Overtraning Cardio

[427-cobra]

I'm 5'10" tall @ 190lbs. around 15%bf. I weight train 3 days a week, cardio 2 days a week. I was thinking of increasing the cardio to 5 days a week (have a 20 year high school reunion in July) My goal is 180lbs @ 8%bf can this be achieved or is 5 days of cardio overtraining.

 

[JB3]

How long per session? Diet is the main determinant of abs/body fat % so don't go crazy on the cardio. Increase duration and time, watch you diet carefully, and see how you progress. Up the time and days/week slowly. If you aren't recovering from one lifting session to the next, that's a fantastic sign that you're doing too much cardio. That and/or strength loss during lifting sessions.

My $.02

 

[427-cobra]

I currently do 25 min. of cardio 2 days a week, was thinking of 30 min. 5 days a week. I eat 5 meals a day, around 180 to 200 grams of protein 50 grams of fat and around 150 grams of carbs. One meal is a protein shake for breakfast. Do I need to alter my diet also? Or will increasing the cardio get the results I'm looking for.

 

[JB3]

Calories and cardio are inversely related; in that I mean, you can either eat less or do more cardio. They are essentially the same thing (ignoring cardiovascular benefits).

Adding more and more cardio WILL affect your recovery, and subsequently, will cause a loss of strength in the weight room after a certain point. Where that point lies is a completely individual thing. Read WarLobo's "when 30 + 30 does not = 60" on the woman's board to get one p.o.v.

Doing cardio in the morning before eating of directly after your weight training session is best. If you're doing cardio after lifting, I wouldn't suggest doing more than 30, however, because you'll be flirting with cortisol. You need to eat within an hour of completing your last set of weights.

Personally, I think mixing up intensities and duration is best. One day, go long and slow in the morning; another, go medium intensity (~80% of MHR) for 45 min; another do 20 min of intervals (bursts of 1 min at highest "comfortable" intensity followed by a recovery period) with a good warm-up and cool-down. Use different machines every day so as not to get bored.

Other than that... search the boards for more specific diets, etc.

Hope I could help.