Quote:
Originally Posted by tooge
Doing some of both is ideal. You don't have to run 3 miles. Interval training is fantastic, and 20 minutes of cardio interval training, getting your heart rate to 77-80% of it's max is ideal. What is more important that how fast you run 3 miles, is how fast your heart can return to it's normal sinus rhythm. Cardio training is most effective at achieving this.
Simply running alot, or simply lifting alot really isn't doing the best you can for your body. If you disagree with that, then you are disagreeing with every cardiologist on the planet.
The best advice is eat a balanced diet that is low in fat, eat lots of protein, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and eat in moderation in general. All the while, do 20-30 minutes of intense cardio 4 days a week and mix in weight training. Period.
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I never disagreed with that, this all started when someone mentioned running as a sole measure of fitness. I do cardio, although not much because I focus more of my efforts/time on lifting because I enjoy it, not to mention too much cardio zapping your strength. You also can become pretty fit from lifting. I superset some of my late workout lifting and my heart rate stays very elevated when doing this. And it's about time for most people. If I did as much cardio as you suggested, my lifting wouldn't be near as intense. And if I continue to lift as intensely like I do now, my cardio suffers because I don't have 2 hours to devote to every workout. It's why people pick and choose their preference usually. And just because you do one or the other doesn't make you "unfit." Being fit is a pretty useless term.
And you are way off base on low fat diets. It's not 1990 anymore. Fat intake is not well correlated with cholesterol or heart disease. As it's been studied, those who focus on eating lower fat tend to take in more processed carbs/sugars which are ever increasingly shows to be worse, for whatever that's worth. The easiest thing to do is simply eat the foods you like in moderation and make sure your calories in is at or lower than calories burned.
So it's pretty simple...exercise however you want, watch your calories, have healthy BP/Lipid numbers and keep your bodyfat within a healthy range. This is the broadest definition of the term "fit" that we can have.