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MyFitnessPal Community

Cardio isn't for "fat burning".

ninerbuff

Cardio is done to improve cardio vascular fitness and burn calories. It will HELP with a calorie deficit and for some that do a lot of cardio, allow one to eat more versus someone at the same weight who does little or no cardio at all.
Like all other physical activity, GLYCOGEN will be the first thing burned before fat is even touched (ratio will vary more to fat if duration extended and/or intensity is lower) so the addage that one needs to do cardio to burn fat is a myth. You burn fat with a calorie deficit. Don't believe it? Do whatever cardio you want, but eat your TDEE. You'll more likely keep the same bodyfat percentage if you keep doing that.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Replies

AdorkableRegal

Okay, then if Cardio isn't for fat burning what exercise do you recommend?

Chieflrg

Surprised how this isn't common knowledge these days.

trinty425

AdorkableRegal wrote: »

Okay, then if Cardio isn't for fat burning what exercise do you recommend?

ninerbuff

AdorkableRegal wrote: »

Okay, then if Cardio isn't for fat burning what exercise do you recommend?

There AREN'T any "fat burning" exercises. Exercise is for fitness and health. How you lose fat is based more on CICO than how much or how one works out. You can improve muscle and muscle tone, but exercise doesn't directly burn off excess fat tissue the way people think it does. That's why "spot reduction" doesn't exist.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

cwolfman13

AdorkableRegal wrote: »

Okay, then if Cardio isn't for fat burning what exercise do you recommend?

Fork put downs and table push aways.

You burn fat by consuming less energy than you expend...you expend energy all day...exercise is generally a very small % of your overall expenditure. The point is that you can do all the exercise you want but if you're consuming more than you expend you will not burn fat or lose weight.

I ride about 80 miles per week and lift 3x per week and do a bunch of other general activity. I've lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight doing all of this...the difference being how much energy I was consuming

ninerbuff

Chieflrg wrote: »

Surprised how this isn't common knowledge these days.

It's the stupid magazines and diet industry that screws it up.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

CindyFooWho

Being in good cardio vascular health makes you feel fantastic. And that should be enough

queenliz99

I know this for a fact! 20 plus years of cardio but never ever lost the fat. Until I started counting calories, I was just spinning my wheels. Thanks for sharing

ironhajee

Great read and good insight!

shano25

I've had quite a few people at my gym ask me why they aren't losing weight when they are doing over an hour of cardio each day (they just move from machine to machine.) First thing I always ask them about is their diet and we very quickly discover that it's their eating habits that need to change.

RUN_LIFT_EAT

You can't outrun a bad diet.

missyfitz1

This is a very harsh change in mindset for a lot of people. We are told our whole lives to exercise to lose weight. I think when people first hear this, it's counterintuitive, and that's why it doesn't sink in. It's a great reminder here, though!

missyfitz1

CindyFooWho wrote: »

Being in good cardio vascular health makes you feel fantastic. And that should be enough

Also, I don't think enough this is promoted enough. It's the one thing that keeps me motivated to stick to my workouts. Even when exercise helps me with CICO, that isn't why I do it. The results take too long.

MommyMeggo

Like! I wish I could email this to a few people in my life that give me shyt for buying weights and a bar vs a treadmill and scoff at* my food diary. Dummyheads.

oedipuss

There was a headline in my local newspaper today......."Higher Car Park Charges Will Not Solve Child Obesity Crisis".

Well stop feeding your children mountains of sugary pap and endless fast food rubbish then.......and then make them walk to school!

lizlemon4

People these days eat straight up crap. Chips, soda, hot dogs, McDonald's, and everything else. Never a veggie or a fruit oh how about some old fashioned water and a good run around the block. Take account for the things you consume or they will consume you with obesity and disease.

Wheelhouse15

When I first saw your title, Joe, I thought "Oy vey! Here we go again!" then I saw it was you and your points were valid. Thanks for posting a proper thread on this.

senecarr

I was hoping for more "but fasted cardio" comments.

Wheelhouse15

CindyFooWho wrote: »

Being in good cardio vascular health makes you feel fantastic. And that should be enough

Running also feels a lot better when you aren't doing it in a calorie deficit and the same goes for lifting. A lot of people find running and lifting a lot harder than it should be because the only time they do them is when a) they are out of shape b) in a caloric deficit c) feeling obliged to do them.

lemmie177

Actually, the addition of exercise is much more effective in getting rid of visceral fat(you know, the stuff associated with heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc) than deficit alone.

_Waffle_

lizlemon4 wrote: »

People these days eat straight up crap. Chips, soda, hot dogs, McDonald's, and everything else. Never a veggie or a fruit oh how about some old fashioned water and a good run around the block. Take account for the things you consume or they will consume you with obesity and disease.

Incorrect. While some of these foods are higher in saturated fats there's nothing inherently wrong with them. Mostly they're just calorie dense. If you don't have high cholesterol or health issues that prevent you from having these then eating them is fine. Just don't comprise your entire diet of them.

Cardio is to make you healthier. It can improve so much of your life. It makes it easier for me to do high altitude hiking, lowers my blood pressure, cholesterol , and my HDL was 100 on my last checkup. It does burn fat but that's as explained in the opening post when you do longer lower intensity zoned endurance.

Also worth noting. It does not make you skinny. Professional marathon runners are skinny on purpose because you lose about 2 seconds per mile for each extra pound you carry. Light weight = greater speed. Your net calories determine your size. That is all.

ForecasterJason

For low intensity exercises, is it body fat or dietary fat burned, or both?

ndj1979

AdorkableRegal wrote: »

Okay, then if Cardio isn't for fat burning what exercise do you recommend?

none

calorie deficit coupled with some kind of exercise regimen

ndj1979

lizlemon4 wrote: »

People these days eat straight up crap. Chips, soda, hot dogs, McDonald's, and everything else. Never a veggie or a fruit oh how about some old fashioned water and a good run around the block. Take account for the things you consume or they will consume you with obesity and disease.

so 100% of people eat this way?????????? How do you know this? Have you studied the eating habits of every person on the planet?

Wheelhouse15

ForecasterJason wrote: »

For low intensity exercises, is it body fat or dietary fat burned, or both?

That actually makes no real sense. Once fat is in your blood stream it's continually absorbed and released by fat cells based on a number of factors such as the presence of insulin and energy requirements of the body. It would be like pumping gas into a half full tank and then driving off. It doesn't matter weather it was the new gas or the old gas once it's in the tank it all just gets mixed together.

cwolfman13

ForecasterJason wrote: »

For low intensity exercises, is it body fat or dietary fat burned, or both?

The fuel being utilized for a particular activity is irrelevant...you are in a constant state of flux between fat storage and fat oxidation...when your net oxidation exceeds storage, you will get leaner and lose weight. You put yourself in a net deficit position by consuming less energy than you expend.

jacksonpt

cwolfman13 wrote: »

ForecasterJason wrote: »

For low intensity exercises, is it body fat or dietary fat burned, or both?

The fuel being utilized for a particular activity is irrelevant...you are in a constant state of flux between fat storage and fat oxidation...when your net oxidation exceeds storage, you will get leaner and lose weight. You put yourself in a net deficit position by consuming less energy than you expend.

Agreed, especially the bolded part. IMO, that's something most people either don't realize or don't give enough credence to.

Sued0nim

In other news...the sky is up

Wheelhouse15

rabbitjb wrote: »

In other news...the sky is up

And the stock market is down.

RoxieDawn

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