is cardio really necessary

[smr91481]

is it really that important to do cardio to lose weight? assuming that you're eating a really clean diet and working your ass of in the gym. what's the difference between burning off those calories with a little cardio or just not eating them in the first place?

 

[TAURIUS]

It depends on what kind of shape you are trying to get in. The difference between doing the cardio and not eating the calories, is that the cardio removes calories that are stored on your body already, as opposed to not putting new calories in. I think it is necessary to get super lean, but you can come down to 10% without it. THe dieting just sucks ass though. My $0.02

 

[smr91481]

It depends on what kind of shape you are trying to get in. The difference between doing the cardio and not eating the calories, is that the cardio removes calories that are stored on your body already, as opposed to not putting new calories in. I think it is necessary to get super lean, but you can come down to 10% without it. THe dieting just sucks ass though. My $0.02

well i have a high bf%. if i could get down to around 10% i'd be in HEAVEN!!! so i could do it with intense lifting, awesome diet, and alot of patience right.

 

[Rudee34]

Cardio will work wonders until you've depleted your glycogen stores. What happens after that, makes all the difference in the world.

If you continue cardio with a depleted glycogen level, with a sufficient daily intake of calories (food specific), cardio will slowly emulsify bodyfat. However.... If you continue cardio with a depleted glycogen level with a insufficient daily intake of calories, then your body will go into the catabolic state causing metabolism to decrease and fat emulsification to cease. As you can see, the most important factor is calories.

The bottom line: If your not taking in enough calories to support the cardio (or strength training sessions) your headed down a path of failure.

 

[new@gettinbig]

YES, cardio is great for conditioning and getting your body tight and losing the fat, ALONG with a good heavy weight training program and clean diet.

 

[blood_drinker]

and if you're serious about being a bodybuilder, don't just go for looks. go for fitness.

i dont know about you, but some of the things i like about this lifestyle is general fitness (muscular and cardiovascular) not simply being huge.

take it as you wish
peace

 

[Digital Ronin]

Yes!!!! You've got to include cardio... Granted I know people who manage without it, but for the best results, you've got to round out your routine with at least 30 mins of cardio...

Especially if you've got a high bf%. Imagine what burning another 300-600 calories a day will do to how quickly you'll reach your goal. Combine this with your increased metabolism post cardio (If done in the morning, on an empty stomach) and you'll shed bf.

 

[FatGuy]

I beleive in cardio. I started working out 3 weeks ago, 7 days a week and this is my schedule:

Mon
Weds
Fri
I do 30 minutes of treadmill then my usual machine routine for approx 45 min.

Tues
Thurs
Sat
Sun

1hr 15mins of Treadmill.

Results so far.

17lbs loss in 3 weeks.

Cardio is good to reduce bodyfat, of course along with eating correctlly.

FatGuy soon to be InShapeGuy

 

[Workin_at_it]

I guess I'm a little like FatGuy. I guess I should be SeriouslyOverweightExJockDeskJockeyGuy. I'm doing the cardio, lifting, and ECA and it's working OK. Did the ECA for a while alone, not nearly as good.

Big difference for me is the TYPE of cardio. I was doing recumbent bike (20-25 minutes) and working up a sweat and feeling pretty good. I switched to the Procor Elliptical Gliders and what a difference. Less pain in joints, and after 30 minutes I burn almost 600 calories. Doing cardio 5 days a week, lifting for about 45 minutes 3 days a week.

Got the 6 meals (3 are protein drinks or bars) thing going. Eating pretty good, but not religious about it.

Lost 15 lbs in first 6 weeks (got a lot stronger though) but lost 10 more in the last 3 weeks, and every week I'm putting more weights on the stacks. Example: Benching 225x8 (started at 140x6), Tricep pull downs are 140x12 (started at 80x6).

Got to start tracking body fat. I know I'm getting in shape, pants are baggy, people commenting, but the lbs. aren't dropping much.

Oh, and the Hydroxycut (4), then 30 minutes glider before breakfast. I feel great! Some people I hear feel nauseous - I feel pumped and energetic!

SeriouslyOverweightExJockDeskJockeyGuy soon to be MASSIVE and RIPPED (ok, maybe not soon )

 

[FitFossil]

It is for me! Not just for the calorie burning, it feels great! I like doing intervals the best, especially sprint intervals. Then I feel great all day. I feel less energetic on non cardio days. The heart is a muscle too, and it needs exercise like all the others.