Is going to the gym for cardio daily okay?

adampants
adampants Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
I have being going to the gym daily using cardio machines, tredmill, rowing machine, and cross trainer.
should i take rest days or continue going every day for maximum weight loss?
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Replies

  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
    I have being going to the gym daily using cardio machines, tredmill, rowing machine, and cross trainer.
    should i take rest days or continue going every day for maximum weight loss?

    u should take at least 1 rest day a week. Also use some weight 2-3 times week
  • adampants
    adampants Posts: 13
    surely the more calories I burn the more i will loose weight, or will this just eventually take its effects on my body?
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I have being going to the gym daily using cardio machines, tredmill, rowing machine, and cross trainer.
    should i take rest days or continue going every day for maximum weight loss?

    You need rest days otherwise you cannot recover properly and eventually it will result in injuries and then you will be out of action for a lot longer than the rest days would have entailed.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    surely the more calories I burn the more i will loose weight, or will this just eventually take its effects on my body?

    You LOSE weight.. LOOSE is what is going to happen if you keep doing cardio only and no weight training. You will look loose and flabby instead of tight and toned.

    Take at least one rest day a week, cut the cardio down to 2-3 days and lift 2-3 days... you'll be much better off.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    surely the more calories I burn the more i will loose weight, or will this just eventually take its effects on my body?

    You LOSE weight.. LOOSE is what is going to happen if you keep doing cardio only and no weight training. You will look loose and flabby instead of tight and toned.

    Take at least one rest day a week, cut the cardio down to 2-3 days and lift 2-3 days... you'll be much better off.

    It is not a necessity that anybody has to do any weights, you will not look flabby or loose if only doing cardio.

    I know this because I do not do weights and I do not look loose or flabby and I also reached my goal.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
    I have being going to the gym daily using cardio machines, tredmill, rowing machine, and cross trainer.
    should i take rest days or continue going every day for maximum weight loss?

    u should take at least 1 rest day a week. Also use some weight 2-3 times week


    I agree with this. Plus, when you use some weights you will look amazing. To take the weight off is great but toning up is important also. Gaining more muscle will help with burning calories.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    Lift some weights.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    surely the more calories I burn the more i will loose weight, or will this just eventually take its effects on my body?

    You LOSE weight.. LOOSE is what is going to happen if you keep doing cardio only and no weight training. You will look loose and flabby instead of tight and toned.

    Take at least one rest day a week, cut the cardio down to 2-3 days and lift 2-3 days... you'll be much better off.

    It is not a necessity that anybody has to do any weights, you will not look flabby or loose if only doing cardio.

    I know this because I do not do weights and I do not look loose or flabby and I also reached my goal.

    RIght.. about that.

    Take me and my friend for example.. She's lost 50 pounds while I've lost 30... yet I look much smaller then she does. Why? Because I lift weights and she does not.. all she does is run/walk.

    Muscle is smaller and tighter then fat... and by doing only cardio and not any resistance training, you lose both muscle and fat instead of primarily fat. It's also harder to maintain the weight because muscle boosts metabolism.. and the less you have, the slower the metabolism is and the less wiggle room you have when it comes to calories etc.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    I usually only take one day off per month....and even on that day I will do light cardio, I circuit train with weights everyother day for 75 minutes followed by 20 minutes on the elliptical; on the non-weight days I either run outside or use the elliptical at the gym. At first I was total cardio everyday but added weights to get the muscle tone I am looking for and to help the skin with elasticity. According to my doctor cardio should be done for a minimum of 30 minutes every day. I fully agree with "listen to your body" - if you burn out you won't accomplish the life style change you are pursuing. Best of luck with reaching your goals!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    surely the more calories I burn the more i will loose weight, or will this just eventually take its effects on my body?

    You LOSE weight.. LOOSE is what is going to happen if you keep doing cardio only and no weight training. You will look loose and flabby instead of tight and toned.

    Take at least one rest day a week, cut the cardio down to 2-3 days and lift 2-3 days... you'll be much better off.

    It is not a necessity that anybody has to do any weights, you will not look flabby or loose if only doing cardio.

    I know this because I do not do weights and I do not look loose or flabby and I also reached my goal.

    When you only do cardio, it makes it more difficult to cut body fat. Weight training will enable your body to lose more fat. You may burn more calories doing cardio but you also trnd to lose more muscle from alone doing cardio. Also with weight training, your body will continue to burn calories up to 24 hours after as your metabolic rate increases in order to repair your muscles. Also, weight training prevents loss of lean body mass which means you maintain your metabolism.


