Why has cardio become a swear word on MFP all of a sudden?

My cardio has helped me lose 11 lbs in 22 days. I don't do anything else,but cardio. :-)

Blame Dr. Mercola for popularizing HIIT and the idea that if you are doing cardio for more than 20 minutes you are just wasting your time, or worse, doing damage.

Not that I've got anything against HIIT. I just don't like the villifying of cardio either. I haven't started any HIIT, though I intend to once it gets light out in the mornings and my training program is done, but I think that combining a mixture of cardio, HIIT, and weight training would be awesome for me.

I think it's because the notion of Strength Training for women is only recently becoming widely accepted. Initially, it will hog the spotlight, but eventually it will balance out to the point where it's seen as equally valuable to Cardio. It was the missing piece of the puzzle of fitness for many years, and now it's coming to light more people are 'band-wagoning' - not that that is a bad thing in this case.

In the fitness community, also, skinny-fat is regarded in almost the same light as obesity and low body fat, strength and muscularity are what people like to see in such places. And as cardio doesn't further your progress towards improved strength or muscularity, it's seen as a waste of time.

Me personally, I just hate cardio. Flat, dead, hate it. I love weight lifting and resistance training though.

And I think if you truly hate it, don't do it. But, you aren't saying "Oh, weight lifting is BETTER than cardio". You are simply saying you prefer it to cardio. There's a difference. Some people will flat out tell someone to STOP doing cardio and JUST lift. Considering not everyone has the same goals, I think it does a serious disservice to people when you tell them that.

Indeed. For many of the friends on my friends list, cardio is their staple exercise and that's absolutely fine. At the end of the day, we're all here to be healthier and you shouldn't try to dissuade people from bettering themselves because of how they're choosing to exercise. I will always recommend to people to take up strength training, but I'll never tell them to stop doing cardio - some people need to cut down, sure, like people eating VLCDs and murdering 600-800 calorie burns 6 days a week, but that's a very rare instance when cardio really is bad for you.

Everyone had their own personal goals. Some people try to push their goals on others.

I do cardio daily for general fitness & fat loss, and I also strength train 4x a week.

"Cardio" , oh I feel so naughty... I do not understand where these ideas have come from cardio is a good form of exercise.

Yeah - strength training / getting ripped is more "in fashion" than just slimming down, these days. Maybe it's getting even worse with the coming of summer?

Anyway, I do 4 days of Cardio and 2 days of Strength Training. Day 7 is rest/stretching. I think it's working pretty well for me. I'm a guy, but I would also prefer to be slim and slightly toned - not interested in being ripped/beefy.

I work out for myself and no one else. I train 7 days a week which for some is too much. If I don’t work out I feel guilty about not working out. 3 days a week I have started doing a preplanned work out for 5k training. Starting Friday this week I am starting another training program that one of the dancing with stars created which is an intense Jazzercise work out with weights. I will also through in some weight lifting boxing and anything I feel that is comfortable for me. I want to be healthy but I have to do what I am comfortable with or I am not going to stick with it so I have preplanned work outs I a fallow.

Methinks it's not a good idea to criticize anything healthy that works for one person or another.

I used to go to the gym regularly, do all the circuit machines and consulted with a trainer regularly. I did a little bit of a treadmill warm up, but primarily my routine was 45 minutes, 4 days a week, sensible/mostly vegetarian diet.

While from a strength perspective, I was pleased (could bench press more than my then 160 lbs, was working up to non-assisted pull ups, could do just about anything involving leg lifts/presses with ease) I did not like that I could not seem to lose weight and honestly, that muscle beneath the fat was not doing anything for me. I felt bulky, not powerful or lean.

(Before anyone thwarts me, I'm talking about MY experience...yours may be different and if so, awesome and I am truly sincerey happy for you!)

However, when I kept to the same nutrition and began walking daily, one hour/five miles a day, five days a week, the fat melted off.

Now, years later, I'm including calorie counting and stationary biking most days (five on, two off/an hour a day) and again, the scales are moving in the right direction.

I may do some lifting once I burn off more of this chunk, but I'm all for cardio. It invigorates me and I feel guilty and like crap if I don't ride.

So...whatever works for you! None of us becomes an expert based on what works for us; we can share tips (and for Heaven's sakes...awesome recipes!) but we can't expect for our experience to be Gospel for everyone 'cause we're all different!

Here's to your healthy workout, whether cardio, lifting or a little bit of both!

Nuff Said.......

I do mainly strength training but still do cardio. I have not really noticed people admonishing cardio on the site...I think tons of folks are highlighting weight training because so many did not realize that lifting can also help lose weight. You need a good combo of weight training, cardio, and diet to make real changes and keep them.

I'm another runner - 4 times per week with my long run on Sundays, I also row, bike, swim and do weights.

I suspect that one reason cardio may get a bad rap has to do with all of the misinformation floating around out there about the "fat burning zone", as if it's some kind of magic bullet - it certainly seems like there are lots of personal trainers that don't understand it well.

Personally I think being able to run 20km is a far more useful skill than being able to bench press or deadlift some extraordinary amount of weight, we'll survive the zombie apocalypse.:laugh:

We just need to unabashedly speak up for ourselves!

THIS!! I pretty much only do cardio.

I hate running with a passion, but its the best thing to lose weight/fat. In my opinion it should be the main thing to do for losing weight. Thats why I used to be the best shape of my life when I was in the Army. Thats all we did, was run.

Balance is the way to health. Some are trying to bulk and such. Depends on your goals I suppose.

..for me..I am following the NROL4W..and cardio doesn't come into play till stage 2...so 2 more weeks..and I will be back on cardio..but then again..you have to see what works for you...I did cardio to reach my goal weight..but didn't lift enough weights..so I am "skinny fat"...

It didn't! Where are you seeing this?

I've always taken 'skinny fat' to mean slim, but still with a high fat %, not slim and not muscley!