Hey loves,
So you always see that same woman walking on the treadmill, grinding it out on the Stairmaster and then using the elliptical. She is scrolling on her phone and furiously tapping away at the machine as she increases her calories burnt.
This is the cardio bunny! She has never set foot in the weights room and is very consistent with her cardiovascular exercise. Why do so many women still avoid weights entirely?
You also might be wondering what her body type is, it’s not fit, it’s not toned, she definitely isn’t naturally curvy. She most likely is very skinny with little muscle tone (aka:skinny fat).
Today’s blog post will be an analysis of a mindset shaped by culture, fear and misinformation.
Where the Cardio-Only Mindset Comes From
Let’s go back to the early 2000s fitness culture where “skinny = cardio”. This era was highly influenced by Victoria’s Secret and an obsession with having a flat stomach.
Woman nowadays have a fear of “getting bulky” and I totally get that! No woman wants to consciously lose her femininity privilege or her access to men who value it.
So this fear paired in with gym intimidation (the gym being a predominantly male space) makes women stick to the cardio.
Lack of education in schools, trainers, and online spaces have historically contributed to this fear mongering.
It isn’t until recently with social media have we, as a society even come across this many toned and fit bodies.
We are now open to the process that lends the body and comfortable in spaces that give us access to this form of exercise.
The Emotional Logic Behind It
Cardio feels safe, familiar, and measurable. It also gets easier with little room for challenge. Unless you go from leisurely walking to running an ultra marathon, you likely won’t be altering your performance to that extent.
Doing cardio also offers immediate gratification: the sweat often stipulating “I did something”. This feeling of reward is priceless, even to someone who lifts weights.
There is also the control psychology of burning calories feeling like direct fat loss. The expression sweat is fat crying is often what most people imagine is happening when they are lifting weights.
Cardio bunnies essentially want to avoid the discomfort of weights, technique, failure and ego risk. Simply saying “I’m a cardio person” becomes a part of self-image to these individuals.
This avoidance has a subtle link to body anxiety and cardio’s appeal to self-punishment patterns.
What Cardio-Only Training Actually Does to the Body
Only performing cardio leads to short-term fat loss instead of long-term body composition. It also leads to the skinny-fat aesthetic which is slim body lacking muscle.
There is a huge muscle loss risk when one is not resistance training. This risk can truly make the physique look underwhelming.
Due to metabolic adaptation and plateaus, our physiques require consistent progressive overload.
Skinny but soft is the look that most cardio bunnies possess. Lifting weights will result in a toned, structured physique.
Furthermore, posture and shape changes from lack of resistance work. Cardio is not the enemy, imbalance is.
The Psychology of the Weights Area Fear
I’ve spoken about gymtimidation here, here and here. Gymtimidation is a common fear among newbies about being judged by the people at the gym.
Social comparison in gym spaces often happens with newbies worried advanced trainees will judge them or their form.
There is a lack of beginner-friendly onboarding in most gyms. They are mostly left to their own devices.
To add to the mix, social media intimidation exists with advanced lifters showcasing impressive feats while having aesthetic physiques.
The invisible barrier is not physical, but psychological. How much can they relate to you? The further that is, the higher the anxiety becomes.
Why Lifting Changes Everything
With lifting, you can go through a process called body recomposition where you lose fat and shape your muscles.
Feminine physique outcomes with lifting weights are big toned glutes, good posture with a nice small waist. There are also metabolic benefits like resting energy expenditure.
You basically burn more calories at rest. There are hormonal and confidence effects (such as feeling strong, not just thin).
Combining cardio with strength training will always be the winning ticket. There is no need to excel at cardio if you want the best physique.
Real-life transformation require logic and not hype. Strength training offers the benefits of cardio and more!
The Middle Ground Most People Miss
Despite all of this, cardio still has value: it can improve heart health, endurance and give us more mental clarity.
The optimal model is having a good strength training foundation and utilizing strategic cardio.
Different cardio types include steady state vs HIIT, check out this post on cardio here.
Having balance produces the most sustainable physique. It gives us good heart health and great glutes! We just need to break the “either/or” mentality.
Rewriting the Identity: From Cardio Bunny to Strong Athlete
Creating an identity shift is harder than changing our training. However, making this shift successfully can lead to immense success in fitness.
Firstly, we need to let go of the “calorie burn = progress” mindset. It isn’t the best way to go about having an impressive physique. It will always give a skinny-fat look.
Finally, learning to enjoy strength as skill-based progress gives us body and mental confidence. This confidence comes from competence in the gym.
The goal is essentially to become someone who trains, not just someone who burns calories.
Practical Transition Plan
Click here to learn how to get rid of gymtimidation.
Your beginner weekly structure should be 2–3 strength training sessions (2 lower body and one upper body workout) + 2 cardio sessions)
Click here for more empowerment.
Entering the weights section confidently just means taking up space and knowing that you belong there. If you must, imagine your female archetype as you do it, wouldn’t she be a badass?
Make sure to also look for progress markers beyond the scale. Look at factors how your clothes fit, compliments from other people and your performance.
Closing: The Real Question
The real question is not “should you do cardio or weights?” Rather, it should be what kind of body and relationship with training are you building long-term?
Being a strong woman shouldn’t be something to fear, if you must shrink while making a decision, then that path isn’t right for you.
I hope that you guys enjoyed this blog post on The Cardio Bunny: Inside the Cardio-Only Mindset, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments section below!
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