Does anybody work so much they skip cardio?

[Sorbate]

Work? What's that?

You know, I kinda like work, I like the structure.

But if I worked for someone else, not sure if I’d like it as much.

I have no retirement date planned. I figure one day, I’ll just say to my wife, “we have enough money, and I am just not enjoying it anymore”

I figure I got another decade in me, so 64/65

 

[Sorbate]

I don't work or do cardio. Somehow I smoke the yearly cardiology treadmill stress test, every year for the past 10 or so I have improved my performance and have been in at least the 99th percentile or higher for men in my age group. (in the fantasy land between my ears I like to believe it's because I am a fucking barbarian with indomitable spirit but whatever )

A Brag? Humble Brag?
Nope, quite the opposite actually. A warning.
Having "Good Cardio" or "Great Cardio" doesn't necessarily mean you have good Cardiovascular Health.
Demand regular full workups, you are getting taxed to pay for them. IDK the actually recommendations but I'd tell my friends including y'all that maybe you should start around 30 even if you feel great. Maybe every 5 years, then 3, then yearly as you get older. Just like bloodwork it's a tool we have, it seems foolish not to use it, you may find some shocking things out in time to make life changing corrections. You've all heard of "young, healthy" people even elite athletes leaving this plane "too young"

Older members will likely remember the case of Jim Fixx:
From his Wiki - James Fuller Fixx was an American who wrote the 1977 best-selling book The Complete Book of Running; he is credited with helping start America's fitness revolution by popularizing the sport of running and demonstrating the health benefits of regular jogging.

You probably will get the point without diving in deep but the title here says enough https://www.researchgate.net/public...eart_Disease_and_the_Ironic_Death_of_Jim_Fixx

You only get one motor, I post because I care,
G1 Out

My wife keeps smoking motors on the treadmill. This is 2 in the last 15 years, lol.

I have a feeling her cardiovascular health is decent.

 

[gondar1]

My wife keeps smoking motors on the treadmill. This is 2 in the last 15 years, lol.

I have a feeling her cardiovascular health is decent.

I hope so too bud but as per the message in my post, all I'm saying is that doesn't prove it. In fact it could and often enough does, give one false confidence and end in disaster. I wish you both well.

 

[BertaBoy]

Damn, just want to know what OP does for work that gets him that many steps regularly? That's intense. I'm jealous as I work a desk and man... It's so hard to keep weight off when you're just typing all day. That being said I wouldn't trade it to go back on the tools, it's nice being able to work from home when I need too, especially having kids

 

[klhsx]

I just skip cardio period.
When I do cardio my appetite goes nuts. Like through the roof nuts. I will eat double if I do 25 min cardio compared to no cardio.
Any calories I burned from cardio 200 -300, I will totally trump by the 1500 extra I will eat just to be able to sleep that night.

In the last two weeks I have tried to approach it half ass. Like barely try.
And see if I can do that and not have to eat so much after.


Thats a new approach for me, because I usually did it to failure with intervals in the past.

fingers crossed.....

 

[Goldenrod]

I have said for years I would never be on a machine as I hate them. I like heavy bag cardio, sparring, ropes in the MMA room for my cardio or at home with BOB, but even with 100's of lbs at the base with a BOB, if you are an adult you will spend as much time moving it back in position as you do hitting, kneeing, kicking, it, etc. This is not tough guy talk - I like BOB and the HB as they don't hit back lol.

I now have to eat my words going to a gym (with work - I was working out at home for years). They have a large MMA room, heavy bag, focus mitts, pads, heavy ropes, and multiple areas for people who like to 'air box', and several elliptical bikes. The bikes give your legs a great workout and you are sort of, depending how you set the seat up, constantly doing a light push workout and punching non stop left hand to right hand. Your spine stabilization muscles get a little workout as I notice you turn slightly with each revolution as your arms move out like a punch. I love the Rogue machine the best - I started at 15 minutes and am able to go hard for double that now after 2 months.
So, if my job was physical like @storman - no way could I workout and then do cardio after. I don't do it everyday but for many of the guys who are into boxing/kickboxing - it is a great machine.
I am sure there are others that prefer other machines and each to their own, but this is the only machine I will use for cardio and I enjoy it (other than sparring/heavy bag session/and leg day is like a cardio session) and I can also tell I don't get winded as quickly with a heavy bag session and I like to believe my hands are getting faster/hit harder, but I could be fooling myself.
Anyway - no right answer but if you eat enough calories of healthy food, I fail to see how cardio will hurt you if you take the time (like benching) to build up.
There is a debate that cardio can hurt muscle growth and I absolutely disagree - unless you burn off 1000 calories and do not replace it with healthy/repairing food.
Just saw this thread today - so I will eat my words, I love the elliptical bike.

 

[Huggybearz]

I never skip cardio unless it’s written on my plan. The stairclimber is my choice of punishment. Cardio has actually helped my muscle growth. It’s helped manage blood pressure, it helps manage blood glucose , helps with digestion, metabolism, it also helps you get that last few reps in some heavy weights when your digging because your breathing doesn’t fail before your legs in squats or Amy other lift for that matter .It’s gotten to a point where if I don’t do between 30 to 40mins on it after every lift I don’t feel right !

