Cardio vs Weights (Chalene Johnson) for older women

[Debinmi]

Here's an interesting podcast from Chalene Johnson i thought I'd share:

 

[SRP]

This was very interesting. Thank you for sharing it. It gives me lots to think about.

 

[Debinmi]

There's so much conflicting info about Zone 2 cardio vs. HiIT or SIT cardio and how much. Seems the consensus is there for weight lifting though. I also found it interesting that she was able to reverse her osteopenia by stopping the intense cardio.

 

[Kellyro77]

I always appreciate hearing everyone's experience. Anymore, I have to take such "advice" from influencers as anecdotal evidence. Yes, it worked for THEM, and that's great. Does not mean it's going to work for everyone, however. (That's in regards to her experience with cardio)

I agree, though, that it seems strength training is universally beneficial for a large chunk of the population - and there's plenty of studies that support that, and it's good to have yet another voice out there encouraging people to pick up some weights.

I may also be in her club where intense cardio isn't necessary. I saw plenty proof of that doing the 12-week STS 2 rotation. Going to be doing an XTrain rotation with a major increase in cardio the next 12 weeks, and it'll be interesting to see if I'm just spinning my wheels or if it's as helpful to me as it was when I first did a 12-week XTrain rotation a couple years ago (I will say all the HiiT definitely improved my cardiovascular endurance, and my clothing was fitting pretty nicely, too.)

 

[Debinmi]

I was thinking about Chalene reversing her osteopenia... perhaps it's due to her body's ability to put on more muscle without the excess cortisol from the stress of the intense cardio. I'm finding it interesting though. And I was glad to hear the honesty in her saying she still had to have a calorie deficit to lose some fat - some "influencers" neglect to tell the full story. But I agree with Kellyro77, we can't draw definitive conclusions from one person's experience even if they supposedly did some research - it's still an experiment of n=1.

 

[SRP]

I read "Next Level" by Stacy Sims. She's a very strong advocate of SIT and heavy lifting. I see her point regarding the menopausal woman, but there's no way this body can handle what she recommends. Many years ago, there was a thread somewhere on Cathe's forums that documented a member's experiments with lower intensity work. If I remember correctly, she was working out hard, always hungry, and not getting the results she wanted. She backed off and got great results. I don't want to max myself out like Dr. Sims recommends. Right now I still consider myself advanced, but I do have some limitations because of arthritis - including not being able to lift truly heavy weights. So even though Chalene's podcast, plus other info about Level 2 cardio, gives me hope, I wonder if I would get the same benefits since I can't lift heavy.

 

[Debinmi]

...Stacy Sims. She's a very strong advocate of SIT and heavy lifting. I see her point regarding the menopausal woman, but there's no way this body can handle what she recommends. ...

That's one of my concerns about Sims' advice - it was originally targeted to elite athletes to help them maintain their profressional edge. Most older people have some degree of arthritis or wear and tear in their joints - that aspect was not in Sims' research from what I recall. Her advice may help athletes in their endeavors, however I think it will take a further toll on tendons & joints. I'm not trying to further deteriorate my joints. According to a past Cathe blog article, one can still build muscle with lighter weights if you do more reps. Both types of lifting can be build muscle.

I'm going to read on this a bit more. Mark Sisson has a new book out on the importance of walking - he used to be an Ironman - I haven't read it as it's new and still rather expensive and I'm sure he promotes his products in it, so I'll wait on it.

But it all has me thinking. I've done interval training of some sort since the 80's. I can no longer do impact, so now I do low Cathe's low impact stuff (or modify the higher) and spinning. I always considered my outdoor walking, hiking and biking as recreational - maybe it is time for a change. I'm just musing here: maybe I could concentrate on weight lifting, mobility/flexibility and balance work in my workouts and then allow recreational activities be my cardio endurance. That would be a big change for me and I could more easily do this in the warmer seasons, not so much in winter when I'd return to low impact stuff indoors. Stuff to ponder ...

 

[nckfitheart2009]

Thank you for sharing this reminder.

 

[SRP]

Debinmi - I just googled Sisson's book. I LOVE the title - "Born to Walk." That's me! I feel the same way as you do about walking, etc. It's always been more for mental health, etc.

 

[snowlover]

I found this interesting to watch I was already familiar with a lot of what she talked about. I am glad she mentioned how the industry really pushed her to be smaller. I've always said that just because you are skinny, doesn't mean you are fit and healthy. People must get this out of their brains!
I know HRT is making a "comeback" and I could probably benefit from it but I have an extreme distrust of medical professionals and doctor visits and prescriptions are too expensive. Which leads to another thought: how about work?
I've been on my own my entire adult life and have to make a living. I've had jobs that are quite active and I'm always on my feet. The energy expended at work, be it mental or physical has to be considered. My coworkers often find it unbelievable that I go home and work out but I hate that I can't put as much time and energy into my workouts. It just seems this is a factor not discussed.

 

[Debinmi]

... I've been on my own my entire adult life and have to make a living. I've had jobs that are quite active and I'm always on my feet. The energy expended at work, be it mental or physical has to be considered. My coworkers often find it unbelievable that I go home and work out but I hate that I can't put as much time and energy into my workouts. It just seems this is a factor not discussed.

Interesting point! Even just being on one's feet all day like a teacher or cashier or wait staff, etc can be tiring. And being tied to desk all day long can be taxing on the body as well. And the mental stress can be taxing for everyone. For me, exercise helps with the mental stress but when you're already physically tired as well, sometimes one just wants to forego one more "to-do" item. Then add-on family responsibilities and community commitments, it can be alot. Then it becomes do what you can, when you can, but what is the minimum amount, realistically?

 

[nckfitheart2009]

My coworkers often find it unbelievable that I go home and work out but I hate that I can't put as much time and energy into my workouts. It just seems this is a factor not discussed.

Could not agree more with your post. especially the quote above.