whats 'wrong' with too much cardio?

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  • SabrinaLC
    SabrinaLC Posts: 133 Member
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    I should probably add that weight training isn't going to bulk you up. Use light weights, nothing crazy just to give you some resistance. You could even use resistance bands, lol
    What it's going to do is give you a more tight toned look, not huge bulk.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    "Chronic cardio"... makes it sound like a disease. . . .

    This site makes one feel like weight lifting is some kind of cult and cardio is their enemy.
    It's a MFP meme and there is no cure.
  • FitMrsR
    FitMrsR Posts: 226 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.

    This^^ I did this exact same thing. I was worried that I'd gain fat along with muscle so did cardio to reach my goal (insanity. They say its total body and resistance but really it's mainly cardio) and I did only the cardio portion of p90x while eating a deficit. Did I reach my goal weight? YES. Was I happy with how I looked? NO. So I lost more weight and more and more until I ended up at 112lbs (5'6" started at 205 after I had my daughter. I gained 65lbs during my pregnancy :/) and I still looked awful. In fact, I looked worse because I was flabbier than I'd ever been. I lost a lot of muscle along with some fat, you see. So now I have to eat more and lift heavy weights to gain back the muscle I lost plus gain some extra muscle. Then if I do gain 'too much' fat I'll have to slowly cut while lifting to maintain as much muscle mass as i can during fat loss. I'd say, skip the first disappointing part and do both cardio and heavy lifting.

    Edited for typos
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,670 Member
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    I say do both

    Weight training is another form of cardio.
    Well no. One is aerobic and the other anaerobic. Also you're training 2 different types of muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • runnerchick69
    runnerchick69 Posts: 317 Member
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    Quality cardio will help weight loss for sure! More cardio, well there are differing opinions but you do what you feel is good for you. I get more cardio than some but I enjoy working out so it keeps me balanced and happy! Weight training is very important as far as building muscle, which will protect your bones as you grow older, and to tone things up. I put weight from muscle and at first that was hard to reconcile in my head because of how hard I fought to lose weight BUT I've had many people guess my weight and they are usually 10-20 pounds less than what I actually weigh...that always makes me feel good :wink: You have to find balance in your life between the calories you take in and the calories that go out through exercise. For me personally, cardio and weight training were equally as important to losing and keeping off my weight as diet.
  • rocket_ace
    rocket_ace Posts: 380 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...

    the amount is so small.... meaning the amount of extra burn you get per extra muscle is negligible? I think that is what I read too. Its still good for you but burning calories and eating less overall is what gets the fat off.
  • enewsome2
    enewsome2 Posts: 355 Member
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    Someone on reddit explained it really well the other day.

    Think of your body as a car. Cardio is like driving your car really fast, you will go through gas really quickly, but it will not change your engine. Weight training is like upgrading to a more efficient engine. Muscle burns fat with no effort.

    That being said. I loathe weight training. I am trying to add more strength in (doing yoga and pilates helps to build muscle, too!). However, I've gone from a size 14 to a size 4 on mainly cardio.

    Best of luck!
  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
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    I have a routine that combines cardio and weights that I try to stick faithfully to 5-6 x a week. Muscle burns fat. No such thing as too much cardio I will never believe that. I just try to be careful not to create a situation that will cause injury. A body in motion stays in motion . I didn't really understand a lot about exercise until I joined the gym took group classes and a little personal training put it all into perspective
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,670 Member
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    If weight resistance is what builds muscle then exercise which uses muscles will do more than just increase your heart/lung capacity. Zumba has had a great effect on my legs in particular, and my toning DVDs have also helped.

    (To weight lifters who insist toning does not exist :tongue: I was weak as well as overweight and now my muscles are bigger and stronger.
    That's not "toning" it's still muscle conditioning. The word "toning" was developed in the 80's to disguise it as a "feminine" way to lift weights without implying that one was still lifting weights.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • lucyhross
    lucyhross Posts: 87 Member
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    hi everyone,

    thanks soo much for your replies. it really has sorted all my confusion out!

    sooo... if i was to change up my exercise, how would this sound?

