Thread: How much cardio is too much?

unoless you have a heart condition or something, i would say theres no such thing as too much cardio.

Last I checked my heart was pretty strong. My BP is normal and my resting pulse is around 50 BPM. When doing cardio, I usually keep it between 135 and 160, two minutes on the high side then two on the low.

It all depends on your goals. If your main focus is to lose weight, then cardio should be a priority. If you are mixing weights with cardio, make sure you do your weight training first, then follow it up with cardio last. (I think once you try this, you'll see that you might not be as fit as you think you are.)

Personally, I don't go over 25 minutes with cardio. Do your maximum intensity for 20 minutes, followed by a 5 minute cool down. It beats the hell out of those boring "fat burning" 60 minute sessions and accomplishes more. Look into HIT cardio or Max-OT cardio... same principle. I used to do cardio right after each weight session, but now that I've lost my gut, I only do cardio on off days when I don't lift.

Remember, if you aren't sweating, you need more intensity. Good luck.

I found some info on Max OT -Cardio this weekend. I was going to start my Max OT session today and add Max OT Cardio to the non lifting days (1-2/week), but I've been feeling so good after these cardio sessions, I decided to continue with them for a couple more weeks. By then I should have my order from Bulknutrition.com and my workout log put together. I've been weight training off and on for the past 10 years. Mostly off due to a back injury eight years ago. Because of my BF% i've never been able to really appreciate what muscle I have put on. The way I see it for now, I am going to lower my BF% hopefully to the low teens and then start bulking. I've never had a problem adding weight. I picked up 14-16 pounds during my last M1T cycle

Originally Posted by SlimShady

It all depends on your goals. If your main focus is to lose weight, then cardio should be a priority. If you are mixing weights with cardio, make sure you do your weight training first, then follow it up with cardio last. (I think once you try this, you'll see that you might not be as fit as you think you are.)

Personally, I don't go over 25 minutes with cardio. Do your maximum intensity for 20 minutes, followed by a 5 minute cool down. It beats the hell out of those boring "fat burning" 60 minute sessions and accomplishes more. Look into HIT cardio or Max-OT cardio... same principle. I used to do cardio right after each weight session, but now that I've lost my gut, I only do cardio on off days when I don't lift.

Remember, if you aren't sweating, you need more intensity. Good luck.

DIET..is key not cardio to lose weight. Cardio should be a tweak towards the end of a cut when progress comes to a hault. If you do to mucbh cardio now your body will adapt...thats its nature...and you will be up shits creek come times where progrees stops.

There a several forms of cardio and I feel there is a place for all of them. Cycle through them if you are doing cardio just don't do one form. Max-ot cardio or HIIT may work for now but in time you may want to try and switch it up for some better results...keeps the body guessing. Cardio is just like weights it needs to be varied.

But again DIET should be your main focus right now not so much cardio.

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

DIET..is key not cardio to lose weight. Cardio should be a tweak towards the end of a cut when progress comes to a hault. If you do to mucbh cardio now your body will adapt...thats its nature...and you will be up shits creek come times where progrees stops.

I disagee 100% with what you've posted. The key to losing weight is to burn more energy than you ingest. Period. Diet plays a signifigant role in the process, but he didn't ask about diet. He asked about cardio... Cardio ups the amount of calories burned by the body, and it is a proven component in weight loss. You could do cardio for 3 hours per day for three years, and three years from now it will still burn calories... Your body may get fitter, and it may become more adept at doing the workout, but if you keep intensity high, cardio will ALWAYS use energy. Progress will never halt.

Telling someone "not to do cardio because it will result in your body adapting and you'll be up shit creek" is like saying not to lift weights because your muscles will grow and you'll have to lift more later.... that's crazy.

Originally Posted by SlimShady

I disagee 100% with what you've posted. The key to losing weight is to burn more energy than you ingest. Period. Diet plays a signifigant role in the process, but he didn't ask about diet. He asked about cardio... Cardio ups the amount of calories burned by the body, and it is a proven component in weight loss. You could do cardio for 3 hours per day for three years, and three years from now it will still burn calories... Your body may get fitter, and it may become more adept at doing the workout, but if you keep intensity high, cardio will ALWAYS use energy. Progress will never halt.

