has anyone felt this way? i just don't have any "umph" to do cardio. I know its good for my heart but i just feel like diet and weight training will give my body the change i'm looking for however i'm afraid to cut back on cardio since i'm scared to gain weight. Any one out there not doing much cardio now?
over cardio
- Thread starter kariev
- Start date
syzygy314
Cathlete
I am just like you only with weight training! I do lots of cardio and very little weight training because I don't burn the cals with WT that I do with cardio! Plus, I just started running this spring and don't want to lose my endurance there. I will not start over! That was the toughest training/conditioning I've ever done!
I'm afraid if I reduce my cardio I will gain. Of course, that's what you said, but you prefer weights where I prefer cardio even though I know I need the WT! Wish there were a couple of extra hours in the day!
I'm afraid if I reduce my cardio I will gain. Of course, that's what you said, but you prefer weights where I prefer cardio even though I know I need the WT! Wish there were a couple of extra hours in the day!
Hi Kariev:
My 64-year-old mom just lost 15 pounds with diet alone - she's visiting me this week. She uses the "Lose It!" app on her iPod Touch to track her food. Her activity of choice is knitting. She isn't doing any sort of exercise regimen at the moment.
Believe me - if you keep your diet clean and the calories in check, you will be fine. Add in cardio when and if you want to - it sounds like you're burned out on it, and if you push it you could end up overtraining or just making yourself miserable!
My 64-year-old mom just lost 15 pounds with diet alone - she's visiting me this week. She uses the "Lose It!" app on her iPod Touch to track her food. Her activity of choice is knitting. She isn't doing any sort of exercise regimen at the moment.
Believe me - if you keep your diet clean and the calories in check, you will be fine. Add in cardio when and if you want to - it sounds like you're burned out on it, and if you push it you could end up overtraining or just making yourself miserable!
I too have burned out on cardio and on heavy weights also for that matter. I have been walking a couple of miles with Leslie every morning and then doing P57, Essentrics, Tracey's Mat w/o, Release or Ellen's Studio Series. I can't believe how much better I feel. You know it doesn't mean that this is it forever. It can change again. After finishing STS and then CLX I think I just needed a break. Now I have been looking at Cardio Barre. Anyone familiar with these? The upside is that I am definitely less hungry especially at night so that should take care of the calorie/weight gain anxiety.
dr.mel_PT
Cathlete
Kariev, I felt the same way! I have been doing crazy amounts of high-intensity cardio for months now without a break. Last week, my body just said "Uh uh, you're done." I took this week "off;" basically, I have been doing low-intensity cardio like dancing, walking, light elliptical training, etc. I'm prepping to start STS next week so the only weight training I've been doing was 1RM's. And I've been stretching A LOT. I'm less bloated, lost weight and I feel so much more energized than I was a week ago! I already can't wait to start next week's higher-intensity workouts.
Maybe your body just needs some rest. Take a week off and see how you feel!
Maybe your body just needs some rest. Take a week off and see how you feel!
ellesan
Cathlete
great article from bodybuilding.com
I just have to jump in here and say that there are SO many other benefits to doing cardiovascular exercise!! I have been burned out and cut back before, no question. But to not include it it your workouts at all is a disservice to your heart and body. Balance is the key, sometimes you might feel like pushing it, other times slow and steady, it's all good.
By: Shannon Clark
Cardio. For some it's a dreaded word and for others it's a passion they can't get enough of. Either way you look at it though, cardiovascular exercise is one of the key components that should never be left out of a fitness plan.
Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is any movement that gets your heart rate up and increases blood circulation throughout the body. There are various forms and methods of performing cardio exercise - all which will have specific benefits and guidelines.
Most individuals performing cardio are using it as a way to burn off excess calories and since you are moving the body, it is going to increase the need for energy. Some forms are slightly better when strictly speaking of fat loss but all cardio, regardless of form will burn off calories. Since fat loss does depend on calories burned versus calories consumed it is a step in the right direction.
The reason to do cardio does not end with fat loss though; there are a wide variety of health benefits you receive from a regular cardio program.
Improved Heart Health:
The first one is an improved condition of your heart. Your heart is a muscle just like any other and in order for it to become strong it must be worked. If you fail to work it, it will weaken over time and this can cause a variety of negative health effects.
Heart Rate:
By getting the heart pumping at a faster rate on a regular basis you will keep it in shape and healthy. Too many people are getting winded just performing simple exercises such as walking up the stairs and the primary reason for this is because they are neglecting to work their heart muscle.
Increased Metabolism:
Another reason to perform cardio is for its effects on the metabolism. Along with speeding up your heart rate, cardiovascular exercise also increases the rate of various other processes in the body, also known as your metabolism.
