Is sticking with one type of cardio really that bad?
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sciullo779
Posts: 12 Member
My current (main) goal at the gym is weight loss, and with that ive been doing ~20 minutes of circuit training on machines, but the other 45 mins im at the gym I do cardio.
Im currently 218lbs, down from 240 last month, when I get below 200 I want to start jogging and eventually work my way up to being able to run a mile, and then a 5k with my cousins.
Ive been doing uphill walking for the past month which I think greatly contributed to my loss. Currently im doing 2 minute warm up 7.5 grade 2mph, then 10 minutes at 14% grade 3mph, rest for 2:30 at 7.5% 3mph, 7:30 at 12.5-14%, 2:30 of rest at 7.5, then finish the rest of the 45 mins at 2:1 intervals of 10-12.5% @3mph with 7.5% rest.
Ive heard of cardio variety, and tried the elliptical and the stationary bike, but they both just dont agree with me. The bike is just boring, and feels like im just staying still, and the elliptical bothers my hips for some reason.
Is there really a bad side of sticking to one cardio machine?
Im currently 218lbs, down from 240 last month, when I get below 200 I want to start jogging and eventually work my way up to being able to run a mile, and then a 5k with my cousins.
Ive been doing uphill walking for the past month which I think greatly contributed to my loss. Currently im doing 2 minute warm up 7.5 grade 2mph, then 10 minutes at 14% grade 3mph, rest for 2:30 at 7.5% 3mph, 7:30 at 12.5-14%, 2:30 of rest at 7.5, then finish the rest of the 45 mins at 2:1 intervals of 10-12.5% @3mph with 7.5% rest.
Ive heard of cardio variety, and tried the elliptical and the stationary bike, but they both just dont agree with me. The bike is just boring, and feels like im just staying still, and the elliptical bothers my hips for some reason.
Is there really a bad side of sticking to one cardio machine?
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Replies
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yes and no.
The more you do a particular exercise, the better your body will get at it and the fewer calories you'll burn. So doing exercise you're not good at and that your body isn't used to will help burn more calories (everything else being equal)... but I'm not sure that difference is great enough to be a deciding factor in what you do.
Ultimately, doing a variety of things will help with your overall conditioning and health, which obviously is a good thing... but I don't think I'd go so far as to say that doing 1 thing is necessarily bad.
So...
doing lots of things - very good
sticking with 1 thing - good
Neither option is bad... it's just that one is better than the other.0 -
I started my Weight loss hitting the gym & burning cals like crazy on the treadmill & cross-trainer around 4-5 times a week on avearge 900cals per session, it got me my first 2.5st then weight slowed and finally stuck.
Now I do a 1 hr bootcamp in the local park, 2hr Legs, bums n tums & 1hr Synrgy session + 1 6km jog/walk and noticed the weight loss started again but more importantly my body shape changed dramatically and I am now 4st 3 lbs lighter (27kg) and 3-4 dress sizes smaller.
I would say cardio is a big part of your excersise regime, but also mix it up with some weights & toning, I haven't been back to treadmill running in months because classses I find are more fun, they push you harder than you would probably push yourself & they are geared towards body shaping rather than weight drop.0 -
It depends I guess. I do the same cardio every day because I don't want to pay for a gym and due to my work and schedule I don't have time to mix it up much. I've lost weight doing it and I still burn a lot of calories (according to my heart monitor). For me, I am exercising to fulfill the 30-60 minutes of exercise a day that my doctor recommends. It's awesome to do a variety of different exercises but if you're limited to a few it's still great, and way better than not exercising at all0
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If your goal is just to burn calories, then no it doesn't matter. Any reduction in calories burned due to efficiency is pretty much a non-issue, as such efficiency gains are incredibly small and the more adapted person is going to be able to push harder anyways. In terms of athleticism, obviously there's more to it than just burning up 60 minutes on the elliptical 3-4 days per week, and in terms of body composition, cardio alone is rarely the answer. But in terms of just burning some extra calories, it doesn't matter if you just stick with one machine.0
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a variety of exercises whether cardio or anything else gives you the opportunity to develop strength and flexibility across your entire body.. focusing on a single machine... is great to get you going... BUT too much of a good thing is too much and you may become prone to an injury from repetition or stress.. then you stop exercising... with hip issues I would assume that you have a sedentary job where you sit all day... look into some beginner yoga that will help you develop greater flexibility and provide you some relaxation tools...
Best of luck0 -
yes and no.
