Do you really need to do cardio for weight loss?
This is such a common question.
On one hand, you have the legions of treadmill zombies who swear by their long, grueling cardio sessions.
And on the other hand, you have experts who claim that “abs are made in the kitchen” and “you can’t out-train a bad diet.”
So what’s the truth? Is it really necessary to do cardio for weight loss?
Let’s explore both sides.
Reasons You Should Do Cardio for Weight Loss
As much as we want to claim that “abs are made in the kitchen,” the truth is that cardio DOES have some great benefits…both fat-loss benefits and health benefits.
Cardio burns extra calories.
This is pretty obvious. This is why most people do cardio in the first place.
Sit on your butt for 30 minutes and you’ll burn maybe 50 calories. Do an elliptical for 30 minutes and you’ll burn maybe 200.
It’s not a huge difference (most people overestimate how many calories they can burn in a cardio session), but it’s something.
Cardio allows you to eat a little more food.
This is a lesser-known benefit of doing cardio for weight loss.
Because cardio burns extra calories, that means you can eat a little more—which can make it much easier to stick to your diet.
For example, let’s say your diet calls for 1800 calories per day.
Scenario A: On one hand, you could skip cardio and keep your calorie intake to 1800 calories per day. But that’s not a lot of food, and following a diet like this can be pretty miserable for a lot of people (especially guys, who tend to have a higher metabolism).
Scenario B: On the other hand, you could do enough cardio to burn 300 calories per day, and eat 2100 calories per day. It’s a little more work, but you also get to enjoy more food and more fulfilling meals.
Either way, your calorie deficit is the same. The main difference is that in Scenario B, you’re able to eat a little more food thanks to the cardio.
Cardio is good for you.
Even if your #1 goal is weight loss, it’s still helpful to keep this in mind.
Cardio is good for you!
Cardio improves your circulation and gets your blood pumping. It’s good for your heart, lungs, brain, and just about everything else.
It also helps you to become more athletic. You don’t want to be one of those big muscular guys who can’t run up a flight of stairs without stopping for a break, do you?
Reasons You Do NOT Need Cardio for Weight Loss
Ok, so now let’s look at a few reasons why you don’t actually need cardio (at least for weight loss).
You can achieve a calorie deficit without cardio.
To lose weight, all you really need is one thing:
A calorie deficit.
If you burn 2500 calories/day and eat 2000 calories/day, you’ll lose weight.
If you burn 2000 calories/day and eat 1600 calories/day, you’ll still lose weight.
Cardio helps increase the “calories burned” part of the equation—but it’s still only half of the equation.
And here’s where things get really interesting…
It’s way too easy to out-eat your cardio.
In other words, you can eat a LOT more than you can run.
You can burn about 150 calories by spending 20 minutes on an elliptical…
But you can consume that many calories in about 2 minutes by eating one serving of Oreos.
Or, you can look at it the other way:
Eating a Chipotle burrito with cheese and sour cream will fill your body with about 1100 calories.
Most people are not physically capable of burning 1100 calories per day through cardio.
This is why trainers say “You can’t out-train a bad diet.” It’s true. It’s much easier to eat calories than it is to burn them.
Cardio (without strength training) can lead to “skinny-fat syndrome.”
This is a big problem for many people out there who think that they can spend 45 minutes on a treadmill, and that’s all the exercise they need.
The problem with doing only cardio is that cardio doesn’t preserve your muscle mass the way that strength training does.
And if you lose too much muscle, you can suffer from what they call “skinny-fat syndrome.”
This is where your body doesn’t look fat, but you still have a high bodyfat percentage.
Being skinny-fat has many of the same health risks as being overweight, including low energy, fatigue, low functional strength, etc.
Plus, your body will have a soft & squishy look to it (rather than that toned, attractive look you want).
Too much cardio can be bad for your health.
Earlier, we said that cardio is good for you.
And that’s true…as long as you don’t overdo it.
But if you do way too much cardio—say, more than 60 minutes’ worth at a time—then you could be doing more harm than good.
Excess cardio leads to free radicals that can cause damage to your body. On top of that, too much cardio is often really hard on your joints and can lead to issues in your back, hips, and knees.
So…Should You Do Cardio for Weight Loss or Not?
Here’s my opinion on the matter.
Most people do NOT need to do cardio for weight loss.
In fact, cardio can often get in the way of weight loss by distracting you from the #1 most important thing:
Your diet.
When it comes to weight loss, your priorities should come in this order:
- Diet. (This is the only way to ensure the calorie deficit you need to lose weight.)
- Strength training. (This will help preserve your muscle mass so your body composition improves.)
- Cardio.
I find that people can lose a lot of weight, and 90% can achieve their entire weight-loss goal, by following only steps 1 and 2 above.
So when should you add in step 3? I would say that you don’t need to add cardio to your routine until all 3 of these conditions are true:
- Your diet is already dialed in. Until this happens, cardio won’t do you much good.
- You’re already strength training.
- You are trying to get very lean. You don’t need cardio to reach 15%/21% bodyfat (for men/women), but you probably do need some cardio to reach 6%/12% bodyfat (men/women). As your body gets leaner & leaner, it gets harder and harder to lose fat…because your body holds on more tightly to the fat you have left. That’s where you really start to need cardio.
Doing Cardio for Weight Loss vs Being Physically Active
Keep in mind that even if you don’t do cardio, you should still keep as physically active as possible.
Walk the dog, play sports, go hiking—do whatever you can to get close to 10,000 steps per day.
This will help with weight loss and is also very important to your health.
Remember that “sitting will kill you, even if you exercise.”
In other words, half an hour on the treadmill can’t make up for an entire day spent sitting on your keister. It’s important to get up and move your body, regardless of whether you do it as cardio or not.