whats 'wrong' with too much cardio?

affacat

Emaciated cardio addicts look much like meth addicts. Most every gym has at least one.

do we always need to find ways to insult/mock other people trying to get healthy?
the people into weights are 'muscle heads', etc.
the people into cardio are 'meth addicts'...
etc, etc, etc, and on and on and on.

JoRocka

that's a broad brush.

spending hours on cardio equipment I think is out side the scoop of "just trying to get healthy" often times.

but yes- I mean- it's the way things work here right

JohnnyCashMoney

Probably not.

The problem with chronic cardio is that your body will build/develop the bare minimal muscle it requires to move your feet one foot in front of the other- or one foot up the stairs if you're into steppers.

Cardio - cardiovascular. so once you have the minimal muscularture to do the actual MOVEMENT- all you are training is your cardiovascular system- you know- your heart and lungs.

you are training 0 muscles.

This is total bollocks. Total, utter bollocks. Cardio training helps both cardiovascular fitness and tones the muscles used to do the activity. If someone runs, swims, and bikes, and watches their diet, they will lose a butt ton of weight.I know. I was a competitive triathlete and never lifted.
Cardio can help you lose weight, no problem. But what do you really want? If you just want to get LIGHTER, hit the cardio (add high intensity sessions and cross train) and you will achieve your goal.
If, however, you want to look good naked, weight training will build muscle, reduce fat, and can make you SMALLER, but not necessarily lighter. You want to be fit. Screw a certain weight. You can be 175 lbs with a 30 inch waist and no muscle tone to speak of, or you can be 190 with a 32 inch weight and look ripped. It depends on what you want to do.

muscles continue to burn energy all day- so more muscles -more burn. I bet you if you started weight lifting you'd see a lot of improvement fairly quickly.

07JKGirl

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.

AMEN!!

MariaChele85

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.

Love this!!! Exactly what happened to me!!!

DonttrythatwithME

how about

lift heavy weights for strength

lift heavy weights fast for cardio

Thoughts?

Warchortle

mostly the sustainability... people rely on one from of exercise and if they don't learn a balance that one exercise will mentally reinforce the idea of "I can't be this physique without ____" Prolonged high impact may cause joint and ligament problems WAY WAY WAY down the road, but for me I can't run more than 5 miles without joint soreness in my knees. It's not a sustainable way to exercise for me.

Lifting is something I know I can do for the rest of my life no matter where I am. You don't need a track, equipment per say, etc... you just need your body.

girlfromOklahoma

Cardio will help you lose weight because it increases your daily caloric deficit. However, strength training is great for muscle building. I realize that muscle weighs more than fat, but are you more concerned about what you weigh or how you look? If you're more concerned with how you look, then you want to build muscle. Also, muscle requires more calories for sustainment. So just by building more muscle you are instantly increasing your metabolism and thereby burning more fat.

myofibril

It's not too much (steady state / aerobic) cardio which is the problem.

It is excessive calorie deficits plus large amounts of cardio burning out your body's recovery capacity due to multiple stressors which is the problem.

Asheree1

I think some people react to cardio negatively because it makes some hungry. I know I'm starving after a run or swin.

jhc7324

I only do Cardio at this point (I'm planning on getting into lifting soon) but I've noticed that even just doing Cardio that I'm gaining muscle. I have a stationary bike (which works well for my legs, obviously but also my arms--which I just thought was the most brilliant idea I've ever concocted.) And when I up the resistance, I have to use my muscles more. Which only leads me to believe that while I am doing Cardio (getting my heart rate up, more rapid breathing--yada yada) I am also using my muscles, which obviously means that they're not just going to wither away. Will I be perfectly toned as I lose weight? Probably not. Will I still have some semblance of muscle mass? Definitely.

you're probably not gaining muscle but burning the fat that hides your existing muscles.

