reducing cardio
- Thread starter kariev
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maddiesmum
Cathlete
I used to be a cardio junkie, say 5 or 6 times per week. Over the last 3 years I have done cardio no more than 3 times per week and at other times, not at all.
How's that for cutting back?
Cutting back can be good or bad, depending on how you view it and what it is you want. I think a lot if us reached a stage where we were just tired of going all out on cardio all the time, tired of being tired, and just bored of the routine. So, instead I have spent my extra energy on weight lifting and have enjoyed the new ratio. I don't recommend cutting cardio completely for the sake of even more lifting. Your heart needs the work, regardless of what your physique looks like. Too many people, I think, care only for the aesthetics of fitness, rather than developing all over body fitness which includes cardiovascular training.
I regard 3 times per week, when those three times are all out effort, as a good amount of cardio. Enough to get fit, not too much that you get bored and burnt out and don't enjoy other aspects of life.
Clare
How's that for cutting back?
Cutting back can be good or bad, depending on how you view it and what it is you want. I think a lot if us reached a stage where we were just tired of going all out on cardio all the time, tired of being tired, and just bored of the routine. So, instead I have spent my extra energy on weight lifting and have enjoyed the new ratio. I don't recommend cutting cardio completely for the sake of even more lifting. Your heart needs the work, regardless of what your physique looks like. Too many people, I think, care only for the aesthetics of fitness, rather than developing all over body fitness which includes cardiovascular training.
I regard 3 times per week, when those three times are all out effort, as a good amount of cardio. Enough to get fit, not too much that you get bored and burnt out and don't enjoy other aspects of life.
Clare
CollinsMom
Cathlete
I do two 40-50 minute cardios and one shorter (30-40 mins) each work and that works well for me.
Vee
Cathlete
I aim for three times a week too.
When life is less busy, I get to do cardio 5 to 6 times a week.
I like fitting in cardio, weight training and yoga into my schedule. Currently I have limited work-out time, so I am aiming for 3 days a week of cardio.
Whenever life gets busy, limiting cardio to thrice a week works for me for the fitness/health and aesthetic goals. Even just half hour interval training (or one hour workouts when I have the time) per session seems enough to me to maintain general fitness when I am squeezed for time.
Doing more cardio does not make me look better, but it does make me fitter. I can raise my anaerobic threshhold and endurance and reduce my recovery time (time for my heart rate to return to normal after a workout). But in practical terms, this isnt really useful. I can run with the fit twenty year olds at the gym (I am 41) and get childishly pleased from giving them a run for their money, but nothing more.
When life is less busy, I get to do cardio 5 to 6 times a week.
I like fitting in cardio, weight training and yoga into my schedule. Currently I have limited work-out time, so I am aiming for 3 days a week of cardio.
Whenever life gets busy, limiting cardio to thrice a week works for me for the fitness/health and aesthetic goals. Even just half hour interval training (or one hour workouts when I have the time) per session seems enough to me to maintain general fitness when I am squeezed for time.
Doing more cardio does not make me look better, but it does make me fitter. I can raise my anaerobic threshhold and endurance and reduce my recovery time (time for my heart rate to return to normal after a workout). But in practical terms, this isnt really useful. I can run with the fit twenty year olds at the gym (I am 41) and get childishly pleased from giving them a run for their money, but nothing more.
dbelden1
Cathlete
I would also suspect that it depends on your fitness goals as well. I am no exercise expert, but have read a lot here that if you want to lose fat and lose weight you should do more cardio (not that they always say what "more" means) and if you want to tone and get muscle definition then you should do more strength and weight training... So, I guess it really depends on what is important to you...
I have seen in my own fitness journey that I have been concentrating more on strength and weights because I enjoy them, but have only seen limited change in weight loss... I have made some gains in losing inches from it however, so it does work... I'd do well to add more cardio to my weekly routine
I have seen in my own fitness journey that I have been concentrating more on strength and weights because I enjoy them, but have only seen limited change in weight loss... I have made some gains in losing inches from it however, so it does work... I'd do well to add more cardio to my weekly routine
Fit_mommy
Cathlete
I went from 5-6 days of cardio down to 2-3 when i did the X in January of 07. I got awesome results but my diet was on spot as well. Very important, ofcourse! Now my cardio varies. Right now I am averaging 3x per week. I have no set length for each work out but I average 45 mins I guess.
