Chronic carido

I am having such a hard time giving up my "chronic cardio". Form many, many years I have ran, biked, hiked, or cross-country skied daily (on the weekends it is normal for me to be out for 4-7 hours moving most of the time). I have been trying to cut back on the cardio which is very hard for me and trying to focus on resistance type of acitivites. I have read MDA and have a understanding why it is not the best...I am just nervous that I will not have the endurance I have now if I cut back on it. It also does not "feel" normal to me to not do something carido daily with gettting my HR up and moving. Granted it does get moving with weight lifting. I guess I just needed to vent or look for some ideas on how to overcome this. I was following PB for 3 months in the summer, hit a small bump in the road and now I am back at it. During those 3 months I did not lose any weight or any inches. Hmmmmm

Lots here bike and hike for long periods of time - move slowly and play. If you enjoy it don't stress.
This is not about weigh loss but eating and being healthy.

If you are keeping your heart rate fairly low (say 60 to 70 % of your maximum heart rate) then don't worry about it. What Mark refers to is people that do endurance workouts at close to their anaerobic threshold for long periods. This creates stress and inflamation that can lead to injury and an impaired immune system. Back off the distance somewhat and head to the track once or twice a week for some intervals. You will maintain and probably improve your VO2.

This is not about weigh loss but eating and being healthy.

Just to reiterate what has been said before

It's not chronic cardio if you are enjoying it

Hiking, biking, cross-country sking, swimming, even running at a steady pace can fall into the move slowely catergory if you are already fit and used to this level of activity.

If your heart rate isn't going up from LHT you aint doing it hard enough ;)

Put your self in Mark's shoes (I'm sure they are not too stinky) He has had a lifetime of overtraining to be a top level endurance althete, and was one of the best in the world, it was his full time job to train, and driven people like Mark are there own worse enemys when it comes to backing off and resting. This is where he is coming from when he talks of chronic cardio and over training - hours and hours and hours and hours of intense high level activity a week constantly trying to improve PBs etc etc
Not some guy keeping fit round a full time job and family, going out for a few hours on a weekend for some active R&R

Thanks for your input. The only time my HR is above the 55-75% is when I go for a run. I have been trying to keep it low and boy is it tough. :-) Although the skiing uphill kicks me in the butt too. So I guess I am not doing too bad as far as chronic cardio goes.

I do know PB lifestyle is a healthy way to live and eat..I was just a little bummed that I did not lose any weight. I have read many accounts of people getting quite lean. Oh well, as long as I feel great and can continue to do what I love who cares right?? Have a great day everyone!!

[QUOTE=canuck416;996826]Back off the distance somewhat and head to the track once or twice a week for some intervals. You will maintain and probably improve your VO2.[/QUOTE]

Good advice.

Are you wanting to lose fat?
That's a differnt question with a whole heap of different answers.

I agree if you enjoy it and it makes you feel good, go for it! I am guessing there were some groks who had more energy than the average grok. We cannot pigeon hole them as exactly the same. I love to run, bike, hike ect. It is part of who I am. And if it prevents me from having a 6 pack core so be it. I am very healthy and THAT is what is important to me.

I do agree that the best fitness program is one that is both applicable to your goals, and offers personal fulfillment. But is it the running/biking itself that you enjoy? Or the feeling you receive from an endurance workout that challenges your aerobic capacity? I would argue if you're simply looking to improve or maintain your aerobic capacity, HIIT training is more beneficial than endurance training both in terms of improving aerobic capacity, building muscle mass, and being mindful of health and longevity.

Check out this article on my website about the psychology behind running. As a former endurance junkie I've got some experience in this area.

[url=http://www.wholemusclegains.com/1/post/2012/11/runners-im-calling-you-out.html]Runners: I'm Calling You Out - Whole Muscle Gains[/url]

Food for thought...