AmandaMaitland

Don't be scared of lifting!! I've been a cardio queen for about two years. And yes, it did help me lose 40lbs, but I plateaued big time! I conquered the fear of eating more, (still doing cardio), still no weight loss. I completed a round of Turbo fire, and Insanity (while eating healthy) and no change!! So last week I got over my "lifting heavy" fear and started Jamie Eason's Livefit trainer! Phase 1 is a little hard because there is 0 cardio. Yes, ZERO! It's only so you can build your muscle. The second phase she incorporates running/elliptical. Third phase is more sprinting/running and while lifting 4-5 days a week. That's what triggers the fat burning! Plus the more muscle you have, the more you burn! I have lost a lot of lean body mass from doing cardio for too long and I became "skinny fat". I realized that lifting will be the cure to toning and slashing this leftover fat on my body!

Feel free to add me if you'd like! I have the same goals, and last time I weighed I was the same as you! Good luck!!

frasergentles

Cardio is a great way to burn fat (lose weight). Lifting will help you develop muscle (tone and lean mass). Best solution is a mix of the two. Eat protien at 1.6g per kilo of bodyweight which will help you body conserve the muscle which you have and which you would ordinarily reduce as part of a calorie controlled high intensity mix. Couple this with some strength training and your lean mass will be protected whilst the fat falls away. I burn in the region of 1300 calories 5 days a week through cardio, but I combat lean mass reduction by 15 minutes of hard calisthenics each evening. The result has been that my weight has stayed constant for the last few months but, my body fat percentage has dropped from 18 to 13-14% and I almost have a six pack!!

JohnnyCashMoney

Probably not.

The problem with chronic cardio is that your body will build/develop the bare minimal muscle it requires to move your feet one foot in front of the other- or one foot up the stairs if you're into steppers.

Cardio - cardiovascular. so once you have the minimal muscularture to do the actual MOVEMENT- all you are training is your cardiovascular system- you know- your heart and lungs.

you are training 0 muscles.

muscles continue to burn energy all day- so more muscles -more burn. I bet you if you started weight lifting you'd see a lot of improvement fairly quickly.

This is total bollocks. Total, utter bollocks. Cardio training helps both cardiovascular fitness and tones the muscles used to do the activity. If someone runs, swims, and bikes, and watches their diet, they will lose a butt ton of weight.I know. I was a competitive triathlete and never lifted.
Cardio can help you lose weight, no problem. But what do you really want? If you just want to get LIGHTER, hit the cardio (add high intensity sessions and cross train) and you will achieve your goal.
If, however, you want to look good naked, weight training will build muscle, reduce fat, and can make you SMALLER, but not necessarily lighter. You want to be fit. Screw a certain weight. You can be 175 lbs with a 30 inch waist and no muscle tone to speak of, or you can be 190 with a 32 inch weight and look ripped. It depends on what you want to do.

JoRocka

how about

lift heavy weights for strength

lift heavy weights fast for cardio

Thoughts?

think that's amazing.

JoRocka

Probably not.

The problem with chronic cardio is that your body will build/develop the bare minimal muscle it requires to move your feet one foot in front of the other- or one foot up the stairs if you're into steppers.

Cardio - cardiovascular. so once you have the minimal muscularture to do the actual MOVEMENT- all you are training is your cardiovascular system- you know- your heart and lungs.

you are training 0 muscles.

muscles continue to burn energy all day- so more muscles -more burn. I bet you if you started weight lifting you'd see a lot of improvement fairly quickly.

This is total bollocks. Total, utter bollocks. Cardio training helps both cardiovascular fitness and tones the muscles used to do the activity. If someone runs, swims, and bikes, and watches their diet, they will lose a butt ton of weight.I know. I was a competitive triathlete and never lifted.
Cardio can help you lose weight, no problem. But what do you really want? If you just want to get LIGHTER, hit the cardio (add high intensity sessions and cross train) and you will achieve your goal.
If, however, you want to look good naked, weight training will build muscle, reduce fat, and can make you SMALLER, but not necessarily lighter. You want to be fit. Screw a certain weight. You can be 175 lbs with a 30 inch waist and no muscle tone to speak of, or you can be 190 with a 32 inch weight and look ripped. It depends on what you want to do.

um no it's not.
sure cardio CAN help you lose- but why not maximize results with lifting?

