interesting article

Do you ever go into the gym day after day, month after month, year after year and see the same poeple on the treadmill for hours and hours on end -- and they still look exactly the same?
(cottage cheese)
LOL-- sorry, i had too :-D

Im a member of this forum and I have to admit, there are some really great articles on there-- largly for those into the figure/athletic part.. but there's still tons of info for those looking to lose weight, get in better shape and get stronger..
its also a wealth of info for nutrition, diets, cardios--you name it!!

All the authors are accredited somehow and experienced (certified trainers, competitors, coaches etc, not the beginner PT's that get their certification in a two week on-line course-- not that they can't grow to be the best trainers or coaches..).. but I would have faith in 90% of the info you can get from this site.. the coaches here have trianed some of the best competitors-- and its a great site to ask for advice and info from them too!!

A lot of the reasons people do not get the results they want (refer to the lady above on the treadmill) is because they hold onto weight training and weight loss myths.
I get confused sometimes as well and the only way to know what will work best for any individual is to be evaluated and use trial and error. If tons of cardio doesn't lose you weight then it doesn't work. If it does then that's the way to go (for you.. at least until it ever sops working).
Ive lost weight simply by changing my diet and nothing more (than my usual weight training).
Sorry to carry on, im not being a jerk (in case it came off that way :) I just wanted to state my appreciation for the site and all that it has taught me and the info it has to offer :)
Check out some of their articles!
 
thanks. i think its a great site too. i just wanted to know what others opinions were. i'm currently not doing much cardio and its mentally a hard thing to do. i have a question for you or anyone who has read this article. do you think its to much if i were to do a full body weight lifting routine 3 days a week (mon, wed, fri) lifting heavy and then on tuesday and thursday to a kettlebell workout? kettlebells get my breathing up and i think this is what is reffered to do in the article. would it be overtraining?
 
Kariev -I stay away from KBs but aren't they a form of lifting? Seems like your muscles would need a rest.

Re: cardio making you fat- I posted an article a while back (on the old forum) about this. The author said that if you do too much cardio without feeding your body the fuel it needs, it will take from the first and best source of energy it can get - your muscles. When I do a lot of cardio, I just eat more (of the good stuff ;)) so that my body doesn't go into starvation mode and eat my hard earned muscle. I also do lifting and eat before and after workouts. Probably still not enough for either, which is something that I am working on, but eating is not something that I really enjoy. The point it, though, that I do make an effort to especially eat at those times, and to eat right and clean throughout the day.
 
That website just loaded while I was typing - it has tons of great articles. Several people on this forum read it. Start reading those articles and you will soon be immersed! Tons of great info.
 
Gotta say that as much as I want to poke holes in this article's claims (especially the one about endurance athletes having flabby bodies--gotta disagree with that), I have to confess that I've pretty much had the same experience every time I've trained for an endurance event. I seem to have a much leaner body in my off-season than when I'm training for a half-marathon or a marathon--it's really obvious in photos of myself.

I, too am working out A LOT and eating well to maintain, but am losing very little, if at all (and some weeks, even gain a little weight).

So... does that make everything in this article true? Perhaps, at least for someone with my body type and genetic make-up.

That said, I also know plenty of endurance athletes--Ironman athletes, such as the writer of the article--who have the physique that leaves no doubt that they have very little body fat. Two of my Team in Training coaches (both of whom are Ironman vets) have amazing physiques that I envy. Alas, I think it's in their genetics, though; they're just built to be superior athletes to whom this kind of stuff comes easy.

My point, I guess, is that we can hope and wish for a certain body and we can try and find the techniques that work best for us, but at the end of the day, it's about our goals. I love running marathons (well, half-marathons--I'm training for my first full, so I don't know yet if I'll love it ;)), so 5 months out of the year, I make that my goal and if gets in direct conflict with my goal to look lean and defined and have low body fat, I'll have to accept that that is the trade-off.

I have the other 7 months out of the year to focus on the other goal :).
 
Thanks for posting the article.

I agree with Shana ~ KB and weights back to back might be too much. At the very least, your muscles won't recover well. At the very worst, you'll hurt yourself.

As for the author's argument, I'm a new fan of HIIT, so she's preachin' to the choir. Whether or not her particular prescription works for everyone across the board is another thing.
 
Lori: what kinds of HIIT workouts do you recommend? I tend to be a DVD workout person when it comes to working out (with the exception of running and sometimes the elliptical), and I know there aren't a ton of HIIT DVD's out there right now, but I'm totally intimidated by having to put together my own HIIT workouts. Not to mention, I'm sooo not disciplined enough to push myself and would probably slack off unless I'm following someone on TV ;).

