Too Much cardio, hazardous to your health?

Steve · Too Much cardio, hazardous to your health?

I always thought that cardio is way overrated as far as a healthy endeavour..High intensity weightlifting burns more fat than cardio and is healthier for you. I doubt that you could get a teaspoon of muscle off of a marathoner.

This is an excellent blog and the guy writes so convincingly on whatever topic he is talking about. I'm sure some of you are familiar with him already.

Very alarming!!

http://www.arthurdevany.com/archi..._death_injury_and_risk/index.html

Alisa

I'm really not sure what to make of this. Shock

Heather

Yes most marathoners and endurance athletes are notorious for eating huge amounts of carbs, one was even noted as a vegan, a "pure carb" diet.

All I hear on the marathon forums is how much carbs are needed to live, let alone run long distances.... They fully believe running without a carb filled diet is impossible. I don't buy it. Wink

Analog6

No, there are some runners on the ADBB (ATkins Board) who run marathons and half marathons and stick to their ATkins, no carb loading for them.
I always do my walk or weights in the morning before breakfast - all I have is a couple of glassses of water first. I've never felt faint or troubled by the exercise. It is only an hour or so, though.

jeff

Heather

Steve

I think it is a combo of both..

Extreme endurance activities are very catabolic,they suppress your immune system and they can leave you open to a host of injuries..

Plus our ancestors did not go jogging for hours at a time..

Short,intense cardio is the way to go..Or short intense weightlifitng.

Alot of these "marathoners" are showing signs of high inflammation..which is one of the leading casues of cancer,arthritis,alzheimers,lupus and cardiovascular disease.

And I know this is an old argument,but look at the bodies of a sprinter compared to the body of a marathoner..

Jessica

I personally think cardio + weightlifting + the diet your body works best with are the three legged stool... just my humble opinion. :)

Jessica

Steve

You're right Jessica,
But I feel cardio should be a very small part of it. Diet is the most important factor,then excercise.. I've lost 23lbs in a month with no excercise,though I would be losing more and hardening up if I were excercising.

I just feel people put way to much emphasis on Cardio,"gotta do my cardio","gotta raise my heart rate to 150 for an hour,gotta get in that fat burning zone" kindof crap"

Jessica

Carolyn

I feel cardio is over-rated. I'm now doing Super Slow weight training, also called Slowburn or Power of 10. It only takes 30 minutes/week.

kateryna

One of the reason marathoners who eat only carbs or are vegans get heart attacks is because the body is cannabalizing all available protein/muscle and the heart is a muscle. Besides, too much exercise places a lot of stress on the body and produces tons of free radicals, depressing the immune system, etc. This is an oversimplified explanation, but a correct one nonetheless. Short cardio workouts with some weight-training or slow burn type of exercises are best imo Happy

Steve

Spot on Kateryna!

I have a brother -in-law who runs upwards of 50 miles a week and rides his bike for long distances as well, who is a high carber..and he has always had a belly on him.

I try and show him the light,but of course ,"what do you know?"..

kateryna

Steve

He' a know it all lawyer..

I would wear the shirt,but I haven't had abs for 3 years now!!!
Gotta get those first!

Heather

I need to work on the abs, I never had them, but as I lose weight and the fat layer gets smaller all sorts of muscle is showing in my arms and legs. The abs are still "hiding". Roll Eyes

kateryna