I bet dollars to doughnuts you would have seen increase in your times if you were lifting. you want to be faster- you need a bigger engine.

now- I ABSOLUTELY agree with you on throwing the number out. people OBSESS about an arbitrary number- and unless you're going for a certain look of reduced body fat and getting super cut- being FIT and capable is better than being a certain weight and not fit.... I'd rather be 160+ and be capable of doing pull up matrix's and look amazing- than be 145 and not be FIT. Guess how I do that.... by lifting.

007FatSlayer

Keep doing some cardio-- about no more than 30 minutes on the days you choose to do cardio (don't make it an easy breezy 30 mins for yourself). The reason you should keep doing cardio is because it's good for your !!! (also for calorie deficit, keep your muscles from being hidden underneath fat, and endurance-- especially of the leg muscles)


Do research online to find answers-- I've heard/read many different opinions on how long you should do cardio, how often, etc.
It also depends on your end-goal-body-appearance.

JohnnyCashMoney

Probably not.

The problem with chronic cardio is that your body will build/develop the bare minimal muscle it requires to move your feet one foot in front of the other- or one foot up the stairs if you're into steppers.

Cardio - cardiovascular. so once you have the minimal muscularture to do the actual MOVEMENT- all you are training is your cardiovascular system- you know- your heart and lungs.

you are training 0 muscles.

muscles continue to burn energy all day- so more muscles -more burn. I bet you if you started weight lifting you'd see a lot of improvement fairly quickly.

This is total bollocks. Total, utter bollocks. Cardio training helps both cardiovascular fitness and tones the muscles used to do the activity. If someone runs, swims, and bikes, and watches their diet, they will lose a butt ton of weight.I know. I was a competitive triathlete and never lifted.
Cardio can help you lose weight, no problem. But what do you really want? If you just want to get LIGHTER, hit the cardio (add high intensity sessions and cross train) and you will achieve your goal.
If, however, you want to look good naked, weight training will build muscle, reduce fat, and can make you SMALLER, but not necessarily lighter. You want to be fit. Screw a certain weight. You can be 175 lbs with a 30 inch waist and no muscle tone to speak of, or you can be 190 with a 32 inch weight and look ripped. It depends on what you want to do.

um no it's not.
sure cardio CAN help you lose- but why not maximize results with lifting?

I bet dollars to doughnuts you would have seen increase in your times if you were lifting. you want to be faster- you need a bigger engine.

now- I ABSOLUTELY agree with you on throwing the number out. people OBSESS about an arbitrary number- and unless you're going for a certain look of reduced body fat and getting super cut- being FIT and capable is better than being a certain weight and not fit.... I'd rather be 160+ and be capable of doing pull up matrix's and look amazing- than be 145 and not be FIT. Guess how I do that.... by lifting.

When you say, "you are training 0 muscles," that is absolutely ridiculous. Here's a test. Measure your quad. Get on a bike. Ride up a big hill 3 times a week for a month. Re-measure your quad. Not only will you have gotten stronger, your muscles will have either shrunk or gotten bigger depending on how your body works.

Would my times have increased with weight lifting? Absolutely. That wasn't the dude's question. To say you can't lose weight or get tone unless you lift is preposterous. Does lifting expedite the process? Absolutely. But again, that wasn't the guy's question.

fbranch7

bump

marsellient

I'm amused by the comments about cardio only training the heart and lungs, like that's bad. Maybe it's an age thing, but that seems quite important to me, and judging by the comments, a lot of others, too. It certainly has an impact on things like blood pressure and cholesterol.
I'm encouraged by the number of posts that claim both weight training and cardio are important for good health. I guess the choice of how we exercise boils down to our goals.