cardio is pointless in my opinion

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  • BeingAwesome247
    BeingAwesome247 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    Why does it have to be an either/or question? Strength training and lifting improves metabolism long term as muscle is more thermogenic than fat. Strength training and lifting also improve bone density. Cardiovascular improves heart function, hence the reason it is called Cardiovascular. Cardio=heart in latin, vascular=veins. Improved heart function improves lung function and endurance.
    Sure, you can lose weight doing just one or the other, but then you miss out on other health benefits. Just like we focus on balanced nutrition we should also focus on balanced fitness. Not everyone can join a gym or buy weights, but everyone can go out for a walk, take the stairs, and other cardiovascular exercises. Form matters much more in strength training to prevent injury, not everyone can develop good form without a trainer.
    I think instead of criticizing people who are focused on one over the other people should understand that everyone's abilities and resources are different and anything that leads to weight loss and healthier lifestyle should be applauded.

    I think this comment should be applauded.

    :heart: :drinker: :heart:
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Weight training is pointless in my opinion. Who wants to have big muscles and no stamina?



    No - I don't really think this... I really think that every individual has to find a balance which works for them - Nutrition, Strength, CV etc. It amazes me that people can be so close minded as to think that the way which worked for them is the way it should work for everyone else.
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
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    Well I don't know about anyone else, but my cardiovascular function (asthmatic, do ocassional tests at the Dr.), resting heart rate and blood pressure have all improved from high intensity weightlifting.

    I think it's funny (and sad) that everyone completely ignored your comment. Great job!
  • IronDame
    IronDame Posts: 275
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    Since your opinion matters oh so much I guess I will stop doing cardio.











































    NOT!
  • Nalazirk
    Nalazirk Posts: 23
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    LOL:laugh:
  • 19kat55
    19kat55 Posts: 336 Member
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    Weight loss per se is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to be fit. Considering all the heart related problems people experience as they age, isn't the health of your heart important to you? When you hit 60 if your body looks like a million bucks because you always took care of how you look through strength training but you drop dead from a heart attack because you ignored the health of your heart, what difference will that great looking body make then? Both are important for overall fitness and I do both.
  • Jeneba
    Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
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    Two very good reasons : (1) heart (2) lungs. "This" is not all about cosmetic appearance.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    I sit at a desk all day so I feel like I already start the day in the red as far as activity goes. My legs and butt really seem to be enjoying that extra walky joggy time I've been getting, and it helps me clear my head so I don't kill people. :flowerforyou:
  • dreilingda
    dreilingda Posts: 122 Member
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    Clearly the use of the word "pointless" is intentionally inflammatory. However, if you're talking body composition, it's pretty clear that lifting is more important than cardio (outside of diet of course). And I would agree with you that it's alot more fun to train for an event or race than to run on a dreadmill like a gerbel. Plus, as a runner I can be considered athletic. If I just lifted I would only be a meat-head...
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    Look, can we all just stop being silly for a second.

    Regular weight training is more than sufficient to improve heart function and assist in lung function. You don't need cardio for that. In fact strength training is regularly used in CV rehabilitation following myocardial infarctions or heart surgery. If you improve strength and muscle mass it means your functional ability increases which means less strain on your heart.

    You don't need to do it to lose weight either. In pure efficiency and time cost terms it is more efficient to create a calorie deficit through diet then through cardio.

    I think cardio is great on many levels but it's not somehow superior to weights from a health point of view.
  • bodiva88
    bodiva88 Posts: 308 Member
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    tell that to my heart, my cholesterol levels, and my mental well-being

    This
  • CandyBryson
    CandyBryson Posts: 58 Member
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    Strength -- Endurance -- Speed -- Flexibility. All are important in their proper boundaries. I understand your point but personally I see it as balance in all things.

    ^^^^^THIS^^^^^ I want to lose weight AND be healthy. Which includes a healthy cardiovascular system. Which is why my cardio is NOT pointless.
  • VelaPulsar
    VelaPulsar Posts: 15
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    tell that to my heart, my cholesterol levels, and my mental well-being

    This.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    why use all your energy tying to create a deficit in your body to lose weight? why not just channel that energy to muscle development.

    and before anyone gets butt hurt, i kayak and cycle every weekend.

    unless you are in a sport that requires aerobic fitness, then yeah there is a point, but other then that just a waste of time.

    I get what you are saying....however, I sat next to my father-in-law in the hospital for an entire day while he had a stent put in. Last year, his brother had a heart attack. One of my uncles died of a heart attack. My mom has high blood pressure and cholesterol.

    So, I'm gonna do my cardio.
  • corn63
    corn63 Posts: 1,580 Member
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    You know what they say about opinions....
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    "People in masks cannot be trusted."

    People with their heads wrapped up in their grandmothers' shawls can be trusted even less.

    :laugh:

    QFT!
  • pants77
    pants77 Posts: 185 Member
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    1. It's good for my heart.

    2. Some of us still have considerable fat stores to deplete and weight training with a calorie surplus ain't gonna get it done.
  • IronDame
    IronDame Posts: 275
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    You know what they say about opinions....

    They are like buttholes?
  • Zomoniac
    Zomoniac Posts: 1,169 Member
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    You are pointless in my opinion.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Over the summer, my husband and I went hiking with a much younger friend of ours. He's 20-something, gym rat, looks like the poster child for fitness, lean, pretty much like the picture of Adonis, loves weights but does very little cardio.

    We both out-hiked him badly. We had to stop many times along the climb to let him catch his breath. Sure... this is anecdotal, but I'm sure it has a little to do with the fact that I do BOTH cardio and strength-training.

    Lifting might make you look pretty and offer health benefits for blood sugar management, bone denstity, etc - but cardio definitely has it's payoffs. I think it's pretty sad that a super-fit looking twenty-something would struggle so much on a three mile uphill walk.

    Edited to Add... he added cardio to his workout after hiking that day. He's actually become sort of hooked on running 5Ks. :happy:

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