The more you do a particular exercise, the better your body will get at it and the fewer calories you'll burn. So doing exercise you're not good at and that your body isn't used to will help burn more calories (everything else being equal)... but I'm not sure that difference is great enough to be a deciding factor in what you .
This is absolutely not true. This is marketing gibberish that has been created to sell exercise videos, but has no basis in fact. In most cases, just the opposite is true.
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yes and no.
The more you do a particular exercise, the better your body will get at it and the fewer calories you'll burn. So doing exercise you're not good at and that your body isn't used to will help burn more calories (everything else being equal)... but I'm not sure that difference is great enough to be a deciding factor in what you .
This is absolutely not true. This is marketing gibberish that has been created to sell exercise videos, but has no basis in fact. In most cases, just the opposite is true.
Can you elaborate?
It came from one of Dan John's books. I can dig out the exact text if it warrants discussion, but IMO that's a pretty reliable source.
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The training variety you are introducing into your workout should be enough to help you make continued progress and improve your overall fitness level. The only reason you might need to introduce some alternative cardio is to prevent overtraining or overuse injury. For now, just pay attention to how you feel and don't be afraid to throw some low-intensity steady-state work into the mix.0
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yes and no.
The more you do a particular exercise, the better your body will get at it and the fewer calories you'll burn. So doing exercise you're not good at and that your body isn't used to will help burn more calories (everything else being equal)... but I'm not sure that difference is great enough to be a deciding factor in what you .
This is absolutely not true. This is marketing gibberish that has been created to sell exercise videos, but has no basis in fact. In most cases, just the opposite is true.
no it's not- it's completely rational and reasonable. I don't agree with "muscle confusion" but the fact your body adapts is completely true.
If you only do curls with 10 pounds- at some point it's no longer work because your body adapts. That's what happens when you push your body- it adapts- and then you have to push harder.
You at some point have to do the following
> Change what you are doing-
> Do it for longer-
> Or up the intensity.
You cannot do the same thing exactly the same way for the same time with the same intensity and expect your body to continue to give you results- at some point you'll adapt- and you'll see no change.
I don't agree that you need to adjust your cardio- I only do one or two types- because those are the ones I like- and I get bored ONLY doing one thing but I sure as *kitten* don't run around doing 20 min on the elliptial- 20 on the stairmaster- and 20 on the bike- THAT'S stupid to me. I do my 20 min and I"m done.0 -
There is so much you can change on one cardio machine.0
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There is no need to wait until you are under 200 to start running. Lots of people that weigh over 200 run. I have run a marathon and several half marathons weighing between 210 and 220. It is easier to do when you are lighter, but if you do not have any other health issues other than weight, then there is no reason that you have to wait.
Starting out you will do a mix of running and walking, so you might want to get off the treadmill and go outside to run, because there might be times when you will need to slow down quicker than the treadmill does. Also early on you should be doing your run/walk intervals based on how you feel. If you are on a treadmill you might find yourself paying more attention to the speed and time displays and end up pushing yourself too hard and end up with an injury or the embarrassment of being shot off the back of the belt.
Since you are currently walking for your cardio, mixing it up does not matter as much. However if you start doing a lot of one type of cardio (1 - 2 hours, 3 - 4 days/week), then it becomes more important to have one session a week where you cross train and do something other than your primary cardio type. The reason for this is to avoid overuse injuries and to help balance out muscle usage. Runners tend to have strong hamstrings and weaker quads, and bikers have the exact opposite issue. In some people these imbalances can result in knee problems.0 -
sciullo779 wrote:My current (main) goal at the gym is weight loss, and with that I've been doing ~20 minutes of circuit training on machines, but the other 45 mins I'm at the gym I do cardio.I'm currently 218lbs, down from 240 last monthIs there really a bad side of sticking to one cardio machine?
Perhaps you'll be developing some muscles more than others (like if you just used the bike, you're not working your core or arms at all).0 -
yes and no.
The more you do a particular exercise, the better your body will get at it and the fewer calories you'll burn. So doing exercise you're not good at and that your body isn't used to will help burn more calories (everything else being equal)... but I'm not sure that difference is great enough to be a deciding factor in what you .
This is absolutely not true. This is marketing gibberish that has been created to sell exercise videos, but has no basis in fact. In most cases, just the opposite is true.
no it's not- it's completely rational and reasonable. I don't agree with "muscle confusion" but the fact your body adapts is completely true.
