Disheartening Article about Cardio

J

JayG99

0
Hi everyone!

I'm still relatively new here, but liking the advice some people give -> really helpful and motivational towards reaching that person goal.

In my case, the goal is to lose bodyfat % to around 10% (Currently I am 14.5%, down from 17.7%) -> to be lean, really.
Sadly I *think* I may have lost some muscle and getting scared...but also don't want to quit this weightloss period like I have done in the past (again, from fear of losing muscle and looking small).
Anyway, recently I have started being more careful - following the 500 calorie deficit, carbs and proteins during the day, fats and protein at night (so around 5-7 meals). I've got exams coming up so don't have time/cash for gym, but I do training at home -> push ups, chin ups, tricep dips, dumbbells, squats with 20lb weighted vest. I do these (aound 3-4 times a week, different body parts ) so that at every rep I tense hard and keep good form.
Post-workout I put ice cream and a frozen banana in my shakes for that insulin spike. On days I don't do weights, I do cardio -> some form of HIIT. I take a protein shake before this. Oh and I'm 18 years of age.

Anyway that was the background info for me (because I know this comes handy when giving advice in this forum!) - Oh and shall I post pics? If its needed to give me best advice on my next few steps then I will.

And finally about this article I referred to in the title..I pasted the relevant part below. I've read so much about exercising and burning your fat..losing that body fat% and getting that lean look...but this article is really negative about cardio...what do you guys think?

Thanks in advance for any help guys!
=)

[Article Source:

Myth: The best way to lose fat is to do cardio.

Screw cardio!

Now don’t get me wrong, walking or jogging around the block or on a treadmill is better than nothing. But I’m not -- and you shouldn’t be -- concerned with what’s better than nothing. I personally am not concerned about being average. If you’re going to put the time in, use it wisely.

Have you been to any one of the gyms across this country? What percentage of people who perform cardio are lean? How many people that you see performing cardio on a regular basis make gains, and better still, keep them?

There are three things to keep in mind about cardio when trying to get leaner. One is that it doesn’t build muscle. Two, it doesn’t preserve muscle while losing weight. Both are extremely important if your goal is not only to get leaner, but to stay that way. As we lose weight the body does not discriminate where the weight comes from. We lose muscle along with fat, especially on a low calorie diet. And performing cardio accentuates this phenomenon.

Lastly, unless you enjoy cardiovascular training, it’s just not worth the time. The work to benefit ratio is dismal to say the least. Unless you’re willing to bust your butt and perform 60 to 90 minutes of cardio a day, which will hinder your muscle building capacity, cardio is not worth it.

If you do nothing but diet and cardio, you may lose some weight, but your results will be less than expected. Your appearance and overall shape will stay the same. If you have excess fat around your butt and narrow shoulders, your proportion will remain. This is not improvement to me, and if it is to you, you’re going down the wrong road.

The best and only form of exercise for reshaping and improving your health is progressive weight training.
 
If all you care about is losing weight/getting lean you can do it without a lot of cardio. I do a lot of it for cardiovascular health
 
Thanks for the reply buddy!

I'd like to think cardiovascular health is important to me as I do play sports and I enjoy cardio to a degree..but just the way the article worded it...as if it's bad for my goals of getting lean?
From the information I've given, should I focus more on just weights/resistance and less on cardio?
 
This is an opinion. However it contradicts that prove increased cardiovascular exercise coincide directly with wieght loss.

look at any routine runners you've known who don't do any strength training... how many of them appeared unfit? (answer = none)
now think of any routine lifters you know who don't do any cardio... how many of them appeared unfit? (answer = at least one)
 
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Dry said:
The best is a mixture of cardio to burn the fat while using strenght training to retain the muscle. If you do just one, or just the other, you will be either A) a guy with muscle under his fat or B) a guy with no fat and no muscle
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Thanks Dry!

What do you recommend mate?
I'm thinking cardio HIIT 3 times a week, resistance 3 times, and a day of total rest?
And with respect to the resistance, is doing the whole push ups/chin ups and stuff okay? I mean, I do make a good workout out of it..I'm all red and tired after! But it's not quite the bench/deadlifts and whatnot...what do you think?

And while you guys are replying (thanks) I may aswell bung another question in here:

I read an article about HIIT first thing in the morning (before breakfast) as glycogen levels are low and fat is burnt as main fuel...but I also think this would have a catabolic effect wrt to muscle? Perhaps if I take the protein shake/BCAA/creatine before the HIIT, would that improve it?
 
JayG99 said:
Thanks for the reply buddy!

I'd like to think cardiovascular health is important to me as I do play sports and I enjoy cardio to a degree..but just the way the article worded it...as if it's bad for my goals of getting lean?
From the information I've given, should I focus more on just weights/resistance and less on cardio?
Click to expand...

