cardio is pointless in my opinion
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I agree. Total waste of time. Lost 30 pounds sweating on a treadmill and changing my diet. Healthy BMI, better stamina, sleep better, feel better.
Yup, all that was a total waste.0 -
Actually doing cardio benefits your heart a great deal. Doing cardio will increase the efficiency of the circulation of your blood, which leads to more nutrients being delivered throughout your body, courtesy of better flowing blood. It also acts to fight off the tendency for you to develop high blood pressure. The number of red blood cells will increase, and this has the beneficial effect of ensuring that more oxygen is delivered all throughout your body.
I bet you could share with some of us women why weight training is not a waste of time...I actually know how beneficial it is, but for women who need more cardio to keep weight off, many believe weight training is a waste of time. It took me a long time to realize more muscle means more fat burn so it's not a waste of time for me. I truly believe both cardio and weight training are important, not only for weight loss, but also for general health. You won't always be young and you will need both cardio and weight training more and more as you age to keep your body running right. We lose about 5% muscle mass every year after age 35 and about 8% per year after age 40. Not doing both cardio and muscle bearing exercise as you age will allow both your bone and muscle to atrophy. We also need both for better balance and coordination.
Just wanted you to know you are not wasting your time.
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Until the zombies come.......
Here here!0 -
I teach spinning classes 6 days a week (about 8 classes). Honestly after 18-20 minutes ANY CARDIO you do is just for fun. When I work out I do weights no additional cardio. I've notice I lose a lot of muscle when I don't at least match an hour of weights with an hour of cardio.0
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Your heart would disagree with you.0
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Oh and for me if I strictly stick to weight training and don't do cardio I gain weight. I am at the age where I have to work harder to lose and keep it off and cardio helps this. Also when I can't make it to the gym my only option is to do cardio at home.0
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you're right. cardiovascular fitness is dumb.
Is'nt that kinda like saying, "wearing sunglasses and floppy baseball caps is dumb?"0 -
IMO the best exercise for ANYone is the exercise that they'll DO. Long term. Bottom line. :flowerforyou:
Now somebody pass me a beer! :drinker:0 -
Even strength training employees some level of cardiovascular activity, though minimal compared to an actual aerobic workout. For those of us that are older and had quite a bit of weight to loose, that pretty much is the only real reason I have managed to loose the weight I have. And yes, I do add machines a couple times a week, or at least do push ups and related exercises at home when I cannot get to the gym and equipment. If you're already in pretty decent shape, you may not need as much cardio to burn calories but anyone with a considerable amount of weight/fat to burn off, there's not a more effective way than that.0
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There are other benefits to cardio besides weight loss.
And when the zombies come you only have to out run the slowest person with you. ;-P0 -
Chronic cardio does nothing for the muscles. Look how it ruined the muscle tone in my legs.0
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I teach spinning classes 6 days a week (about 8 classes). Honestly after 18-20 minutes ANY CARDIO you do is just for fun. When I work out I do weights no additional cardio. I've notice I lose a lot of muscle when I don't at least match an hour of weights with an hour of cardio.
so you workout for ~16 hours a week?0 -
shrivelled.Chronic cardio does nothing for the muscles. Look how it ruined the muscle tone in my legs.
:-)
Seriously, this is the most ridiculous and obviously provocative thread I've seen since.... well, the last time a muscle bound jock posted an almost identical thread. (Which by my calculations was maybe 30 minutes ago.)
Don't you guys have something heavy to pick up?0 -
I lost over 80 lbs focusing overwhelmingly on "cardio" (mostly road cycling and spin class, some running, some bmx racing, occasional swimming) and some weight lifting for almost 2 years now. Years ago, before putting on weight and not exercising at all for years, I primarily lifted weights.
One of the biggest life changes I've noticed with "cardio" exercise and weight loss is that I used to get winded doing simple things like walking stairs, yard work, playing with my kids and even housework. I'd say that nothing gets me tired any more. I can even handle extremely stressful situations better.
It also helps your mind. Cardio is a great way to deal with stress and unwind. A ride often makes me forget what was bothering me, helps me come up with a plan to fix it, or helps me to just quit stressing it.
Of course, I've also gotten a lot faster on my bike and my endurance has gone way up compared to what it was. Oh, and my legs are huge and leaner now. Veins starting to appear.
So, not pointless in my opinion.0 -
this thread is a joke right?0
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Cardio is good for your heart and lungs, managing your weight and blood pressure and has many other health benefits. And it's hella fun for some of us. It's my believe that a great fitness regime includes BOTH strength and cardio. People need to stop arguing, stop thinking that you have to pick a side (cardio or strength) and stop thinking their way is the only way!0
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Until the zombies come.......
