Yahoo article about "cardio making you fat"

KatiaClouse
KatiaClouse Posts: 27 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/yahoo-spotlight/why-your-cardio-routine-making-you-fat

IMHO, I take this with a grain of salt. My weight-loss didn't start getting serious until I started running, even though I've been weight training for years. Do you all have any thoughts?
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Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    It brings up a few valid points, but overall, it's best to do some of both cardio *and* strength training. My BF% has dropped by 17% and I do both.
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
    I did Insanity. I lost 15 pounds, and was stronger at the end than at the beginning. This article is total crap. Cardio doesn't make you fat. Cardio doesn't destroy muscle. He sites 0 scientific sources, or even remotely scientific sources, to back up his claims. Ignore this article. Strength training AND cardio are best for overall fitness.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    what bull****,
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    This article has a few points that I'd consider true, but a lot of crap too. It is true that strength training leads to muscle growth, which leads to more calories burned at rest, and if someone had to choose between only strength training or only cardio, they should choose strength training, but many people don't. Another important point is that steady state cardio causes metabolic adaptation to the point that you metabolism will slow to compensate for regular steady state cardio which is not what you want. High Intensity Interval Training is the only form of cardio that the metabolism cannot adapt to, and therefore is the main form of cardio that I use.
  • x311Tifa
    x311Tifa Posts: 357 Member
    Definitely bump to read later! I read the article, but I want to see MFP reactions.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Doing cardio while eating at a deficit is not going to make anyone fat. Doing cardio while eating at a surplus will.

    A person isn't going to build muscle doing cardio. A person will burn fat and some muscle doing cardio while eating at a deficit. I don't know the ratios because it is different for everyone depending on fitness level, diet, etc., and exercising is going to help someone burn more fat than eating at a deficit and sitting on his or her butt.

    Just because strength training is good doesn't mean cardio is bad. A person can't recomp doing cardio, so if the goal is recomp, then that person has to add in strength training.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    double post. Jeez, MFP.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    IF cardio makes you fat then I should be HUGE i Like to run alot not as much as some but more than most.
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
    This is BULL.

    Not to mention cardio is good for the heart. That's one BIG reason we are supposed to incorporate it into our lifestyles.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    If cardio made me fat, I'd be fat. I do some form of cardio almost every day.

    But then I rarely do "classic cardio" which I can only assume means walking/running on a treadmill.

    Whoever wrote that article needs to develop some imagination and knowledge. Circuit training is cardio. HIIT is cardio. Plyometrics are cadio. Mountain climbing is cardio. Sports are cardio. Many calisthenics, such as burpees, jumping jacks, skater squats, jumping squats, etc. are cardio. Cardio can build and maintain muscle.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Doing cardio while eating at a deficit is not going to make anyone fat, eating at a surplus will.

    There, I corrected it for you......

    Eating at a surplus makes you fat, period. If you're lifting heavy you will increase lean muscle mass but you will also increase adipose tissue, hence bulk & cut.
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,986 Member
    If by 'Cardio' they mean 'Prancercise'.... Ahh, I don't know where I was going with this.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-50GjySwew LOL :laugh:
  • cluffjay
    cluffjay Posts: 3
    I used to run a lot...until my knees started giving me problems. I now do body weight training (push ups, squats, pull ups, sit ups, etc.) and some High Intensity Interval Training. My knee problems went away and I've never looked or felt better. I believe this article has a lot of truth to it. Consistent strength training coupled with HIIT (done correctly) can provide better results in less time than a long, slow jog would. That being said, if weight loss is the main goal then what you eat will always have a larger impact on your weight than your exercise routine. But why not look good, feel good, and lose weight?
  • Seefylol
    Seefylol Posts: 197
    Cardio makes you fat, and over-eating makes you skinny.
  • jbartelme
    jbartelme Posts: 3
    Duh. That's why you see so many fat people running marathons.
  • jjelizalde
    jjelizalde Posts: 377 Member
    Yahoo has half a dozen Kim Kardashian "articles" on its site everyday as news. Consider the source before you give up cardio.
  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
    If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck...
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
    It brings up a few valid points, but overall, it's best to do some of both cardio *and* strength training.

    Agreed. A few good points are brought up, namely more muscle loss if you're losing weight by only doing cardio. But I've heard over and over that cardio plus strength training is the best. If you lose a bunch of weight only eating at a deficit and doing cardio, you'll only end up looking like a smaller version of what you used to look like. (This happened to me by the way, but then I started strength training and now my body is slowly transforming!)

    It also made me quite angry when the author said this when talking about how cardio doesn't change your shape: "If you are shaped like a pear and do manage to lose a few pounds with cardio, what do you end up looking like? A smaller pear." Seriously?! What's wrong with looking like a pear? A pear is a beautiful, feminine shape in my opinion. And even strength training (unless done to the extreme, like a bodybuilder or something) won't eliminate a woman's natural shape, it'll only tone it and make it look better and more fit. So if you're a pear, you'll still be a pear after strength training, but just a smaller, fitter, tighter, and hotter looking pear! :laugh:
  • cupcakes_and_cardio
    cupcakes_and_cardio Posts: 369 Member
    Bunch of crap - I've lost 10lbs in approx. 2 months doing cardio as well as eating at a deficit. exercise is good for you! yahoo! is ridiculous!
  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
    http://health.yahoo.net/experts/yahoo-spotlight/why-your-cardio-routine-making-you-fat

    IMHO, I take this with a grain of salt. My weight-loss didn't start getting serious until I started running, even though I've been weight training for years. Do you all have any thoughts?

