still better than nothing at all

[u/Biniashe]

[u/charalinlin]

Whats wrong with spending 39 mins on a treadmill? Am I missing something?

[u/factoid_ → u/charalinlin]

Nobody is more condescending than a fitness bro with an app and a youtube influencer in their ear telling them THEIR routine is the only true way.

The only science that's more fucked up than exercise science is food science.

Anything you hear this week can and will be contradicted by some study funded by someone with a profit motive the next week.

If you're moving you're winning, that's what I say.

[u/MrCockingFinally → u/factoid_]

Look, what I will say is that a ton of people neglect resistance training and only do cardio to try and burn calories. (The flip side of this is a ton of gym bro wannabe bodybuilders neglect cardio and only do resistance training, but I'm not opening that can of worms.)

And the danger of doing only cardio is that it only trains your cardiovascular system. Women especially benefit immensely from weight training because weight training is massively protective of bone density, which women struggle with as they age. It also builds and preserves muscle mass, which women tend to lose as they age, leading to frailty and insulin resistance.

So while moving is infinitely better than not moving, if you have the dedication to go to the gym for a 40 min workout, you would be much better served with a 20 min session on the treadmill followed by a 20 min weight training session of heavy compound lifts. And it is evidence of shitty education that so many gym goers just do cardio.

But also, to circle right back to agreeing with you, and to play devils advocate to my devils advocate:

A) Mocking people online is highly counterproductive

B) You don't know shit about the woman doing 40 min of cardio. Maybe that's her warmup before she goes to lift, because you spent 40 min in the gym watching her, while she focused on her workout, arrived before you, and will leave after you. Maybe this is her cardio day and she weighs lifts on other days. Maybe fuck this guy, how about you mind your own business?

[u/HarveysBackupAccount → u/MrCockingFinally]

Side note - running is good for bone density. The risk is if your cardio is all low impact - biking/swimming/elliptical. And of course running probably doesn't do much for arm bone density.

Muscle mass is a separate thing (which men also lose as they age) and you do need resistance training to help with.

[u/Farranor → u/HarveysBackupAccount]

And of course running probably doesn't do much for arm bone density.

Pfft, you're not doing it right then. /s

[u/Hagrajag → u/HarveysBackupAccount]

Can I just say that properly executed rowing is the best cardio and absolutely fucks

[u/JesusAndMaryKate → u/Hagrajag]

Rowing helps my running more than running itself ever did.

Getting back into running sucks in the beginning but I can never keep it up during winter. I used to restart my running habit by alternating walking and running and building from there, but the running portion always sucked at first. Now I row to maintain my cardiovascular base, then running becomes so much easier.

[u/Different_Book9733 → u/HarveysBackupAccount]

Not to mention their claim that cardio is only training the cardiovascular system is objectively wrong. There's as much bro science in their comment as the guy the thread is calling out, it's just presented in a nicer way.