Kill Cardio!

[stronglikewood]

I was thinking about this exact thing this morning when I went to the park to do a bit of run/jog/walk for lengths on the pitch (I must've walked 90% of it!) and saw a handful of joggers. I went over all of the pros and cons that I could think about of jogging. The only pros I could think of were elevating the heart rate to work the heart and lungs, and that jogging can aid in burning fat. But i'd rather do these things by lifting things and look healthy and fit, rather than either undermuscled and skinny, or undermuscled and carrying a spare tyre which were the only body types I saw today.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

The thing that ALWAYS strikes me when I see people jogging is the pained expression on their faces and their laboured, plodding gait!

[TheChamp]

really good read (the whole thread)

[Seebsy]

Let me try and balance this thread up a bit with my opinion (for what it’s worth )

Easy to moderate cardiovascular exercise / Jogging in particular
I don’t think jogging has ever been deemed “good for you” by anyone with an ounce of intelligence . As previously mentioned , the pained expression says it all .
The majority of joggers start their crusade as they are usually overweight / unhealthy / unfit etc . This then leads to all the usual hip and lower leg injuries and can also cause the worst injury of all that is not visibly obvious ; heart injury . Heart injuries caused by the increase in blood pressure during exercise that exacerbate an already unhealthy cardiovascular system . Coach Philip Maffetone has an excellent article on sudden death in athletes on his website .
The majority of people taking up cardio at this level have spent most of their lives not performing any form of major physical activity and certainly not partaking in heavy impact activities such as running . Few appear to exercise at this level of intensity for fun . This is also the category that do 10 miles plodding a week then attempt the London marathon . Fair play and good luck , and well done for raising charity money , but expect to suffer badly . Swimming can be enjoyable at this level and should be encouraged as it gets people out the house !! Better still , get down the local gym and start gently lifting weights .
From what I have read , women in particular are not designed brilliantly to jog as their hips are too wide and their femurs point downwards on too much of an angle to provide efficient pronation . This does not mean however that we were not designed to run…….

Moderate to intense cardiovascular exercise / Athletic running , cycling , swimming .
This is where the change occurs . Anyone brought up as being physically active will suffer far less with cardiovascular exercise than the 1st category . The major exception to this is a young person with an already undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which has shown to be relatively common . Again , see Philip Maffetone’s website .
A person that has been swimming or running relatively intensely from a young age and has followed a good diet and lifestyle will suffer few injuries from steady state exercise. The exception to this is when over-reaching or over-training happens .
Look at any child running and you will see how natural it is , we have been doing it for centuries and from the evidence and opinions on this forum , clearly carried out by our paleo ancestors for hunting purposes .
The bad effects of physical stress and cortisol can be counterbalanced somewhat by ensuring a goods supply of foodstuffs in and around training . I would bet that our ancestors would eat as soon as they returned back to their dwelling .
This brings me to my main point , the majority of people that run , swim or cycle , that have been bought up with an active and healthy lifestyle (and some that were not) , do it because they love it . They do it because it feels good , it releases feel-good chemicals , it gets them away from the stress of civilization when running through woods , up mountains , along trails , or cycling along country lanes . On the other hand they may do it because of the social niceties of an athletics or sports club .
Ask any fell runner why they run up and down the highest rocky mountains in the cold and wet . It’s because it’s insanely invigorating and makes you extremely happy . It could also be due to serious mental illness , but hey , happy none the less .

Weight training vs cardio .

All distance athletes should lift weights to get the best from their sport , but if solely weight training and not competitive bodybuilding is your bag then fair play . It certainly puts less stress on the body in general than cardio but does push the CNS in over-trainers.
We have each got to do what makes us happy and if you get enough feel good factors and the horn when you look at yourself in the mirror then good . Let’s hope our partners like our bulging pecs as well !! It certainly does aid confidence .
In general as well I find , weight trainers have a better concept of diet and healthy lifestyle . I know very few young gym goers who eat extremely badly , whilst our best 10k runner in my athletics club eats like a turd (sucrose mainly). This doesn’t exclude the fact that some weight trainers may well be unhealthy , it’s just less likely in the ones who gain muscle and lose fat as their diet is clearly better than the norm .
In regards to weight trainers starting cardio , this is no doubt a nightmare , they easily fall into my 1st category of people that probably should not bother . Unfortunately I have seen many weight trainers who have such severe muscle imbalances that they cannot even walk correctly . It’s not then surprising that when they pursue a cycling career that they end up with injuries . It will take a age to re-adapt the muscles to be “fit for purpose” .
I also see hilarious form in the gym including training partners pulling the bar down for his mate , or dead lifts that bounce off the floor with a spine shattering “boing” . Bent over rowing with a back arched like an old lady . These people get injured just as much as cardio fans and I see it often .
Cardio for cutting pre body building competitions – well , there has been enough debate about this , and I think it’s fair to say that because of the miserable amount of calories it actually burns compared to the potential injury risk and muscular breakdown , then stick to the weights and focus on the diet . Don’t forget to walk places rather than take the bus where possible . We were definitely designed to walk !!

Finally , I think I am lucky to enjoy several active disciplines in life , the main being weight training and mountain running , I know the risks but I love it .

[sendos]

What do people think about all out, balls to the wall 4 mile runs? Recently I've been doing these in prep for a one off half-marathon in combination with sprints. I haven't really suffered any injuries aside from the first couple of weeks of shin splints but they've gone now. I can't really see 8 miles a week being that detrimental and i'd like to keep them up after the marathon, it certainly feels good knowing I could get up a do a 10 mile run if i had to quite easily.

[Seebsy]

Can be pretty destructive to muscle mass still , but much better than 15 miles at a granny's pace . Your lactate threshold will improve immensly , so will your lung capacity . That combined with the "buzz" that I hope you will experience should leave you with a good sense of health and well being .

[sendos]

Well I'm not to bothered about muscle mass, but if i start loosing strength I'll quit the runs.

[Seebsy]

I reckon you will be fine strength wise , especially with the sprints . You will probably also gain a certain element of plyometric / bouncy strength as well.........which is nice .

[Alpal2005]

I like running 3 miles. 1-2 times a week. as well as working out 3 times a week.
I think running gives a different kind of exhilartion / satisfaction / buzz to weights.

I agree that long distance is very detrimental to health and do not see the attraction.

You gotta love the pump from weights but you gotta love the burn of sprinting that last 200 metres.

Im not gonna stop running (middle distance ish) and im not going to stop weights!

[schuey100]

I'm intrigued as to how people view rowing in the context of this discussion. I will weight train my upper body and lower body on alternate days but I will still use the Concept 2 rower 5 times a week to build up a sweat and as alternative exercise. I enjoy using it and I certainly feel much better since I started rowing most days. I like to do at least 50km a week at medium intensity and especially like to row when I have a total off day from the weights.

Thoughts?