Plyometrics as cardio???

[dce2956]

For the last 2 months I've been bulking quite successfully, and now i'm planning my cutting cycle. Here's my current lifting program:

Monday
Box Squat 5x5
Snatch Grip Deadlifts 4x5
High Pulls 4x5
SLDLs 3x8
Side Bends 4x12

Tuesday
Benchpress 5x5
Standing Military Press 4x5
Reverse Fly 3x5
Pullups 3x8
Curls 3x8
Leg Lifts 4x12
Decline situps 4x12

Thursday
Squat 5x5
Deadlift 4x5
Shrugs 3x5
SLDLs 3x8
Side Bends 4x12

Friday
Incline Benchpress 5x5
CG Benchpress 4x5
DB Incline Press 4x5
CG Pullups 3x8
Curls 3x8
Leg Lifts 4x12
Decline Situps 4x12

Now I haven't done a lick of cardio in 2 months, and i'm happy about that. For this upcoming cut, I'm thinking of starting at 4 days of cardio a week.

I have recently added some plyometric work into my workouts because I haven't gotten the kind of explosive power that I'd like to have. I get all the lifts up, but even at lighter weight I still don't have much speed in many lifts. For upper body plyo i toss the medicine ball around for a while, and for lower body i do jumping, bounding, and short sprinting.

For now i only do a little bit of this, like 2 sets of 10 for each excersize which only takes like 10 mins., but i notice that I'm pretty winded after each set. I was thinking today, 'why not just do more of this as my cardio?' The problem is I don't know the effect that this would have on me if i were to do, say, 30 mins of plyo drills 4 times a week. So, any excersize physiologists out there that know if this will be good or bad for me??? If this is bad I'll just run sprints, cause I don't like distance running, but I'd rather continue to work on my explosiveness all around.

 

[coolcolj]

diet is better than any cardio

 

[dce2956]

I'm aware, and the diet isn't a problem at all. I'd simply like to add some cardio. I wouldn't assume I'm looking for a cure all in a cardio program, I'm just looking for some answers about an idea I had from people more knowledgable than myself.
Also, while you can't cut without propper diet, and that is incredably important, i certainly wouldn't say that it's MORE important than cardio. While you might be able to lose a little weight with just lifting and diet, it's the cardio that allows a person to lose 1 to 2 pounds of real bodyfat a week.

 

[Protobuilder]

While you might be able to lose a little weight with just lifting and diet, it's the cardio that allows a person to lose 1 to 2 pounds of real bodyfat a week.

You're wrong. Plain and simple. No offense. If you stop eating, you lose weight. Very simple. Cardio is just another way to affect the energy balance: calories in vs. calories out. Lifting weights, running on a tredmill . . . . both burn calories. Nothing magic about the heartrate in terms of burning calories. If you sliced your cals by 1000 and lifted your ass off, you'd lose fat regardless of whether or not you did cardio.

case in point: myself.

At some point, you'll have your calories down so low that you really can't cut them anymore, and then you'll need some form of exercise to keep your negative energy balance going, and cardio is the obvious choice. But saying that you can't drop 1-2 pounds of fat a week without it is incorrect, IMHO.

 

[dce2956]

I find that for myself, cutting is about proper diet yes, but if i do diet alone and not excersize i lose almost all muscle. for example, the first cutting cycle I did i went from squatting 225 to 190, benching 185 to 165, and deadlifting 290 to 275. Yes, i lost about 15 pounds in 10 weeks, and I was eating about 1900 cals a day of chicken, oatmeal, and broccoli, and only that.

My second cutting cycle I ate around 2400 cals a day, sometimes more, same foods (added in some other vegtables than broccoli), and added sprinting into the equation. I lost 12 pounds in 10 weeks, but my lifts only fell a small amount.

So, everything aside, I feel that i need some cardio in my life to cut properly, that is to lose bodyfat and maintain muscle.

The question still stands. does anyone know about the effects of plyometic excersize on muscles in regards to recovery time and cardiovascular efficency. Would i be better off just running 100 meter sprints still??