I'm really intrigued now, and I remember when I was doing 4DS, which has some HIIT-esque elements to it (if Boot Camp isn't HIIT, I'm scared to find out what "real" HIIT is like LOL!), I had probably the best physique I'd ever had. With STS coming soon, I'd love some ideas for HIIT to complement the strength and muscle gains I'm bound to make (fingers crossed!!).

Thanks!
 
thanks so much for all your responses. and i totally agree that everyone has different effects to things such as how much cardio. i guess i would have to look at what her diet was like as well. if she's eating at maintainance a high carb diet for performance, then of course she isn't going to lose weight and be lean. I've seen plenty of marathon runners and ironman triathletes who look amazing!!! i know for my body, i get leanest when i do more cardio. just thought it was an interesting cardio. its funny how trends happen though. it used to be do as much cardio as possible to lose weight and now it seems to be do as much weight training as possible and forget the cardio. i'll stick with both.
 
pebblesus said:
Do you ever go into the gym day after day, month after month, year after year and see the same poeple on the treadmill for hours and hours on end -- and they still look exactly the same?
Click to expand...


Yes in 99.999% of those cases, I'll bet the ranch it has to do with a poor diet.

This cardio debate had me completely confused for a while! Until I realized....
fitness is like religion, everyone has their own beliefs. Every trainer has their own beliefs.

What works for one, will not work for everyone.
My son was a long distance runner in HS, thin as a rail and he ran miles every single day. He ate a lot too.

The amount of cardio I do changes with my goals. I need more cardio or weight lifting that produces a cardio effect when I'm cutting. My body will only go so far, and then it stalls. I use extra cardio to push it past that set point. I do a mixture of HIIT and fasted steady state.
When I'm in a muscle building mode, I reduce my cardio.

I still subscribe to this belief...

http://www.figureathlete.com/readArticle.do?id=1833693
 
Gotta agree with the HIIT cardio

kariev said:
This is a really interesting article i read in regards to cardio. I wanted to know what your opinion is on it or if you have experienced this http://www.figureathlete.com/free_online_article/training/the_final_nail_in_the_cardio_coffin
It seems so bizzare to me that too much cardio can make you fatter.
Click to expand...

I've gotten great results with interval cardio, spending no more than 40 minutes 5 days a week at it along with body weight "resistance" training. I'm amazed that I don't have to spend a lot of time to look better than I ever have. 'Course it took me YEARS of trial & error & trying literally everything to get to this point.
 
Cakebaker,

I've read that you are not suppose to do HIIT everyday or after a heavy leg day because you lose muscle.
I was always afraid to try it so I alternate fasted steady state and HIIT.

Just goes to show, there are no absolutes.
 
Every one is different...

fit44 said:
Cakebaker,

I've read that you are not suppose to do HIIT everyday or after a heavy leg day because you lose muscle.
I was always afraid to try it so I alternate fasted steady state and HIIT.

Just goes to show, there are no absolutes.
Click to expand...

You just have to try it - I certainly never lost any muscle in my legs! I do 3 days a week of spinning, and my legs (my true trouble zone) have never looked better since I started it. 'Course I don't do "heavy leg days" since my legs tend to be on bigger side.
 
Thanks Cakebaker. It sounds like you and I have the same trouble zone. I love CC, butI was afraid of doing it too much. Oh, I been wanting a spin bike too. I think that is going to be on my Christmas wish list;)
 
I LOVE spinning!

fit44 said:
Thanks Cakebaker. It sounds like you and I have the same trouble zone. I love CC, butI was afraid of doing it too much. Oh, I been wanting a spin bike too. I think that is going to be on my Christmas wish list;)
Click to expand...

Spinning is HARD, but addicting at the same time because you get such good results. I do 40 minute spin classes which amount to 30 minutes of hard work when you subtract the W/U & C/D.
 
Yes, the artice is very interesting and I can also say that I was at my heaviest during my marathoning years. BUT it is not the cardio that kept my weight on, but the extra food I ate. Endurance type of training, specially for ironman, marathons, takes long hours of cardio training day after day for many months. This type of training makes you very hungry. And on top of that, you become very efficient at what you are doing, so you don't burn as much calories as at the beginning. So please keep in mind, that cardio doesn't make you fat, it's the extra calories that comes with it. And let me tell you, it's close to impossible to restrict the diet when you are marathoning!
 
What an interesting article! It does seem weird to me, though, that she was doing kettlebell workouts on her "cardio" days since doing weights everyday like that doesn't seem to be good for muscle recovery . . . .
 
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