Any benefits to steady state cardio?

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brightblueskie
brightblueskie Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
I went to the gym today and didn't really feel like taking a class - I've really been switching it up at my new gym and have tried a few new classes this week, including a spin class, Zumba, and a strength training class. Today I jumped on the treadmill and pounded out 4 relaxing miles at 6 miles/hour. I wasn't breathing really hard, and I wasn't doing intervals or anything. And it's funny - I actually found myself feeling guilty afterwards that I hadn't added resistance or speed bursts in to my work. I'm not sure why I felt guilty, because I have worked hard to be able to run 4 miles in 40 minutes easily.

So here's my question to all of you fitness-smart people - were there any fitness benefits to my workout today? Does steady state still do anything for me? All I hear about these days is interval-this and interval-that. What if I choose to have a longer workout but lower intensity?

Replies

  • DreaMuffin
    DreaMuffin Posts: 63 Member
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    in to hear the responses. I do the same sometimes too. I'm curious to see what peeps say. :)
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
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    Oh no not this again. My self I love to run so thats what ive done and still do Ive lost almost 100lbs primarly by running and a calorie deficit. I do some bodyweight resistance stuff but not enough to call it weight training. I feel great and really enjoy my afternoon runs. I love the way I feel after a run. I know weight training is beneficial also in other ways but running is what I enjoy. Just get off your but and do something.
    From what I understand about interval training is that you go at 90 percent of your MAX HR for a period of time, come back down to about 70 and back up and the theory is you can get the same quality of a work out in lets say 15 minutes. Compared to a steady state of lets say 70 percent of HR max might take you 30 minutes (im just throwing some numbers out there). Myself my pace is at about 80-85 percent of max HR and I like being able to maintain a lets say 8 minute mile for 8 or 10 or 12 miles.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Steady state cardio is great for improving cardio fitness, meaning your heart benefits immensely. It is also good for stress mitigation and for increasing your VO2 max.

    What steady state cardio doesn't do is burn fat. But there are plenty of benefits otherwise, that there is no reason to feel bad about having done it.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Yes, there are a lot of benefits. Stated simply, it improves your body's ability to transport oxygen to the working muscles and increases the muscles' ability to use the oxygen to produce energy. The end result is a higher work capacity.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
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    Steady state cardio is great for improving cardio fitness, meaning your heart benefits immensely. It is also good for stress mitigation and for increasing your VO2 max.

    What steady state cardio doesn't do is burn fat. But there are plenty of benefits otherwise, that there is no reason to feel bad about having done it.

    If steady state does not burn fat how did I loose close to 100lbs?????

    Not to mention a calorie deficit creates weight loss (Fat and Muscle) not the physical activity itself. Being physical just makes it eaiser to create a greater deficit and builds muscle.
    If you dont think running builds muscle you should see my calves from my hill running and boy is my gluts sore after running some hills.
    Also tones up a bit on the upper body go for a nice long run and see how long you can hold up your arms when your done
    . Dont get me wrong not nearly as beneficial as far as muscle gain is concerned when compared to weight training, But it helps you to create a calorie deficit so you can loose weight. Or so you can eat ice cream.
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
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    Plenty of benefits to steady state cardio. It will improve your cardiovascular system and help your body utilize oxygen more efficiently. It will also help you burn calories!! While this may not equal burning fat, if you add in some heavy lifting and eat at a moderate calorie deficit you will keep the lean body mass you have and burn a higher percentage of bodyfat. Plus I have read in one of these forums that there was a study that showed long distance running+heavy lifting always ended up leading to awesomeness!!
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    What steady state cardio doesn't do is burn fat.
    Broscience and not true. Fat is stored when you consume more than you expend and it is "burned" when you expend more than you consume. I burn fat in my sleep... :bigsmile:

    I am pretty sure it works; I lost over 50 pounds running and the vast majority was fat.
  • LBNOakland
    LBNOakland Posts: 379 Member
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    bump for responses excellent question! :happy:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I think the extra calories you get to eat are a major benefit.

    And it improves your endurance, VO2max and overall cardiovascular fitness, and it's good for your mood and stamina.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    What steady state cardio doesn't do is burn fat. But there are plenty of benefits otherwise, that there is no reason to feel bad about having done it.

    Ehhh....Aerobic metabolism uses a combination of glucose, fat and protein for ATP...this isn't quite true.
  • DavidHusky
    DavidHusky Posts: 112 Member
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    Well I like eating and I've come to enjoy running, which seem to be a natural synergy. But I don't think it accelerated my weight loss much. I do HIIT for 30 minutes 5-6 days a week and since I've been training my long distance running, a lot of the "lower intensity" active rest exercises (jumping jacks, mountain climbers etc) have gotten a lot easier. So I would say aerobic fitness has been the top fitness benefit for me.

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