Get Off That Treadmill! Cardio is Counterproductive!

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  • PuffedMummy
    PuffedMummy Posts: 17
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    @Papadunx BTW
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Interesting to see the holier than thou approach of cardio enthusiasts. If you do cardio, you are saving yourself, living longer? Longer than who?

    Seems a fresh attack on bodybuilders there. That are dropping dead all the time. Like WHO exactly? Which body builder can YOU state YOU know that dropped dead recently? Yeah, thought so. We body builders aren’t invincible by any means but some pretty stupid points.

    Cardio is not the holy grail and the simple fact most people’s cardio is fat burning only so gain very little or no cardiovascular gain from doing it.

    Lets face it, this site is about fitness. This means everything. My OH, the OP, is right in her statement. I don’t do cardio in the off season or very little, no more than 20 mins 2-3x a week if that. I eat a crazy amount of calories and certainly I raise my heart rate when I do my short and hard and intense lifting sessions.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    I'd take everything you read in muscle and fitness with a grain of salt.

    I can somewhat agree with OP, in the sense that cardio isn't amazing for people trying to put on mass.

    But I wouldn't say its counterproductive....that would depend on your goals. If you're an athlete, I don't think cardio would be counterproductive. Steady state cardio might not be the best option, but HIIT was amazing when I was playing soccer.
  • ktaqt3399
    ktaqt3399 Posts: 141 Member
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    I work out 4 hrs a day/ 6 days a week. burn 3000-4000 calories per workout. It's what works for me, and I lose 2.5 to 3 pounds a week generally. So I think I'll just stick with my cardio, thanks.

    thats determination......
  • patfyfe
    patfyfe Posts: 17
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    I only tend to do two forms of exercise, swimming and walking. I am 73 and find that these both help to keep my weight healthy. As I have a back problem I was advised years ago to swim in order to help and it certainly has. I can work in the garden for an hour or two and |I get no problems with my back.I have tried going to a gym but it is just not for me as I do not enjoy it. I would like to have a go at working with weights at home but am not sure what I should do. Are there any web sites I can use to give me some ideas please?
  • djsupreme6
    djsupreme6 Posts: 1,210 Member
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    Hello Gym Bunnies!

    Hope you're all dandy. :0)

    I'm afraid I'm the barer of bad news... well, simply relaying some new revelation: yup... as the title of the post says... don't waste your life on cardio! According to an article in Muscle and Fitness October Issue (Page 114) mixing it up prior or post weight training will detract from the intensity and performance. So get off that treadmill and go home!

    So? What do you do? When do you integrate cardio in your routine, pre-workout, post-workout or on separate times or dedicated to only cardio days? How often do you cardio your fat off?

    Thank you! :0))

    Ok, so I don't have so much a problem with the article, but I DO have a problem with this post in general.

    a) the title is meant to inflame. which it did to some extent. got the warring sides to bring their guns
    b) the intro is derogatory, from the "hello gym bunnies", to the "get off your treadmill and go home"
    c) the content is worded in such a manner that a number of people who are truly looking for help to get better may get further confused.

    If you want to bulk, that's one thing.
    If you want a strong heart, that's another.
    If you want to be fit and muscular... THEN IT IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE!

    BALANCE

    B A L A N C E

    As far as I'm concerned, you don't need to spend an hour on the treaddy and three hours on the weights 5x a week to get in shape.
    Balance your eating habits (no you DON'T have to go crazy eg. paleo, cleanses, etc)
    Balance your workouts (eg... I run - cardio - and I box - cardio/strength)
    Balance your life... and you will end up looking great. It may take some time, but it will work.

    If you want to be RIPPED - then yeah, go nuts on the weights.
    If you want to be super LEAN - then ok, go nuts on the treaddy, in the pool, on the road....
    If you want to cleanse, fine. If you want to eat clean, great. But you don't HAVE to in order to get healthy.

    IF you want to just simply look and feel good in your own body... remember the word BALANCE.
    Cardio is great for cutting fat (as long as you're not pumping it back into your diet)
    Strength training (including body weight workouts like crunches, squats, pushups, planks) will add resilience to your body.

    But damn, why do we have to create topics like this that are meant to divide? Soooo frustrating!

    I was gonna post...until I read this and Mirey hit it on the point...as a competitive basketball player I find balance is the best way to be
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
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    *sighs*

    I do pretty much only cardio and have done for months. I'm now in good shape and everyone says so- including my GP!

    I think my ticker speaks for itself.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    *sighs*

    I do pretty much only cardio and have done for months. I'm now in good shape and everyone says so- including my GP!

