So yeah i like never run....ever....All i do is a 15-20 min walk at normal pace after my workouts. Should i be doing intense cardio at all because i am pretty skinny already and any cardio is just gonna make my metabolism even faster wont it ?

Uh yeah, but if you wanna live past 50, i suggest you do some cardio.

ye just eat more to compensate for the extra calories burned

I've seen that on some strongman site and I presume that that is why some of the hardcore guys never do warm-up or any cardio at all. I disagree with that but that is not probably what you want to hear.

when you're a hardcore lifter, like a competitive strongman, oly lifter or powerlifter, you probably don't want to do much running. The thing is, when you run and get tired, some of your body's fast fibers will have to do slow fiber jobs, making you less "fast twitch" in the long run. What has been recommended by many is to just walk.. 2-3 times a day, walk for 10-15 min. You will use only slow twitch and you will get some energy work in. If you're a competitive lifter, your goal is not to to be able to run for long distances.. the walking will be enough to keep you healthy.

But that's really nothing to worry about for a gym rat or weekend warrior. If you want to do some cardio, just make sure you eat enough.

Unless one of your specific goals is to improve your overall cardiovascular fitness ( i.e VO2 Max, lactate threshold ) or you want to use " intense cardio " as part of an overall effort to shred fat, there's no reason / need you have to do " intense cardio ".

That said, after weight training, you may want to simply do use walking ( as you've been doing ) or some other form of light cardio to help flush out any lactic acid from your muscles, or you can also use some some light cardio as a warm up before weight training.

It is not necessary to do cardio. There are many ways to get into shape, cardio is not the only thing.



Good strongmen are in good shape. You have to be in shape to be competitive. The conditioning is different. Here are some things we do to stay conditioned.

Stone lifts followed by sprints.
2-5 minute round robins lifting 100+ lbs.
Kettle Bell circuits.
Sled dragging.
Dumbbell circuits.

You get in shape with this type of training, and it is more beneficial for someone whose goal is strength and size. As opposed to walking on a treadmill.

Off Topic. The reason for no warm-up. When you go to a contest you can lift the implements a couple times if you like. (the smallest of which is usually close to 300lbs) Then they tell you. "There is a tent, we will call your name when you are up."

So a strongmen has to be ready to compete with little warm-up.

Smith, keep in mind that you don't have to do intense cardio but some is good for cardiovascular health.

Warm up/stretching is pretty much standard among pro boxers and martial arts. There is no medical justification not to do so.

Do some cardio, as others have said, it does not have to be intense cardio. You will continue making strength and size gains. When I finally started incoporating regular cardio into my training (not until my early 30's; talk about wasted years) I found that I was actually getting stronger (and feeling better).

Most people I've seen in the gym over the years don't do the type of strength-training that is going to result in any real cardio benefits. They rest several minutes between sets, do minimal reps, push as much weight as possible, etc. No cardio benefits to this.

My priorities have changed as I've gotten older. So what if a guy has a 50 inch chest and can bench 400 or 500 lbs? If he can't go up two flights of stairs without becoming out of breath, if he can't run two miles without having a stroke, then the guy is in very poor shape. I'd rather bench 300 and be able to run a marathon, or run up a mountain, than bench 500, and be unable to run around a block.

Anyway, just my two cents.

Cheers georgie.

One "could" just sit on the butt, adjust calories under maintenance, and "lose tissue weight"--speaking hypothetically of course. This isnt what I would reccommend (lol).

No cardio isnt required to lose fat tissue, and for "most average persons" in the gym, doing cardio "in general" will have a minimal impact on muscle growth, in my humble opinion.

There are many ways to warm up "without" cardio and there are proper ways to warm up "with" light and very short cardio.

However, cardio can play a rather critical role in a persons goal, dependent what that goal is.

(Personally, I respond rather strong to it. I dont even like it, but I do it. One has to have some "controlled obessession" that works for them independent of other opinions on this obssession and work with things they dont like and perform the task if it favors their goal task)

For example, if a persons goal is to lose fat tissue weight as the "primary goal", and they have just been doing a weight training routine for--a time--and deficit dieting and no cardio. One could add in cardio as an extra calorie burner and if intensity and duration (etc) are correct, could assist in additional fat loss. This small change could "spark" the body to give up some more fat tissue. This is just one example, there are other ways without cardio as well.

Cardio has its place dependent upon the person and goals they want to achieve. However, I think we could all agree that its good for the heart among other fitness and health benefits.


Best wishes to you!



Chillen