 

[The Caped Crusader]

Im walking like 20,000 steps or more a day and burning an average of 5000 calories a day usually at least an hour of combined zone minutes like being in zone 2 or 3 etc. Im cutting out carbs and trying to lean out a bit so im wondering how stupid would it be to cut out cardio? Do these zone minutes count for heart health ?

Honestly, if you’re on your feet all day hitting 20k steps, that’s already a form of cardio in itself, so don’t beat yourself up about not sitting on the treadmill after work. The way I look at it, there’s two sides to cardio, one is just the calorie burn/energy balance side, which your daily grind already covers and the other is heart health and conditioning, which can still benefit from a little deliberate work. Your body gets efficient at whatever you do repeatedly, so while walking all day burns a ton now, eventually it won’t hit as hard and that’s why throwing in even 15 to 20 minutes here and there of steady state or some short bursts of HIIT can keep your engine sharp without frying recovery. At the same time, if you’re working, training and moving constantly, sometimes the smartest play is to skip extra cardio and let your body recover. I’d just keep an eye on your long term health, not just fat loss and use cardio as a tool instead of thinking it’s mandatory every day.

 

[Bigbear]

Honestly, if you’re on your feet all day hitting 20k steps, that’s already a form of cardio in itself, so don’t beat yourself up about not sitting on the treadmill after work. The way I look at it, there’s two sides to cardio, one is just the calorie burn/energy balance side, which your daily grind already covers and the other is heart health and conditioning, which can still benefit from a little deliberate work. Your body gets efficient at whatever you do repeatedly, so while walking all day burns a ton now, eventually it won’t hit as hard and that’s why throwing in even 15 to 20 minutes here and there of steady state or some short bursts of HIIT can keep your engine sharp without frying recovery. At the same time, if you’re working, training and moving constantly, sometimes the smartest play is to skip extra cardio and let your body recover. I’d just keep an eye on your long term health, not just fat loss and use cardio as a tool instead of thinking it’s mandatory every day.

You've got some good views man. Thanks for the input

 

[Bigbear]

I have said for years I would never be on a machine as I hate them. I like heavy bag cardio, sparring, ropes in the MMA room for my cardio or at home with BOB, but even with 100's of lbs at the base with a BOB, if you are an adult you will spend as much time moving it back in position as you do hitting, kneeing, kicking, it, etc. This is not tough guy talk - I like BOB and the HB as they don't hit back lol.

I now have to eat my words going to a gym (with work - I was working out at home for years). They have a large MMA room, heavy bag, focus mitts, pads, heavy ropes, and multiple areas for people who like to 'air box', and several elliptical bikes. The bikes give your legs a great workout and you are sort of, depending how you set the seat up, constantly doing a light push workout and punching non stop left hand to right hand. Your spine stabilization muscles get a little workout as I notice you turn slightly with each revolution as your arms move out like a punch. I love the Rogue machine the best - I started at 15 minutes and am able to go hard for double that now after 2 months.
So, if my job was physical like @storman - no way could I workout and then do cardio after. I don't do it everyday but for many of the guys who are into boxing/kickboxing - it is a great machine.
I am sure there are others that prefer other machines and each to their own, but this is the only machine I will use for cardio and I enjoy it (other than sparring/heavy bag session/and leg day is like a cardio session) and I can also tell I don't get winded as quickly with a heavy bag session and I like to believe my hands are getting faster/hit harder, but I could be fooling myself.
Anyway - no right answer but if you eat enough calories of healthy food, I fail to see how cardio will hurt you if you take the time (like benching) to build up.
There is a debate that cardio can hurt muscle growth and I absolutely disagree - unless you burn off 1000 calories and do not replace it with healthy/repairing food.
Just saw this thread today - so I will eat my words, I love the elliptical bike.

Thats why I love the big muay tai heavy bag. Its heavier harder and so long it almost sits on the floor. Its definitly harder to move and wont swing as much.

 

[Rhyno]

People forget that hitting - enter arbitrary number - of steps a day or working a physical job is not cardio, it's just your life. If you are constantly hitting xx steps a day then that's just your base line. To get the added benefits cardio provides you need to do more. The human body is very adept at conserving energy and as you get better at a task it actually requires less energy to perform it. This would be what we notice as a plateau or stall.
If you're only doing " cardio " to say you did it than fine, stick to your xx steps or whatever. If your goal is to improve your health you need to put in effort.
Look at it like exercise, if you only ever to 135 lbs for 3 x 10 you will only ever build the required tissue to handle that work load.

 

[Bigbear]

People forget that hitting - enter arbitrary number - of steps a day or working a physical job is not cardio, it's just your life. If you are constantly hitting xx steps a day then that's just your base line. To get the added benefits cardio provides you need to do more. The human body is very adept at conserving energy and as you get better at a task it actually requires less energy to perform it. This would be what we notice as a plateau or stall.
If you're only doing " cardio " to say you did it than fine, stick to your xx steps or whatever. If your goal is to improve your health you need to put in effort.
Look at it like exercise, if you only ever to 135 lbs for 3 x 10 you will only ever build the required tissue to handle that work load.

