How Much Cardio!!!!!!????

[unique34mny]

5 10 190......around 20%...just completed a bulking cycle...i feel like im done with the whole "i need to bech press 400lbs thing".....time to get some abs and start looking good at the beach......these girls dont give a shit how much you bench....its all about the abs and cuts......the question is HOW MUCH CARDIO SHOULD I DO IN A GIVEN WEEK?....simple question and ill probably get alot of simple answers like 3-4x a week at 30 minutes a clip.....well im a complex person with a complex body type so the answers you should be a little more complex..............im complex because my genetics suck ass (always had high body fat (i like to call it the thick skin look) (blood sweat and tears to see any of my hard work)....im also complex becasue i would like to keep most fo my strength and size while drastically reducing my BF......I think i need to get down to 10% to look the way i want to look.....I like to be strong, i like incline pressing 100lb dumbells for reps......and i dont want to sacrafice that by drastically reducing my calories and sweating on a treadmill 2 hrs a day...i did that once and i looked like shit......so here is my plan....please tell me to shut up and correct me as u feel the need if u disagree with anything...........

continue to weight train heavy 5 dyas a week

***1 Hour of Cardio on an empty stomach 1st thing in the morning***

40 Grams of Protein (different sources) 5-6X a day, extremely low carbs and fats......as much water as I can drink....supps will be multi vitams, amino acids, extra B Complex adn extra C, Omega 3 fatty acids

maybe 30 EXTRA minutes fo cardio after my workouts at night (too much??)

now my major concern is for me to lose 10% body fat ill be a pretty scrawyn 170....i just want to shed this fat without losing any muscle adn strength if possible......all suggestions are appreciated....

and BTW, i may want to cycle something as I start to lose the BF....im sure this will assit in keeping me strong while i continue to shed BF....any suggestions on what to take while having this mindset?

 

[jmt24]

ok, if you want to burn fat and not lose muscle, you'd need to be in an anticatabolic state at all times or else you'll use your muscle as fuel. the only thing i know of to do that is clen, but id only run that if you used it before and usually as a last resort. id start doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach for around 20-30 minutes. this is the best time to burn fat. id also do 5-10 minutes before you work out and then 25-35 minutes after. id consider taking trex, sesapure, glucorell r, yes, levorex, cardio breeze from the af store. but more important than all of this is your diet. if this isnt in check, you wont lose fat. find out your bmr for cutting (do a simple search), and use fitday.com to track your calories. cyrex said he was coming out with a similar but better site soon. i go with 50%protein/20%carbs/30%fat. if you have diet questions, post another thread and we'll help you out.

 

[JKurz1]

abs are overrated....size is dominant.....

 

[scorpiogirl]

An hour of cardio is too much. Catabolizm!!!

20-30 Min. 3-5 days a week. Considering men's metabolizm is higher than women's and we [usually] only recommend this amount for women, it should be plenty for you.

 

[pintoca]

I like 45mins, 6x week... never a fan of the "first thing in the morning" cardio, so I do mine exactly after lifting... yep, you hear that right. After cardio I drink my PWO shake and I'm good.

At this point in time you should know that is all about the diet, right? No amount of cardio will compensate for a shitty (or even half-decent) diet.

 

[Lifterforlife]

Yeah, I preach this over and over to clients...let your cardio be an extension of your diet, not the other way around.

 

[alex2678]

This is definitely a topic that is more custom made to the individual. Over the years I've noticed that people who were always gentically very lean throughout most of there lives and then put on some fat later on can lose the gained bodyfat with little aerobics and more focus on diet. Those in the endo/mesomorph category (such as myself) need more to burn fat and increase calorie expenditure. I've done up to two 60 minute cardio sessions a day (sparring and treadmill) at times and still kept my bench the mid 4's. Other individuals might lose large amounts of size and strength. Start with 45 minutes a day and then experiment and see what works best for your body.

 

[unique34mny]

thanks for the feedback guys

 

[scorpiogirl]

If you want to catabolize muscle - do 45 minutes. That's too much.

 

[pintoca]

If you want to catabolize muscle - do 45 minutes. That's too much.

Do you have data to back that up?

Blanket statements like that can be VERY misleading.

Key factor in catabolizing muscle is WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it.

 

[*Bunny*]

I like 45mins, 6x week... never a fan of the "first thing in the morning" cardio, so I do mine exactly after lifting... yep, you hear that right. After cardio I drink my PWO shake and I'm good.

