Top 9 Cardio Myths

Somehow making their way into the mainstream, many of the bizarre ideas and beliefs related to working out — and, for some reason, especially cardiovascular workouts — couldn't be farther from the truth. If you have been led, or rather misled, by this kind of misinformation, you may be working yourself to the bone, but not getting anywhere. If you are not getting the results you'd expect from your workouts then something is missing. Are you following a practice just because your friend told you it should work, or are you basing your workouts on tried and true scientific methods? Here are a few of the most popular myths around cardio exercise. 
 

This is likely the most common of myths that you will hear around the gym. Let put this one to rest right away. Cardio exercise does not make you thin! Thinness — or, if you want to get more precise, a healthy body mass index with a low percentage of body fat — will be 85 percent the result of diet, and just 15 percent based on physical activities. Cardio is an exercise of the cardiovascular system, where the lungs work together with the heart to transport oxygen to needy cells. To get thin, you don't just need to move your body, you also need to eat well (and not too much) and develop your strength through strength training.

Another idea that is tossed around has stemmed from charts that you can easily find around the gym. They are sometimes posted on a treadmill or elliptical themselves, describing the “fat-burning zone” as a low intensity area, where the heart rate is moderate, and determined according to age. Unfortunately, in real life, the body does not function so mechanically. While the body can burn calories from fat in this low zone, the numbers are so miniscule that no physical difference will ever come from it. High intensity workouts which burn 3 to 10 times more in a single session will lead to far more fat burned in the long-run. That means that you can work out for much harder, to the point of exhaustion, but for as little as 10 seconds at a time, and get much better results. Why waste time, right?
 

While some people avoid cardio completely for fear of painful knees, hips, ankles or back, they may not realize how many forms of cardio exercise there really are. Not all cardio is high impact, though most of us thinking of running as the best cardio workout. Try alternatives like a light bike ride, learning a new dance a few times a week, or even swimming laps at a local pool. All of these are fantastic cardio workouts, that happen to be low impact but are often left out. Cardio exercise simple requires for the heart rate to be elevated for a consistent period of time.

The stairmaster is very popular among women looking to lift, firm and maximize their behind! While the glutes are hard at work while on the stairmaster, the nature of the exercise just won't help to noticeably grow the muscle in size. They may become slightly more firm over time, but muscle volume cannot increase as a result of the type of muscle fibers being worked during this endurance exercise.

There is no official minimum participation time for cardio. The benefits of cardiovascular exercise can be attained at different durations and intensities for each person based on age, sex, condition, genetics, and more. The minimum for a sedentary, middle-aged person is different for an active teen. The general recommendations are to do at least 30 minutes of exercise, in general, in order to maintain good health, at least 3 times per week. However, it also mentions that it can be any type of exercise, and it can be broken up into several intervals. 5 or 10 minutes of cardio may be enough for a lot of people.
 

Continuous cardio exercise is the type which most people engage in. This is the long-term, steady pace that you'll hit for the better part of an hour on a treadmill, cycle, etc. If this is a part of your routine, the muscles are not getting any stronger. They are simply doing what you ask of them. The longer the exercise, the more endurant the muscle becomes, able to extract oxygen and create energy to power the muscle for a long period. Without a tremendous amount of strain and resistance while contracting, the muscle is not actually getting stronger.

Since we already know that cardio won't make you thin, it should be a given that it won't help lose belly-fat. It is especially not responsible for getting the 6 pack you've always wanted. Spending endless hours on a treadmill just won't cut it. If you need proof, check out some images of community marathons. There are hundreds of thousands of people who train in cardio nearly every single day, and are still carrying around extra weight in the mid-section. This is living proof that cardio won't lead to slim mid-sections.
 

Just like all training, the body has its limits, and it’s important to listen to your body for signs of over-training in cardio as well. Getting plenty of rest and adequate recovery is a very important part of cardio training.

While in theory this could be true, real life gets in the way yet again. Group aerobics classes are can get you a great workout, and the group atmosphere adds to the benefits- a moderate amount of social interaction and the incentive to push to keep up with the group. The only drawback is that these classes are one-size-fits-all. These can't be tailored to fit your needs and goals as you can with measurable, private workouts.

Busting through these myths should give your workout a little bit more of a boost now that you know the truth!