Why do cardio when cutting?

[stingray72]

Op id like to make you a challenge. Do 30 minutes of cardio for 3 months and see if you actually feel better and have more endurance. Either way let us no the outcome. You up for it?

[hamworld05]

Seems like some people just use cardio as an excuse to eat more. Imho, the hours of cardio for a few extra poptarts just don't do it for me.

[MikeTheBiceps]

With hiit do you mean hiit cardio or hiit weight lifting?

[n0useforaname]

Seems like some people just use cardio as an excuse to eat more. Imho, the hours of cardio for a few extra poptarts just don't do it for me.

Describe "hours"? I can burn 250-300 cals in 14-20 minutes.. which is equal to an entire 2 cups of Jello Pudding.. or 6 home made cocoa donuts.. or 3 home made cocoa donuts covered in vanilla pudding

[JaredPunch]

I can understand if your fitness goals involve any kind of aerobic activity. Outside of that I don't see the benefit.

I remember reading about studies showing that not just the kind of activity you do matters but also the amount of activity you do.
Being really healthy requires a minimum amount of activity and 3 weight workouts a week, with 50% of the total time spent resting between lifts, is just not enough exercise if you have a sedentary life otherwise.

So you could walk a lot (but isn't that cardio too?) or play some sport but for many cardio as in running, treadmill, stationary bike is a more viable way.
And there is even fun cardio, like playing with DDR at the arcade or home.

Bottom line: someone with a sedentary life, studying all day, sitting 9 hours at the desk, never leaving his house working at home is just fooling himself if he thinks 3-4 weight workouts a week are making him "active".

[Virten]

I did actually and am still in a deficit. Thanks for asking.

Just trying to start a friendly discourse around a topic I was thinking about at the time.

I'm not denying at all that cardio is beneficial or saying that I think it's useless and no one should do it.

Constant motion isn't a very effective argument for what burns more calories. A calorie is a unit of energy or work done which is a product of force x distance. On top of that comes a bunch of biomechanical and biological factors.

That being said, I'm sure more calories are burnt in the actual hour of cardio vs resistance training.

So you're saying that weight lifting burns just as much calories as cardio, then? What you're saying is a bit contradicting saying constant motion isn't a very effective argument but admitting that it does burn more calories.

[Virten]

Seems like some people just use cardio as an excuse to eat more. Imho, the hours of cardio for a few extra poptarts just don't do it for me.

I'm sure people use it as an excuse to eat more but if they do the work, they've earned it. If you don't want to eat 'a few extra poptarts' then don't do cardio. Simple, right?

[JaredPunch]

That being said, I'm sure more calories are burnt in the actual hour of cardio vs resistance training.

I have read EPOC is strongly overrated and the extra calories burned are almost irrelevant (I'm talking net calories, people say "with EPOC you burn 63 calories per hour" forgetting we burn 60 calories per hour just for metabolic function and EPOC is just like 3 extra calories burned per hour)

[hamworld05]

Describe "hours"? I can burn 250-300 cals in 14-20 minutes.. which is equal to an entire 2 cups of Jello Pudding.. or 6 home made cocoa donuts.. or 3 home made cocoa donuts covered in vanilla pudding

That must be some fast cardio. Not everyone can do that,namely me. Anyway, an example: 400 cal sessions, 3 times a week on 40 minutes of moderate intensity cardio.

That's 1200 cals a week, a little over 170 cals extra a day. Slightly less than 50 grams of a poptart.

There must be something I'm missing, because I don't like this scenario. That's 2 hours a week of cardio for 170 extra cals on the daily.

Why not do cardio? It's great, health benefits and you get to eat a bit more but there's downsides: you risk losing muscle mass(and if your genetics aren't that great, that is a serious possibility), and you risk cutting into recovery for lifting. Ronnie Coleman could do a ridiculous amount of cardio and still retain muscle mass for obvious reasons.

You could argue those only happen at extremes but the logic that you do cardio to eat more could easily be taken to the extreme.

[Virten]

I have read EPOC is strongly overrated and the extra calories burned are almost irrelevant (I'm talking net calories, people say "with EPOC you burn 63 calories per hour" forgetting we burn 60 calories per hour just for metabolic function and EPOC is just like 3 extra calories burned per hour)

Yeah, to be honest, I've never heard of anyone actually counting the calories from weight lifting and/or actually taking it into account...let alone comparing it to calories burnt from cardio.

[Virten]

That must be some fast cardio. Not everyone can do that,namely me. Anyway, an example: 400 cal sessions, 3 times a week on 40 minutes of moderate intensity cardio.

That's 1200 cals a week, a little over 170 cals extra a day. Slightly less than 50 grams of a poptart.

There must be something I'm missing, because I don't like this scenario. That's 2 hours a week of cardio for 170 extra cals on the daily.

