So what is the strength trainers take on cardio??

[This is Seth]

It's more dynamic, more fun, more challenging, and it's done in 15 minutes.....

That's what she said?

[aj_rock]

That's what she said?

lulz.

But really, the amount of cardio you do should depend on your goals. General fitness doesn't require all that much cardio ability.

If you're training with an event with a cardio aspect in mind, or for mixed training sports (football, soccer, etc), then your cardio is obviously much more important.

You should really focus on improving one thing at a time though. Strength and cardio tend to be antagonistic in terms of improvement.

[andygates]

That's the received wisdom and it's why I dropped all cardio when doing this pure strength stuff, but I've ended up (pretty much as expected) in fat strong blob territory. I'll be including the 531 conditioning in the new year, rather than just the grunty bit:

1. Warm-up: foam rolling, static stretching and jumping rope (or something similar).

2. Lift Weights: 5/3/1; keep it basic and strong.

3. Condition: Run hills, push Prowler.

[Ryan Sannar]

Interval Sprints!!!

[CalvinHobbes]

I like running just because it is fun to me. I think all of the benefits I've seen are from weight lifting and not running though I don't think I'll stop anytime soon.

[positivelyrob]

I think the benefits of cardio depend on your goals and body type. I am/was a naturally skinny guy who got 40 lbs overweight eating absolute garbage and doing literally nothing. So, I started hitting the elliptical at the courthouse gym during lunch and stopped eating Chipotle everyday and fried food. After about a year I lost 15-20 lbs and plateaued. I took a 2 week vacation and did nothing. Came back hard with cardio and lost another ten pounds by just doing the elliptical 45 minutes a day. I made it my rule that I could only watch Lost while I was on an elliptical.

Then cardio just stopped working. So I joined a gym and started lifting. Then I did P90X. Then I did P90X without any Cardio. Now I am doing P90X2. Those things gave me muscle definition. I've kept my diet relatively good. Not doing cardio has not impacted my weight at all.

For me, I was a naturally thin person and doing cardio seemed to kickstart me back to where I was. If you are naturally and currently thin I think Cardio is good if you like running, etc . . . but it won't get you looking any better. However, if you are naturally overweight or bigger then I think you've get that furnace going with some cardio. At least doing that will kickstart some small weight loss which will inspire you to do more and keep going.

Just my opinion.

[LRB]

if I'm sleeping and eating enough, I can handle 2x a day 4 times a week and 1x a day the other 3 days... (yes, with no rest days... most of my rest days are active rest days - I only take a complete rest day once every 2 weeks or so, if that, but my body's used to it and I know when it's time to stop).

Holy smokes, girl, you are hard core! Do you mind if I ask: how much time do your workouts take? I'm trying to figure out how to restructure my life to make room for a true commitment to fitness, and although I don't plan to be where you are, it'd still be nice to know.

Thanks!

[ETFnerd]

...but my body's used to it and I know when it's time to stop).

famous last words... i'm still looking for the holy grail of temperance...

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I'm trying to figure out how to restructure my life to make room for a true commitment to fitness...

One of the other offices I'd like to move to allows for 2 hours a week of working out on work time. Pretty excited about that if I ever manage to transfer there.

[Waldo]

It depends on where you are with regards to strength and cardio. If you aren't in very good shape there is a finite ceiling to how many calories your body can burn per week either via strength training or high intensity cardio. As long as you've got the time, nothing compares to low intensity cardio for burning gobs of calories without taking much of a toll on your body. While probably not the case as you climb the fitness ladder, it is entirely possible to build muscle while in a fairly big calorie deficit for fat loss when you are just starting out.