If you only do curls with 10 pounds- at some point it's no longer work because your body adapts. That's what happens when you push your body- it adapts- and then you have to push harder.
You at some point have to do the following
> Change what you are doing-
> Do it for longer-
> Or up the intensity.
You cannot do the same thing exactly the same way for the same time with the same intensity and expect your body to continue to give you results- at some point you'll adapt- and you'll see no change.
I don't agree that you need to adjust your cardio- I only do one or two types- because those are the ones I like- and I get bored ONLY doing one thing but I sure as *kitten* don't run around doing 20 min on the elliptial- 20 on the stairmaster- and 20 on the bike- THAT'S stupid to me. I do my 20 min and I"m done.
I wouldn't analogize calorie burns from cardio to progressive overload when it comes to building muscle, as I don't think you can really draw great comparisons between the two when it comes to efficiency and adaptations. Lyle McDonald wrote on this here (in typical Lyle fashion with some colorful language), but the gist of it is efficiency gains from steady state cardio are pretty minimal and, since you can up the intensity of the activity, it's nonsense that these efficiencies somehow render steady state cardio useless after a while.
Here's a relevant quote with mostly MFP-safe language:But here’s the next question, how much training does it take for me to go from a 20% efficiency to a 25% efficiency? Or even to increase my efficiency by 1%?
The short answer is: essentially forever.
The longer answer is: ok, not exactly forever but it’s a time frame that is utterly irrelevant to the general population.
To make my point, I’m going to pull a data point from a study of arguably the most dominant cyclist to yet live: Lance Armstrong.
Tracked over approximately 7 years of training, Lance improved his efficiency by a whopping 8%. Or roughly 1% PER YEAR. And, to quote the paper directly:
“It is hypothesized that the improved muscular efficiency probably reflects changes in muscle myosin type stimulated from years of training intensely for 3-6 h on most days.”
Read that closely, three to six hours of cycling per day damn near EVERY DAY to get a 1% efficiency increase PER YEAR.
And yet, somehow, folks think that walking on the treadmill a few times per week is going to ramp up their efficiency such that they are burning massively less calories during their workouts after a few weeks.0 -
but the gist of it is efficiency gains from steady state cardio are pretty minimal and, since you can up the intensity of the activity, it's nonsense that these efficiencies somehow render steady state cardio useless after a while.
This sentence clicked it for me
I was more stuck on the 'getting better at doing something" aspect- rather than just straight cardio burns.0 -
Who ever said the exercise became useless, or that the OP wouldn't see benefits/progress? I sure as heck didn't. I even said it wasn't significant enough to be a deciding factor in what the OP chose to do.
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Yeah, I think the idea is that while you might get better at doing it, it never gets to the point that steady state cardio isn't an effective calorie burn, since the efficiency gains are really small and hard to come by and since nothing precludes you from upping the intensity of the cardio. I mostly do elliptical machines when grinding out cardio and my intensity is up a lot from 6-12 months ago, but I'll never reach a state where I'm so efficient at it that I need to switch to another machine to burn a significant number of calories.
Not to say there aren't reasons for doing multiple types of cardio, but the notion that you'll ever become super efficient and you have to confuse your body to get a calorie burn is largely nonsense.0 -
Yeah, I think the idea is that while you might get better at doing it, it never gets to the point that steady state cardio isn't an effective calorie burn, since the efficiency gains are really small and hard to come by and since nothing precludes you from upping the intensity of the cardio. I mostly do elliptical machines when grinding out cardio and my intensity is up a lot from 6-12 months ago, but I'll never reach a state where I'm so efficient at it that I need to switch to another machine to burn a significant number of calories.
Not to say there aren't reasons for doing multiple types of cardio, but the notion that you'll ever become super efficient and you have to confuse your body to get a calorie burn is largely nonsense.
agreed agreed.
Long steady state cardio is typically the best way to get large deficit/burns.
I mostly just dislike doing it- so I opt mostly do sprints/intervals- but I'll still toss in a longer session of jump rope- or on a Friday night I'll get on the stair master for an hour- just gives me a good buffer to work with with food.
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I've seen it said that there is only type of exercise that is good for you - and that is the one that you will do. I think that means that if you choose to stick to one type of cardio exercise, that's fine and it's certainly better than not doing anything.
Your body will adapt over time to make it able to cope more easily with what you are doing (that's the training effect) so you might need to vary the intensity or duration to get the results you want if you don't vary the type of exercise you do but if you stick with it you'll get where you're going.
Good luck!0
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