Is cardio pointless

nataliexxxx
nataliexxxx Posts: 262
in Health and Weight Loss
I have seen so many people on here say that cardio is pointless, is it? I want to lose weight another 24pounds and I do weight training as well but I do quite a lot more cardio than weight training.
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Replies

  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    a calorie burned is a calorie burned how is that pointless, even the biggest weight lifters will do cardio also.
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,674 Member
    a calorie burned is a calorie burned how is that pointless, even the biggest weight lifters will do cardio also.

    ^^this
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
    It's not pointless. Increased cardiovascular fitness will help your weight training, however - as a woman, especially - lifting more weights and lifting heavier than you think is extremely beneficial. It all depends on your goals and preference. Personally I'd prefer a 30 minute run one day, and heavy weights the next rather than an hour on a treadmill or elliptical every day.
  • saschka7
    saschka7 Posts: 577 Member
    I don't think cardio is pointless at all--it's actually very important. However, when a person is aiming to lose weight and ALL they do is cardio with no strength training included (which is not your case), it's not the most effective way to lose weight....a person has to do both for maximum effectiveness.
  • Camille0502
    Camille0502 Posts: 311 Member
    If all you're trying to do by doing cardio is lose weight maybe one could argue that it's pointless. I also do cardio to strengthen my heart, lower my blood pressure and stave off diabetes - so I think I am getting tremendous benefit from cardio. For the record, I also strength train.
  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
    For me, I feel better when I run. I absolutely love it. It makes my day and makes me feel fantastic within my body. I don't think the scale is important at all. My overall health is the main goal. Whatever it is for you, strive to have health on your side. Your relationship to gravity shouldn't even be a factor.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    I lost a huge amount of weight doing mostly cardio. I now can run (thanks to the cardio) and still am losing weight. It's not pointless & dont let anyone tell you its not.

    BTW because of doing more cadio thank anything else I run for over an hour a day ...every day.
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
    A good "program" should address cardio, strength, and flexibility (not necessarily all in the same workout, just over the course of each handful of days). Focusing on only one part of the plan will only get you so far on your road to health and fitness.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    a macho virus has infested this site. the virus is called "lift heavy and quit cardio".

    cardiovascular exercise (cardio) should be a staple of your fitness and health and weight loss lifestyle.

    cardio got a bad rap from the body builders who want to get BIGGER than necessary for any purpose other than being big.

    then this site got a few of those guys and gals here and it spread like wild fire.
  • roguestates
    roguestates Posts: 223
    Cardio is important, but only powerful when paired with strength training. That is, if your goal is fat loss. I stick to walking and Tabata (max intensity, short intervals) and bodyweight (until I have access to a gym).
  • dawnemjh
    dawnemjh Posts: 1,465 Member
    a macho virus has infested this site. the virus is called "lift heavy and quit cardio".

    cardiovascular exercise (cardio) should be a staple of your fitness and health and weight loss lifestyle.

    cardio got a bad rap from the body builders who want to get BIGGER than necessary for any purpose other than being big.

    then this site got a few of those guys and gals here and it spread like wild fire.

    :laugh: agreed
    Do whatever is working for you!
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I do hardcore cardio 2-3 times a week, the other times I weight train :smile:
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    Cardio, although i find it boring, is a necessary evil for weight loss and general toning of the body. It is also the best way to condition your heart, which is a muscle also.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Yes. Getting fit, increasing longevity, strengthening your heart, reducing your risk of various cancers ... these are all 'pointless'.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    I find HIIT very beneficial. I tried steady-state CV* and it did work for a while but then I appeared to get fatter. :huh: I now only use HIIT and have found it helps smash through plateaus if I stop CV for some reason.







    *-on the plus side, I have had job offers left, right and centre. Budum tss!
  • belladonna786
    belladonna786 Posts: 1,165 Member
    I have never seen anybody say cardio was pointless. Cardio strengthens the cardiovascular system even if it didnt burn a nice amount of calories the heart health benefits alone make it very worthwhile.
  • PJ64
    PJ64 Posts: 866 Member
    Yeah you cant lose weight on cardio! I mean look at all those Fat *kitten* marathon runners! :tongue:
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    Cardio, although i find it boring, is a necessary evil for weight loss and general toning of the body.

    this is part of the problem. cardio benefits the heart for health and fitness and burns calories for weight loss but it does not "tone" your body unless "toning" means weight loss
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I have never seen anybody say cardio was pointless. Cardio strengthens the cardiovascular system even if it didnt burn a nice amount of calories the heart health benefits alone make it very worthwhile.

