Cardio is not the answer to loose fat. It is just a tool to get you there!

[sessa]

So I thought I would just post my thoughts on cardio. I find too many people rely on cardio to burn there fat and in turn burn up a lot of there muscle.

When dieting first find your baseline (maintenance) calorie intake. Then minus 300-500 from that. See how your body responds over the next few weeks. When you hit a plateau, you can minus a few more hundred. As long as they are not too low. Your body DOES need calories to run, and if you don't have enough, it will start to catabolize and use the muscle to fuel it. This has happened to me before.

If you have shifted down to 500-800 cals below maintenance level and are not leaning out - you can now try to introduce a bit of cardio or a fat burner. I would pick one of them first then introduce the other after.

I have been dieting for 3 weeks now and 12 weeks away from contest. This year I am going to try to diet with little to no cardio. Obviously this will not work for you if you need to loose 40pds, but if you have to loose 15 this is a great way to save your muscle while you diet. I will be introducing a non-stimulant fat burner next week. SO far I have gone from a bulk calorie range 500 over maintenance to a diet 500 below maintenance cals. I have lost a few pounds, but the inches are really making the difference. I will keep everyone posted on the progress. In about a month I will start a new thread with progress pics and more info.

I just wanted to let people know that cardio is not always the answer. Last year I dieted for a show and ended up doing 2x45 min sessions for 8 weeks. I started to diet 20 weeks out. Started my cardio at that point 1x sessions. Then kept increasing it. Also at about 1 month out I noticed that I still needed to get tighter so my calories got cut. I ended up losing a lot of my muscle. And I didn't really have any to spare LOL

I was working with a trainer for this show.
Well, i am not working with them anymore

I have a great new one and he has really taught me a lot. He has taught me that cardio is not always the answer. If you introduce it right at the beginning of the diet you body will get used to it and then need more to keep losing. Also it uses up cals that the body need to repair itself from the intense workouts. If you want to add cardio, make your weight training harder. Squats & lunges, I guarantee you will be out of breath! Also, plyometrics can be a great way to burn up those extra cals.

To recap: For the last 3 weeks NO cardio or plyos, I am in a 500 cal deficit. Weight training 4x a week. Heavy 10-12 reps.

And on another note: If you keep your offseason clean and only gain 15lbs it makes it easier to loose the fat. There is NOOOO need to gain 40lbs. Been there, done that. And when I dieted I lost most of that new muscle growth anyways, so getting fat was not worth it. This year I have kept leaner and had far better gains.

I would also love everyone else's opinion on this

 

[sessa]

Thanks to Tatyana here is how to calculate your caloric needs:

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...ding-training/dieting-information-600065.html

 

[sessa]

I am surprised... I thought some one would have an opinion to this.

Any experiences?

 

[needtogetaas]

Nice read. I feel the same way. Diet can do just about anything.

 

[Bikini Mod]

I know that sometimes when a thread doesn't get replies it feels like either nobody cares or nobody agrees and that just isn't the case... (why I began the thread about lurkers).

Your information is DEAD ON and I can't stress it enough. If you'll notice that one of the first questions I ask anyone who posts up asking for guidance is, "How much cardio have you been doing and with what consistency?" ... as more often than not those people have actually already screwed their metabolisms with too much cardio for far too long.

This principle was one of the first, most shocking, fitness principles I learned when I finally broke down over 10 years ago, bit the bullet and hired a trainer so that I could do my first bb'ing competition. Lucky for me, Fran knew her shit. Yes, she was VERY expensive but worth every single penny as what she taught me I still use daily, not to mention I began a 10+ year build on the foundation that she laid.

I already knew how to be skinny and how to lift but I had NO CLUE how to effectively build mass or how to maintain my gains while losing bf.

Now here I am having 40 push me and have NO TROUBLE altering my bf anytime I want as:

A - first thing I do when I get a little extra I CUT OUT THE CRAP in my diet.

and

B - I cycle my cardio (as in duration, intensity AND consistency).

Tatyana has also posted up similar information. But I think that this whole cardio/cardio and MORE cardio is so engrained in our heads because of the media misinformation the message gets too easily lost.

Thanks ladies for the reminders!!!

