Yeah, I said it — cardio is a waste of time.
Before you light me up in the comments, hear me out. I’ve been a huge proponent of cardio for years, and I still am to a point. But when it comes to being stronger, healthier, and improving your long-term quality of life, cardio on its own is one of the least effective ways to get there.
In this article, I’m breaking down the nuance — how cardio has been oversold, why strength training is the real foundation, and how you can get all the heart and longevity benefits you need in just 12 minutes per week.
Watch the Full Breakdown
The Fitness Industry Is Changing
If you’ve been to a commercial gym lately, you’ve probably noticed the shift.
Treadmills are disappearing.
Squat racks are popping up everywhere.
Planet Fitness, for example, has removed over 40% of their treadmills in more than 1,700 gyms. Crunch is following suit. Even Peloton — the poster child of cardio — is pivoting to strength.
These companies follow demand. And people aren’t lining up to spend an hour on a treadmill anymore. They want to lift. They want muscle. They want barbells.
Even The Guardian ran an article titled “Treadmills Are Out, Barbells Are In.” When mainstream media starts talking about deadlifts instead of ellipticals, the tide has turned.
Strength training isn’t just popular now — it’s essential.
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The Weight Loss Myth
Here’s where I might upset some people (looking at you, Greg Doucette).
Cardio is not the key to weight loss.
Sure, you burn calories during a run, but your body adapts quickly. It learns to expect that activity, your appetite ramps up, and before you know it, you’re eating back what you burned. Unless you control your diet, you won’t lose weight.
I’ve seen this firsthand. At the finish line of a marathon, you’ll see runners of all shapes and sizes. After about the 3.5-hour mark, there’s almost no correlation between body weight and finish time. I once finished a marathon in 3 hours and 24 minutes — not bad — and the guy ahead of me was 50 pounds heavier, older, and wearing a shirt that said “Old. Fat. Diabetic. Ahead of You.”
Cardio didn’t make him lean — it just made him good at cardio.
The International Journal of Obesity confirms this: exercise alone doesn’t cause weight loss. Diet drives fat loss. But here’s the trick — muscle sustains it. The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolism. That’s why strength training wins for long-term body composition.
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The Truth About Heart Health
For decades, we were told cardio was “heart-healthy.”
And yes — it helps. But it’s not better than resistance training.
Research from Iowa State University found that people who combined strength and cardio had the same heart health improvements as those who only did cardio. The University of Michigan showed that just 30 minutes of strength training per week lowered heart disease risk by 17% and all-cause mortality by 15%.
That’s massive.
And way more efficient than slogging through hours of steady-state cardio.
Why does this work? Because muscle helps control blood sugar. And blood sugar — not cholesterol — is the real silent killer for your heart.
Cholesterol Isn’t the Enemy
For decades, cholesterol was blamed for everything. We handed out statins like candy.
But new research says otherwise.
Dr. Robert De Bradford from the University of New Mexico wrote that cholesterol itself isn’t the root cause — it’s insulin resistance and inflammation.
Your blood lipids (LDL, HDL) are often a symptom of deeper metabolic issues.
Strength training fixes this at the source.
Muscle tissue acts like a sponge for glucose — it literally pulls sugar out of your blood. That’s why even type 2 diabetics see massive improvements when they start lifting.
Cardio helps too, but resistance training hits the problem harder and more effectively.
The Power of Movement (and the 7,000-Step Rule)
Here’s the caveat: I’m not saying sit still all day.
Daily movement still matters — a lot.
You don’t need to run marathons, but you do need to move.
Walking, chores, chasing your kids — it all adds up to what’s called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), and it burns more calories across the day than your workouts do.
The massive CARDIA study found that people averaging at least 7,000 steps per day had up to a 70% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Not 10,000 — just 7,000.
So no excuses. Just live an active life, lift heavy, and you’re already doing better than most.
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The 12-Minute Cardio Solution
If you want the heart benefits without wasting your life on a treadmill, here’s the secret: Tabata training.
Invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata for Japan’s Olympic speedskating team, it’s brutally simple:
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20 seconds of all-out effort
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10 seconds of rest
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Repeat 8 times
That’s 4 minutes total — and if you do it three times a week, that’s 12 minutes.
It’s awful, but it works. Studies show Tabata improves VO₂ max more than 45 minutes of steady-state cardio — in less than 10% of the time. And it doesn’t hurt your strength gains because you’re training explosively, not endlessly.
So… Is Cardio a Waste of Time?
Not completely.
Cardio has benefits — for endurance, mitochondria, and mental health. But it’s been oversold as the foundation of fitness when, in reality, strength training should come first.
Lift heavy.
Move daily.
Add in a few Tabata sessions each week.
That’s your formula for strength, longevity, and heart health — without wasting hours on the treadmill.
Final Thoughts
I’ll be honest — I miss running sometimes. There’s something priceless about being fit enough to run and let your mind wander. No phone, no social media — just you, the road, and your thoughts.
That’s the one thing I’ll come back to when my strongman career winds down.
But for now, I’ll say it again: if your time is limited and your goal is to be strong, healthy, and live longer, then cardio — for most people — is a waste of time.
Lift Heavy. Be Kind.
— Mitchell Hooper