    I'm afraid you haven't been around long enough

    Most of us take a more sensible and measured view that a blend of cardiovascular activity and strength training is optimum for both weightloss and health. (That seems to be a view that confuses some of them... too nuanced, really, I suspect.)

    And on that provocative note, that's me signing out of this thread, before the inevitable begins. Life is too short.
  • skinny_cigarettes
    skinny_cigarettes Posts: 49
    cardio is extremely beneficial in my opinion, though strength training a few times a week is a good idea too
  • DeathKitty23
    DeathKitty23 Posts: 64 Member
    NO it is not pointless. Especially if you are completing HIIT as this will up your bodys motabilism for the rest of the day too meaning that not only have you burned calories completing your cardio session but your bidy is burning more when you are not doing anything.
    For more info on it I would check out the cardio articles on bodybuilding.com some great advice on there

    Hope this helps
    x
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    I have never seen anybody say cardio was pointless. Cardio strengthens the cardiovascular system even if it didnt burn a nice amount of calories the heart health benefits alone make it very worthwhile.

    I'm afraid you haven't been around long enough, if you haven't spotted the macdonalds glugging meatheads who advance this pov.

    In the end, I think it's the lack of mirrors on the track that puts them off running.

    Most of us take a more sensible and measured view that a blend of cardiovascular activity and strength training is optimum for both weightloss and health. (That seems to be a view that confuses some of them... too nuanced, really, I suspect.)

    And on that provocative note, that's me signing out of this thread, before the inevitable begins. Life is too short.

    end of thread...time for some cardio!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Cardio is great for your heart and lungs. Lifting is great for your muscles and bones. I highly recommend both to everyone.

    But all you need to lose weight is a calorie deficit.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    For me, I feel better when I run. I absolutely love it. It makes my day and makes me feel fantastic within my body. I don't think the scale is important at all. My overall health is the main goal. Whatever it is for you, strive to have health on your side. Your relationship to gravity shouldn't even be a factor.

    This is how I feel too... except I hate running... (I usually get cardio from Zumba) but I firmly believe that each and every one of us needs to do what is healthy and makes us feel good. The weight loss is just a side effect of being fit, but it isn't what's really important to me.
  • lyndyedwards
    lyndyedwards Posts: 3
    Ok, so you can lose weight just dieting, but then you will be small and wobbly instead of big and wobbly! Use cardio and weight train and you will be small and tight! a much more attractive (and healthier) look! and as someone else said, a calorie burned is a calorie burned! so it all helps in the weight loss regime and will speed weight loss up. I have been doing cardio and using weights most days for the past month and although I have not lost a lot of weight so far I look as if I have lost much more than I have.
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
    I know cardio gets a bad rap on here, but of all my friends, it's the ones who run regularly who are the slimmest, fittest and most toned.

    I hate running so I'm not about to join them, but all the same.
  • Lyssa62
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
    I am a cardio only kind of gal and so far it's working for me. I am slowly throwing in some wall pushups..and I'll do crunches and stuff. I'm not into the strength training or heavy lifting. Unless that buff bod is really what you are going for to me sometimes that all seems pointless (that shoe can go on the other foot too). I'm going for losing some weight, being more fit, feeling better about myself and so far taking a 1 hour brisk walk a day..that's giving me the results "I" am looking for.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Cardio (in my case, walking with some light running & skipping thrown in here and there) .. provides me with 1) burning calories 2) an overall good feeling 3) sleeping thru the night 4) regularity 5) greater lung capacity for my favorite hobby/passion - horn playing.

    Not to mention now that the weight is off and I feel better, I have started Barre 3 to get even more fit/toned - but not replacing my walking/running/skipping.

    I think the people who are wanting the most efficient means to get toned/cut really defined muscles have their method to get there based on their level of fitness. So they probably are better served with burning the most calories on strength training.

    We all have our own personal perception of what fit is- and we all strive/get on the journey as we best see fit. Kinda like choosing your nutrition plan.
  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
    Short answer - Cardio is fine. Mostly I see people who have had success think that their way is best because they are proud of their accomplishment - and should be. To each his own. Find your own formula and use it. Tune it up when you need to.

    When I tipped 245 pounds my at rest heart rate was about 83 bpm. At 175 pounds it is 62 bpm. To get there, I did a combination of cardio (golf - walking the course & mountain biking) and weights/Insanity to get to maintenance weight. I tend to do more cardio in the long days, good weather months and more weights when trapped inside in the winter.
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
    I do a lot of cardio, mostly intervals, and have lost 24lbs. I'm gutted now to hear that cardio is a waste of time after all, and will have to look at alternative methods of losing weight...

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