    I think my ticker speaks for itself.

    I do no cardio and am in better shape than you, around 10% body fat. Therefore using your logic, no cardio and lifting weights is actually better.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
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    *sighs*

    I do pretty much only cardio and have done for months. I'm now in good shape and everyone says so- including my GP!

    I think my ticker speaks for itself.

    I do no cardio and am in better shape than you, around 10% body fat. Therefore using your logic, no cardio and lifting weights is actually better.

    Depends....what's your cardiovascular health like? Just because you have muscles doesn't mean you can go a mile without being blown. 10% body fat is of course done in the kitchen for the most part....so I'm pretty sure you eat clean, and lift dirty. Plus LOOKING healthy and being healthy are two different things.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Is she really doing CV work or fat burning work? Doubt its the former. Can't remember seeing the last person in the gym anywhere properly doing CV work myself...

    As for CV health, I can happily jump on a treadmill/cross trainer and do an hour or two without problem. I don't because I'm not a drone and think about my goals rather than thinking cardio is absolute rather than a tool.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
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    i cardio for my heart health and because i want to start running 10k races so i have no idea how it' counterproductive to not run when i want to run.

    Yup. I'm a half marathoner and heavy lifter.
  • cupcake28
    cupcake28 Posts: 32 Member
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    *smashing head into wall*

    Know exactly what you mean!! lol

    Basically how I understand it from my gym manager is for the 1st 20mins of a cardio workout you burn things like toxins ie alcohol out of your system while you warm up... then the next 20mins you burn anything you have stored from the last 24hrs like carbs protein etc.... only after 40mins graft do you then start to burn your fat stores!

    So Ladies and Gents your fat burning work out starts after your first 40 minutes of excersise!!! (**Shrugs shoulders and sighs**)
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    No, it doesn't. How exactly would that work? You simply start burning calories from the moment you start moving your legs. Being your liver holds around 200g carbs and your muscle much more, I somehow think 40 mins is not going to be enough to deplete you of carbs from energy stores.
  • fatboyruss
    fatboyruss Posts: 33 Member
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    I totally agree
  • firedupfriend
    firedupfriend Posts: 140 Member
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    Jack-Donaghy-Facepalm.gif

    Michael-scott-no-god-no.gif

    Laughing so much I can't pick myself up off the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    i cardio for my heart health and because i want to start running 10k races so i have no idea how it' counterproductive to not run when i want to run.
    I do cardio for cardio health.... And to help strengthen my asthmatic lungs....
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    *smashing head into wall*

    Know exactly what you mean!! lol

    Basically how I understand it from my gym manager is for the 1st 20mins of a cardio workout you burn things like toxins ie alcohol out of your system while you warm up... then the next 20mins you burn anything you have stored from the last 24hrs like carbs protein etc.... only after 40mins graft do you then start to burn your fat stores!

    So Ladies and Gents your fat burning work out starts after your first 40 minutes of excersise!!! (**Shrugs shoulders and sighs**)
    Wait, what? You burn glucose and fat 24/7. You don't just arbitrarily burn one or the other, it's an all the time thing.
  • Hippie_Soul
    Hippie_Soul Posts: 190 Member
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    I work out 4 hrs a day/ 6 days a week. burn 3000-4000 calories per workout. It's what works for me, and I lose 2.5 to 3 pounds a week generally. So I think I'll just stick with my cardio, thanks.

    Holy....crap......how do you find the time?!?!? wait....the energy?!?!?
    That's amazing...kudos to you!!!
  • djsupreme6
    djsupreme6 Posts: 1,210 Member
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    Its all good if you ask me..as long as you're making improvements then good job to you...being active is much better then being inactive with many benefits whether you weight train...do cardio..pilates..yoga..whatever..its all for health and wellness..combined these things can help greatly...different people..different training is what it comes down to....a competitive bodybuilder is not going to do the same training as a sprinter..but some things will be very similar
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    *smashing head into wall*

    Know exactly what you mean!! lol

    Basically how I understand it from my gym manager is for the 1st 20mins of a cardio workout you burn things like toxins ie alcohol out of your system while you warm up... then the next 20mins you burn anything you have stored from the last 24hrs like carbs protein etc.... only after 40mins graft do you then start to burn your fat stores!

    So Ladies and Gents your fat burning work out starts after your first 40 minutes of excersise!!! (**Shrugs shoulders and sighs**)

    You probably want to find a new gym or at the very least stop taking advice from the gym manager. Clueless!!

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