My only problem is its different labor jobs all the time so its noy consistent for adaptations but also if I added my reguler cardio regime I shoot into over training within a couple days. Now I just do hiit and some zone 2 on weekends until my work scheduel switches for the winter.

 

[Rhyno]

My only problem is its different labor jobs all the time so its noy consistent for adaptations but also if I added my reguler cardio regime I shoot into over training within a couple days. Now I just do hiit and some zone 2 on weekends until my work scheduel switches for the winter.

I believe that unless you're actively trying to boost your cardiovascular ability, 2-3 times a week is adequate for health and maintenance. Especially if you're already living an active lifestyle.

 

[klhsx]

I think the main thing is your goal.
For lungs, heart, brain , health purposes do it.
If you need to increase appetite do it.
If it works for you for cutting do it.
Cardio also causes new brain cells to form. Its good for your mind.

At least time it so you don't do it before weights on weight day, so it doesn't effect your stamina to beat reps.

For me I have a lot of trouble getting cut. I am an endo-mesomorph. I am 267 lbs training 4-6 days a week and eating clean. I don't have a gut, but I don't have abs, never have.

When I train cardio, or martial arts, I loose all control of my eating. It makes me binge eat, It just makes me insane hungry. So the rebound eating from doing the HIIT cardio actually ends up making me more fat than if I skip the cardio.

Examples of calories burned in 30 minutes (for a 155-lb person)
Cycling (16-19 mph):Approximately 432 calories (lets say I burn 600 because I'm heavy)

Typical reaction to doing HIIT cardio , I go nuts and : Calories from eating shit after cardio

A regular poutine from McDonald's Canada contains 870 calories
breaded and fried Filet-O-Fish sandwich from McDonald's can have 400 calories. x 2 = 800
pizza pizza walk in slice Pepperoni: 670 calories per slice x 2

340 calories for a sour cream glazed donut x 3 = 1020

total 4030 calories ( still hungry at that point btw, and maybe trouble sleeping)

LOL,

So I tend to try to avoid the cardio, and control my eating instead.

That math is shit, trading 600 calorie loss, 4030 calorie gain, net excess 3400 calories.

Ashwagandha is helping me control my stress reaction better, so now I am trying again, and trying just one day a week 25 min , Hiit intervals on the bike. ( on a non weight lifting day)

 

[klhsx]

My only problem is its different labor jobs all the time so its noy consistent for adaptations but also if I added my reguler cardio regime I shoot into over training within a couple days. Now I just do hiit and some zone 2 on weekends until my work scheduel switches for the winter.

I assume you played with the basal metabolic rate calculator, and tried variations on activity level to see the difference in calorie needs there right? Figure out in general that difference based on activity level, and have a plan for that. Heavy labour day? meal option additin 1 activate! Or skip cardio that day.

The thing about this is its a small margin calorie difference that makes you a loose weight, and be a grumpy fuck, vs getting fatter.

That's why the main thing is to measure all the food, and keep it consistent for like 4 weeks, and see whats happening. The hard part is finding your equilibrium calories for a day, and then just shaving slightly below it by like 200 a day to lose weight without becoming nuts lol.

A few hundred over, and you may start getting fat. One muffin a day extra above your maintenance amount for a year can make you fat.

Its kind of like budgeting, you wouldnt think 2 coffee a day at tim hortons amounts to much, but 5$ a day time s365 days = $1825 you could have put towards paying off a credit card....

You gotta become an accountant to get cut!

 

[Tacitus_Nero]

I never skip my cardio, 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week right now. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing during the day. I hit the bike before bed.

 

[Bigbear]

I assume you played with the basal metabolic rate calculator, and tried variations on activity level to see the difference in calorie needs there right? Figure out in general that difference based on activity level, and have a plan for that. Heavy labour day? meal option additin 1 activate! Or skip cardio that day.

The thing about this is its a small margin calorie difference that makes you a loose weight, and be a grumpy fuck, vs getting fatter.

That's why the main thing is to measure all the food, and keep it consistent for like 4 weeks, and see whats happening. The hard part is finding your equilibrium calories for a day, and then just shaving slightly below it by like 200 a day to lose weight without becoming nuts lol.

A few hundred over, and you may start getting fat. One muffin a day extra above your maintenance amount for a year can make you fat.

Its kind of like budgeting, you wouldnt think 2 coffee a day at tim hortons amounts to much, but 5$ a day time s365 days = $1825 you could have put towards paying off a credit card....

You gotta become an accountant to get cut!

No thats cool ill have to check it out.

 

[torauntjemima]

I always skip cardio... But today we had a run at work and it was for team points, so I had no choice but to do it lol.

5k @ 27:35. Not my best time, but really happy with it considering my size difference since my last attempt.