I was just reading the current article on cardio on t-nation.com.

http://www.t-nation.com/article/most_recent/training_advice_for_generation_ent

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of this site because they've got 30 people writing articles and their opinions on training are often contradictory.

My question stems from the way I have always trained. I'm overweight but am making progress with 3 full body workouts and 2-3 runs at 6-7 MPH running 3 miles a run on a treadmill.

"It takes a lot of mental toughness to do that kind of cardio training five times a week for months on end. But it doesn't do much for your body."

Really? What's wrong with it? I don't injure myself, I notice an increase in energy and an improvement in mood and I feel like running and weight training is the quickest way to get "in shape"

thoughts?

I'm hardly any kind of expert, but I can attest, anecdotally, that running regularly has done wonders for my fitness level and has contributed to my weight loss and overall fitness level (as measured by things such as resting heart rate, and overall sense of well-being). It may, however, not be wholly compatible with the goals that the article is addressing. To say it is "not good cardio" is an overstatement. I think it does a lot of good. As far as mental toughness goes, well, hell, I get cranky if I MISS my run.

Bottom line is this: if it is helping you reach your goals, it is working for you. Different strokes for different folks (and different goals).

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of this site because they've got 30 people writing articles and their opinions on training are often contradictory.

There is a wealth of knowledge on that site if you can mentally filter out the supplement marketing, and a bit reason the site is so valuable is that you can see the different opinions. Just because all the articles don't agree doesn't mean you can't learn something from nearly every one of them. Don't fear different opinions.

Many of the writers over there are more for HIIT type of cardio (in the running world, that would be sprints) for fat loss. Studies are showing it's a very effective method of cardio. Some studies have shown very little in the way of results from lower intensity work, but the research is still mixed.

For me, running isn't the greatest for my joints and I can't mentally stand long, steady running. So for me, I'll stay with more time efficient and joint safe work.

Part of the argument of some of these trainers is that if you are overweight, running puts more stress on the joints. Also if you have bad movement patterns due to being out of shape and inflexible, you can injure joints from that bad movement.

I do less and less "cardio" these days, as I've found I do just as well with other type of work (weights, GPP, etc) and it is less boring for me.

I will occasionally do sprints or hill sprints. I seem to get more results that way, fitness wise and fat loss wise.

Bottom line is this: if it is helping you reach your goals, it is working for you. Different strokes for different folks (and different goals).

+1 for that! :tu:

There is a wealth of knowledge on that site if you can mentally filter out the supplement marketing

This perfectly describes t-nation in a nutshell. Most of their articles have biotest supplements plugged in somehow. So just IGNORE the part where they say "Biotest Surge is the greatest product for post workout recovery to go along with the training plan in this article".