Why not do cardio? It's great, health benefits and you get to eat a bit more but there's downsides: you risk losing muscle mass(and if your genetics aren't that great, that is a serious possibility), and you risk cutting into recovery for lifting. Ronnie Coleman could do a ridiculous amount of cardio and still retain muscle mass for obvious reasons.

You could argue those only happen at extremes but the logic that you do cardio to eat more could easily be taken to the extreme.

It's obvious you don't enjoy doing cardio exercises. I get it. Believe it or not, there are people who take pride in having a ton of cardiovascular endurance. I am a cyclist and before I took a spill on the bike during a training ride early last year, I was participating in races that can easily burn 2-3k+ calories. This is really the wrong forum to be promoting cardio...a lot of bodybuilders think it is completely unnecessary and, with a holistic perspective on overall health I disagree, but I digress.

[hamworld05]

It's obvious you don't enjoy doing cardio exercises. I get it. Believe it or not, there are people who take pride in having a ton of cardiovascular endurance. I am a cyclist and before I took a spill on the bike during a training ride early last year, I was participating in races that can easily burn 2-3k+ calories. This is really the wrong forum to be promoting cardio...a lot of bodybuilders think it is completely unnecessary and, with a holistic perspective on overall health I disagree, but I digress.

If you call sports cardio, then yeah sure I enjoy it(however, I could not handle 2000 calories worth of wrestling/b-ball so props to you). I lift for sports/aesthetics so I can't really do extremes but when the sport is ultramarathon running/cycling, then you wouldn't have a choice. Extremes become the nature of the game. But how much do you care about health as opposed to aesthetics? Do we really care about health, or do we care about looking good?

I guess another question is: How much cardio can you do/not do and get away with it, in terms of improving body composition/retaining muscle mass? To me this question is important because it's human nature to take the path of least resistance.

[n0useforaname]

That must be some fast cardio. Not everyone can do that,namely me. Anyway, an example: 400 cal sessions, 3 times a week on 40 minutes of moderate intensity cardio.

That's 1200 cals a week, a little over 170 cals extra a day. Slightly less than 50 grams of a poptart.

There must be something I'm missing, because I don't like this scenario. That's 2 hours a week of cardio for 170 extra cals on the daily.

Why not do cardio? It's great, health benefits and you get to eat a bit more but there's downsides: you risk losing muscle mass(and if your genetics aren't that great, that is a serious possibility), and you risk cutting into recovery for lifting. Ronnie Coleman could do a ridiculous amount of cardio and still retain muscle mass for obvious reasons.

You could argue those only happen at extremes but the logic that you do cardio to eat more could easily be taken to the extreme.

This is all subjective.. when I started doing cardio at first.. I couldn't run half a mile without falling over and puking.. After sticking with it for a month or two and losing bodyfat.. I could run 2 miles with ease in under 20 minutes. Now that I have myself in check, good BF%, eat right, train right, I can run 3 miles in 19:16.. So if you stick with it, it gets easier. Also, I'm pretty sure you aren't going to lose muscle mass with 3 sessions a week at 20 minutes a pop.. which is all that's needed.

[scots40]

[Agcrow]

So you're saying that weight lifting burns just as much calories as cardio, then? What you're saying is a bit contradicting saying constant motion isn't a very effective argument but admitting that it does burn more calories.

I'm saying that constant motion isn't a variable in how many calories are spent. You could, theoretically, use as many calories in one lift as you use in an hour worth of cardio (it would have to be an unrealistically huge lift). I'm just splitting hairs. I get that I could use more calories doing cardio for an hour. The real benefit comes from recovery (yes there's recovery for cardio, but not the same extent), hormonal response, increased metabolic rate (beyond EPOC) and improved composition.

I personally don't count my weight training exercise towards my calories burnt in a day. It would be very difficult to do so any ways.

[stingray72]

Just for comparison sake I have a body bugg and i burn 86 calories an hour stationary and about 100 calories total for a moderate 45 minute workout (upper body only since I have cerebral palsy) and i burn 250 - 300 calories an hour doing cardio.

So + 36 caloies an hour over stationary working out (there may be an elevation for a short period like cardio but I havent studied it with the bb.)

there is NO increase in metabolic rate that ive seen like the studies say hours after a workout but ive only studied my stationary burn during days of activities such as that

+ 164 - 214 calories over stationary plus my metabolism is elevated for 10 - 15 minutes after my hour of cardio based on what I watched in the past

[hamworld05]

I'm saying that constant motion isn't a variable in how many calories are spent. You could, theoretically, use as many calories in one lift as you use in an hour worth of cardio (it would have to be an unrealistically huge lift). I'm just splitting hairs. I get that I could use more calories doing cardio for an hour. The real benefit comes from recovery (yes there's recovery for cardio, but not the same extent), hormonal response, increased metabolic rate (beyond EPOC) and improved composition.

