Guy who don't like cardio...

Amy_B
Amy_B Posts: 2,317 Member
edited October 2 in Fitness and Exercise
My husband has decided that he doesn't really care for cardio, that he really likes lifting weights. However, he needs to lose maybe 50ish pounds to get into a healthy range. He tried walking, but his heart rate doesn't get up enough. He tried running, but his legs hurt despite the new running shoes. He gets bored easily if he's not really into it. We also don't have money for him to really buy anything expensive. We do have a Wii. Any ideas what he can do that won't cost a lot and won't bore him? Thanks!
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Replies

  • YukonJoy
    YukonJoy Posts: 1,279 Member
    Yes I do.....

    But it will probably get the thread deleted.

    So carry on...
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    How shall I put this....ummm I heard that "making love" really does burn cals, and I'd consider that cardio! He may be okay with that! :)
  • teamhex
    teamhex Posts: 3
    Sounds like me at first. I just had to suck it up and start doing AT LEAST 20 mins a day on an elliptical. I normally listen to music while doing my cardio. I've even thought of setting up a tv so I can watch something.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    I just had to suck it up
    brilliant!
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    i hate cardio!! specifically running. so i dusted off my old bike from home, and started doing a few miles on it, and loved it. then i got it tuned up at my local bike shop, and it was like a brand new bike!

    i love cycling because you can go further then running, the scenery can become more interesting, and its much easier in the joints. i come home after a 16 mile bike ride feeling great. exhausted, but not sore!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Wii Walk it Out is supposed to be wonderfully addictive. You walk around an island. You buy/win stuff (music, etc). I don't have a Wii - but I want one for this workout.

    I use walking DVDs - NOT dancy, no choreography - some guys do use these. Walk at Home - Big Burn 2 Miles of Intervals is one he might like. The intervals are jogging sequences. To make it more intense - you add light handweights. Collagevideo.com has a video clip.
  • truelypinkthing
    truelypinkthing Posts: 164 Member
    Can you get him swimming? It would be kind to his knees and give him a good work out. Fast walking should make his heart rate go up.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    If you live somewhere that you can hike in the mountains I would suggest hiking. You'll burn way more calories than just walking on flat ground. It's not boring because you're in the woods. And you don't have the high impact that you get with running. An hour of hiking in hilly terrain can easily burn over 500 calories.
  • banjjo
    banjjo Posts: 89
    i hate cardio!! specifically running. so i dusted off my old bike from home, and started doing a few miles on it, and loved it. then i got it tuned up at my local bike shop, and it was like a brand new bike!

    i love cycling because you can go further then running, the scenery can become more interesting, and its much easier in the joints. i come home after a 16 mile bike ride feeling great. exhausted, but not sore!

    That's what my husband likes too, and he dislikes any other cardio. That's a great idea.

    Even a stationary bike is great, if your hubby would like to stay indoors. But it always feels great to get out! I'd rather run than do the elliptical any day. But we are all different. I hope you can find something that works for him. Another idea is the p90x or Insanity workouts. Have you heard of those?
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
    If you're maximuzing your workouts you should easily get a cardio burn while doing weights.

    I see alot of Old School people who take forever doing one exercise. They do 10 or so reps...then sit around for 2-3 mins....then another 10....then sit around some more. They're not working as hard or as effectively as they can and it's taking them 15 minutes to do one exercise. Impossible to sustain an elevated heart rate that way,

    But he can superset his exercises and keep his heart rate up but going from one exercise to another without stopping. Do chest press, then switch over to a single arm row...then back to chest...then back to row etc. The Primary movers are "Resting" because you're working in opposites, but you're not sitting around doing nothing so the heart rate stays up.

    Honestly, for the past 3 months, I've been training myself on an Elite Conditioning program designed for NHL players. There is ZERO cardio in the program, yet I'm in the best shape I've ever been for the coming season and my teammates have noticed a huge difference on the ice.

    Sounds to me like he just needs to make his weight training more effective.

    All that being said, 90% of losing 50lbs is about how he eats and what he eats through the day. You can workout all you want, but if you're not eating the right foods, you'll find roadblocks at every turn!

    Cheers!
  • banjjo
    banjjo Posts: 89
    If you live somewhere that you can hike in the mountains I would suggest hiking. You'll burn way more calories than just walking on flat ground. It's not boring because you're in the woods. And you don't have the high impact that you get with running. An hour of hiking in hilly terrain can easily burn over 500 calories.

    Hiking...great idea!
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    Lifting weights along with a good healthy diet can be enough. Make sure he eats ENOUGH. (BARE MINIMUM 1500 a day, preferably 2000) and healthy foods, mostly clean diet.
    Along with that, lifting can certainly do the trick. As he builds muscle his metabolism will increase, helping with the fat loss already started by the calorie deficit.

