Most People Have No Idea These Are Myths!

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!