too much cardio for weight loss ?

J

jgoycoolea

Cathlete
I have read some articles regarding hard-core weight loss techniques. They often perscribe 2 cardio sessions a day. One article even talks about 2 one-hour sesssions.

**Do you think that there is a point in which too much cardio is detrimental to weight loss?**

I would be willing to sacrifice some muscle in the quest for rapid results if it wasn't going to truly backfire later. I know that a slow and moderate approach is the way to go, but it just isn't working for me these days.

Thanks, Jeanne
 
That is a good question...I hope she replys.I have also wondered about this because I do cardio on somedays twice.And my eating as been clean but it doesn't seem to matter.There is this girl in my town that is ssooo slim and she as gotten smaller and her sister-in-law(who I work with) says that she as gotten smaller cause somedays she adds another 4 kms to her run.But maybe she doesn't eat either.I don't know.Looks like her arms are going to break off they are so frail.(not where I want to be)So you would think that another cardio session would be better for you.Hope we get the answer.
Lori
 
Hi Jeanne! It all depends on your genetics (along with your accompanying fitness and food plan). Some people do well with cardio 6 days a week while some people get the same good results only doing 3 or 4 cardio a week. But keep in mind the more cardio you do and get used to doing, the more you will have to add on to have it continue to present new challenges and results. Therefore it is better to cross train with other activities for weight loss vs doing more and more cardio. High volumes of any one activity could lead to injury, and it is at that point that a particular activity is considered detrimental to weight loss. Be safe and take care.
 
Thank you Cathe. That seems like very sensible advise. Much as I like step, kickbox, and hi/lo, I don't want to have to do more ON A REGULAR BASIS to get results! I will try and do other activities instead to burn a few extra calories. Softball season started, so I have been doing that.

So now I throw out the question to everyone: Can you think of any other activities? Only biking and running immediately come to my mind.

Jeanne
 
How about hiking? Inline skating? Swimming? (Swimming isn't always popular for weight loss, but I know someone who maintains her weight by swimming in a master's swim club -- the training sessions are long and tough.)
 
Good ideas!

Last night I did in fact cut the grass with the push mower and it felt like a workout. I guess I should dig up the flower bed and put some flowers in it too--maybe the spirit of cross-training could be my motivation since the flowers themselves aren't motivation enough!

I like the skating idea too. I don't have skates, but maybe one of my nephews has an old pair that will fit me. Or I could check into an indoor rink. Maybe there is a time when it isn't totally pre-treen. Adult skate or something.

I am all for hearing more ideas if anyone has any! Jeanne
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-16-02 AT 07:05AM (Est)[/font][p]"If you're trying to gain muscle, intensity of muscle contraction is much more important than duration, and
anything more than an hour of intensity will exhaust your glycogen and creatine phosphate stores, which you'll
experience as muscle fatigue. And while aerobic training is essential, excessive aerobic workouts (more than about
45 minutes) reduce the ability of the muscles to recover and grow. So longer aerobic sessions come at the cost of
less muscle growth."

http://www.hussman.org/fitness/#workouts
 
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