFP in may and before may i did VERY little exercise. so no one can say cardio doesnt help with weight loss. im down and i love t...

As a woman with lower testosterone than men you will not get bulky lifting heavy (it is even difficult for men to get bulky without seriously trying too). You will achieve the look you are going for much quicker lifting heavy. Another thing you need to bulk up is a caloric surplus, if you are trying to lose weight you will not gain muscle, and failing to lift a large % of your wight loss will come from muscle.

azalais7

im a beginner so i do mostly cardio. every day for at least 30 minutes. I just started to incorporate strength training. i dont lift heavy because i dont want big bulky muscles. I want to tone the muscles i do have and use those muscles to "eat away" at the fat surrounding them... i can say that i started this MFP in may and before may i did VERY little exercise. so no one can say cardio doesnt help with weight loss. im down and i love t...

Just FYI, you would have to work extremely hard, lifting incredibly heavy and eating over maintenance, to even hope to get big bulky muscles as a woman. For the vast majority of us, lifting heavy a few times a week will create precisely the "toned" look you want and raise your metabolism a bit.

On edit: What erickirb said.

LorinaLynn

I love cardio. I love running. It's great for my heart and lungs, and burns lots of calories so I'm able to eat pretty much whatever I want without negative repercussions.

But I am AMAZED at what strength training did to improve my body shape. It even helped improve my running.

Heavy lifting does NOT give women big bulky muscles unless they're eating at surplus and working really, really, really hard at it. Even then, they might need steriods.

This is what it's done for me. My arms are smaller and more shapely.



I'd already lost 20 pounds when the first bikini shots were taken, and 30 pounds by the second. The last photos are after about a year of strength training with a few pounds gained.

jypsyjulia

So what if cardio isn't the best for weight loss? It's fantastic for your BODY! It helps your heart and lungs. HEALTH should be more important to people than just losing weight.

TroJon

CARDIO IS FUKIN AMAZING

WHOEVER SAID IT ISN'T HAS NEVER BEEN SHREDDED LEAN

thepict51

Cardio Vascular exercise is very good for you - good for the ticker and the BP. Personally, I don't want to drop dead with a coronary or a stroke. I'm fortunate to live in the NE of England and we have some beautiful country side , and som e of the best beaches in the country . Not bothered about pumping iron. Anyway can't afford gym membership.

What do people mean by eating in deficit?

Bill

kjw1031

What do people mean by eating in deficit?

Eating few calories than you are expending every day.