whats 'wrong' with too much cardio?

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  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    muscles continue to burn energy all day- so more muscles -more burn.
    The amount is so small. I had a Dr show me research on the subject (need to keep that link handy). But I guess some is better than none...
    1 lb of muscle burns 6 cal per day. 1 lb of fat burn 2 cal per day. Just to break even you have to gain 1 lb of muscle for every 3 lbs of fat lost.
  • margojr4
    margojr4 Posts: 259 Member
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    Too much cardio combined with a deficit made me skinny and flabby.

    Adding weight training made my body firm and shapely.

    This too.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
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    Emaciated cardio addicts look much like meth addicts. Most every gym has at least one.
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
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    I love my cardio, it's a GREAT stress reliever after a hell-day at work.

    But, doing weight training ensures that while you'll continue to lose both fat and muscle mass, you'll retain more muscle than you would with (just) cardio, therefore lose more fat. Also, muscle training increases your resting metabolism, which means that even if you've burned a comparatively low amount of calories, you'll continue the "burn" way past your actual excercise hour-or-two or, in fact, day.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    There are many ways to lose fat. Cardio works, but it isn't for everybody. Weight training is in some ways more similar to HIIT (high-intensity interval training), which you might have read about in the standard baby boomer edutainment outlets such as the New York Times. It's all the rage right now and has been shown in several studies to work faster than steady-state cardio (meaning, you can work for less time and accomplish the same caloric burn and elevate your heart rate to the same levels).

    Cardio is thought to have the potential to hurt fat loss efforts. Some reasons are outlined here:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    and here:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/what-defines-cardio-in-terms-of-too-much-qa.html
  • BigDave1050
    BigDave1050 Posts: 854 Member
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    This comes up allot on MFP.

    Are you afraid that lifting weights will make you into she hulk?
    1368536970_zpsdc117f16.jpg

    Well it wont (unless you're taking a ton of supplements!)

    I would say go lift heavy things and run some cardio to help build your endurance. There are a lot of lady's on here who lift heavy, lost lots of weight, and don't look like the Athlete in the above picture!
  • rsharper97
    rsharper97 Posts: 242 Member
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    Cardio can help you lose weight but cardio should be used to develop other muscles such as your heart and lungs. You want them strong for your overall health and wellbeing. TOO MUCH cardio can become a bad thing.

    Take a look at these two articles:
    http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/The_Final_Nail_in_the_Cardio_Coffin.cfm
    http://www.dangerouslyhardcore.com/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

    The way these articles are written may be harsh but just try to take away the premise and concept of what they're trying to say.

    Now, it's a common misconception that people need to start doing cardio first to lose weight and then use weights to "tone up." But the truth is weight lifting also burns fat. And weight lifting actually burns MORE fat AFTER the workout is over, as opposed to cardio. So, in short, a nice healthy balance of cardio and strength training is best. And horse riding is great, too!! Keep it up!!
    Thank you for these articles, they really explain a lot to me. I started lifting last week and I have stayed away from cardio (which has been very hard). This explains why I need to keep my current schedule.
  • LindseySprake
    LindseySprake Posts: 333 Member
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    A calorie deficit will help you lose weight - so in answer to your question - yes, cardio will help you lose weight as long as you have a calorie deficit. And you won't put on muscle on a calorie deficit. Lifting will just change your body composition and tone you up.

    ^^THIS^^
  • ktrichards06
    ktrichards06 Posts: 46
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    Just an FYI...muscle does not weigh more than fat. One pound of muscle and one pound of fat both are one pound. :smile:
    ditto!

    And don't focus on the # on the scale! Having a good balance of weight training and cardio is your best option. And in order for you to bulk up you need to just eat more, and since you aren't you won't "bulk up."
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
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    You don't need cardio or weight lifting to lose weight. Eat at a reasonable caloric deficit and you will lose weight. But if you do nothing else (or just do cardio) part of that weight loss will likely be muscle mass. And that's where weight lifting comes in. Lift weights while eating at a reasonable caloric deficit and you have a good chance at maintaining muscle mass. If you have never lifted weights before, you might even add some muscle mass. And lifting weights does burn calories. So that could accelerate weight loss if the deficit is reasonable (TDEE-20% MAX).

    Adding cardio will increase your deficit. If the deficit remains reasonable (TDEE-20% MAX), then you could accelerate weight loss. But adding too much cardio could create too large of a caloric deficit. This may be ok, but a lot of folks stall or even gain weight if they get into too much of a caloric deficit (happened to me). Cardio is a good thing to incorporate for health reasons as well. I like cardio because it makes me feel better while I'm doing it and while I'm going through my daily life. Doing cardio can also mean you get to eat more while maintaining a reasonable caloric deficit.

    To sum up:

    1. Eat at a reasonable caloric deficit to lose weight
    2. Lift weights to maintain muscles mass
    3. Cardio to feel good (but maintain a reasonable caloric deficit)

    Enjoy the ride.