Generally speaking, the more intense the cardio session, the more noticeable increase you will see with regards to your metabolic rate. Intense interval sprints (also known as HIIT) increase the metabolism; the highest with a process called EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). An increased metabolism means an easier time maintaining your weight (or losing weight as the case may be).
Improved Hormonal Profile:
Performing cardiovascular exercise also changes the hormonal profile in your body considerably. It releases 'feel good' hormones that will help ease symptoms of depression and fatigue as well as releasing hormones that can decrease the appetite.
Individuals who partake in regular cardio exercise often have a much more positive outlook on life simply because they are getting the stress-relief benefits from these hormones.
Improved Recovery Ability:
Certain types of cardio exercise, usually lower, more moderately paced forms, can decrease your recovery time too. If you have just performed a hard session in the gym, hopping on the treadmill for a walk or light jog will help to remove some of the by-products that were created during the lifting session.
This will help to reduce your DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) and help bring more oxygen rich blood to the muscle tissue improving in the repair and rebuilding process. To you, this translates to your being able to get back into the gym quicker and work the muscles again.
Building muscle mass is a combination of an overloading stimulus and sufficient rest to allow the muscle to heal itself. If you skew this balance either direction, either working out too much or providing too much rest in between, you aren't going to get optimal results.
The more frequently you are able to work a muscle though (assuming full recovery has been achieved) the faster you will add additional new muscle. Cardio helps you do this. Just don't take this too far as excess cardio or cardio done at such a high intensity that it places additional strain on the muscles is going to actually hinder recovery rather than aid it.
Management Of Diabetes:
Lastly, for those who have diabetes, cardiovascular exercise helps them manage this condition. By performing the exercise you will increase your muscle's ability to utilize glucose. Those who exercise regularly tend to have better control of their blood sugars and do not see as many blood sugar swings as those who don't. For diabetes this is increasingly important as they are extremely sensitive to changes in blood sugar levels.
Key Components
Those are just a few of the benefits that you will see with regular cardiovascular exercise.
If you are just getting started, first focus on simply finding an activity that gets you moving and gets your heart rate up. Those are the two key components to what cardio is. Any form of exercise will do, whether it is going for a walk, a bike ride or performing in an organized sport.
The important thing is to keep your body moving. Weight lifting, unless done in a circuit style fashion, would not be considered aerobic cardio exercise since you are not moving continuously. It would be anaerobic and would use a different energy system than that of cardio (the ATP-CP system).
As you build up your fitness level, then you can concentrate on performing more advanced forms of cardio such as interval training, tempo training, HIIT sprints and so forth. First get started on building a solid cardio base though and then work from there.
Cardio is one thing you do not want to overdo in the beginning because spending hour upon hour on a machine at a moderate pace is really not going to give you any further benefits than someone doing a more moderate volume.
Conclusion
So now that you know the basics of what cardio is, the benefits of it, put this knowledge to good use in your workout program.
I just have to jump in here and say that there are SO many other benefits to doing cardiovascular exercise!! I have been burned out and cut back before, no question. But to not include it it your workouts at all is a disservice to your heart and body. Balance is the key, sometimes you might feel like pushing it, other times slow and steady, it's all good.
By: Shannon Clark
Cardio. For some it's a dreaded word and for others it's a passion they can't get enough of. Either way you look at it though, cardiovascular exercise is one of the key components that should never be left out of a fitness plan.
Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is any movement that gets your heart rate up and increases blood circulation throughout the body. There are various forms and methods of performing cardio exercise - all which will have specific benefits and guidelines.
Most individuals performing cardio are using it as a way to burn off excess calories and since you are moving the body, it is going to increase the need for energy. Some forms are slightly better when strictly speaking of fat loss but all cardio, regardless of form will burn off calories. Since fat loss does depend on calories burned versus calories consumed it is a step in the right direction.
The reason to do cardio does not end with fat loss though; there are a wide variety of health benefits you receive from a regular cardio program.
Improved Heart Health:
The first one is an improved condition of your heart. Your heart is a muscle just like any other and in order for it to become strong it must be worked. If you fail to work it, it will weaken over time and this can cause a variety of negative health effects.
Heart Rate:
By getting the heart pumping at a faster rate on a regular basis you will keep it in shape and healthy. Too many people are getting winded just performing simple exercises such as walking up the stairs and the primary reason for this is because they are neglecting to work their heart muscle.
Increased Metabolism:
Another reason to perform cardio is for its effects on the metabolism. Along with speeding up your heart rate, cardiovascular exercise also increases the rate of various other processes in the body, also known as your metabolism.
Generally speaking, the more intense the cardio session, the more noticeable increase you will see with regards to your metabolic rate. Intense interval sprints (also known as HIIT) increase the metabolism; the highest with a process called EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). An increased metabolism means an easier time maintaining your weight (or losing weight as the case may be).
