Results with Strength/Endurance workouts only??

[willowe]

Hi!

I have problems with my lower back and knees, and have also been suffering with sore/stiff achilles tendons recently, and am thinking of sticking to just strength/endurance type of workouts for a little while, as cardio seems to aggravate these problems.

I am intrigued to know if anyone has ever followed a purely strength/endurance type of rotation (with little or no cardio) for any length of time, and if so what your results were?

Many thanks in advance!

Kaz

 

[Calico]

I have done this, because of Plantar Fascitis, and I lost 2 pounds during a 4 week period. I was doing very little/low impact cardio since my foot couldn't take all the jumping and stepping. I was weight training 4 days a week. It worked great until I went through cardio withdrawal and was glad to get my orthotics so I could cardio again. But in the end it does work, and it works well.

Lost inches too.

 

[DebbieH]

Hi Kaz. I am sorry to hear you are dealing with some problems now. I KNOW how very frustrating that can be. I am going thru the same thing. Here is what has happened to me the last 6 months since I have done "walk-level" cardio to the point of no sweating or just barely. I have not gained weight other then maybe two pounds, my legs appear to be a bit smaller (muscle loss??), BUT, I have aquired a lot more fat/cellulite/ripples all the way to my knees. I have always dealt with cellulite but it had improved GREATLY the 6 months prior to my injury while using the Pyramids & BB Series. Can you do LB strength work? I was not able to do lunges/squats/plies or anything plyometric wise. I did do lying floor work. My problem was not getting to a level of fat-burning I believe. I have kept my UB fairly lean/toned, but it too has suffered a bit due to no fat burning. I have noticed a few ripples there too. This is not to discourage you but just to let you know what happened to my body type when I took cardio away. Oh, also I did do some spinning on my bike during this down time but with no tension and it was hard to work up a sweat. Again, I hope I have not totally discouraged you. I am hoping to get back to my former level by gradually making a comeback. We DO have to listen to our bodies. Good Luck and keep me posted.
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!

 

[DB1]

I love love love intense cardio but I too was having achilles problems with all of the cardio I was doing. I got the pyramids for Xmas and started doing those once a week w/2 cardios and an endurance workout. I lost 10 pounds! I don't know if it is the sequencing of the pyramids, but they have done more for me than Slow and Heavy or the PS series. I know our bodies all experience things differently, but for me, cutting back on cardio and focusing on weights has made a big difference.

Good luck on healing your injuries.

 

[cjbate]

Kaz:
I think you will still get good results if you really watch your eating. I lost about 20 lbs cleaning up and tracking my diet. Don't have time for cardio, too many little kidlets, gotta cut corners somewhere. I am only doing PS/SH/MIS right now.

Cardio does strengthen your heart....but I think if you cut your calories instead, for now, you can still drop fat.

Jen

 

[DebbieH]

Me again! I feel really bad about my post above. PLEASE forgive me if it sounded like a downer. It wasn't meant to be but now that I go back & read it, it isn't very encouraging. To say the least, I HAVE been very down due to my injury but I truly would not want to pass that emotion unto you! I decided today to spin on my bike to IMax2 and finally felt like I got a decent "cardio" workout that didn't hurt my knee. I went "at it" during the intervals. Is spinning an option for you? I even broke a sweat! Yeeeah! Let me know how you are doing.
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!

 

[Mckmain]

Debbie....I related ALOT to your first post. As I injured my Achilles tendon last Sept and had to about quit all running. At that time I had gotten a bit burnt out on my lifting program too. I still did massive amounts of cardio, as only running hurt the achilles. I got the same dimpling to my knees too. And a bit on my arms. I figured it was due to not lifting as much and a not real strict diet. Or because I'm 45. I am slowly running more, about 3 times a week. But I am doing more weights and shorter more intense cardio (HIIT) for the last 3 weeks to see if that helps. I know how you feel being injured too. And the frustration that goes with it! I just think that there might be something to less cardio (not no cardio) and more lifting....we'll see.......Carole

 

[willowe]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for all your wonderful and helpful replies!

Debbie - please don't apologise for your first post - nothing to apologise for! I really appreciate your honest and caring advice and opinions! I am just sorry that you have had to deal with such problems.

I should mention at this point that I am currently almost 18 weeks along with my second pregnancy, so gaining fat and putting on weight is a bit of a given at the mo, Lol!! Even more reason to listen to my body and not continue to do anything which aggravates the problems that I have. I guess I am just anxious to maintain some kind of all-round fitness level, as I know how important it is for the labour experience!! It's great (and encouraging for me!) that you have all found ways to continue doing workouts.

Debbie - you mentioned that you did some spinning - do you need a particular kind of exercise bike for that? I have seriously been considering buying either a recumbent bike or normal upright bike for cardio. Does anyone have any experience of either types, and whether one type is more beneficial than the other?

I have been told by my Specialist that I will need a back operation after having this baby to fuse 2 vertebrae in my lumbar spine - not a thought I am relishing, believe me! Therefore, I know that I am going to need to drastically alter my fitness routine for some time following this, and using a bike seems like a possible non-impact cardio solution. Any thoughts you guys have on using a bike for cardio would be appreciated!

Kaz x