I totally disagree with the idea that cardio hinders your goals of getting lean. In the world of fitness you will hear all kinds of opinions
 
Dry said:
This is an opinion. However it contradicts that prove increased cardiovascular exercise coincide directly with wieght loss.

look at any routine runners you've known who don't do any strength training... how many of them appeared unfit? (answer = none)
now think of any routine lifters you know who don't do any cardio... how many of them appeared unfit? (answer = at least one)
Click to expand...

well duuh Increased activity = increase calorie expense. which means you'll lose weight if it puts you in a deflict. You can get a deflict by not eating as much too.
 
theGOOCH said:
I totally disagree with the idea that cardio hinders your goals of getting lean. In the world of fitness you will hear all kinds of opinions
Click to expand...

Ah man, you're telling me!
There's so much different/contradicting information/opinions...sometimes it gets frustrating!
I think I agree with YOU though; cardio all the way!
 
I tend to agree with Karky.

The key to fat loss is to focus on the total calories you use throughout the day. Over time, you lose that body fat by simply using more calories than you consume - in other words, you have to create a ' calorie deficit '.

And, to create that ' calorie deficit ' you can simply try to reduce your caloric intake ( as you've done ), increase the calories you burn by being more active in general, increase the calories you burn by engaging in some sort of cardio, increase the calories you burn by engaging in some sort of resistance training and or some combination of all 4.

Cardio is just another way to burn calories. And the more ' effort ' - i.e. frequency, duration, intensity - you put into cardio, the more calories you burn.

Generally speaking, under normal circumstances, for most gym rats who have solid nutritional habits, doing a typical non-endurance cardio session will likely have little - if any - adverse impact on your muscle tissue IMO.
 
JayG99 said:
I read an article about HIIT first thing in the morning (before breakfast) as glycogen levels are low and fat is burnt as main fuel.

..but I also think this would have a catabolic effect wrt to muscle? Perhaps if I take the protein shake/BCAA/creatine before the HIIT, would that improve it?
Click to expand...

Actually, given the anaerobic nature of HIIT, HIIT tends to place a greater reliance - proportionately speaking - on glycogen than fat as a fuel source.
 
Awesome, thanks for clearing all that up guys!

Any further tips/advice on anything I've said above will be much appreciated.
 
One should not lose any sleep over condescending articles on the net aimed at the readership of the magazine(alpha males). (The article is part of his campaign at reaching their male readers who have an interest in fitness and health...)

The only thing lacking is him throwing a toothpick at the camera ;)
 
Losing weight is, in itself, a standard goal of most exercise regiments. Unfortunately, it somehow becomes a top priority by proxy. Sure losing weight will help you look better and improve your mortality rate, but if you're doing cardio just to lose weight than you've missed the bus completely.

The primary goal of cardio should be improving your (da-da-da-duh!) cardiovascular system. When making your cardiovascular health a priority, smaller components like weight loss fall in line because losing and keep the weight off is critical to cardiovascular performance. For example, how many overweight people can run a 6 (or even a 7) minute mile? Not a one.
 
illiniphase4 said:
The primary goal of cardio should be improving your (da-da-da-duh!) cardiovascular system. When making your cardiovascular health a priority, smaller components like weight loss fall in line because losing and keep the weight off is critical to cardiovascular performance.
Click to expand...

hear, hear!
 
JayG99 said:
Lastly, unless you enjoy cardiovascular training, it’s just not worth the time. The work to benefit ratio is dismal to say the least.
Click to expand...

That's so wrong it's not even funny. While we all can agree that a weight-training program is very important, it doesn't dismiss the cardiovascular, respiratory and many other benefits derived from cardio. The key is a balanced program incorporating BOTH cardio & weight-training; neither one being a dismissable component to a good health or weight-loss program!

Wrangell said:
The key to fat loss is to focus on the total calories you use throughout the day.
Click to expand...

Can't be said enough! :)

illiniphase4 said:
Losing weight is, in itself, a standard goal of most exercise regiments. Unfortunately, it somehow becomes a top priority by proxy. Sure losing weight will help you look better and improve your mortality rate, but if you're doing cardio just to lose weight than you've missed the bus completely.

The primary goal of cardio should be improving your (da-da-da-duh!) cardiovascular system. When making your cardiovascular health a priority, smaller components like weight loss fall in line because losing and keep the weight off is critical to cardiovascular performance.
Click to expand...

VERY well put!

So often we try to single-out or divide the many components that make-up a good approach to health....it's not any one thing, but the incorporation and implementation of several components that all come together in a synergetic manner to create an overall effect:

Nutrition
Weight-training AND cardio
Recovery/Rest/Sleep
Mental attitude
...and a few others that don't pop into my mind at the moment


The thing is, I know several guys who are really big on pumping iron and building themselves large....but these boys can't swim a mile and they have no chance of following me on my bike for a couple hours.

I know many MANY cyclist who can turn the pedals for hours and fly past me on the trail...but they can't curl, press or move half the weight I can. Let's not even get started on the flat-chested scrawny-arms of most cyclist.

I know a lot of guys who are thin & lean....but they eat junk food, fried foods and they take medication for their cholesterol & even blood-pressure.

And I know a lot of guys who make great money, but they work long & hard hours under tremendous pressure and spend little time with their famalies or friends.

It is ALL about balance. So it's not any ONE key component but the incorporation of all these elements to create a balanced dynamic. Simple as that. Whenever you hear someone trying to single it down to just one component or trying to eliminate one...just turn the page or walk away.
 
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