Cardio = Waste of time?

[Zander1983]

It appears I was wrong:

Marken Lichtenbelt, WD v, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, and Van Hoydonk P. Individual variation in the relation between body temperaure and energy expenditure in response to elevated ambient temperature. Physiol Behav 73: 235-242, 2001

Abstract:
The question we address here is whether a mild increase in environmental temperature affects body temperature and energy expenditure, focusing on the individual variation in the relation between energy expenditure and body temperature. We studied eight normal weight healthy females, 48 h at an ambient temperature of 22 degreesC, and 48 h at 27 degreesC. Energy expenditure GEE) was measured in a respiration chamber. Subjects' skin temperature was measured continuously from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.: forehead, infraclavicular zone, thigh, hand, and foot. Core temperature was determined tympanically. Body composition was determined by under water weighing. Exposure to 27 degreesC caused a significant increase in body temperature (both skin and core), a decrease in temperature gradients, and a decrease in energy expenditure. At 27 degreesC 24 h EE, adjusted for body composition, was significantly related to body tympanic temperature. The decrease in 24 h EE, at 270C ambient temperature, was significantly negatively related to the increase in T-tym, indicating individual responses in adaptation to elevated ambient temperature. Changes in temperature gradient (comparing 27 degreesC with 22 degreesC) were negatively related to changes in EE. This shows that individuals differ in their response to an increase in environmental temperature regarding the relative contribution of insulative or metabolic adjustments. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

 

[RusPA81]

Do you see fat people or skinny people on treadmills?

If cardio worked for buring off body fat... wouldn't there be a bunch of sleek, buff people with 8% body fat on the cross country ski machines and treadmills?

I think the reason you see so many fat people or cardio machines is that there are a lot of people who think that they can simply run the treadmill once a week and then go home and eat cake. Its like saying that weight lifting doesn't work because I see so many skinny guys working out. It works for people who do it right. Now, is cardio the most efficent way to lose weight. I really am not a diet expert, but from what I understand it is not.

 

[CAESAR7]

how about just not stuffing your face full of food all damn day, wouldn't that burn the fat off too?

 

[SofaGeorge]

I think the reason you see so many fat people or cardio machines is that there are a lot of people who think that they can simply run the treadmill once a week and then go home and eat cake. Its like saying that weight lifting doesn't work because I see so many skinny guys working out. It works for people who do it right. Now, is cardio the most efficent way to lose weight. I really am not a diet expert, but from what I understand it is not.

I'm not saying that cardio doesn't burn of ANY body fat... just that it isn't a great way to do it. Cutting carbs will do a lot more for you than running on the treadmill.

You can burn calories chewing a hamburger.

 

[RusPA81]

I'm not saying that cardio doesn't burn of ANY body fat... just that it isn't a great way to do it. Cutting carbs will do a lot more for you than running on the treadmill.

You can burn calories chewing a hamburger.

I completely agree. Thats what I was saying. People think that they can do cardio and lose weight when in fact diet will do much more. Cardio is just to knock off the final pieces.

 

[gonelifting]

Please people, Do me a favor. Don`t tell my wife about this. We have sex for the cardio. That`s all I got left... please!!!

I like sprints too, they kill me though. Can`t seem to "cool down" after due to the lactic acid in my legs makes them UNABLE to move.

 

[FitFossil]

Cardio = waste of time?

For some people it seems to be. I look around the gym and so many people are doing cardio but never putting any EFFORT into it (same with their lifting, but that's another thread), so it's no wonder their bodies never change. I'll bet I SLEEP harder than these people! I mean, there's a REASON it's called a WORKout right? I'm a HIIT devotee (2x week for 20 min), so in that respect I think cardio is great because you get better results with less time.

 

[SofaGeorge]

Cardio = waste of time?

For some people it seems to be. I look around the gym and so many people are doing cardio but never putting any EFFORT into it (same with their lifting, but that's another thread), so it's no wonder their bodies never change. I'll bet I SLEEP harder than these people! I mean, there's a REASON it's called a WORKout right? I'm a HIIT devotee (2x week for 20 min), so in that respect I think cardio is great because you get better results with less time.

Interesting you mention HIT for cardio... the best research study I ever read for cardio was HIT. The researcher made a very powerful argument that 3 one minute bursts of real intensity did far more than an hour of meandering on the exercise bike.

The author's conclusion: cardio without intensity is not effective.

It made me feel great about my sprints.

 

[Judah Bauer]

Starting point will be to get a back issue of Durk and Sandy's book. They site all references.

You might also try doing a search in their old newsletters. www.lifeservices.com publishes their archives... but I'm not sure how far back it goes.

I put their theory to the test years ago... turned the AC down to freezing. It definitely seemed to help bodyfat loss.

Armand Tandy was one of the old time bodybuiding writers. He wrote one of the first articles about this back in the '60s. He lived on the beach in Santa Monica... then moved inland. It is always 20 degrees cooler on the beach. He found when he moved inland that he started to put on body fat. He moved back to the beach and got skinny again.

I'm not sure about this. What about the "seal effect"...ie. when your cold your body tends not to burn bf...Empirically...the colder the environment generally means the people that live there have more bf as well. I think there was someone out there who used to preach about drinking a bunch of cold water to raise metabolism...the long and short of it I believe was that it did work for a very short time but you quickly adapted.

Cardio does work for weight loss...its "a way"...maybe not the best..but obviously it does work. For some people, its the easiest and and preferred way.

 

[SofaGeorge]

I'm not sure about this. What about the "seal effect"...ie. when your cold your body tends not to burn bf...Empirically...the colder the environment generally means the people that live there have more bf as well.

This is not supported anywhere in medical literature.