LaughingWater
Cathlete
I've read about periodizing cardio and have been working with that. I'm starting from square one though, as I injured myself doing something stupid, interrupting my otherwise smooth-sailing routine. I saw excellent results though ~ losing 9 pounds with heavy weight training and only 10 - 15 minutes of cardio, 3 days a week.
The idea is that if you always do an hour of cardio (or whatever), the body will get used to it, just like the body gets used to lifting a certain amount of weight. Once that happens, that hour just won't have the same effect anymore.
I'm currently working with 30 minutes while doing endurance weight workouts and circuits. As I progress on to heavier weight rotations, I'll reduce the cardio bit by bit. Then when I come around to another endurance/circuit rotation, I'll up the cardio again and see what happens.
The idea is that if you always do an hour of cardio (or whatever), the body will get used to it, just like the body gets used to lifting a certain amount of weight. Once that happens, that hour just won't have the same effect anymore.
I'm currently working with 30 minutes while doing endurance weight workouts and circuits. As I progress on to heavier weight rotations, I'll reduce the cardio bit by bit. Then when I come around to another endurance/circuit rotation, I'll up the cardio again and see what happens.
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Lynn M.
Cathlete
I've reduced my cardio timewise, but not day wise.
I used to be 60 minutes 5-6 days/ week.. ( yes, I know it was alot).. now I'm 30-40 minutes 5-6 days/week and saw no difference in diminished fitness levels or weight gain.
For me, I need to do cardio..not only for fat burning, but for the "feel good" factor of it.
I'm in a much happier place if I get my endorphin fix for the day!
I strength train ( heavy) 5-6 days/week/one bodypart/day. That's usually 30-50 minutes depending on my motivation.
I have absolutely great results w/ this regimen, but only if my diet is spot on.
In the past when I was training for endurance cardio activities, ( triathalon, 1/2/ marathon, etc) I would always lose muscle definition and gain weight. I don't like the way my body looks when I don't get to lift heavy.
It is so personal... everybody has their magic bullet...For me this is what works best.
Take care, Lynn M.
I used to be 60 minutes 5-6 days/ week.. ( yes, I know it was alot).. now I'm 30-40 minutes 5-6 days/week and saw no difference in diminished fitness levels or weight gain.
For me, I need to do cardio..not only for fat burning, but for the "feel good" factor of it.
I'm in a much happier place if I get my endorphin fix for the day!
I strength train ( heavy) 5-6 days/week/one bodypart/day. That's usually 30-50 minutes depending on my motivation.
I have absolutely great results w/ this regimen, but only if my diet is spot on.
In the past when I was training for endurance cardio activities, ( triathalon, 1/2/ marathon, etc) I would always lose muscle definition and gain weight. I don't like the way my body looks when I don't get to lift heavy.
It is so personal... everybody has their magic bullet...For me this is what works best.
Take care, Lynn M.
orphylea
Cathlete
Lynn: Thanks for posting what you did. I'm shifting from weight loss to maintenance (if I can manage to stop gaining the losing the same freaking 3 pounds) and I like this idea. I love cardio but not 60+ minutes. And I love the idea of one body part every day for lifting...hmm, something to consider. Anyway, good food for thought!
Lynn M.
Cathlete
Patti-
Give it a try... I like the one bodypart/day routine because you can completely focus on fatiguing just the one bodypart. I find that I start to lose concentration and focus when I do an all bodypart routine. Then, after you've gone and thoroughly exhausted that bodypart you have a whole week to recover it!
The downside is that you have to have a schedule that allows for this.. if you don't have 5-6 days to devote to training, it makes it kind of tricky. I travel for my job and the weeks that I won't get access to a gym during that time are the weeks I use for recovery or to cross train. But the mainstay of my routine is the one bodypart/day and has been for years.