    Tom
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    no, cardio and lifting heavy won't help you lose weight at all. Only eating at a deficit.

    Right now you are dropping pounds of fat and muscle. The only way to put on muscle is to eat at a surplus. If you continue on your journey here is what is likely to happen.

    1) your going to reach your goal and have a lot of endurance. yeah!
    2) you aren't going to be happy with your body compesition
    3) you want to tone up with 3 - 5lb weights and zumba
    4) it doesn't work so you lift heavy
    5) now you have to eat at a surplus to build up muscle and gain 10 pounds
    6) cut and drop some body fat% because you started lifting the number on the scale doesn't mean anything to you anymore.
    7) post before and after pics of how hot you are
    8) Troll mfp boards / poptarts and ice cream

    you can skip a lot of this if you just go right to lifting heavy. Keep doing cardio too! I do both I love my runs.

    WTF??? You can't be serious. The only way to lose weight is to eat less?? Cardio and weight training won't help you lose fat??? What planet do you live on? Cardio and weight training both expend ENERGY (calories) to HELP create a deficit in order to lose fat. They definitely help facilitate fat loss. omg... I need a facepalm gif....

    Oh, and you misspelled "composition."

    Thank you for pointing out my misspelling. That wasn't very polite.

    Yes, the only way to lose weight is with a calorie deficit. If my TDEE is 2000, I work out for 500 calories and eat 4000 calories a day. You will get fat. All the cardio and weight lifting in the world isn't going to fix that. The planet I live on is reality. Good luck with magic land.
  • awilliams1986
    awilliams1986 Posts: 1 Member
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    Thanks - good post and responses - helped me with my confusion on this topic too!! :flowerforyou:
  • beelanc
    beelanc Posts: 71 Member
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    The way "toning" is used in books and magazines catering to women, and then by women themselves, it means "make your muscles look better without making them bigger" The idea is that there are specific types of workouts--usually involving lots of repetitions with light weights--that will help you achieve this.

    But thats not a realistic or healthy way to look at your muscles. If the weights are unchallenging, your muscles wont grow. If the muscles dont grow they wont look any better than they do now even if you could somehow strip off whatever fat sits on top of them.

    With or without excess fat, your body simply will not look healthy and fit without well-trained muscle tissue.

    -From THE NEW RULES OF LIFTING FOR WOMEN by Lou Schuler (great read!!)
  • shanetyas
    shanetyas Posts: 5 Member
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    wow muscle weighs more than fat?

    Oh wow great point! It's really important to distinguish between weight and density in this context . . . or not.
    I always hate it when people point out that they weigh less than me, when obviously one pound of me weighs the same as one pound of them...
    Depends on what planet they are on. ;-)

    and also what altitude they are, on the planet lol
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
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    "Chronic cardio"... makes it sound like a disease.

    Bull. I have muscles starting to show up from doing only cardio.

    A friend who just does running every day (all sorts, trail running, races) has a six pack. He does nothing else. He is good though - as in often wins military base wide races. No flabby "skinny fat".

    This site makes one feel like weight lifting is some kind of cult and cardio is their enemy.

    I'll still take my cardiologist's advice of MINIMUM 3 times a week cardio over an opinion of a random guy on the internet.
  • SabrinaLC
    SabrinaLC Posts: 133 Member
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    Cardio is good, keep it up.
    You want to include weight training into your routine. Muscle burns more calories. If you have more muscle than fat your metabolism is going to be functioning better.
    A calorie deficient is what is going to help with the weight loss.
  • TheNewo
    TheNewo Posts: 239 Member
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    It boils down to efficiency. Strength training builds muscle, which in turn makes you burn more calories when you're doing cardio or just sitting on your butt.
  • dewsmom78
    dewsmom78 Posts: 498 Member
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    Don't get stuck on the number the scale sez. If 150 fits in a size 4 who cares if it is a 150. People who lift look better in their clothes. Ditch the scale and get a very tight pair of jeans to measure your progress.

    This
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
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    A calorie deficit will help you lose weight - so in answer to your question - yes, cardio will help you lose weight as long as you have a calorie deficit. And you won't put on muscle on a calorie deficit. Lifting will just change your body composition and tone you up.

    ^^THIS^^

    That's not all lifting does. Lifting (heavy) involves high-intensity intervals. Just think about how it works--while you are doing your five reps, you are red in the face, straining, heart beating like crazy. Then you rest until your heart calms down, and repeat. Do that for 45 minutes or however long it takes you to work through your lifts, and you've done quite a lot of work. So yes, lifting will change your body composition, but it doesn't "just" do that.
  • KatLifter
    KatLifter Posts: 1,314 Member
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    A calorie deficit will help you lose weight - so in answer to your question - yes, cardio will help you lose weight as long as you have a calorie deficit. And you won't put on muscle on a calorie deficit. Lifting will just change your body composition and tone you up.

    this

    Meet Staci and learn from her, http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

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