    947081_391634937613114_943036409_n.jpg
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    From my seat, the only link the article seems to make between cardio and fat (so cutting out things like effects on joints, posture, immunity, inhaling polluted air, etc) is that some people get hungry after doing cardio and eat more calories than they burn.


    In the end, it isn't cardio that makes the person fat, but rather the individual's difficulty regulating what they eat when cardio makes them hungry.


    In my case, I have friends and family who cannot understand that I can go out and exercise without feeling ravenous afterwards. They expect that, when I come in from running a few miles, I simply want to eat everything in site. The reality is that, while I CAN eat (my appetite is not appreciably diminished), it's rarely anything more than what I would normally feel.
  • Cobb_66
    Cobb_66 Posts: 65 Member
    I haven't even gotten past the first few paragraphs and I had to stop and roll my eyes at "There truly is only one reason to exercise: To increase your metabolism in order to burn more calories 24 hours a day, seven days a week".

    Wait, I'm sorry, high metabolisms don't stop cardiovascular disease from lack of cardio. People with naturally high metabolisms can still die of a heart attack, stroke, etc. because having a high metabolism does NOT = health!!!
  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
    First, the article's author is hardly a disinterested researcher. He is selling stuff (books, etc.)

    Second, I'm reading a book called *Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain*, and cardio,especially HIIT, causes your cells to create more receptors for insulin. For type 2 diabetics, that is awesome news.

    Third...
    One pound of muscle burns six calories per pound per day.
    One pound of fat burns two calories per pound per day.

    True... and the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. No quibbles here.
    Your Joints: An article about "boomeritis" in The New York Times reveals that the number two reason baby boomers visit their doctor is because of an exercise-related injury, most of which are attributable to the punishing nature of classic cardio.

    Low impact cardio... doh!
    Your Posture: Do you really want the rounded shoulder, chin jutting alignment of a runner, stair stepper or spin fanatic?

    o_O Not sure about this one.
    Your Immunity: Want to get sick and tired?

    I'd like to see some scientific proof on this one.
    Your Lungs: ...exercising in a heavily polluted area.

    So don't. Unless you're training for when the Olympics will be held again in a place like LA, in which case you should strap an exhaust pipe to your face and run through a burning forest.
    Your Shape: If you are shaped like a pear and do manage to lose a few pounds with cardio, what do you end up looking like? A smaller pear.

    Uhm, yeah... you can't change your body type, no matter what you do. You are an endomorph, ectomorph or mesomorph. Lifting will shape whatever God gave you.
    Your Muscle: After 20 to 30 minutes, most classic, steady state cardiovascular exercise begins to chew up your precious, calorie-burning muscle.

    Even if true (would like proof for this one too), there are still a lot of benefits to cardio, and HIIT cardio may help avoid muscle loss.
  • lilcassers
    lilcassers Posts: 163
    I did Insanity. I lost 15 pounds, and was stronger at the end than at the beginning. This article is total crap. Cardio doesn't make you fat. Cardio doesn't destroy muscle. He sites 0 scientific sources, or even remotely scientific sources, to back up his claims. Ignore this article. Strength training AND cardio are best for overall fitness.

    THIS.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    It brings up a few valid points, but overall, it's best to do some of both cardio *and* strength training.

    Agreed. A few good points are brought up, namely more muscle loss if you're losing weight by only doing cardio. But I've heard over and over that cardio plus strength training is the best. If you lose a bunch of weight only eating at a deficit and doing cardio, you'll only end up looking like a smaller version of what you used to look like.

    Losing weight by "only doing cardio" is nonsense. You must have a calorie deficit to lose weight. Creating that deficit via cardio does NOT ensure muscle loss. While I don't doubt that it can happen, it's not a given.

    Diet and the type of exercise makes a difference. There is no exercise called "cardio". Cardio just means an exercise that is good for your cardio-vascular system. Which most all exercise is, including strength training.
  • lsmsrbls
    lsmsrbls Posts: 232 Member
    "There truly is only one reason to exercise: To increase your metabolism in order to burn more calories 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

    lol. Citation required. wtf?
  • lizzzylou
    lizzzylou Posts: 325
    bump for later reading
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Those damn obese runners
  • ren_ascent
    ren_ascent Posts: 432 Member
    I did Insanity. I lost 15 pounds, and was stronger at the end than at the beginning. This article is total crap. Cardio doesn't make you fat. Cardio doesn't destroy muscle. He sites 0 scientific sources, or even remotely scientific sources, to back up his claims. Ignore this article. Strength training AND cardio are best for overall fitness.


    This X2
  • IPAkiller
    IPAkiller Posts: 711 Member
    First, the article's author is hardly a disinterested researcher. He is selling stuff (books, etc.)

    Second, I'm reading a book called *Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain*, and cardio,especially HIIT, causes your cells to create more receptors for insulin. For type 2 diabetics, that is awesome news.

    Third...

    (valid responces removed)

    Even if true (would like proof for this one too), there are still a lot of benefits to cardio, and HIIT cardio may help avoid muscle loss.

    This is an excellent breakdown and not much further is needed. Key point is this guy is selling book and just another "new wave" way to get fit. I'm not saying his ideas won't work, but for him to say cardio doesn't is complete idiocy and praying on the poor souls whose credit limit is bigger than their motivation/commitment.

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