At this point in time you should know that is all about the diet, right? No amount of cardio will compensate for a shitty (or even half-decent) diet.

Can't you just do some HIIT, AM cardio on empty already?

 

[scorpiogirl]

Do you have data to back that up?

Blanket statements like that can be VERY misleading.

Key factor in catabolizing muscle is WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it.

I'm a 5'4", 125 lb, female meso - bulking right now on 2500-3000 calories a day - doing NO cardio at the moment. IMO it would be better to start a little lower and increase it if needed rather than to catabolize right off the top and have to rebuild what was lost. Wouldn't you agree?

I mean, we're all here to lean out and build muscle. No one wants to lose the muscle they've worked so hard for.

If someone is doing 45 minutes of cardio first thing in the AM on an empty stomach, catabolizm will happen. If it's at the end of the day after eating 3000 calories, maybe not - my point is: starting out on the safe side is better when trying to find what works for you. Kapeesh?

 

[pintoca]

Can't you just do some HIIT, AM cardio on empty already?

I hate HIIT and since running is not my thing (can't run 2 days in a row without my knees complaining) I go for the impactless varieties

Maybe I should buy a cardio machine and keep it home, but there's this difference between going to the gym and training home...

 

[Lifterforlife]

Yeah, I preach this over and over to clients...let your cardio be an extension of your diet, not the other way around.

Again, this is so important to grasp. Use cardio mainly for cardiovascular health. Be smart with it. It is really overrated as a fat burner anyway.

True you will expend calories, but what difference is there if you take in 2000 calories, and burn off 300 calories in your cardio session for a 1700 calorie day.

Or if you just take in 1700 calories? Same difference really in the end. I am of the belief that cardio makes us at least "think" we are doing something added.

For instance, on days off, if I am not doing anything, I feel like a slug.....but in reality if my caloric intake is correct, I can still be using fat. But the "mental" aspect gets to us.

 

[scorpiogirl]

I hate HIIT and since running is not my thing (can't run 2 days in a row without my knees complaining) I go for the impactless varieties

Maybe I should buy a cardio machine and keep it home, but there's this difference between going to the gym and training home...

OMG, I can't run distance to save my life!!! I totally understand the running thing. I have an elliptical that I do HIIT on. It makes it go a lot faster....you should try it sometime just for a nice change. 30 second sprints and 1 minute recoverys. Feels great!

Not only that, but you don't have to do 30 min. to get the 30 min. cal burn of steady state.

 

[1392477]

continue to weight train heavy 5 dyas a week

***1 Hour of Cardio on an empty stomach 1st thing in the morning***

40 Grams of Protein (different sources) 5-6X a day, extremely low carbs and fats......as much water as I can drink....supps will be multi vitams, amino acids, extra B Complex adn extra C, Omega 3 fatty acids

maybe 30 EXTRA minutes fo cardio after my workouts at night (too much??)

now my major concern is for me to lose 10% body fat ill be a pretty scrawyn 170....i just want to shed this fat without losing any muscle adn strength if possible......all suggestions are appreciated....

and BTW, i may want to cycle something as I start to lose the BF....im sure this will assit in keeping me strong while i continue to shed BF....any suggestions on what to take while having this mindset?[/QUOTE]

I would suggest only 30 mins in the AM.
Get your diet totally in check.
Gear to help your cycle would be Anavar or Stanozolol.

 

[Lifterforlife]

Any cardio you do is an extension of your diet. What it does is create more of a caloric deficit.

So, too much for you would be if you start losing too fast, or start getting irritable, or weak feeling, etc.

I am not a fan of fasted state cardio(first thing in the morning, and have pointed this out many times in how fat is actually used and burnt), but this is quite your option.

If maintaining all muscle and not getting to very low bodyfats is your ideal as you state, this would even more sway me from fasted state cardio.

You might look into carb cycling too, very easy on too much loss, and keeping muscle. Keeps the workouts more intact, no big dropoff.

 

[DZLS]

like most everyone else said, diet is key, and you're going to have to have a caloric deficit to lose that bodyfat...

have you figured out your RMR with Activity Factor yet...? if not start there, and then plan your diet better... it doesn't sound like you have really put much thought into it yet...

to keep all that muscle you're going to have to continue your training, and actually want to end up with an almost caloric balance of intake and use... you can continue to add muscle, while you are burning fat... it just takes planning on the diet side...