Improved Hormonal Profile:
Performing cardiovascular exercise also changes the hormonal profile in your body considerably. It releases 'feel good' hormones that will help ease symptoms of depression and fatigue as well as releasing hormones that can decrease the appetite.
Individuals who partake in regular cardio exercise often have a much more positive outlook on life simply because they are getting the stress-relief benefits from these hormones.
Improved Recovery Ability:
Certain types of cardio exercise, usually lower, more moderately paced forms, can decrease your recovery time too. If you have just performed a hard session in the gym, hopping on the treadmill for a walk or light jog will help to remove some of the by-products that were created during the lifting session.
This will help to reduce your DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) and help bring more oxygen rich blood to the muscle tissue improving in the repair and rebuilding process. To you, this translates to your being able to get back into the gym quicker and work the muscles again.
Building muscle mass is a combination of an overloading stimulus and sufficient rest to allow the muscle to heal itself. If you skew this balance either direction, either working out too much or providing too much rest in between, you aren't going to get optimal results.
The more frequently you are able to work a muscle though (assuming full recovery has been achieved) the faster you will add additional new muscle. Cardio helps you do this. Just don't take this too far as excess cardio or cardio done at such a high intensity that it places additional strain on the muscles is going to actually hinder recovery rather than aid it.
Management Of Diabetes:
Lastly, for those who have diabetes, cardiovascular exercise helps them manage this condition. By performing the exercise you will increase your muscle's ability to utilize glucose. Those who exercise regularly tend to have better control of their blood sugars and do not see as many blood sugar swings as those who don't. For diabetes this is increasingly important as they are extremely sensitive to changes in blood sugar levels.
Key Components
Those are just a few of the benefits that you will see with regular cardiovascular exercise.
If you are just getting started, first focus on simply finding an activity that gets you moving and gets your heart rate up. Those are the two key components to what cardio is. Any form of exercise will do, whether it is going for a walk, a bike ride or performing in an organized sport.
The important thing is to keep your body moving. Weight lifting, unless done in a circuit style fashion, would not be considered aerobic cardio exercise since you are not moving continuously. It would be anaerobic and would use a different energy system than that of cardio (the ATP-CP system).
As you build up your fitness level, then you can concentrate on performing more advanced forms of cardio such as interval training, tempo training, HIIT sprints and so forth. First get started on building a solid cardio base though and then work from there.
Cardio is one thing you do not want to overdo in the beginning because spending hour upon hour on a machine at a moderate pace is really not going to give you any further benefits than someone doing a more moderate volume.
Conclusion
So now that you know the basics of what cardio is, the benefits of it, put this knowledge to good use in your workout program.
I have been thru quite a few cardio cycles more than once. It had to be tough, hi impact, hi intensity. It had to be low impact, low intensity and any other variation you could think of. Now I am finding that walking with Leslie or the dogs T(tho hard to keep up the pace with the stop & sniff pack) is working just fine. My body feels good--energized, lighter but also more relaxed. As I said never say never. I could find myself going back to more cardio but just not now. Also I am not separating into cardio and strength days. I am doing some light cardio and some barre workouts everyday and that feels right for now. I also added in Jillian's NMTZ and will probably add BFBM too.
thanks for all the responses. you know i'm not sure its so much cardio but the frequency i do it. i keep thinking more is better and like i said in my other post that i'm doing more to compensate for a less than stellar diet. i do better when i focus on one thing per day for an hour or less whether it be weights or cardio so instead of dropping cardio completely i'm going to go with 3 days of weights and 3 days of cardio. When i pair weights and cardio in the same day i seem to be soooo darn hungry and exhausted but when i separate them its not so bad.
PhyllisG - I have Cardio Barre Ultimate Advanced and I love it! This is extremely fast paced (172 bpm for main workout and power thighs and power arms segments). I burned 281 calories for the main workout (56 mins.) I also have Tracey's Mat Workout and this is MUCH faster. You will really feel the burn. The power thighs segment will have you begging for mercy! For the power arms segment, you only need 2#. I tried 3# and had to go down to 2. In power arms, they do a slow pushup with 7 counts down and 1 count up. These have very little to any rest between segments. I felt so good after finishing this. I can't say how the other Cardio Barres are but you can go to videofitness for some reviews. This one is a definitely a keeper in my collection!
Marcy
ldy_solana
Cathlete
for times i don't really want to do cardio i will do dance workouts and play the wii. its not cathe intense cardio but its fun cardio so it doesn't feel like working out and it fills in times in the day you can keep active.
kassia
kassia
josiespcah6ojsh
Cathlete
i was burnt out but insanity has majorly helped out because it is so different than anything else. it has made me more interested in working out. insanity is fun but doing pilates would have no impact on me.
laura
laura
