[Krajjy]

Speaking of exercies, there's so much stuff against cardio workouts. I go to the gym fairly regularly now and my trainer wants me to begin with a half hour of cardio exercise ie.- 15mins each on 2 machines- treadmill/stepper/rower/bike etc. Have read recently that cardio is a waste of time. my time is limited 'tho I try to work out for approx 2 hours thrice a week, so I'd love to leave out cardio. should I? any 'experts' advice please?

 

[periwinkle]

Cardio is not a waste of time. Who is the idiot who wrote that it is?

Probably sporting a 40+ inch waist...lol

 

[gymrat]

Cardio a waste of time????? that's like saying washing your face is a waste of time!!

You must implement cardio in your workout routine. It is beneficial in SO many ways, and NOT just for the belly.

Weight loss
Stronger heart and lungs
Increased bone density
Reduced stress
Reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer
Temporary relief from depression and anxiety
More confidence about how you feel and how you look
Better sleep
More energy
Setting a good example for your kids to stay active as they get older

Need I say more?

 

[Freddy]

1. Cardio COULD be a waste of time. Depends on how you train. If you train correctly you can make your weight training cardio intensity. Two birds with one stone.

2. Two hours of training twice a week is alot of time to spend working out. My tip: Talk less.

3. Half an hour of cardio before working out is a waste of time. 1. Your glycogen loads are depleted for your workouts so you have a shitty workout and aren't as strong. 2. It makes more sense to do cardio post workout since you'll hit fat stores right away.

4. Interval training for 15 minutes is harder and better than 30 minutes of lazy cardio.

 

[Freddy]

Cardio a waste of time????? that's like saying washing your face is a waste of time!!

You must implement cardio in your workout routine. It is beneficial in SO many ways, and NOT just for the belly.

Weight loss
Stronger heart and lungs
Increased bone density
Reduced stress
Reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer
Temporary relief from depression and anxiety
More confidence about how you feel and how you look
Better sleep
More energy
Setting a good example for your kids to stay active as they get older

Need I say more?

Weight training will do the exact same thing, none of this is cardio exclusive.

 

[gymrat]

Weight training will do the exact same thing, none of this is cardio exclusive.

Good, glad I do both!

 

[jen]

Cardio is not a waste of time in my opinion.

But I have read elsewhere that there are two schools of thought on this- I even met the other one in the form of a personal fitness instructor who offered me a free session. To my amazement he claimed to have lost quite a few stones in weight by only lifing weights- he said to me to lift heavy weights and do this for 15 reps, 3-10 sets, less then 60 seconds break etc, then if I felt like it, 15 minx max of cardio- his idea of cardio was a slow jog on a machine.

Now I think that was daft- I understand the bases of weight lifting in the area of weight loss, but no cardio? I am now 99% sure that suppliments where used in his weight loss!

Cardio for me (which has become a bit of an addictive obsession and am trying to cut back or risk my legs!) has given me boundless energy! I rarely seem to get mentally tired and tend to find injuries or strains put me out over any energy loss. Day to day I seem to amount to the same level- if not more, as the energy levels of my 5 year old niece.

I also rarely get ill- in fact this last week I think I should have been ill- my glands were very swollen and I had a blocked nose and chapped lips. Yet I still had the energy to workout, speak and see people as per normal. I amount that to cardio keeping my body healthier then it otherwise would be- infections don't seem to get as bad as they otherwise would, and I recover from them pretty fast when I do get them.

I also assume that my heart is in good condition. From what I understand the heart is a muscle. It gets stronger by working it out.

Then there are the endorphines and dopermine (please excuse my spelling, I am not an academic chic!)- not just the chemical stuff, but also the awareness that your doing something that was quite challenging and yet you overcame it/met your goal/did something amazing. It feels good, it boosts your confidence and after a rubbish day at home/work/college...etc it can feel so welcoming to have something like exercise to remind you that you are infact good at something, you can do something great and also can buy yourself peace and quiet for however long you workout for.

Its almost like a good nights sleep when your done, your outlook on things can change considerably, a whole new perspective. Some of my best design ideas have come from mental images I conjure up when halfway through a workout.

 

[Vananners]

Freddy, do you think that elliptical trainers are a waste of time? That's what I've been using for the last month and I don't feel like I get as good of results. I've had better results in the past just walking outside for 30+ minutes a day.

 

[Freddy]

I only use the elliptical trainer with individuals that have existing knee problems. You're right, they're very easy and even at high intensity aren't as good as other machines in the gym. From personal experience the best machine to do cardio on is the rowing machine. My brother prefers the bike (and always has a garbage can ready for puking) while doing HIIT.

Jen, you must have misunderstood what I said.

I didn't say cardio is bad for you. It's definately good for you, however you can achieve both muscle gain and cardio strenghtening by modifying the way you lift. Basically you're still doing cardio just with different equipment. Do a squat and lung superset (one right after the other) and tell me if you'd rather do that again than jog for 30 minutes. I don't have a problem jogging for thirty minutes, but I can tell you that I HATE doing supersets with the legs because it's so cardio intense plus the added lactic buildup from the weight training portion.

You can lift weights to be cardio bias and still get all the benefits that you mentioned above.

 

[vtoodler]

I don't think cardio is a waste of time. If anything, it helps to improve heart health.

 

[mytaintedrainbow]

I do Barry's Bootcamp (at home) in the mornings and then work the treadmill for 30 minutes to an hour in the evening. Am I doing the right thing? I want to get back to my old shape. I was a size 6 now I'm a size 10.

 

[Melo]

skipping is the best, boxers love it