CARDIO is a WASTE of TIME and ENERGY!!!

[WanTtoBeDeisel]

Huck im with you man. i think for someone with a fast metabolism, simply dropping some calories will suffice. but someone who has had a naturally low meta. their whole life will need to work on cardio.. one size DOES NOT fit all you are right... to each his own.

 

[Citruscide]

Hm...some testing might be in order.

Indeed....

C-ditty

 

[Themachine01]

Honestly the best way to lose fat is diet...so I'm talking above and beyond that.

your saying the best way to lose fat is diet, so it is better than diet and cardio put together, i have to disagree.

 

[Citruscide]

Don't put words in my mouth and then disagree with them. Doesn't work with me.

Both is better, but all the cardio in the world won't help if you stuff your face with too much shit.

If one is stuffing their face with shit... it wouldn't be good for anyone...

I agree, if the macronutrient content is heavy on the fats/carbs (i.e., cake, cookies, chips, etc.) -- the effect of cardio would be lessened dramatically.

C-ditty

 

[Vageta]

Ive seen a shit load more pot bellied guys training in the gym for 2 hrs/day than on the track or bike. So if there is someone who is at 20% bf looking to drop down to 6% bf, no cardio is needed, just a strict diet and weight training, i have trouble believing this.

Most likely the guys lifting weights with pot bellies are not trying to actually burn fat, more likely they are trying to gain muscle so aren't in a negative calorie balance. As far as marathon runners goes, the point was that if cardio is so incredible for fat loss then no marathon runner should ever have an ounce of fat on them yet they are some of the most "skinny fat" people I've ever seen.

I've posted my before/after pictures on this site before but if you had seen my before pictures you'd know that I have anything but a gifted metabolism. Yet to this day I can reduce my bodyfat rather quickly only using weight training and diet. I have gone the cardio route before and the only difference is I lost weight faster, unfortunately more of it was muscle.

There is no one answer that will work for everyone. People are stubborn and will not change their views even if truth is staring them in the face. I don't theorize my statements, I have lived them so I don't care what study says what. If you truly believe you can't lose fat without cardio then why are bothering asking? It makes it seem as if you just want to stir controversy and never intended to be open minded about others arguements.

I firmly believe that just about anyone that doesn't have some legitimate medical issue(thyroid, etc..) can get down to 10% very easily with just weight training and diet alone. In fact I think they can get lower... the difference being that diet must be in perfect order and the majority of people don't go about it the right way. Cardio can make a sloppier diet work, whereas no cardio requires a spot on diet plan.

You may say that you'd rather spend an hour on the bike to be able to eat a bit more, but that's defeating the purpose of the arguement. The question is whether or not cardio is essentialfor fat loss which I'd have to give a definiate no. Will it make fat loss faster? Perhaps, but nothing that an identical reduction in calories through diet couldn't match. Is it more healthy for your heart? Yes, but again that's not the arguement here... fat loss is.

If you guys believe you cannot burn fat without cardio then most likely you won't. What is it Yoda said... "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.". If you go into a diet with the mindset that you aren't going to lose fat then somehow or rather you won't. If you go into your diet and workout plan with confidence and plan it out accordingly then I think you'd be surprised.

The bottom line is if you want to do cardio then go for it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. However do it for your heart, health, to stare at chicks butts in front of you, whatever... But don't do it for "fat loss" as you're doing it for the wrong reason. Also if you find you can't lose fat without cardio then I suggest you take a long hard look at your diet and weight training regimen as there is most likely something wrong. The most important factor in fat loss bar none is a negative calorie balance. Yes there are many other factors involved, but if you don't get this one right then the others don't matter.

If you achieve that through proper diet and weight training then by the law of thermodynamics you simply can't help but to lose weight. If you are in a severe caloric deficit with no weight loss then perhaps you have compromised your metabolism in which the law of thermodynamics is still not broken. Since your metabolism has slowed in response to the caloric reduction you are still actually not burning more than you consume.

For the record I incorporate refeeds into my diet(which I think is important especially without cardio) so I keep my leptin levels up and metabolism going which keeps my diet is effective for a longer period of time. If I went balls to the wall with my diet I doubt I could go more than 8-12 weeks without hitting a major plateu.

 

[Themachine01]

Don't put words in my mouth and then disagree with them. Doesn't work with me.

Both is better, but all the cardio in the world won't help if you stuff your face with too much shit.

I didnt put words in your mouth. You stated that the BEST way to loose fat is diet, I was taking that statement as you saying that diet alone is the best since you didnt state both diet and cardio. If I misunderstood than I apologize, no need to smack me around. I agree with your statement if you are stating that diet is the more important of the 2.

 

[40butpumpin]

...especially since sprinting, like lifting, is fueled by glycogen...

Lifting is fueled mainly by the Phosphagen Energy System. Sprinting (assuming it's approximately 10s in duration), also depends mainly on the phosphagen system. Only beyond 20s to 30s of intense activity does the Glycolysis Energy System play a major role in supplying energy.

 

[BrickGirl]

I'm not saying cardio doesn't have it's place. Of course it does. I am naturally a fat ass, really big, but when I am cutting down for a contest, I let the diet do most of all the work, i save the cardio for the last 4 weeks or so. I don't understand why people would start a cutting diet for like a contest and start cardio at the same time as there diet, that makes no sense to me, let your diet do most of the work and when you hit platues THEN add in cardio to get you lower, if someone hasn't dieted down extremely low, then it's really hard to understand that when you are real low, taking off just a little bit more takes a lot of work, that is why for most, cardio is best applied AFTER your diet has done most of the work. You don't want to get low with diet AND cardio and then have to get lower, because once my diet is set and then the cardio is set, then i can add in the clen for the last little bit. For me, clen is only noticable when I am under 7% or so. Thats another thing, I don't know why people would start clen/diet/cardio at the same time. You are using up individual weapons all at once, instead of letting each one do there job alone. I think that made sense

 

[40butpumpin]

For the first 8-10 minutes of maximal activity, yes.

It really depends on the intensity level of the activity as well as length of the rest intervals within the activity.

 

[40butpumpin]

The phosphagen system is used by the muscle for power surges of a few seconds, and the aerobic system is the one used for prolonged athletic activity. The glycogen lactic acid system is in the middle and is important for giving extra power during intermediate races like the 200 to 800 m runs.

Nice synopsis. I've read, however, that weightlifting utilizes mainly the Phos Sys. and not much at all the Anaerobic Glyco. Sys. or the Oxidative Sys.