Is it true?

Oompa_Loompa

I've heard from more than one source that anything over 20 minutes of cardio at one time is pointless...is that true?

CallieM15

My trainer told me anything over 40 mins is pointless. 40 mins and your body burns fat all day.

Phatdaddymike

Cant believe its true......you run for 20, and you run for 40...ill run for 3 hours and lets compare weight loss in a month....:grumble:

durbanski

So 40 mins and you're locked in the zone?

Jglover30

I agree with fat daddy. I can't believe that it would be "pointless" you're buring calories, increasing your heart rate and endurance when you work out. As long as you're not overdoing it it's helping you each your goals. I'm also big advocate or working out and try to get in at least 6 days per week...60 - 90 minutes per day

Oompa_Loompa

I know it doesn't make sense.

MacMadame

No, it's not true. Proving once again that trainers are some of the worst people to get advice from on anything remotely scientific.

A simplified explanation:

Your body uses the glycogen in your muscles and the fat in your fat stores for energy as well as the calories you eat. At various points in your day, it may be burning more fat or more glycogen. But at night your body replaces any glycogen that it burned. It replaces it by burning fat.

Therefore, the more calories you burn, the more fat you burn overall.

Btw, the bad advice used to be: you have to do cardio for at least 20 min. or it's worthless. I find it :laugh: that this has turned into "don't do more than 20 min". Neither turns out to be true, btw.

sjcply

if that were the case, then how do the ppl on biggest looser exercise for 5-6 hrs a day and lose the amount of wt that they lose. If that were true then you would lose the same amount if you did 20min or 1 hr and that is not the case, for me alteast it's not.

nlehmann

Pointless isn't really the right word. After 20 minutes of hard cardio inside your fat burning zone is enough to keep your body burning carolies after you complete your workout.

SHBoss1673

yeah...... no, that's not true in the slightest.

Oompa_Loompa

Thanks Everyone!

aippolito1

They might have been thinking about this statement, which is... any cardio UNDER 20 minutes is pointless, which I also disagree with. I can get on the treadmill and go for 15 minutes, run intervals 2 or 3 times and burn 100 calories.