Cardio - Why You Should Trash The Treadmill

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Feb 16th 2009 11:00AM

Categories: Fitness

Need a reason to cut cardio from your life -- for good? Nicholas Frank, Master Trainer over at LifeTips.com says he almost never does traditional cardio and explains why it's OK if you never do too.

Here's the foundation of his reasoning: People generally burn their weight x 12 in calories per day. So, a 200-pound man burns about 2,400 calories a day. But our trainer friend Nicholas, who weighs 155 pounds, burns about 4,500 calories a day. Some days, he figures he tops 5,000. Why? Lean muscle mass, that's why. And it's all due to weight training -- no treadmill or elliptical necessary. For every pound of lean muscle mass your body has, your calories burned per day increases by about 50, Nicholas says. It's why he only works out with weights. Now, he does keep a swift pace and takes few breaks to keep his heart rate up, so essentially, the cardio workout comes along for the ride.

I don't know about you, but I have no plans for ditching my cardio workouts. Maybe they aren't the most effective and efficient method for making muscles and burning calories, but I like them. I like them for how they make me feel physically. And I like for their mental benefits too. A good run energizes me in a way that weight training never will. How about you -- is cardio in your future? Or not?

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Comments (10)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

BB 2-16-2009 @ 11:47AM

He is correct if you need to choose one or the other resistance traning is better, but if you enjoy cardio , do it , whats better than a spinning class to burn 800- 1000 cal , you may not be building a lot of muscle but it is fun and you feel great after.

Tad 2-16-2009 @ 12:17PM

Personally I prefer weight training, and there are numerous ways to perform it. Like Nicholas you can do it high paced or you can slow it down to build more muscle.

I have to say though I also like to play racquetball and find it to be a great cardio workout.

If I do cardio I am firm on it being an interval style cardio workout because I am convinced they work better at helping burn fat.

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Anna 2-16-2009 @ 4:16PM

There's more to fitness than burning calories... your heart's heart for example.

mattkelly 2-16-2009 @ 6:29PM

I will NEVER give up cardio. I think it is important to do both cardio and weight training. Your Heart is a muscle and you have to train your heart and Lungs. With weight training you can also get your heart rate up...but combining both I feel is essential! Interval training works GREAT!!

http://bodybuildingandyou.blogspot.com/

u262f 2-17-2009 @ 6:32AM

Ouch. To each their own. If he wants to spend all that time and money on eating so many calories to replenish his body, then that's his choice.

However, for me, food isn't free, and time is short. While I love food, eating even 2000 calories per day takes quite a chunk of out of my time and money, and I have better things to do with my life. Given that my BMI is normal now, I see absolutely no reason why I'd want my body to burn that many calories. There's more to life than eating.

Also, I'm not even sure it's healthy to cycle through so much food given the amount of toxins in our environment (like mercury and pesticides) that end up being left behind and accumulating in our bodies as the healthy stuff goes in and out. Just a thought...

benjikim 2-17-2009 @ 9:00AM

i used to run 4-5x a week 3-4 miles. Over the past year, I gradually decreased my running and started to go to the gym (lift weights). This year, I pretty much gave up running and primarily lift weights. My body fat % dropped a lot. Probably because when I lift weights, not only am i burning calories, but I am also building muscle mass.

Chris 2-17-2009 @ 9:45AM

Eh - Sounds like a good excuse for people to use that don't like cardio. But I find it hard to believe lifting weights rapidly can ever have the same effect as running non-stop for an hour....

Sara 2-17-2009 @ 9:54AM

I recently tore a tendon in my knee so I've been forced to take a break from cardio and focus only on weight training. I expected to gain weight but I have been pretty steady for the past 2 months so far. I do miss the runner's high though...

leslie 2-21-2009 @ 12:07AM

What's wrong with doing both? I spin every day, weight train twice a week and in addition do yoga 5 days a week. It's all good!

Yannie Cheng 2-23-2009 @ 2:01AM

Thank you for your thought-provoking post about the option of substituting cardio workouts with weight training. After reading your synopsis of Nicholas Frank’s reasoning for claiming that it’s OK to never do cardio, my first reaction was the question the generalizability of Nicholas’ results from training. Could females who weigh as much as Nicholas burn the same amount of calories by following Nicholas’ weight training routine? Does this method yield favorable results for everyone? You cited the statistic that “For every pound of lean muscle mass your body has, your calories burned per day increases by about 50.” According to my research, women typically burn less calories than men when performing equivalent exercise since men tend to have more muscle mass. Therefore, it seems as though females won't achieve the same results as Nicholas. Furthermore, people who weigh more can burn calories at a higher rate than those who weight less. For instance, if a person weighing 200 pounds swims freestyle at moderate speed for 30 minutes, he or she will burn about 330 calories. Whereas, if a person weighing 140 pounds does the same exercise, he or she will burn only about 230 calories. Thus, it seems dangerous to presume that everyone can achieve Nick’s results by exclusive weight training. I think it is wise to remind your female blog readers that weight training will result in additional gain of lean muscle, which may balance out the weight loss from additional calorie burned as a result of weight training.
I also appreciate your reasoning for not “ditching [your] cardio workouts." The mental benefits of cardio are often overlooked as we concentrate on finding the fastest way to lose weight. Aerobic exercise produces endorphins, which are brain chemicals that essentially make us “happier” and help us cope with stressful situations and pain. Moreover, aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the rest of the body, thus increasing mental acuity, cognitive ability, and stamina. In addition, several comments to your post alluded to the cardiovascular benefits that are more strongly associated with cardio than weight training. Continuous cardio for an extended period of time is more conducive to strengthening the heart muscle. Finally, cardio seems more conducive to weight loss, which is a potent motivator for individuals to exercise regularly. Apart from aesthetic reasons, moderate weight loss is also beneficial because it decreases the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Since both types of exercise appeal to me for different reasons, I agree with the comments to your post that pose a simple solution to this dilemma by asking the question “Why can’t we do both?”