Take care, Lynn M.
PS.. I always do my weight work first in this type of regimen.. except for leg day then I try to do the cardio earlier in the day so that they can recover.
Give it a try... I like the one bodypart/day routine because you can completely focus on fatiguing just the one bodypart. I find that I start to lose concentration and focus when I do an all bodypart routine. Then, after you've gone and thoroughly exhausted that bodypart you have a whole week to recover it!
The downside is that you have to have a schedule that allows for this.. if you don't have 5-6 days to devote to training, it makes it kind of tricky. I travel for my job and the weeks that I won't get access to a gym during that time are the weeks I use for recovery or to cross train. But the mainstay of my routine is the one bodypart/day and has been for years.
Take care, Lynn M.
PS.. I always do my weight work first in this type of regimen.. except for leg day then I try to do the cardio earlier in the day so that they can recover.
Lynn:
Do you do cardio after your leg workouts as well? Since Cathe's leg routines are often an hour, I would have a hard time tacking on cardio unless you split legs into 2 different days. What do you do?
Lynn M.
Cathlete
Kariev-
In a perfect world for my leg training day, I'll do my cardio in the AM and then strength train in the afternoon. I do like to give my legs the recovery time of a couple of hours before they are worked again.
However, if I can't do that I will lift heavy for my legs first and then do an easy cardio afterwards.. my legs are usually pretty tired so its not anything too strenuous.
Lynn M.
In a perfect world for my leg training day, I'll do my cardio in the AM and then strength train in the afternoon. I do like to give my legs the recovery time of a couple of hours before they are worked again.
However, if I can't do that I will lift heavy for my legs first and then do an easy cardio afterwards.. my legs are usually pretty tired so its not anything too strenuous.
Lynn M.
SirenSongWoman
Cathlete
I read constantly that weight training is The Answer (more muscle = more fat burning... blah, blah, blah). I did 3-day rotations forever, based on that advice and the fat didn't budge. HOWEVER, I still hadn't cleaned up my diet, which is more than likely where the blame lies. I'm still a chub but here's what I'm doing that's getting me rapid results, now:
1) In the mornings, on alternating days, I do Cardio Coach on the treadmill and FULL BODY workouts for several weeks. After that, I switch it up by doing Cardio Coach alternated with 3-day split workouts for several weeks. I haven't been doing this long enough to see a cessation in results but when I do, I'll change it up again. I'm reluctant to give up any of my Cardio Coach sessions because they're doing fantastic things for my legs (like nothing else has). Still, I always have a SERIOUS cardio dvd as a backup option, which I'm sure I'll use in lieu of at least one CC workout, eventually. At some point, everything (even CC) becomes a drag and then you lose interest. The point is to change it up enough that that doesn't happen.
2) In the evening, to keep my metabolism reved (I have fat to burn) I tack on and additional EASY cardio workout of my choice. I'm having a lot of fun playing with all manner of dvd workouts in my collection, all of which work up a sweat but none of which are super tough or challenging. Hence, I'm pulling out a lot of my old Firm dvd's (the 3-lb weights help get my heart rate up but don't interfere with my REAL weight training), Winsor Pilates, Karen Voigt, Prevention workouts... I have a bunch of stuff to play with. The key is to keep these workouts light and fun so you amplify your results without burning out. And it's nice to finally use all my older stuff again, much of which I don't ever remember doing...
3) The absolute biggest thing I'm doing is seriously cleaning up my diet for the first time, ever. Four days into it cutting out all sugar (and sweeteners, except I've yet to start weaning myself off diet soda, though that's coming), I went into such withdrawl... it was bad. No chocolate, no ice cream, cookies... thought I'd die as I bitterly chomped black seedless grapes! I've had a few bits of chocolate since I've started but it's not as good as I remember and I don't touch it until after I've had my proper protein and carbs and have eaten my vegetables. Frankly, if you eat 5-6 clean meals you just don't have room (or the cravings) for junk. But discipline has always been my issue. I am presently re-reading Tosca's Eat Clean Diet book and am shocked at how much information didn't stick after the first read. There's some resentfulness towards her and her husband, Robert Kennedy, on these boards (not entirely unjustified, either) but her information in this book IS solid and very helpful. A good place to start. Learning that 80% of the body you wind up with is actually attributable to diet (not workout, not genetics), makes you realize you're just wasting your time if you don't clean up your eating. It takes real effort to plan and prepare everything but it's ultimately worth it.
