Hate cardio, love weights, can do abs for days

baby_bokchoy
baby_bokchoy Posts: 61 Member
edited November 28 in Fitness and Exercise
I've always hated cardio, but in the last year I've gotten so much better - I've been doing Taebo with a group of friends. We all started at the same time, and the majority of us (6 of us total) were at similar fitness levels as we'd been doing no exercise before. (I'd been doing Pilates actually for a few months, but besides that nothing).

So my question is, why do my friends seem to manage the cardio so much better than me? I feel like I'm the first to get really tired. And I sweat the most haha. But when it comes to weights, our instructor gives me the heaviest ones, and I can do proper ab exercises with good form without as much difficulty as others in the class.

Just wondering why I don't struggle with strength (and have improved in the last year) but struggle with cardio where others in the class seem to have more stamina?

Not trying to complain or compare, just curious!

Replies

  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
    Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Cardio is one of my struggles as well. For me, I think it is 1 part mental and 1 part breathing techniques. Work on your weaknesses and do not compare yourself to others. Work on improving and being better than you were yesterday.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Most of can do more of what we enjoy because we’re willing to push harder longer. It’s a mental game. When I felt cr4ppy running I want to stop, but if I feel TVs same way swimming, I just keep going. Perhaps try some different forms of cardio to find one you enjoy more.
    The amount a person sweats compared to another doesn’t really mean a thing except perhaps that you sweat more easily.
  • ChasingNemo
    ChasingNemo Posts: 4 Member
    We have different muscle types, some being good for short burst activities like sprints or power lifting, others being better at endurance exercise. Each person has a dominant type, and my guess is that you (like me) are dominated by the lower endurance types. My favorite workout combination is weight lifting and HIIT cardio.

    However I did eventually manage to get into more "endurance" running once I learned about heart rate guided training. You may be pushing too hard and burning out too quick, which is uncomfortable and discouraging.
  • mreichard
    mreichard Posts: 235 Member
    For years I was part of a morning running group. My neighbor and I were there 4 days a week for a couple of years straight, and it took us both about that long to get our 5k under 20 minutes. We had another neighbor who was an occasional member —- he’d run for a couple of months and then get busy with work and quit. Every time he started back he was slower than us, but within a couple of weeks he was training at 6:15 miles and racing in the 5:30 per mile range —- leaving us in the dust.

    I think genetics makes a big difference.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,632 Member
    Agree with most of the above, but wanted to add that you'd need to consider not only your friends' genetics, past fitness activities, and technique issues (like the breathing and pacing), but also your total lifestyle compared to theirs. Everything you/they do counts toward cardiovascular fitness, strength, endurance, flexibility and other fitness dimensions. Jobs, household chores, etc., are not major contributors to fitness for most people, but they aren't irrelevant, either.

    For example, with respect to cardiovascular fitness particularly, someone with a job involving lots of walking (mail delivery person, hospital floor nurse, etc.) may have a bit more advantage.
  • intrigame23
    intrigame23 Posts: 193 Member
    Could be different diets. Do you drink? I notice when I have more wine I can't workout as intensely and get exhausted easily.
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