Too much cardio is bad ?

Options
tjsims88
tjsims88 Posts: 45 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was googling info on fitness and I came across. Couple articles that said basically that doing too much cardio can decrese muscle tissue and it should only be limited to about 30 mins 3/4 days a week... Opinions? I am interested in losing about 10lbs and toning.

Replies

  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    I started loosing weight by doing 45 minutes of cardio per day for 3 months straight until I realized that I was loosing more muscle mass than fat.

    I switched to 15 minutes cardio on alternating days with strength training and I'm in much better shape.

    Moral of the story? Everything in moderation!
  • jquijas
    jquijas Posts: 222 Member
    Options
    It all comes down to what works for you. Too much steady state cardio can break down muscle tissue, especially if you are A) not doing anything else and B) not eating the right/enough calories to keep the muscle. It also depends on what you are doing, a 90 minute casual walk for instance is not the same as a 90 minute half marathon.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    Options
    Cardio is not BAD for you, it improves your cardiovascular health and burns calories!

    BUT, eating a deficit and doing cardio can lead to MUSCLE loss, as well as fat. Its a good idea to resistance train to preserve lean muscle mass AND do cardio to burn fat. Everything in moderation :)
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Options
    I was googling info on fitness and I came across. Couple articles that said basically that doing too much cardio can decrese muscle tissue and it should only be limited to about 30 mins 3/4 days a week... Opinions? I am interested in losing about 10lbs and toning.
    Poor nutrition reduces muscle not exercise. It's nonsense
  • Laurenloveswaffles
    Laurenloveswaffles Posts: 535 Member
    Options
    I was googling info on fitness and I came across. Couple articles that said basically that doing too much cardio can decrese muscle tissue and it should only be limited to about 30 mins 3/4 days a week... Opinions? I am interested in losing about 10lbs and toning.
    Poor nutrition reduces muscle not exercise. It's nonsense

    I'm assuming you're saying poor nutrition as in not getting enough protein, right?
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    Options
    I was googling info on fitness and I came across. Couple articles that said basically that doing too much cardio can decrese muscle tissue and it should only be limited to about 30 mins 3/4 days a week... Opinions? I am interested in losing about 10lbs and toning.
    Poor nutrition reduces muscle not exercise. It's nonsense
    That statement is nonsense. Like someone else said; calorie deficit and cardio only equals an accelerated LBM loss vs deficit with heavy weight training and moderate cardio.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    Options
    Yes, if all you are doing is cardio and eating at a deficit to lose weight you will lose muscle. You need to incorporate strength training too. In the end you will have lost the weight but you will have no muscle mass or strength.
  • TriNoob
    TriNoob Posts: 96 Member
    Options
    Too much cardio is bad? Damn...guess I shouldn't have biked those 50 miles last Saturday.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Options
    I was googling info on fitness and I came across. Couple articles that said basically that doing too much cardio can decrese muscle tissue and it should only be limited to about 30 mins 3/4 days a week... Opinions? I am interested in losing about 10lbs and toning.

    Broadly said articles are nonsense, as upthread inadequate nutrition is the major contributor, although the type of CV work does make a difference.

    Stair master, elliptical and recumbent will do little to help retain lean mass, rowing can help retention, running and cycling out in the real will help retention in the lower body.

    Notwithstanding that, only doing one of those is going to increase injury risk so cross training is very helpful.

    All that said, muscle breakdown needs you to be in the 160-180 minutes of reasonably high intensity every day with inadequate nutrition. 30 minutes is barely warming up...
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    My opinion is that it's a load of cobblers.
    Huge deficit, inadequate nutrition - that's a good way to lose lean mass.

    I've seen one proper study that tracked people running ultra marathons (not standard 26 mile marathons) day after day and they had some minor and localised muscle loss. That sounds more like muscle damage than "burning muscle". Hardly an issue for ordinary people.

    I seem to manage to retain lean mass despite cycling up to 100 miles or six hours a week of various cardio and I'm ancient!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Options
    My opinion is that it's a load of cobblers.
    Huge deficit, inadequate nutrition - that's a good way to lose lean mass.

    I've seen one proper study that tracked people running ultra marathons (not standard 26 mile marathons) day after day and they had some minor and localised muscle loss. That sounds more like muscle damage than "burning muscle". Hardly an issue for ordinary people.

    I seem to manage to retain lean mass despite cycling up to 100 miles or six hours a week of various cardio and I'm ancient!

    There are numerous studies that show that, as long as calorie and protein intake is adequate, athletes can engage in significant (as in a couple of hours) of cardio training per day, remain in nitrogen balance, and maintain lean mass.

Categories