Has anyone else done this - cut back on their weekly number of cardio sessions?

I was previously doing cardio (both steady state and intervals) four times a week but had started to feel the effects of overtraining. I also don't need to lean out anymore as I'm in maintenance mode now. So, I cut back on the cardio from four to three times weekly; replacing it with a strength training session (upping it from twice weekly to three times).

I'm a little nervous that I'll gain weight back but I know that's a silly notion and that lifting weights is just as effective at maintaining weight.

Vow,
That is a news. My trainer has aske me to do cardio 3 times a week. He has asked me to do 45 min of cardio with 90- 123 hr as my age is 59. that is my fat burning zone. some trainers say that you should be in anarobic or in VO2 zone. what do you think?

As long as you keep your eating habits in check I think you'll be fine. I've added more and also cut back on cardio over time. I haven't really see a difference in loss at all (maybe I'm eating more those days?). The strength training is really where I see the difference. I like cardio a lot (running especially) but my knees aren't what they once were and I just can't handle it much anymore. I do walk a lot on a day-to-day basis so I figure that helps.

Yeah, I realize that my eating is going to have to be more on point but I don't think that losing a cardio session and replacing it with a strength training one is a bad move. Besides my steady state cardio is pretty intense in and of itself, running 3+ miles at a decent clip. I'm actually looking forward to see what another kettlebell session will do for me in terms of toning.

i think its a great idea... all that cardio is eating away at your muscle!! and to be perfectly honest, your fit enough that a 30 minute run doesnt burn NEARLY as much as youd like to think it does.. at least for you (id be willing to bet) I think youre way better off moving to more strength focused training ( which CAN BE a cardio workout by itself!) do you train at home? or the gym? is kettlebells your only stlye of lifting? Perhaps itss time to move to the "big boys" area KWIM? Tine to start doing some heavy lifts, especially if youre eating around maintenence--> perfect time to start building a little muscle

My 2 cents, anyway.. i think cardio is WAY overrated (this, coming from a marathon runner)......... really, the few hundred cals burned, at best, doing your cardio are NOTHING caompared to what you burn just MOVING around in a day.......Get off your bums people!1 lol youd be suprised...... microwaving your lunch burns 10 calories, for example... cooking dinner (involving prep work and cutting veggies and weighing foods, and cleaning pans, etc, CAN BURN UP TO an additional 100-200 cals, JUST BECAUSE youre standing, and moving around! (and these cals, btw, are from Low grade activity, which = fat)

Ok-- off topic, I'll get off my soap box now

Lol this is a good point, but esentially useless advice for me and I'm sure others working @ desks.

I get up and walk around, I walk at lunch and when I get home I don't spend any time sitting around. But at the end of the day I can't do a whole lot about being forced to sit @ a desk for 7 hours a day.

Yes, it's true the more fit you are, the less calories you burn during cardio. If I were closer to my goal, I would keep only a couple of high intensity cardio sessions a week - not for weight loss but just because it's good for your heart. The rest of the time, I would focus on strength training.

mkroyer: Yeah, I agree the cardio is probably starting to eat at some muscle (the little that I have, lol) and not doing much for me except my heart is liking it. Heart disease runs in my family so I can't completely cut it from the equation. I don't belong to a gym so I train at home. I love kettlebells, dumbbells I use on and off with some resistance bands. But to be honest, kettlebells has given me results that dumbbells haven't and they aren't boring to me, lol.

Loli: My sentiments exactly, lol. I'm keeping my cardio to 3 a week for now. They are steady state but are generally a little less than a half hour so not hours and hours of running. I'm also starting to do some body weight circuits in place of running so that's new to my routine too. And I want to see how I do with three lifting sessions a week. I may eventually do two cardio (as you suggested) and four lifting sessions after a few weeks when I reevalute.

I've been unwilling at this point to give up my cardio, even though I know I'm doing entirely too much (usually 225 minutes/weekly). I have some strength training built in, but not enough. I just like all my classes and the instructors and would miss it if I wasn't there - is it really a waste of time if you're having fun?