Should I forget cardio?

KayLgee

Ok so everywhere people are telling me that I should forget about cardio and concentrate on the weights and strength training. Although this is news to my ears as I hate the treadmill I can't help but feel like I need to do some cardio to lose weight.

At the moment I am doing 3x Kettlebell classes, 2x Pilates 1x Yoga, Swimming and lifting 2x a week.

To speed up my results should I incorporate cardio 3/4x a week for say 30mins?

Advice please?

Alderaic

swimming is cardio, KB can be cardio as well.
TO me it looks like you are doing enough, unless your resting heart rate is too high or your blood pressure is too high, why are you looking at adding cardio?

KayLgee

When I say cardio I mean full on treadmill/elliptical/bike etc.

I just feel that it may speed things up for me and I watch these people pumping away on the above machines and feel like I don't do enough.

KANGOOJUMPS

CARDIO IS GOOD!

Alderaic

When I say cardio I mean full on treadmill/elliptical/bike etc.

I just feel that it may speed things up for me and I watch these people pumping away on the above machines and feel like I don't do enough.

if you want to do cardio, try to find something that you enjoy, it looks like you love group classes and stuff, so maybe spinning if you are into high intensity with music, or a running group, even martial arts!
Treadmill or elliptical are a good option but it can get extremely boring.

LoraF83

Swimming & kettlebell classes can be cardio. Cardio is anything that elevates your heart rate, basically.

Strength training is great for shaping your body so you can get the "look" or results that you want. Some people don't do cardio at all, since it's not necessary for weight loss or body recomposition. However, I like to do it for the health benefits. Too many people in my extended family have heart problems and other health issues and doing cardio a few times a week makes me feel better about lessening my chances of being another statistic.

FullOfWin

Cardio is an optional tool for creating a calorie deficit. Do it and eat more, or don't do it and eat less. Your choice.

BrianSharpe

There's no doubt that cardio burns more calories in a given amount of time but your choice of exercise should be determined by your goals.

Personally I think life is too short to be doing something you hate (perhaps an alternative form of cardio such as biking / spinning or rowing?) If your goals don't include running or triathlon etc you're fine keeping the cardio lower and focusing on strength (along with a reasonable caloric deficit until you hit your goal weight)

KayLgee

Thanks people, I might add in 15mins on the bike a few times a week but if what im doing is good enough i'll stick to it.

Bakkasan

That 15 minutes can be a warmup or cool down for weights and always a good idea. I try to make my weight sessions also my cardio sessions. After you do your heavy hard weights you can drop the weight in half and do speed sessions as one idea.

Yesterday I did deadlift sets. My heart was pounding and I almost puked. THAT is some serious cardio. I hit 160 on the hrm after my second set of 5 at 365. After that I did 10 minutes of walking to cool down.

djsupreme6

Keep the cardio...its beneficial as well as the strength training..they work in unison

jcstanton

Thanks people, I might add in 15mins on the bike a few times a week but if what im doing is good enough i'll stick to it.

You can get a great "quickie" cardio session in 15-30min by doing HIIT.

http://www.intervaltraining.net/hiit.html

ObtainingBalance

Sounds great.

Adding 15 mins once and awhile won't kill, either.

But you already have cardio in there..

Fenomka

I find (and my trainer agrees) that cardio is more for your endurance, to help you push through the other stuff - it helps train your heart/body to Keep going, and to be able to adjust it's "speed" (read Heart rate, blood pressure) quickly and efficiently, when you go from active to resting, etc.

I'm a big fan of cardio, because I have A LOT of fat to burn, and it's easier to maintain a long term fat burn on a low level elliptical set, vs the up and down of weight sets/ high intensity workouts. But honestly, (and again, my trainer agrees) it's what your body seems to respond to most - if what you're doing is losing you the weight, and you feel good with what you're doing, stick to it! it's better to do what you enjoy in the gym, and keep going, than to force yourself to do the things you don't enjoy, and then start losing focus.

Have fun, Rock it out!

swbernstel

I've started doing cardio right before my strength workouts. It helps loosen everything up and get the blood pumping. Also, Netflix is one of the greatest boredom breakers in the world. But, the key is you still have to keep the intensity up on your workout. It's easy lose intensity when watching TV. I keep my phone right next to the strides/min on the elliptical and make sure it is always above 100.

marieautumn

I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but i think cardio is really important. i did crossfit for 1 year which is a lot of heavy lifting and contary to popular belief, i did not have a lot of muscle tone and my body fat percentage was around 26%. for the past 8 months i have been doing lots of cardio and some weight training (80% cardio, 20% machine weights) and i have lost 12 pounds and 2 pant sizes. Most of this loss i attribute to the cardio as i just recently added the machine weights to my work out. I now have 22% body fat and i'm almost to my goal weight.

RosaC773

It really depends on your fitness goal.

This is a great article, may help you really focus what is your true goal.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/betteru23.htm

likemeinvisible

Cardio is vital for your health and the best way to burn fat.

logicman69

I use cardio as a warm-up for my training. Hit the eliptical for 20 minutes before your class or training session to get your heart rate up.