Telling someone "not to do cardio because it will result in your body adapting and you'll be up shit creek" is like saying not to lift weights because your muscles will grow and you'll have to lift more later.... that's crazy.

Trust what you want but its true. If you perform to much cardio now you will have a very hard time later in weight loss. If he maintains his intensity with his weight training and keeps a STRICT diet then he shouldn't need cardio yet. Especially at 21+ body fat. But hell to each is own...

my diet is pretty much in-line with a cutting cycle. 5-6 meals/day lean meats and shakes for protien, fish oil caps for healthy fats and low gi carbs in the morning and early afternoon. I'm still working on my journal in regards to how many cal's I get from the various macro-nutrients. When I started doing all of this cardio, it was just to get my body prepared for the work to come. It doesn't do any good to lift heavy if you have to stop and take a breath because your're too tired from a warm up set.

Originally Posted by TheRoyalOne

my diet is pretty much in-line with a cutting cycle. 5-6 meals/day lean meats and shakes for protien, fish oil caps for healthy fats and low gi carbs in the morning and early afternoon. I'm still working on my journal in regards to how many cal's I get from the various macro-nutrients. When I started doing all of this cardio, it was just to get my body prepared for the work to come. It doesn't do any good to lift heavy if you have to stop and take a breath because your're too tired from a warm up set.

Exactly... You sound like you are in the same condition I was in, back in late Sept. I used cardio to get in a decent physical shape and lose my gut. I was lifting too, and the combination of weights followed by cardio really worked. If you read enough BB forums, you'll see that a lot of people consider cardio to be a sin or something. They act like if you do cardio, you'll end up looking like a marathom runner. Hell, I am 43 years old... I got no intention of becoming the next Jay Cutler.. all I wanted was to get in shape, and then grow some muscle. Cardio is healthy and it'll do the job for you.. once you get in decent shape, you can start working on adding mass. Just eat right, workout as much as you can and keep the level of intensity as high as possible. You'll do fine.

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

Trust what you want but its true. If you perform to much cardio now you will have a very hard time later in weight loss. If he maintains his intensity with his weight training and keeps a STRICT diet then he shouldn't need cardio yet. Especially at 21+ body fat. But hell to each is own...

This is the type of info I'm lookig for. It's been years since I've had the stamina to excercise at 70-90% for a full hour and it feels good to do so. I just don't want to over do it. Like I mentioned before, once I get my things from Bulknutrition.com and have my training/food logs ready, I will be doing my best to add on as much lean mass as possible. For now i just want to take advantage of the new found energy.

Originally Posted by SlimShady

Exactly... You sound like you are in the same condition I was in, back in late Sept. I used cardio to get in a decent physical shape and lose my gut. I was lifting too, and the combination of weights followed by cardio really worked. If you read enough BB forums, you'll see that a lot of people consider cardio to be a sin or something. They act like if you do cardio, you'll end up looking like a marathom runner. Hell, I am 43 years old... I got no intention of becoming the next Jay Cutler.. all I wanted was to get in shape, and then grow some muscle. Cardio is healthy and it'll do the job for you.. once you get in decent shape, you can start working on adding mass. Just eat right, workout as much as you can and keep the level of intensity as high as possible. You'll do fine.

So you see where I'm coming from. I have a decent build now but I need to loose this gut. I know too much cardio can cause the body to become catabolic, that's why I incorporate weights into my routine. Supplementing with l-glutamine helps too. I don't mind loosing a bit of muscle now if it means droping 4-5 inches from my waist. Building muscle has always been easy for me. Loosing the fat is the hard part.

Originally Posted by TheRoyalOne

So you see where I'm coming from. I have a decent build now but I need to loose this gut. I know too much cardio can cause the body to become catabolic, that's why I incorporate weights into my routine. Supplementing with l-glutamine helps too. I don't mind loosing a bit of muscle now if it means droping 4-5 inches from my waist. Building muscle has always been easy for me. Loosing the fat is the hard part.