Seriously though I think the aerobic benefits are better here then with just strength training. I like to incorporate both.
Rule 1: CARDIO!!!!
BTW, I agree. A mix of both. When I first stated on my journey, I was doing just cardio and losing weight. But after a while, I plateaued. That's when I started doing both and the weight started coming off again. I do think that there is a difference between cardio. For example, if you do HIIT or Tabata, you will probably burn more calories than just walking. You just got to be smart about it.0 -
Recent studies have shown that some people gain no benefit from cardio and some people do. It depends if you are a non responder then you get no benefit from it. I did sprints occasionally and walked alot. I got my body from lifting.
Do what you love to do, end of. Get your diet right, it's bad diet that will give you heart attacks etc...0 -
You know what else is pointless?
A blunt pencil.
Stupid pencils...0 -
waste of time? you have to create a deficit somehow to lose weight and for me slashing my calories is a NO NO!
The bigger the burn, the bigger the plateful! :drinker:
:smokin:0 -
We still talking about this :yawn:
Cardio works.0 -
We still talking about this :yawn:
Cardio works.
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waste of time? you have to create a deficit somehow to lose weight and for me slashing my calories is a NO NO!
The bigger the burn, the bigger the plateful! :drinker:
:smokin:
EXACTLY!0 -
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.
100% agree. For anyone who is interested google "chronic cardio" and you can learn about the effects of too much cardio.
I even have a scientific clinical study that shows what a lifetime of running and marathons does to the heart. Not good. (and the hearts swells up after a marathon and can take about 3 months to go back to normal).
People seem to forget that the heart is a muscle. You can overwork and strain a muscle. You can pull a muscle. Any muscle that you overwork has the potential to bonk out - certainly don't want the heart bonking out. Once or twice a week I do about 25 mintues on the treadmill. For 30 seconds every 4 minutes I run full speed. I get my heart rate back to normal then I do it again. This does just as much - if not more - for your cardiovascular system without drenching the body in cortisol.
People also don't realize that exercise is stress on the body. You are breaking the body down. Gains happen during recovery, not during the exericse.
Please do post the science.
Ta.
(Signed: A scientist)0 -
Recent studies have shown that some people gain no benefit from cardio and some people do. It depends if you are a non responder then you get no benefit from it. I did sprints occasionally and walked alot. I got my body from lifting.
Do what you love to do, end of. Get your diet right, it's bad diet that will give you heart attacks etc...
Could we see the studies please?0 -
I'm small. (Short, and within a healthy weight range,although I'd like to lose about 5-8 pounds for vanity's sake). For me, the only way I can stay within my calorie goal, which is smaller than I like, is to burn a significant number of calories, and the most time efficient way is running.
Before you all start saying I need to "eat more to weigh less," just know that I have put considerable research into making sure I know my stats (BMR, RMR, TDEE, cals burned from exercise, etc), and every way you run the numbers, the calories are restrictive. So I must keep cardio as a part of my routine, since I do not enjoy a diet of primarily leaves and twigs!!
I also know that muscle burns more fat, etc. But again do the research and you will find that the daily calorie requirements for having more muscle are not terribly significant. (My body fat is reasonable, but I do keep some strenghth training going to continue to improve!)
So perhaps cardio is not important for larger frames (and men) who have reasonable calorie requirements, but it is necessary for many to lose and maintain.
Thankfully I enjoy cardio. Like an earlier post said, my run is MY time AWAY!!0 -
cardio is pointless in my opinion
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I'm sorry. I haven't read even a little bit of this thread, but I just had to tell someone about the awesome lunch I just had: I got one of those huge burritos from Chipotle, complete with evil white rice and cheese. With it, I ate a whole bag of their tortilla chips and washed it down with two pale ales. Total calories: approximately 1650! And, I have 800 calories left to spend on my not-nearly-famous-enough homemade mac'n'cheese tonight. So, yeah, I'd say that hour and a half I spent jogging was totally pointless.
I should add that my weight loss has been consistent and that I haven't lost even a fraction of an inch off of my arms and legs.0 -
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.
What the point of increasing the size of your muscle? How will that help anyone? It's not directly related strength.
What sports do you participate in where muscle size is important for your sport?
Professional Wrestling!!!
The fans want to see the big freakish muscles!!!0 -
After doing Insanity for over 60 days and becoming absolutely sick of it and getting almost no visible results, I am inclined to agree.
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