The answer: Not as much as you think. People assume 20 minutes on the treadmill burned 1000 calories, and so they think “I burned 1000 extra calories today, I can surely afford to eat a bunch of additional food now.”. And so... much... more. Both are necessary to achieve the optimal benefit. Lastly, by you saying you’ve done yrs of research, does that mean you’ve also studied the body apart from what trainers and media throw out there? “Don’t stop training,” Arent says. I have about 30 pounds to lose. Currently I go for a brisk walk every other day and try to go a little faster each time. Do you have to chose between cardiovascular endurance or strength? If so, I’ll have an article about that coming up at some point. Nicotine can seriously affect a person’s metabolism and it has a lot to do with the brain. Thanks again! Indeed it is possible to lose weight without the use of cardio. She writes for a variety of national publications, including Men’s Health, Runner’s World, SHAPE and Women’s Running. So, you may be surprised to learn that you can get too much exercise. People do it all the time. If I stop the cardio will weight lifting alone be enough to increase my heart health and help me to run faster and longer? Maybe 5 times per week. level 2. Maybe he eats more than I think? Somebody who is obese or just starting, maybe 3 days a week, 20 minutes per day. Consume 2500 calories per day and do an amount of cardio that allows them to burn 500 additional calories thus ending up at the same 2000 they need to be at. How so? So, what might be too much cardio for one person could be perfectly fine for another. Thanks for another cool article. thank you.. I’d definitely recommend weight training. some said that i shouldn’t exceed 60 min and some said 90 min .. which is right and whyy ????? Very well written and easy to understand. … That's 360 cals per week extra burned. This is my first year of weight/strength training and since I have to find a balance between spring/summer/fall cycling and weight training, it may take me a couple of years to find that balance point. Hi! If you’re looking for an estimate of how many calories various forms of cardio actually burn in a given period of time, Google is your friend. Because what constitutes “too much cardio” will vary from person to person based on everything from individual work capacity and recovery capabilities to sleep, stress and age. . If you suspect you’re overdoing it, you can also track your resting heart rate for added insight. Maybe 5 times per week. Thanks so much for the clear advice, no BS approach. So, how do we find the sweet spot? Some of those factors include age, lifestyle, and health history. It sounds like you successfully lost a bunch of fat, but not as much fat as you’d like to lose to be as lean as you’re trying to be. Do you need to do cardio at all? ), cardio would be the first place I’d look to for making that reduction. Hi jay, I’m curious if you know much about Dr Mercola? I don’t remember who it was, but someone fitness guru person put up some videos a few years back comparing the difference between eating calories/burning calories by having one guy on a treadmill running while a second guy stood next to him eating pizza and drinking soda or something like that. However I think doing cardio on a weekly basis is a good idea since it trains one of the most important muscle in the body: the heart. When you’re eating less your recovery capacity is also reduced so it’s best to save most of it for weight lifting not cardio. Keep you heart rate between 120 and 140 beats per minute (bpm) to avoid taking a big scoop out of your recovery bucket. How should I begin a program safely and to build up my muscle and strength. Body weight options, dumbbell options, and resistance band options. So to recap, I think cardio is overrated, boring and doing too much has the potential to be problematic. This is just an example amount, of course. The one and only requirement for fat loss is a caloric deficit, and that can happen through diet alone with absolutely no cardio being done whatsoever. I’m not interested in cardio for fat loss purposes what I do want to improve my cardiovascular resistance at some point (not doing it right now because I’m already struggling with bulking, so burning even more calories is not going to help me). Getting your heart rate up a few times a week is good for your heart! So… my default advice is to let your diet set your deficit, continue/start weight training to maintain muscle (or in some cases simultaneously build muscle), and skip the cardio until you really need it. Hi Jay, I need some advice…last year I lost 20 lbs. Exactly how much cardio is too much also depends on your training goal. Learn the signs that you may be exercising too much. dude you are freakin awesome .. i would like to know something .. what happens if i kept running for the whole day ? of what I’m assuming is muscle as I lost it quickly due to chemotherapy. . Can you give me any advise on what you think might work for me? If you have a question or comment about this article, or just want to give me your feedback on it, feel free to contact me directly by using the contact form here. As for super slow training, it’s widely regarded as a joke. It is not hard to reduce calories and maintain high protein intake and not only feel full, but actually BE FULL. Finally, keep in mind that other life stressors (work, family, relationships) can impact how well you recover from exercise. 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