Yeah, I know where you are at. I managed to drop 12 lbs and add an inch to my arms and chest in three months time. Like I said, I think one hour of cardio is overkill. I did it by cleaning up my diet and doing 20 minutes of high intensity cardio after my weight sessions and on off days. Now that I got most of the fat off (I still have some very small love handles, but nothing to worry about).. I am on a 3-day split and I'm doing cardio 3 times a week(only on my days when I don't lift), with one day off.

I'm gonna see how this new routine works out.. I don't want to lose anymore weight, but I do want to lose a little more fat. My main goal is to add some lean mass now. If I see that I'm gaining fat, I'll add more cardio sessions. But, if I see any more pounds drop off the scale, I'll cut back on cardio even more. (Plus, manipulate my diet at the same time). It's one big balancing act... the best part is, you can adjust everything as you go. You just have to see what works best for you.

Originally Posted by TheRoyalOne

I don't mind loosing a bit of muscle

I never understand this when people say it....

Originally Posted by P-funk

the thing is that you are doing so much cardio right now and not leaving yourself anywhere to go if you need to. When you lower cals your body adjusts to a new energy intake. When you do more cardio your body has to adapt to a new level of energy expenditure. Do both to much or to soon and you run your metabolism in the ground, back your self in a corner and shoot yourself in the foot. I would progress really slowly with cardio and use it only when it is neccessary.

This is just something from a nobody around here

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

This is just something from a nobody around here

Dude, you generally give good advice around here and I respect you. But in this instance you are advising an out of shape, middle aged man who wants to lose 4-5 inches off his waist AGAINST doing any cardio. You are dead wrong. Quote God himself if you want to.. I don't care. You will still be wrong. He doesn't need to worry about losing weight later. He needs to lose it NOW. There is no contest to prepare for in a year... the guy just wants to get in shape. Cardio will help him achieve his goals much as it did for me.

Edited to add - [BTW - I found the thread you quoted P-Funk from. His response about cutting back on cardio was in a journal of a lifter who has been a member here since Dec 2003. The guy is in excellent shape and trying to get his 6-pack to pop. In that instance, yeah, the advice P-Funk gave makes a lot of sense. That guy can wait and then use cardio to put the final touches on his cut. Read my own words about my plan - I myself am cutting back on cardio - BUT only because I have used it to LOSE that dangerous fat around my mid section. You know, the kind of fat that makes guys my age keel over from heart attacks! ..... Different situations require different stategies Deadbolt.. ]

Peace..

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

I never understand this when people say it....

You're taking the quote out of context....
4-5 inches off my stomach at the cost of 1-2 pounds of muscle...well worth the sacrifice. What good does it do to have 180 pounds of LBM if it's covered by 50 pounds of fat?

Originally Posted by SlimShady

....you are advising an out of shape, middle aged man....

I'm only 29

Originally Posted by SlimShady

Dude, you generally give good advice around here and I respect you. But in this instance you are advising an out of shape, middle aged man who wants to lose 4-5 inches off his waist AGAINST doing any cardio. You are dead wrong. Quote God himself if you want to.. I don't care. You will still be wrong. He doesn't need to worry about losing weight later. He needs to lose it NOW. There is no contest to prepare for in a year... the guy just wants to get in shape. Cardio will help him achieve his goals much as it did for me.

Edited to add - [BTW - I found the thread you quoted P-Funk from. His response about cutting back on cardio was in a journal of a lifter who has been a member here since Dec 2003. The guy is in excellent shape and trying to get his 6-pack to pop. In that instance, yeah, the advice P-Funk gave makes a lot of sense. That guy can wait and then use cardio to put the final touches on his cut. Read my own words about my plan - I myself am cutting back on cardio - BUT only because I have used it to LOSE that dangerous fat around my mid section. You know, the kind of fat that makes guys my age keel over from heart attacks! ..... Different situations require different stategies Deadbolt.. ]

Peace..

I never said don't do any cardio...I simply said use it as a tool and not over do it. You miss-understood me and twisted it around. I understand what your saying but I feel if he does to much cardio right now he may lose some weight but when it comes to the crucial time he wont have enough left to really go to the intensity that he will need.