I personally don't count my weight training exercise towards my calories burnt in a day. It would be very difficult to do so any ways.

I don't get it, why would it be difficult? I mean, say you maintain your bodyweight on 3000 cals without a lifting session. Then, add a lifting session, and add 100 calories and see if you still maintain your bodyweight.

[loseitall90210]

I'm so sick and tired of cardio getting such a bad rap. * fumes *

I do a cardio 4 times a week. Usually running 5-10 miles on any day. So why do I do this?

1. Great for my skin (it's crystal clear, almost beaming, with no lines, and smoother than a baby's bottom)
2. Cardiovascular benefits
3. Keeps me energized throughout the day
4. Really lifts my mood and get me flooded with endorphins ( I think it even makes me smarter)
5. This is a LIFESTYLE change, meaning there is NO finish line. Do you want to have a strict diet for all of your cut, cuz you're gonna be miserable ? I did not get discouraged during my cut because I was able to eat some good foods, and run it off. Looking back, I had a lot of chocolate during my cut. I was also able to really keep my calories low. If I ate over one day, I'd just run it off instead of bitching, OMG, I've ruined my progress and have to make up for it for 3 days.) A bad night (drinking, food) no friggin big deal. Just run it off. My progress never stalled. It was a constant drop EVERY single week. Muscle loss is SO SO overated. Drink Protein and lift hard, you'll lose minimal muscle. I lifted 6 times a week hard and heavy. I'm cut a mother****er now.
7. I NEVER NEVER NEVERhave to ask, how come I'm not losing any more weight? why? because i can fine tune my calories as much as I want. I NEVER had to count calories or eat a can of tuna for lunch and I ate steak almost everyday. Again, it's a lifestyle change.
8. WAY more stamina in the bed with the gals...
9. What a stress reliever. Hard to be stressed when you're up at 5:00am and you've run 7 miles.
10. You look way more livelier. Bodybuildiers who just lift still seem to age regularly. Cardio slows your aging and degradation of your bones, hair, heart, nails.
11. Increased Metabolism - hey, I'm thinking this helps with weight loss.
12. Improved Hormones
13. Improved Recovery tim

I can go on, but I'd like for others to add their input

[n0useforaname]

I'm so sick and tired of cardio getting such a bad rap. * fumes *

I do a cardio 4 times a week. Usually running 5-10 miles on any day. So why do I do this?

1. Great for my skin (it's crystal clear, almost beaming, with no lines, and smoother than a baby's bottom)
2. Cardiovascular benefits
3. Keeps me energized throughout the day
4. Really lifts my mood and get me flooded with endorphins ( I think it even makes me smarter)
5. This is a LIFESTYLE change, meaning there is NO finish line. Do you want to have a strict diet for all of your cut, cuz you're gonna be miserable ? I did not get discouraged during my cut because I was able to eat some good foods, and run it off. Looking back, I had a lot of chocolate during my cut. I was also able to really keep my calories low. If I ate over one day, I'd just run it off instead of bitching, OMG, I've ruined my progress and have to make up for it for 3 days.) A bad night (drinking, food) no friggin big deal. Just run it off. My progress never stalled. It was a constant drop EVERY single week. Muscle loss is SO SO overated. Drink Protein and lift hard, you'll lose minimal muscle. I lifted 6 times a week hard and heavy. I'm cut a mother****er now.
7. I NEVER NEVER NEVERhave to ask, how come I'm not losing any more weight? why? because i can fine tune my calories as much as I want. I NEVER had to count calories or eat a can of tuna for lunch and I ate steak almost everyday. Again, it's a lifestyle change.
8. WAY more stamina in the bed with the gals...
9. What a stress reliever. Hard to be stressed when you're up at 5:00am and you've run 7 miles.
10. You look way more livelier. Bodybuildiers who just lift still seem to age regularly. Cardio slows your aging and degradation of your bones, hair, heart, nails.
11. Increased Metabolism - hey, I'm thinking this helps with weight loss.
12. Improved Hormones
13. Improved Recovery tim

I can go on, but I'd like for others to add their input

Ummmm... Ok......

[OregonLife]

I workout 3 hours a day when lifting and 2 hours on off days with just cardio in the AM and PM plus abs. There definitely IS a benefit.

[hamworld05]

I'm so sick and tired of cardio getting such a bad rap. * fumes *

I do a cardio 4 times a week. Usually running 5-10 miles on any day. So why do I do this?