    Cardio is NOT "necessary" for success. Don't push him into doing something he hates and maybe risk him him giving up altogether. Let him do it in the way he will enjoy the journey.
  • crux
    crux Posts: 454 Member
    He can lose the whole 50 lbs lifting, just need to do the right sort of routine to keep his heart rate up. There's a book, kindle or real from Amazon called 'new rules of lifting'

    It's got some pretty decent fat loss programs in there.
  • Soccer_chick916
    Soccer_chick916 Posts: 159 Member
    My husband has decided that he doesn't really care for cardio, that he really likes lifting weights. However, he needs to lose maybe 50ish pounds to get into a healthy range. He tried walking, but his heart rate doesn't get up enough. He tried running, but his legs hurt despite the new running shoes. He gets bored easily if he's not really into it. We also don't have money for him to really buy anything expensive. We do have a Wii. Any ideas what he can do that won't cost a lot and won't bore him? Thanks!

    Have him try zumba for wii. Its all cardio and its mixed with all sorts of dancing and jumping with great music. He should get bored. The more effort he puts in the higher his heart rate. Also low impact on the legs. And he will work all body muscles. Lifting weight alone wont work. He will bulk up though.
  • LexyDawn
    LexyDawn Posts: 113
    HIgh Intensity Resistance Training could work... There are lots of examples online... just google HIRT.
    Basically it's strength training done at a pace that is cardiovascularly challenging... little to no rest time between exercises.
  • Mixmode
    Mixmode Posts: 332
    Walking does burn calories. Bike riding damn sure does! Elliptical also! Both are low impact. Just get him an ipod with good tunes on it.

    But for real, weight training will seriously shed some fat. That's my preferred method of exercise. Look on craigslist for dumbells and a weight bench!
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
    Do you have bikes? If not, maybe you can borrow a pair from someone or check craig's list/freecycle. Cycling is alot of fun, you're going fast, getting a good workout, but it's lower impact than running. I've explored alot of my area on my bike and sometimes curiosity about the next corner keeps me going!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    i do maybe an hr of cardio a week, it's really not that necessary to lose weight. he can do fine lifting, minimal cardio (even if he's not in the mythical fat burning zone, he'll burn cals) and a proper caloric deficit
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Um... what's wrong with lifting??? Is there a reason he HAS to do some type of cardio?
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    Sometimes I get bored with walking or running, too, especially on a treadmill.

    My second favorite way to burn calories with my significant other is playing sports together. We play basketball, tennis, and volleyball together. Nature walks/hikes and bike rides together are nice, too.

    But, as others have said, cardio isn't necessary for weight loss.

    Edited to add: Frisbee is also fun!
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,317 Member
    Thanks, everyone! I guess he doesn't have to do cardio if his heart rate is getting up doing weights. We do have enough weights for him to do a program. He thought about doing the stationary bike, but he felt badly about it since I bought him running shoes.

    As for "making love," LOL. Enough said.
  • saajidah93
    saajidah93 Posts: 15
    Maybe go dancing together??? Or zumba!! heard it's fun...
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
    I hate cardio too. I do it, but have to force it. But... I play racquetball on the side. Anything I can do to play and compete at something is great. and racquetball is a great cardio workout!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    My husband has decided that he doesn't really care for cardio, that he really likes lifting weights. However, he needs to lose maybe 50ish pounds to get into a healthy range. He tried walking, but his heart rate doesn't get up enough. He tried running, but his legs hurt despite the new running shoes. He gets bored easily if he's not really into it. We also don't have money for him to really buy anything expensive. We do have a Wii. Any ideas what he can do that won't cost a lot and won't bore him? Thanks!
    Have him do cardio with weights. If he likes lifting just have him do this: 20 squats with weights 30 second rest, 20 squat jumps with dumbells 30 second rest, 15 deadlifts with weights 30 second rest, 20 jump lunges. Rest 2 minutes repeat 3 more times.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    I have really kicked my weight sessions up a notch by throwing some cardio in between each station. Do a series of chest presses, followed by 25-50 jumping jacks; move to shoulder press and repeat jumping jacks, lat pull downs and jumping jacks, bicep rows and jumping jacks...get the picture? I'll do that after each of the machines and sometimes I will continue with the jumping jacks or change it to jump ropes, lunges or some other cardio exercise to get my heart rate up.
  • sjcope
    sjcope Posts: 1
    I'm not a cardio guy either (tends to be too boring) so have him try "circuit training" or a hike through woods. Canoeing, kayaking and mountain biking are other options if the resources are nearby.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    He doesn't need cardio, as may have stated. A good hard weigh lifting session or even a good hard body weight session will burn plenty of fat. Other than cycling which I don't do every day, I do all body weight workouts. You can see what I do on my blog here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/rileysowner
  • Mixmode
    Mixmode Posts: 332
    Agreed. In terms of muscle fatigue I am FAR MORE spent after a heavy weight session than I could ever be from cardio.

    GET TO MOVING THAT IRON PILE!
  • mehs04
    mehs04 Posts: 184
    Does he have a bike? Biking can get your heart rate going, and you can cover a lot more ground than walking so the scenery doesn't get boring.
  • hnpervert
    hnpervert Posts: 10
    Get him a kettlebell. Its a combination of weightlifting and cardio, so he'll enjoy it a lot more than just cardio
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