 

[Thandie]

So I thought I would just post my thoughts on cardio. I find too many people rely on cardio to burn there fat and in turn burn up a lot of there muscle.

When dieting first find your baseline (maintenance) calorie intake. Then minus 300-500 from that. See how your body responds over the next few weeks. When you hit a plateau, you can minus a few more hundred. As long as they are not too low. Your body DOES need calories to run, and if you don't have enough, it will start to catabolize and use the muscle to fuel it. This has happened to me before.

If you have shifted down to 500-800 cals below maintenance level and are not leaning out - you can now try to introduce a bit of cardio or a fat burner. I would pick one of them first then introduce the other after.

I have been dieting for 3 weeks now and 12 weeks away from contest. This year I am going to try to diet with little to no cardio. Obviously this will not work for you if you need to loose 40pds, but if you have to loose 15 this is a great way to save your muscle while you diet. I will be introducing a non-stimulant fat burner next week. SO far I have gone from a bulk calorie range 500 over maintenance to a diet 500 below maintenance cals. I have lost a few pounds, but the inches are really making the difference. I will keep everyone posted on the progress. In about a month I will start a new thread with progress pics and more info.

I just wanted to let people know that cardio is not always the answer. Last year I dieted for a show and ended up doing 2x45 min sessions for 8 weeks. I started to diet 20 weeks out. Started my cardio at that point 1x sessions. Then kept increasing it. Also at about 1 month out I noticed that I still needed to get tighter so my calories got cut. I ended up losing a lot of my muscle. And I didn't really have any to spare LOL

I was working with a trainer for this show.
Well, i am not working with them anymore

I have a great new one and he has really taught me a lot. He has taught me that cardio is not always the answer. If you introduce it right at the beginning of the diet you body will get used to it and then need more to keep losing. Also it uses up cals that the body need to repair itself from the intense workouts. If you want to add cardio, make your weight training harder. Squats & lunges, I guarantee you will be out of breath! Also, plyometrics can be a great way to burn up those extra cals.

To recap: For the last 3 weeks NO cardio or plyos, I am in a 500 cal deficit. Weight training 4x a week. Heavy 10-12 reps.

And on another note: If you keep your offseason clean and only gain 15lbs it makes it easier to loose the fat. There is NOOOO need to gain 40lbs. Been there, done that. And when I dieted I lost most of that new muscle growth anyways, so getting fat was not worth it. This year I have kept leaner and had far better gains.

I would also love everyone else's opinion on this

I've been saying that for years!!!

 

[sessa]

I am SOO glad that others agree. I see so many people killing themselves with cardio. When i worked with my last trainer her answer was always more cardio. I lost so much muscle that I wouldn't want this to happen to others.
I knew better as well, but you know how it is.. listen to the trainers

At least I have a great trainer now. He has taught me so much!!!

We are going to try to diet me down with no cardio, but if I have to add it in, it will be towards the end and NOT 2x a day sessions

 

[Thandie]

I am SOO glad that others agree. I see so many people killing themselves with cardio. When i worked with my last trainer her answer was always more cardio. I lost so much muscle that I wouldn't want this to happen to others.
I knew better as well, but you know how it is.. listen to the trainers

At least I have a great trainer now. He has taught me so much!!!

We are going to try to diet me down with no cardio, but if I have to add it in, it will be towards the end and NOT 2x a day sessions

You're correct! That said, however, cardio is good for your heart in general. Off season I do cardio three times per week (Leisurely) and about two months before comp (depending on what condition I'm in) I do it twice a day.

 

[Bikini Mod]

You're correct! That said, however, cardio is good for your heart in general. Off season I do cardio three times per week (Leisurely) and about two months before comp (depending on what condition I'm in) I do it twice a day.

Cardio doesn't necessarily mean extreme catabolic activity, it could be walking your dog or roller blading w/your kids.

Most of my training is in the pool with aquatics but I still lift just not nearly as intensely as I did when I was training for competition. I cycle the two so as never to fall back into cardio hell and keep my muscles strong.

No more cardio is required to keep your heart healthy than 20 minutes walking on an incline on your treadmill 3 x's per week.

And are we forgetting THE BEST CARDIO OF ALL?!?!?!


SEX

 

[sessa]

My cardio at this point are my grueling leg workouts

Damn those ass to the ground squats! LOL