1. Great for my skin (it's crystal clear, almost beaming, with no lines, and smoother than a baby's bottom)
2. Cardiovascular benefits
3. Keeps me energized throughout the day
4. Really lifts my mood and get me flooded with endorphins ( I think it even makes me smarter)
5. This is a LIFESTYLE change, meaning there is NO finish line. Do you want to have a strict diet for all of your cut, cuz you're gonna be miserable ? I did not get discouraged during my cut because I was able to eat some good foods, and run it off. Looking back, I had a lot of chocolate during my cut. I was also able to really keep my calories low. If I ate over one day, I'd just run it off instead of bitching, OMG, I've ruined my progress and have to make up for it for 3 days.) A bad night (drinking, food) no friggin big deal. Just run it off. My progress never stalled. It was a constant drop EVERY single week. Muscle loss is SO SO overated. Drink Protein and lift hard, you'll lose minimal muscle. I lifted 6 times a week hard and heavy. I'm cut a mother****er now.
7. I NEVER NEVER NEVERhave to ask, how come I'm not losing any more weight? why? because i can fine tune my calories as much as I want. I NEVER had to count calories or eat a can of tuna for lunch and I ate steak almost everyday. Again, it's a lifestyle change.
8. WAY more stamina in the bed with the gals...
9. What a stress reliever. Hard to be stressed when you're up at 5:00am and you've run 7 miles.
10. You look way more livelier. Bodybuildiers who just lift still seem to age regularly. Cardio slows your aging and degradation of your bones, hair, heart, nails.
11. Increased Metabolism - hey, I'm thinking this helps with weight loss.
12. Improved Hormones
13. Improved Recovery tim

I can go on, but I'd like for others to add their input

For some reason, I could flip almost every statement in that quote and say the reverse.

[loseitall90210]

I'm a smart ass

Ummm....if you don't have any input.

perhaps keep your mouth SHUT and keep it moving. No one likes a smart ass

btw, i'm 6'3 and at 160 at 7% bodyfat right now but ehhhh...what do I know..

[loseitall90210]

For some reason, I could flip almost every statement in that quote and say the reverse.

so do. Don't talk about it, be about it. I want you to actually, so maybe you can see how silly it sounds when you type it out.

you are wrong! dead wrong. you've eaten 1500 over what you need for the day, so you're gonna 'lift' that off in an hour huh? ok...lol

please don't waste my time.

[MalsorRifleman]

Cardio not only allows me to eat a little more but it provides benefits to my cardiovascular system.

Pretty much this.

[n0useforaname]

Ummm....if you don't have any input.

perhaps keep your mouth SHUT and keep it moving. No one likes a smart ass

btw, i'm 6'3 and at 160 at 7% bodyfat right now but ehhhh...what do I know..

I actually DID give input on the thread. And congrats.. 6' 3" at 160, your family must be proud of your huge gainzzzzz... :-/

But since I don't want to seem like a smart-ass and you want me to give input, here ya go..

By your post and others, it's pretty evident that you still lack a basic understanding of nutrition.. or how fat-loss even works.. or stress.. or aging for that matter. It's fantastic that cardio is basically making you a super-human genius, but I can't help but laugh a bit when I read what you post because.. well.. it's just amusing. There are many ways to skin a cat.. just keep that in mind.

And also.. this is an internet forum where everyone is here to speak their mind.. if you are going to get so upset that you break out the almighty wicked CAPS, and throw a hissy-fit.. maybe you shouldn't post.

[Agcrow]

btw, i'm 6'3 and at 160 at 7% bodyfat right now but ehhhh...what do I know..

I'm 6'3 and if I ever hit 160 I think my family would hospitalise me for being anorexic or addicted to exercise. You can't be pushing much weight at those stats (I understand that's not everyone's goal but its part of mine)

[Agcrow]

I don't get it, why would it be difficult? I mean, say you maintain your bodyweight on 3000 cals without a lifting session. Then, add a lifting session, and add 100 calories and see if you still maintain your bodyweight.

Because that's not scientific at all. There's too many factors that go into bodyweight as well as what your actual calories out are to make that in any way accurate.

[stingray72]

To all the people who feel they dont want to do cardio I issue the same challenge I gave the op. Do cardio for 30 minutes for three months and honestly tell me it didnt do more for you and your health and well being than you thought and ill leave it at that.

[Agcrow]

To all the people who feel they dont want to do cardio I issue the same challenge I gave the op. Do cardio for 30 minutes for three months and honestly tell me it didnt do more for you and your health and well being than you thought and ill leave it at that.

Define health and well-being? Can I instead check back in 3 months when I've lost 25 lbs and can press 315? That day will feel good.

[hamworld05]

so do. Don't talk about it, be about it. I want you to actually, so maybe you can see how silly it sounds when you type it out.

you are wrong! dead wrong. you've eaten 1500 over what you need for the day, so you're gonna 'lift' that off in an hour huh? ok...lol

please don't waste my time.

Dude was pretty lean, and didn't really do any cardio.