    OP, you also have to realize a few things. First, weight loss is mostly diet and exercise is for fitness. The more you exercise the more you have to eat in order to maintain your muscle. Muscle is what makes your body lean and fit. The more you have the quicker your metabolism is and the more calories you burn. Next, it is impairative to rest your body. It needs time to repair ir it will adversely affect your results and be prone to injury. Additonally, if you do cardio everday your body will adapt, become more efficient and burn less calories.

    And lastly, you will not lose weight faster by exercising each day or even eating less. This is a recipe to plateau faster and for your body to conserve calories and be stored as fat. If your body isnt receiving nutrition, it will release cortisol to preserve calories as fat. So eat enough calories, weight training and do cardio and most importantly rest.
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
    I have being going to the gym daily using cardio machines, tredmill, rowing machine, and cross trainer.
    should i take rest days or continue going every day for maximum weight loss?

    You need rest days otherwise you cannot recover properly and eventually it will result in injuries and then you will be out of action for a lot longer than the rest days would have entailed.

    THIS!!
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
    Personally, I believe it really depends on your goals. If your goal is to be great at steady-state cardio to the exclusion of everything else, then by all means, keep doing what you're doing. Personally, my goal is to be more well rounded. Sure, endurance is part of what I want, but so are strength and speed. My ultimate goal is to be healthy, lean and strong and to be able to have an enjoyable, active lifestyle doing whatever strikes my fancy.

    If I decide I want to play with my kids, run, jump, do hand stands in the yard, climb a tree, surf, water ski, ride a bike, paddle a boat, climb a mountain, go on an adventure trek to Patagonia, hike the Appalachian Trail or any number of other activities/adventures i can think of, I want to be able to do so without limitations.

    To accomplish this, I do steady-state cardio, but also strength training and HIIT. In short, train for your goals!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator

    To accomplish this, I do steady-state cardio, but also strength training and HIIT. In short, train for your goals!

    And to accomplish any goal, your body still needs rest so it can repair.
  • miamia1005
    miamia1005 Posts: 10 Member
    Lift weights at least a couple times a week. Muscle burns more calories. The more muscle you have the mosre calories your body will burn.

    A pound of muscle will burn about 7-15 calories (a rest) a pound of fat will burn about 2 calories (at rest).

    Proper weight training will build muscle. Muscle is your metabolic furnace that will burn additional calories 24 hours a day. If you were to add, say, 10 pounds of muscle in the next year, your body might burn an additional 350 - 500 calories daily.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    Lift weights at least a couple times a week. Muscle burns more calories. The more muscle you have the mosre calories your body will burn.

    A pound of muscle will burn about 7-15 calories (a rest) a pound of fat will burn about 2 calories (at rest).

    Proper weight training will build muscle. Muscle is your metabolic furnace that will burn additional calories 24 hours a day. If you were to add, say, 10 pounds of muscle in the next year, your body might burn an additional 350 - 500 calories daily.

    Make one note, that it's practically impossible to gain muscle unless you are on a caloric surplus (eating more calories than you burn).
  • arw4
    arw4 Posts: 51 Member
    I think doing cardio daily is okay as long as you are smart about it. For example, I rotate between biking, elliptical, and treadmill on different days of the week. As long as you are not over exercising and putting too much strain on your body you should be fine.
  • glamouritz64
    glamouritz64 Posts: 85 Member
    For me, doing cardio daily is medically necessary if I want to stay off of blood pressure medication. I am only 18 lbs. over my "ideal" weight, and 28 lbs. over my desired weight, yet my blood pressure spiked about 2-3 years ago. (Getting older is a cruel joke, no matter how good you LOOK. LOLOL) Doing daily cardio and watching my sodium intake keeps my BP under control without the need for medication.

    So, I don't think there's such a thing as daily cardio being a "bad" thing. I think the whole "give your body a chance to repair" concept is applicable to weight training and conditioning.

    Just my humble opinion.
  • jessicalynn75
    jessicalynn75 Posts: 371 Member
    Personally, I have hit a month long plateau because of doing too much cardio. It (as in lots of cardio) works in the short term but after a while you will plateau out...
  • bsix3
    bsix3 Posts: 291
    I have being going to the gym daily using cardio machines, tredmill, rowing machine, and cross trainer.
    should i take rest days or continue going every day for maximum weight loss?

    I'm going strictly for weight loss so i'm doing it all. My body rests when i sleep!! haha!
    If what your doing is working for YOU, then keep doing it.
  • julialla
    julialla Posts: 232 Member
    The first month when I started, I was doing a mi of cardio and strength. I didn't lose any weight, but my body looked slightly leaner. Then my second month, I stopped strength training due to time constraints, and focused mainly on diet and light cardio. Bah Bam!!! 10 pounds fell off. So this is where I am now...I am going to keep with the light cardio and diet. Once I reach my ideal weight I'm going to focus on toning with strength. Plus, when I use the elliptical now I use resistance, so that ought to help tone :)

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