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

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  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    I think its probably because there are so many people on the 'lifting/ST/crossfit/hybrid' side- that stayed too long on the 'CARDIO IS THE ONLY WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT' side and we alll vehemently want to help veryone who is alls to wall cardio that moan incessantly about being on a plateau- but dont want to use weight cause they think they will look like an idiot.

    Not that everyone thinks like that- but its going through another surge on here I think, simply because of the number of people moaning about their cardio woes.

    You see someone struggling, you want to help, you know what will help, they shrug you off like you're the idiot and get super defensive of their cardio.

    You cant win for losin
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Sometimes I feel like I'm one of the rare people looking to lose weight without becoming a marathon runner, endurance cardio is just not for me at all.

    Really? I would think endurance cardio was rather rare on MFP. Actually, I'd think it pretty rare in general.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    Sometimes I feel like I'm one of the rare people looking to lose weight without becoming a marathon runner, endurance cardio is just not for me at all.

    Really? I would think endurance cardio was rather rare on MFP. Actually, I'd think it pretty rare in general.

    Im an endurance cardio junkie, training for the NYC mara.... but I'd part with cardio at this point before you could pry my cold dead hands from my weights
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    I do cardio every single day. It's good for my mood and my heart health. It's awesome, and I love eating those calories back :D People just LOVE to argue, that's all. LoL... carbs are good, carbs are bad, fat is good, fat is bad, cardio is good, cardio is bad.... it's all so exhausting. Just ignore it and do what works for you, do what makes you feel good! :flowerforyou: BTW, I love weight training too...in my opinion it's about balance. What's right for me isn't right for everyone.
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
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    Sometimes I feel like I'm one of the rare people looking to lose weight without becoming a marathon runner, endurance cardio is just not for me at all.

    Really? I would think endurance cardio was rather rare on MFP. Actually, I'd think it pretty rare in general.

    Maybe on MFP, but Ive heard countless times that Blank Blankerson lost X-amount of pounds by taking up running/jogging/walking. There are a lot of people who think that the best/only way to go about this is to lace up and hit the pavement for hours.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    I can't help to notice that cardio has been getting a seriously bad rep lately....

    I get the idea that strengh/resistance whatever you want to call it is a vital part of losing weight and staying healthy, but there are more and more threads where people get told that 2 days of cardio per week is too much????

    What about the health benefits of regular cardio vs just "heavy lifting"?

    I know what works for me (cardio 4+ times a week from 30 mins to 1.5 hour on long runs, and lifting (though i doubt that some cousins of the Incredible Hulk on here would call it heavy!:tongue: ) 3 times a week....
    it gives me an all round program, burns calories, sustain lean muscle and makes me happy - oh, and got my bp down from borderline hypertention (139/89 to 117/70) and my body fat % down from 49.6 to 29%, so why the dislike of it?

    Any ideas on why cardio is bad all of a sudden? :flowerforyou:

    I like my cardio and will continue to do it whether people like me doing it or not!

    Cardio is good for the heart, for the blood pressure, it burns calories like no tomorrow and gets one in shape. Cardio is here to stay, oh yes.

    :drinker:
  • deadbeatsummer
    deadbeatsummer Posts: 537 Member
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    I have no interest in health fads and believe in sweating hard - getting fitter and eating plenty of fruit and staying around 1400 cals to lose weight. I look forward to my turbo fire sessions and i dont feel inadequate as a my fitness pal user because i dont lift weights.
  • Summerlove1993
    Summerlove1993 Posts: 102 Member
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    I'm losing weight to get healthy, and my doctor insists on cardiovascular exercise as part of my plan. I respect his highly educated opinion.
  • kelceyjean12011
    kelceyjean12011 Posts: 185 Member
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    i think a good mix of both is great :)
  • CarrieAnne22
    CarrieAnne22 Posts: 231 Member
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    I admittedly prefer and longing look forward to my strength training/weight days, but I still do some sort of cardio every day. I think they go hand in hand for a healthier life style.
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
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    (Funny image...)

    Speaking of... anyone used the Zombies, Run! app successfully in their area?

    Not yet. I'm waiting for it to come out for Android. But I want it!

    zombiefastfood_fullpic.jpg
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    I love doing cardio. I don't care how much strength training a person tries to push. They can only speak for their body and not mine. I know about strength training and I strength train, but not as much as I do cardio. I prefer doing cardio/strength than just solo strength training and I don't believe in lifting heavy. I know what I'm aiming for and what I need to do to get there.

    Cardio burns fat.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,153 Member
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    My cardio work is not long steady state stuff. It is intervals or the like either High Intensity or not. I do it that way due to time constraints and the fact that other than cycling in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter, I don't like most other cardio types, and I don't have the time to do 4 days a week of long periods of time. I can workout my cardiovascular system just as well in a 30 minute or less Interval session. It is all personal preference.

    The other reason it is getting a bad rep is that extremely long duration cardio, is counter productive for muscle building and maintaining. Many don't want that.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,153 Member
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    I'm losing weight to get healthy, and my doctor insists on cardiovascular exercise as part of my plan. I respect his highly educated opinion.

    I hope your doctor has taken some extra courses, because all the doctors I have met have no training in the area of weight loss and exercise. My family doctor is completely honest in this area, she simply commends me on my progress, and if I want expertise she refers me to either a dietitian or someone specializing in exercise. She is highly trained in treating disease, and that is all. Maybe your doctor is different. It would be nice to see some doctors actually take time in this area as it is key to disease prevention.
  • jmonique27
    jmonique27 Posts: 22
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    So I have to be honest, I am not a big fan of cardio, but I've had the best results doing it, especially with interval training! (30 sec sprinting, 30 sec walking) :happy:
  • echoica
    echoica Posts: 339 Member
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    cardio ftw!!!!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    As much as I love running, after my race this weekend, and seeing a bunch of other runners... I'm really glad I do both strength training and cardio.

    They had low body fat. They had visible muscle. They weren't skinny fat by any means. But it wasn't the same kind of SHAPE you get from doing both.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i think the problem is people want to apply one size fits all rules. this goes for diet and exercise. its hard to troll what someone.s individual body will do when a "rule" is applied. for instance, it's pretty hard for an obese person to reach starvation mode.

    same with doing weights and cardio. these aren't incompatible, our ancestors followed a similar program and to them it was called living. i think too often people read too much hypothetical stuff about what their bidies should be doing and don't spend enough time actually trying to find out what works for their body. i think the individual in the body is going to know what's going on better than a stranger making conclusions from a compiled study
  • shack1157
    shack1157 Posts: 97 Member
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    Bull Crap!!! I did cardio six days a week for a year! Nothing but cardio! After the year was up I started doing strength training three days a week but still do cardio six days a week! Lost 103 pounds and am off most meds I was taking! So Bull Crap that cardio is bad! Dr. Says I am in great shape so much better than I was before! So do what works for you and ignore the fads and hipe!
  • lgladybug
    lgladybug Posts: 68 Member
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    I think that both are equally important. However Cardio in my opinion is the most important but it should be an all around approach to health by doing both cardio and strength training. I've always wondered, if you do cardio with resistance wouldn't that be the same as doing both in one? Not saying that it's a replacement for both individual workouts but I'm meaning in general.

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