I came across this article called "Cardio Kills" in the Chicago Athlete Magazine (pg. 41). The article immediately caught my eye because I love my cardio (running) and couldn't believe that someone would write such an article. According to celebrity trainer Jim Karas, cardio breaks down muscle, injures joints and increases appetite without increasing metabolism, thereby leading to weight gain. He encourages his clients to focus on weight training and circuit training.
Here are a few quotes from the article:
“Excessive cardio breaks down the human body at an accelerated rate…Anyone running a marathon or preparing for a marathon is slowly killing themselves.”
“Cardio does nothing to improve the lean muscle to body fat ratio, and burning muscle diminishes your results…Beyond a certain point, marathon runners can go into starvation mode - the body becomes catabolic, burning muscle for fuel.”
“Consistent pounding of the body from traditional forms of cardio can lead to severe injuries in your back, knees, ankles and everything in between…Take a look at the Chicago marathon. Half to three-quarters of the runners have on knee braces.”
It's really hard for me to believe that cardio is not of benefit to our bodies. I know that running has made a huge difference in my life ( weight loss, energy, confidence, etc.) I recognize that strength training is important as well. I think it is important to encourage people to incorporate more strength training into their workouts but to take out cardio completely is ridiculous.
Comment!
How important is Cardio to your workout?
What do you think about Caras plan?
*Read this article in Women's Health Magazine to get a better understanding about the differences between cardio and strength training.
I don't know about y'all but I plan to keep Running!
