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[GenetiKing]

Originally posted by patro:
OK that's clear. Do the weights, keep the muscle.

But since when did cardio exercise accelerate catabolic activity? If I am on a caloric deficit diet and I do cardio I thought that would just make me burn fat faster; not muscle.

No. It doesn't work that way. Cardio will burn muscle too. It's also detrimental to muscular gains. Throw in a caloric deficit with all that cardio and you're asking for no muscle on a thin body.

What these guys are telling you is that the more muscle you carry, the easier it will be to lose the bodyfat. With the increased muscle mass, your body will require more energy (calories) just to maintain itself.

The cardio does nothing but burn calories and enhance cardiovascular capability according to a dose response. Intense and prolonged cardio has been shown in numerous studies to raise cortisol levels (leading to catabolism), hence hampering any muscular gains you might make while weight training.

Ever see those guys who run forever on the treadmill or cycle on the bike and never go into the free weight room? Notice how they never look any different from one week to the next? They might be fairly lean but definitely not shredded and they carry minimal muscle mass too.

In general terms: Intense cardio is a signal
to the body to LOSE weight (fat AND muscle).

On a side note, I wouldn't totally ignore the benefits of cardio while you are trying to shape up. A couple times a week of low intensity cycling or something similar is good for the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Very moderate cardio won't hurt your quest for added muscle. Also, a little cardio will keep lung capacity high which can help in weight training.

One last thing...if you're gonna keep your training volume as low as Cackerot suggests (i.e. only a couple sets per bodypart) you MUST take each set til failure and keep your gym intensity high. (Cackerot's a low-volume bro ) You don't need any forced reps, drop sets, etc as a newbie but you've gotta go ultra hard if you're gonna train with that small number of sets.

I think it's hard for people outside the bodybuilding/fitness culture to comprehend it but it's true: Weight training has much more impact on body composition and bf% than cardiovascular exercise.

Good luck.

------------------
Backstage, '75 Olympia:

Serge Nubret, "I look like I can take you."

Arnold, "Keep looking."

[This message has been edited by GenetiKing (edited April 18, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by GenetiKing (edited April 18, 2001).]

 

[GenetiKing]

Also,

You've gotta get down more protein than you're getting now, regardless of whether you want to bulk up or trim down.

Think of it this way (it's really a little more complex than this but for our purposes here, it will work):

more protein = more muscle = higher metabolism = lower bodyfat

------------------
Backstage, '75 Olympia:

Serge Nubret, "I look like I can take you."

Arnold, "Keep looking."

 

[totoj]

To patro the OP...try cutting the enriched starches like white rice. I have done this and it has worked wonders. I have limited my starches to 1 serving a day and I have lost 3.5 lbs (of fat)in the last 4 weeks. All my lifts have actually improved if you can believe that. I try getting my carbs from veggies and beans. I eat green beans, broccoli, corn, kidney beans, and black beans. I found most pastas, potatos, white rice, and white breads only good for adding fat to my midsection. I think the 80s did a good job selling us the false virtues of eating a lot of complex carbs. I would say people (like myself) eat too many of them. Only long distance runners need that much carb loading. If you eat rice, eat brown rice in moderation. By cutting these from your diet (or limiting their intake) you can actually eat more protein (and food in general). Good luck to you.

 

[Cackerot69]

Couldn't have said it better myself, Genetiking.

Sorry Patro, had to get some sleep last night.

 

[Kryp2o]

For starters: eat brown rice insted of white rice, your getting hardly any protein you need at least 1 to 1.5gm of protein to body weight ratio and you might be overtraining. I agree with everyone else here throw your routine away and start over do more research also on diet and nutrition for what your goals are it just takes a lot of tweeking but you'll get there if stick with it! Oh and don't forget to consume a lot of water too at least 1 to 1.5 gallons if not more a day!

[This message has been edited by Kryp2o (edited April 18, 2001).]

 

[GenetiKing]

Originally posted by Cackerot69:
Couldn't have said it better myself, Genetiking.

Awwwww shucks!

 

[patro]

Cacerot69 and Genetiking:

1. I'll increase my protein (should I take a supplement?)

2. I'll cut down on the one mile sprits.

3. I'll do fewer reps at heavier weights until TF.

I'll go from here, if you guys think that's a good start. Input?


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EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN AGENDA

 

[Cackerot69]

"1. I'll increase my protein (should I take a supplement?)"

Only if you can't get enough protein from whole food sources. Get at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

"2. I'll cut down on the one mile sprits."

Good idea.

"3. I'll do fewer reps at heavier weights until TF."

I'm not sure what TF means, but that sounds good.

 

[patro]

Tf=Total failure

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EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN AGENDA

 

[Cackerot69]

OK, that's a great plan.