Cardio - Do I have to do it?
Dec 3, 2007 by Free Form Fitness
Most of us hate cardio. It is typically boring and it is something we drag ourselves through to get it done because we feel we have to. But do we have to?
It depends on a few factors. First of all it depends on whether you have a lot of weight to lose or not. If you do have a lot to lose then sorry to say but you should be doing some cardio, at least 20minutes 3 times a week. If you only have a bit to lose or are just trying to maintain though you will be pleased to hear that no, you do NOT have to perform cardio to attain your goal. 
But if your goal is something related to cardiovascular endurance like running, swimming, fighting or something along those lines then yes you will have to do cardio to be able to perform the race or meet safely and to do well. But most people that go to the gym are going for general health reasons and aesthetic reasons. These people can reach their goals with strength training alone and of course the most important factor - DIET.
One of the reasons to perform less or no cardio is that it not only burns fat but it also burns muscle. This is counter productive since most people are trying to gain some muscle. The more muscle you have on your body the more your body burns fat on its own at all times. And when ladies say they just want to “tone” their bodies, although they don’t know it, what they are actually saying is that they want to build some muscle. So why burn it off before or after you try to build it?
Please note that if you have been performing lots of cardio it is not advised to stop it all at once. You must do less and less each week or 2 weeks until you are down to a minimal amount or none at all.
I get that if you only did strength training at the gym you would enjoy your time there much more, other than you cardio lovers out there. A side note to cardio lovers - never do more than 45minutes of cardio per day. More than that is counterproductive and unnecessary. Also excessive cardio depletes the adrenal glands and stresses the body. This will cause you to hold on to fat, which is obviously not the goal here.