FullOfWin

http://www.simplyshredded.com/nutrition-expert-alan-aragon-talks-with-simplyshredded-com.html

xoyasminxo

Cardio is good. Not just to help lose weight but for your health in general.

Christine1110

I feel like it's smart to add different exercises...weights are great, build muscle burn more...cardio for the heart...doing both seems like a perfect balance

lachesissss

It depends on what your end results are. Cardio raises your heart rate and burns fat. If you want to experience a quicker fat loss, incorporating a short session of high intensity cardio may be the way to go. Spinning is a good idea, so is an ellipitcal with resistance. Biking only works your legs really, and while it does burn calories, there are more effective ways to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. However, it looks like you do enough cardio as it is with swimming and kettlebells, so the choice really is yours. I would personally increase the intensity of my swim workouts if I wasn't fond of the machines, incorporate more sprint laps, etc.

LMick1986

I haven't read through all the responses, so I'm sure they're saying the same thing, but I'll just say it too. Don't skip cardio! It's ONLY beneficial! Obviously, you don't need to go running marathons and stuff. For weight loss, yes it will speed up the process. For health, it's definitely what we all need. I HATE running, but keeping the heart strong is super important! So keep doing what you're doing, because you already have a lot of cardio in there. It won't hurt to throw in some bike stuff too if you want. Good job on doing so much!

mhouston2011

Swimming & kettlebell classes can be cardio. Cardio is anything that elevates your heart rate, basically.

Strength training is great for shaping your body so you can get the "look" or results that you want. Some people don't do cardio at all, since it's not necessary for weight loss or body recomposition. However, I like to do it for the health benefits. Too many people in my extended family have heart problems and other health issues and doing cardio a few times a week makes me feel better about lessening my chances of being another statistic.

"Some people don't do cardio at all, since it's not necessary for weight loss or body recomposition."
Where in the world did you get this information from??????

elebel82

I don't know the science or weight-loss benefits of cardio, though I've seen several posts slamming it, which really did surprise me.

However, even if they one day prove that cardio has zero benefits (seems unlikely), it makes me motivated and happy. It makes me chase after goals, it makes me "feel" like I'm doing something in a way that weights and food don't, and it also gives me all sorts of happy endorphins. I know for a fact that if I quit doing cardio for too long, it's only a matter of days before I fall off the wagon completely.

ahamm002

Other than the 2x lifting sessions per week, everything else you're doing might be considered cardio.

Styladelica

I lift heavy weights as my main exercise and occassionally I'll do some interval training on the treadmill. Lifting weights is also cardio as it raises your heart rate and makes you sweat.

Please read this article, it is absolutely true. I've been lifting heavy weights (currently pressing 40kg, back squatting 60kg and deadlifting 120kg) for 18 months and I've never looked or felt so good - plus I don't look like Jodie Marsh - just toned, defined and healthy.

http://www.niashanks.com/2012/10/myth-buster-6-female-strength-training-myths-that-wont-die/

I think the anti-cardio thing relates specifically to women. This is an excellent article on why it's important that women do intervals rather than long distance running in their workouts in order to lose weight.

http://constantlyvaried.wordpress.com/?s=skinny+fat+cortisol+and+why+cardio

FullOfWin

Swimming & kettlebell classes can be cardio. Cardio is anything that elevates your heart rate, basically.

Strength training is great for shaping your body so you can get the "look" or results that you want. Some people don't do cardio at all, since it's not necessary for weight loss or body recomposition. However, I like to do it for the health benefits. Too many people in my extended family have heart problems and other health issues and doing cardio a few times a week makes me feel better about lessening my chances of being another statistic.

"Some people don't do cardio at all, since it's not necessary for weight loss or body recomposition."
Where in the world did you get this information from??????

Why do you ask? It is definitely true.

T34418l3angel

Swimming & kettlebell classes can be cardio. Cardio is anything that elevates your heart rate, basically.

Strength training is great for shaping your body so you can get the "look" or results that you want. Some people don't do cardio at all, since it's not necessary for weight loss or body recomposition. However, I like to do it for the health benefits. Too many people in my extended family have heart problems and other health issues and doing cardio a few times a week makes me feel better about lessening my chances of being another statistic.

"Some people don't do cardio at all, since it's not necessary for weight loss or body recomposition."
Where in the world did you get this information from??????

Why do you ask? It is definitely true.

I agree definitely true, some of the fittest people don't do any cardio. Allot of body builders don't. I don't do cardio (not saying I'm the fittest person), but I do do a cool down on the elliptical after my weight training but it wouldn't count as cardio since it's only 10-15 minutes.

Leadfoot_Lewis

Cardio is not needed to lose weight - a calorie deficit is. If your diet is spot on you can lose weight without an ounce of cardio. Yes cardio burns calories, but so does weight lifting (at a lesser rate). The beauty of weight lifting is you burn calories after the fact, and the more muscle (lean body mass) you have, the more calories you will burn at rest.

IMO Cardio is not needed over 3x a week unless you're training for a marathon or some other endurance event. The benefits of weightlifting far out weigh those of cardio and should be the priority in one's workout regimen, not the other way around which seems to be the case around here.