Monday, June 04, 2007

Why Cardio is a Waste of Time for Weight Loss

Okay, so the big news in the fitness, diet, and weight los world is that some trainer on 20/20 was quoted as saying cardio is a waste of time. That it won't help you lose fat.

But this trainer is not the only person saying that. Some trainers think cardio KEEPS you fat. And I've read newsletters by medical doctors saying that cardio is UNHEALTHY for you.

Well, I think some people are going a little overboard.

And while I might be giving myself too much credit here, I think I have a pretty good measure of common sense, so here are my thoughts on whether cardio is a waste of time.

Personally, I believe cardio is inefficient and that there is a "Dark Side of Cardio", but it's not going to kill you or make you fat.

But cardio IS a waste of time if...

a) You are doing a lot of it and you are not getting results.

That goes for any form of training. But every week or so I get an email from someone doing mega amounts of cardio (in some cases, 7 hours per week!), but the person goes on to complain they are not losing fat even when doing this much exercise.

So clearly, this is a waste of their time. What's next? Quit their job? Workout 3 hours a day? Forget it, you need something besides cardio in this situation.

b) Cardio causes an overuse injury. This happens all the time.

If you are a runner logging more than 20 miles a week, chances are you've been to the physiotherapist, doctor, or chiropractor because of your high-volume running. But that's what happens when you do something thousands and thousands of times per workout. You must expect overuse injuries.

But a good program should not leave you injured. If your routine leaves you with medical bills, it's a waste of time.

c) Cardio is a waste of time if you could be getting more results (or even the same results) in less time.

Let's say we take 2 guys, and each can find time to exercise about 3 hours per week. Guy A runs 60 minutes per day. Guy B (they're both French, that's why they are both named Guy) does 25 minutes of free weight and bodyweight training followed by 20 minutes of interval training.

Guess which Guy will have a better body in 4 weeks. You better believe its Guy B. So in this case, Guy A is wasting some of his time on cardio.

Okay, so I've kicked cardio while it's down...but when is cardio not a waste of time?

i) When you are getting great results, injury-free, and you're life is not suffering because of the extra time you put into cardio. This would be a perfect world situation. Guess what, we don't live in a perfect world. But if this is you, you're a lucky guy.

ii) It's not a waste of time if you enjoy doing it more than anything else you could be doing in that period of time. Hey, for some guys its a hobby. That's cool. Enjoy.

So there you go. Common sense, I like to believe. Feel free to let me know if you think I'm out to lunch on my "Is cardio a waste of time" opinion.

Bottom line: Pick a program that will give you maximum results in minimum time while keeping you injury free.

I prefer 3 structured workouts per week. Allows guys to spend more time out living their lives rather than stuck on a treadmill or in their basement.

Train for life,

CB

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

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Craig Ballantyne, CTT, Certified Turbulence Trainer said...

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www.TurbulenceTraining.com
www.TTmembers.com

Keith said...

You can see the segment if you go to 20/20 via abcnews.com
type "cardio"" in the search box...segment is on a new book.
The author talks about why long slow cardio doesnt work....the need to strength train...do intervals and good diet....sounds like what Craig has known all along.

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