Edit: This gets funnier the more I think about it. Like an emotional support animal, but it’s just a bench that follows you around the gym. Literally a support animal.
Ok, the gym goat is now the official broscience mascot. Someone make t-shirts.
Throwing out another “bro science” that I believe here:
Medium-intensity cardio has very little utility for body composition. I also see very little use for athletics outside sports-specific (to run marathons, you’re going need to log some miles) circumstances.
Low intensity cardio (walking) can be done almost limitlessly, without consideration for any other part of your training program. It is good for your heart, improves recovery, improves insulin sensitivity, and also improves recoverability so you can actually train more frequently with higher volumes.
Higher-intensity conditioning (sprinting, sled pushing) is a fantastic tool for pronounced improvements in VO2 max, cardiac capacity and muscular conditioning; a little goes a long way and you do have to consider its recovery impact. Done right, though, I think you can add muscle whilst doing cardio here.
Medium-intensity cardio (jogging) is the worst of both worlds. You have to consider the recovery impact and it is more likely to see you lose muscle than gain.
I’m not saying I disagree, but I feel people can get away with a lot more cardio than they think they can. And as long as you’re aware of the calorie balance and you don’t go overboard, medium intensity cardio can actually be very good. Your post actually reads as more of a goal dependant thing rather than one being worse than another.
Something like 20mins 3x/week medium intensity cardio is a great place for a lot of people to be. For general health and carryover into training and therefore body composition.
In my mind people should always do a lot of walking, and mix the other two up as they see fit.
It’s honestly REALLY hard to lift weights wrong, as long as the effort and consistency are applied. It’s why every gym has dudes with big muscles who are training in really “stupid” ways: they just showed up long enough.