    -run 2/3 a week (but as someone mentioned (sorry cant remember the name!) change it up so run hills for one and sprint intervals another)
    - ride 2 a week
    - ive also recently got quite into the FitnessBlender workouts on youtube as i don't have access to weights or a gym. Could i do some of their body strength training 2/3 times a week (i also found i quite liked the body strength training and cardio mix ones too) they vary from 10mins - 30mins+ each session- would that be enough?

    and then keep within my calorie goal of 1500-1600.

    does that sound ok? or would anyone suggest anything else?

    thank you!
  • cw822
    cw822 Posts: 107
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    i was thinking of upping my cardio, however from reading several recent success stories many people have converted from cardio to heavy lifting.

    i think i have my idea wrong (pls someone out there correct me!) but i thought it was necessary to do cardio to get to my goal weight (135lbs-140lbs i am currently 152lb) then start lifting and weight training to tone up.

    im really scared of starting weight lifting now because i really don't wont to put on any more muscle (which will make me heavier as muscle weighs more then fat- i know that!) before i have lost the weight i need. i actually have a quite a bit of muscle its just surrounded by flab!!

    i currently run twice a week for about 4km and horse ride for 40-60mins twice a week. and i eat about about 1500-1600 kcals

    would doing more cardio help my weight loss or not?

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat...a pound, is a pound, is a pound....
  • BigMan1979
    BigMan1979 Posts: 11 Member
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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:

    This is a logic trap. Nothing weighs more than anything else when you measure it all by equal weights. Of course, nothing is scientifically measured this way. Everything has a weight by volume and a specific gravity. So, muscle does weigh more than fat as the specific gravity is higher.

    1. The density of mammalian skeletal muscle is 1.06 g/ml.
    "... 1.06 g/cm-3 which is the density of mammalian skeletal muscle"

    2. The density of fat (adipose tissue) is about 0.9 g/ml
    "...by multiplying the density of adipose tissue (0.9196 g/ml)"

    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1392.full
  • xstarxdustx
    xstarxdustx Posts: 591 Member
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    bump.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Someone on reddit explained it really well the other day.

    Think of your body as a car. Cardio is like driving your car really fast, you will go through gas really quickly, but it will not change your engine. Weight training is like upgrading to a more efficient engine. Muscle burns fat with no effort.
    The guy on reddit doesn't know what he is talking about. Cardiovascular training, done properly, does change the engine because it transforms how your body processes glycogen and fat to create energy.

    As for "Muscle burns fat with no effort", well so does fat.
  • shanetyas
    shanetyas Posts: 5 Member
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    im doing 2 days a week of strength training (some lifting etc) - each of these sessions has a light cardio warm up and cooldown at the end.

    as well as this i do 1 major cardio session in the week.

    since this is working so well, and still runnig a small calorie deficeit, i have added a minor cardio routine whenever i feel like it through the week, even daily!

    i think i have about 5 kg left to lose before i reach my goal weight.

    im eating healthy foods, high protein meats and plenty of vegetables, i tend to stack up on my treat foods and carbs before the strength training.

    if i feel like ive done too much cardio (ie. sore knee, or a bit tired and struggling on the next cardio or strength training routine) i simply skip the extra cardio and settle back into the standard 3 sessions i was allocated by my PT at Jetts Gym.

    I like the comments about finding a balance, listen to your body, eat well and achieve modest calorie defeceits, set modest goals for strength training (bulking up) and when your feeling some excess energy

    "Burn it up on the tredmill, rowing, x-trainer and bike"

    There was also some comments about using your existing fat and convert it to muscle, i like that too, eating protein supplements is a bit of a no no for me. as i want tight lean muscle with good definition and minor bulk, not watery mass that deflats after a few weeks away from the gym...

    goodluck
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Depends on your goals, totally.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 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.

    This link to same article has the pics. The link above the pics were broken.
    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_final_nail_in_the_cardio_coffin
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
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    No such thing as too much cardio I will never believe that.

    I agree as long as you eat enough to maintain a reasonable caloric deficit. It's a balance. If you eat 1,200 cal / day and cardio 600 cal / day, you're going to have problems.
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
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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:

    Thank you! The fallacy that "muscle weighs more than fat" makes me want to scream when I hear it!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 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.

    no you aren't growing muscles. all you are doing is loosing so you can see musculature. check out marathon runners vs sprinters- which would you rather look like???

    yeah- no one ever picks marathon runners.

    I'm not saying do NO cardio- cardio 3 times a week is fine... it's the the people that are up there for HOURS every week- and that's ALL they do- they just go and go and go- there is ZERO reason to do hours and hours of cardio unless you are CUTTING for a show (serious competitors) or you are training for an endurance event.

    Seriously no need for it.

    Lift the weights- eat the protein- do the running- do ALL THE THINGS!!!! :)

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