Running / Jogging as a form of cardio

[awoo23]

Has anyone ever tried running or jogging for cardio. Personally, I think its good way to burn fat, but I know ppl swear against it cuz they say that you will lose size. But then, I look at sprinters etc and football players and they still look muscular even tho they do a lot of running. Any one out there ever tried it ? What kinda results did u get?

[BigAlski]

I got really into running/jogging for cardio and you are right, there are drawbacks.  I think you need to focus on the jogging aspect though, and realize the benefit is the amount of calories you can burn per minute, not the endurance threshold you can surpass by running a long time regularly.  Personally, I used to run in the 1:30pm summer sun when it was really hot, I was 250ish and lean and would run up to 5 miles straight.  It really gets to be a suck wind ordeal the last half but its good and that is what you are looking for, the whole cardiovascular system in full overload.  Forget about long strides and breezy miles, go for the system overload.  I would say though that running at the gym is better because you can ramp the machine like to 4-8 degrees and do quick bursts with lower intervals.  If you want a routine I got from a guy who both was buff and ran marathons, I'll post it.

[pumpster]

Decide whether you want to do cardio at all-all forms will affect muscles the same way. IMO it's better to do cardio, even when bulking. Just do it 3 times a week to maintain, or 5-6 days a week to cut up & lose weight.

Running's probably the best of all for toning and cutting. Run at least a mile.

Sprinters & football players look totally different because they're running very short distances at high intensity, kind of like doing 8-10 reps intensely with high weight. Marathoners look completely different because they're doing the equivalent of very very high reps with low intensity.

Run, don't jog except when starting out. You won't lose size unless you're running 5-6 days a week, and if you do lose, it'll be almost all "good" weight loss-fat. If you jog you'll have to increase the time spent substantially.

[LatsMcGee]

I really hate cardio.  I'd rather watch what I eat that bother with it.  When I do I usually jump rope.

[pumpster]

Jumping rope is a form of cardio. It's just a matter of finding something you can bear doing for a contniuous amount of time on a regular basis.

Ideal cardio is minimum 20 minutes continous.

[GET_BIGGER]

Has anyone ever tried running or jogging for cardio. Personally, I think its good way to burn fat, but I know ppl swear against it cuz they say that you will lose size. But then, I look at sprinters etc and football players and they still look muscular even tho they do a lot of running. Any one out there ever tried it ? What kinda results did u get?

Lots of people run our jog.  Keep in mind cardio is to get your heart rate up for a certain amount of time.  I prefer eliptical machines because they get my heart rate up and it's a fluid motion that doesn't take a toll on my joints that jogging does.

[BigAlski]

I think cardio is so much psychological it isn't even funny.  You need to accept running is painful and work the pain recognition factor into how you view your performance and effort.  Look at it this way:  A hard run takes 25-35 minutes and it will hurt like hell if your bodymass is up there but the rest of the day is exponentially more enjoyable.  Your choice .

Continuing on another tangent, a few years back I wanted to develop a strong proficiency in an upper body cardiovascular workout so I could build a full aerobic/anaerobic routine.  I narrowed my choices down to surfing or kayaking (fresh/ocean variety).  Well, I chose surfing and bought a board/shorts.  I spent about 2 weeks at it and gave up...the learning curve is simply too high to get the type of workout you need.  I think I will go back to the start and pick up a good fresh/ocean kayak this summer.  Some of the biggest lats I have ever seen are on extreme surfers and kayakers.

[bmacsys]

Has anyone ever tried running or jogging for cardio. Personally, I think its good way to burn fat, but I know ppl swear against it cuz they say that you will lose size. But then, I look at sprinters etc and football players and they still look muscular even tho they do a lot of running. Any one out there ever tried it ? What kinda results did u get?

If you start jogging kiss your size goodbye. Doing a few 100 meter sprints wouldn't hurt you but jogging for any length of time you will just feel your strength disapear.

[Wolverine]

jogging is the best way to burn fat, getting rid of love handles and helping show the sixer

[SamoanIrishman]

Lots of people run our jog.  Keep in mind cardio is to get your heart rate up for a certain amount of time.  I prefer eliptical machines because they get my heart rate up and it's a fluid motion that doesn't take a toll on my joints that jogging does.

Ditto..way less joint pain for me. I also mix in some hi/low intensity lap swimming, it seems to burn more for me. Just my $0.02 though, everyones different.

[awoo23]

yeh, i agree that running is the best way to burn fat. Basketball, however, combines running and the fun of a sport. I actually found that basketball is the best type of cardio for me.

[Biggrnyou]

when cutting, it's all about the numbers..cardio is then used as a means to burn x amount of calories to get the caloric deficiency needed to cut....it's all about simple math...

[pumpster]

Fat loss and getting in shape aren't the same as cardio.

Basketball's good for getting in shape and fat loss, but not the best for cardio because it's not continuous for sufficiently long periods of time.