1) In the mornings, on alternating days, I do Cardio Coach on the treadmill and FULL BODY workouts for several weeks. After that, I switch it up by doing Cardio Coach alternated with 3-day split workouts for several weeks. I haven't been doing this long enough to see a cessation in results but when I do, I'll change it up again. I'm reluctant to give up any of my Cardio Coach sessions because they're doing fantastic things for my legs (like nothing else has). Still, I always have a SERIOUS cardio dvd as a backup option, which I'm sure I'll use in lieu of at least one CC workout, eventually. At some point, everything (even CC) becomes a drag and then you lose interest. The point is to change it up enough that that doesn't happen.
2) In the evening, to keep my metabolism reved (I have fat to burn) I tack on and additional EASY cardio workout of my choice. I'm having a lot of fun playing with all manner of dvd workouts in my collection, all of which work up a sweat but none of which are super tough or challenging. Hence, I'm pulling out a lot of my old Firm dvd's (the 3-lb weights help get my heart rate up but don't interfere with my REAL weight training), Winsor Pilates, Karen Voigt, Prevention workouts... I have a bunch of stuff to play with. The key is to keep these workouts light and fun so you amplify your results without burning out. And it's nice to finally use all my older stuff again, much of which I don't ever remember doing...
3) The absolute biggest thing I'm doing is seriously cleaning up my diet for the first time, ever. Four days into it cutting out all sugar (and sweeteners, except I've yet to start weaning myself off diet soda, though that's coming), I went into such withdrawl... it was bad. No chocolate, no ice cream, cookies... thought I'd die as I bitterly chomped black seedless grapes! I've had a few bits of chocolate since I've started but it's not as good as I remember and I don't touch it until after I've had my proper protein and carbs and have eaten my vegetables. Frankly, if you eat 5-6 clean meals you just don't have room (or the cravings) for junk. But discipline has always been my issue. I am presently re-reading Tosca's Eat Clean Diet book and am shocked at how much information didn't stick after the first read. There's some resentfulness towards her and her husband, Robert Kennedy, on these boards (not entirely unjustified, either) but her information in this book IS solid and very helpful. A good place to start. Learning that 80% of the body you wind up with is actually attributable to diet (not workout, not genetics), makes you realize you're just wasting your time if you don't clean up your eating. It takes real effort to plan and prepare everything but it's ultimately worth it.
orphylea
Cathlete
Stacey: I just read the Eating Clean book a few weeks ago for the first time- interesting stuff. I am not sure I am going to go hard core with it, but it has made me more mindful of how many steps my food has had to go through before it reaches my plate. I do agree that if you eat good foods, you don't really have room for crap. But the discipline is tough! I agree that it really hit me that if I could just spend a little more effort on my diet, I would lose those last 5 pounds and start looking much leaner. 80% is huge! Why the resentment towards her on this board? I'm newer to the boards and have missed that...
SirenSongWoman
Cathlete
I was reading some article at FigureAthlete.com written by a trainer about women and sugar addiction. The photos killed me. The first one was of a competitor in her sequined one-piece laying on a bed, all sexy, surrounded by massive numbers of candy bars... loved that. But the before/after photos of competitors who finally cleaned-up their diets were motivating, for sure. That's what got me back to Tosca's book. After a while, you get tired of knocking yourself out with no return on your investment because you're sabotaging your own efforts with a bad diet. The having to plan everything so nothing's left to chance is a hassle but since they closed the cafeteria at work (a half hour lunch with nothing nearby) a change was coming, anyway - so I'm doing it.