Thread: Cardio

Your right you will find many opinions when it comes to performing cardio. I believe it all has to do with what gets you the best results. I only incorporate cardio into my workouts when I am cutting. When I am trying to put on muscle mass I eat a clean diet and a lot of it. The little bit of fat gained is not enough to make me want to do cardio to keep it off. I have learned to accept the fact that there is a time to put on muscle (bulking) and then a time to strip the fat so you can see it (cutting).

Originally Posted by jimm

Hey every one,

was just wondering what all your thoughs were on cardio..

Im training naturally at the min and im always trying to add on clean lean muscle (i know what your thinkin who isnt?) but any way i have a very high metabolism naturally and ive been told by some ppl to leave cardio out all together, and others say the opposite.. i realised i was extremly unfit when i decided to go for a light jog, thought dam i get outa breath and stuff really easy(maybe something to do with my lifestyle as a kid), so know i will usually do about 15-20 mins and i usually do this on a slider machine before working out do a workout then maybe 10 mins on it after ive worked out just wondered what you guys thought on the whole thing..

Even when I am bulking I do 20-30 mins of cardio 3 times a week and always warm up 5-10 minutes before lifting. Why, you ask? Because the better endurance you have the more intensely you can lift for a longer period of time. If you are out of shape cardiovascular-wise, it WILL effect the quality of your strength training. You cannot put the kind of hardcore balls-to-the-wall training in that it takes to pack on muscle mass, if you are sucking wind. Your weight is ultimately effected by your diet, so up your cals if you need to, but don't allow your lifting to suffer as this is what is going to build lean muscle.

Originally Posted by GMO

Even when I am bulking I do 20-30 mins of cardio 3 times a week and always warm up 5-10 minutes before lifting. Why, you ask? Because the better endurance you have the more intensely you can lift for a longer period of time. If you are out of shape cardiovascular-wise, it WILL effect the quality of your strength training. You cannot put the kind of hardcore balls-to-the-wall training in that it takes to pack on muscle mass, if you are sucking wind. Your weight is ultimately effected by your diet, so up your cals if you need to, but don't allow your lifting to suffer as this is what is going to build lean muscle.

Thanks mate, it really does make sense im not doing the cardio to lose fat as my fat level is pretty damn low as it is i dont know the percentage becasue i dont know how to check it? but yeah theres been many a time when lifting when ive ran out of steam not strength wise but actually breath wise which in turn makes you not able to get the extra reps out.. every 1 has ther own say on the matter but im already feeling alot better after just 2 weeks of incorporating the cardio into my training! will defonatly not be stopping it, probly just add an extra half our or so when cutting.. cheers for your 2 cents!

Originally Posted by jimm

i have a very high metabolism naturally.

Describe fast. What do you weigh and what are your maintenance calories?

Originally Posted by Built

Describe fast. What do you weigh and what are your maintenance calories?

Im 5'7 weigh about 154 pounds i dont know how to measure my bf but ill guess its pretty damn low! which i know is laughable but gotta start somewere not entirely sure about my calories i dont count them im just eating 6 times a day and getting 3 shakes a day on top of that one in morning one after training i think i know what you will say.... ohh dont do any cardio ur too small but i belive its helping me out

i always felt cardio done always, just for health benefits...but always adjusted to goals.

Originally Posted by Built

Describe fast. What do you weigh and what are your maintenance calories?

avata is good

Originally Posted by darkknightza

avata is good

whats avata?

I know people who can cut on dietary adjustments alone, but not me. I need to ramp up my cardio pretty hard (in conjunction with a solid diet obviously) to begin losing real weight.

Originally Posted by jimm

whats avata?

Avatar with an English accent?

Originally Posted by VolcomX311

Avatar with an English accent?

Oh rite i get it lol

I incorporate cardio when I want to lose body fat and improve my stamina.
What I use is Interval training.
For 20 mins on the running machine do 1 minute jog 1 min sprint.
So basically jogging is your recovery time.
Also set both your jogging and running speed on the treadmill so you have to hit that speed.

When I first started I think it was 9.5km/h jog speed and 15.5km/h sprint speed. I did it for 15 minutes. Felt exhausted
I thought this was great for stamina.

If your looking for tips on fitness and check out my site The Body 4 U Now

Cardio should never be cut out of training. It has a bearing on your overall health, and level of energy for the weights. Just tailor it to your needs. If you are not fat, going for a 30 min walk 3X/week, or something similar, may foot the bill. There is no need to run a marthon or something.

Originally Posted by Built

Describe fast. What do you weigh and what are your maintenance calories?

Hey hows it goin sorry i took so long to reply i was just looking at some of the posts i made and realised i didnt get back to you, how rude! any way heres my calorie stats.. and diet

breakfast im getting roughly 1066 cal

then lunch ill have 2 chicken breast that is 450cal

then usually a steak not sure of cal on the steak

then im still livng at home so ill eat what ever is going for dinner its always good food i couldnt tell you the cal on that one as it changes day to day

then ill hit gym come back have a shake double scoop thats 400 cal and il throw a banana in for the carbs

then another steak

then a night timi will have low fat yoghurt with cottage cheese roughly 350 cal

Then a shake before bed.

Im currently weight 77 kilos weighed my self today!

Thats 2660 cal roughly not including the cals on the 2 steaks or my dinner so easy 3000 a day id say more like 3500 a day!

So what do you think to this any things i could maybe adjust i was thinking about throwing in a gallon a milk a day becasue i dont think i drink enough!

I will usually incorporate cardio when I am cutting. Approximately three times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes. Usually I will walk on the treadmill on a incline or use the elliptical.

77kg is about 170lbs. I'd expect your maintenance to be at or around 15 x 170 calories, which is about 2600. You'll probably have to eat upward of 3100 calories daily in order to gain - and if so, this will make you an average-gainer, not a hard-gainer.

Originally Posted by Built

77kg is about 170lbs. I'd expect your maintenance to be at or around 15 x 170 calories, which is about 2600. You'll probably have to eat upward of 3100 calories daily in order to gain - and if so, this will make you an average-gainer, not a hard-gainer.

ok cheers i do have high matabolism and a pysically demanding job aswell!