This is why I say use it sparingly for now...start off slow and gradually increase it over time to keep gains constant...just don't throw it all in there every day. He hasn't been l.ifting for a while so the fact that he is starting again is like a cardio all in of itself...if he keeps proper intensity. So if he starts doing to much cardio right now his metabolism is really gonna get outta whack. I don't know if I made that clearly or not...do you understand where I'm coming from?

I'm not arguing or trying to correct you I'm simply giving you my perspective...everyone has their own style. I feel if he does to much cardio he will lose to much LBM and ruin his metabolism to fast where as if he goes my route he may preserve much more LBM and maintain a proper metabolism even though it takes a few weeks longer. In that gained time you saved by doing tons of cardio you will be making it up 2 fold trying to gain the LBM back.

Originally Posted by TheRoyalOne

You're taking the quote out of context....
4-5 inches off my stomach at the cost of 1-2 pounds of muscle...well worth the sacrifice. What good does it do to have 180 pounds of LBM if it's covered by 50 pounds of fat?




I'm only 29

Ouch! .. Sorry man, I thought you'd said you were my age. My apologies. I still think cardio is a good idea for you. Once you get rid of the gut, you can always cut back.

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

I'm not arguing or trying to correct you I'm simply giving you my perspective...everyone has their own style. I feel if he does to much cardio he will lose to much LBM and ruin his metabolism to fast where as if he goes my route he may preserve much more LBM and maintain a proper metabolism even though it takes a few weeks longer. In that gained time you saved by doing tons of cardio you will be making it up 2 fold trying to gain the LBM back.

I don't think 20 minutes of HIT cardio per day will cost him any LBM. Not if he keeps his lifting intensity high and his diet clean. All I can relate to is my own experience... I lost weight, lost fat and gained LBM. And I did 20-25 minutes of HIT cardio everyday. I still do it 3 times per week. I now have a 2-pack and quickly heading for a 4-pack. And I've gained LBM.

In the end, he'll have to decide for himself. He can make adjustments as he progresses... we all do, because we are all different.

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

.....This is why I say use it sparingly for now...start off slow and gradually increase it over time to keep gains constant...just don't throw it all in there every day.....

I started light with 20min/day 5days/week on the bike. In the past 3 weeks I've moved up to 60 minutes on the eliptical. The bike just wasn't cutting it any more.

Royalone... you might want to change what you're doing for Cardio.

Stepmill (basically real steps you have to go up)
Incline walking (10-15 grade)
Running

With Bikes/Elipticals/ski machines you aren't working against your body. So it's a much easier form of exercise and you waste too much time. 20 min on the stepmill feels like 45 on an eliptical. + with these your legs, core get a better workout themselves so you'll notice more muscular development in them.

Give them a try... you're shirt will wish you didnt.

Originally Posted by Cyber_Pinky

Royalone... you might want to change what you're doing for Cardio.

Stepmill (basically real steps you have to go up)
Incline walking (10-15 grade)
Running

With Bikes/Elipticals/ski machines you aren't working against your body. So it's a much easier form of exercise and you waste too much time. 20 min on the stepmill feels like 45 on an eliptical. + with these your legs, core get a better workout themselves so you'll notice more muscular development in them.

Give them a try... you're shirt will wish you didnt.

I'll do that tonight. The stepmills are usually pretty empty after 8PM. I've never been a fan of running, but of course I've never been in this good of cardiovascular shape.

Hey guys (& gals.) My name is Sissy, I'm new. Yes, new at working out too. I find this "how much Cardio" stuff to be interesting, so plugged in here. Let me tell you all a little about myself, if I may? I'm late 30's. I use to have a tight bod. (by just staying active.) But some idiot hit me head on and broke 5 of my bones. (ouch!) This was 3 yrs. ago. I am just now serious about getting myself back into shape.

I am trying to lose 25lbs (first) and then tighten up. (yes, the ab area needs to lose about 5") This is my 10th day in a row of working out. (I am trying a low weight and Cardio mix.) I "dancercise" for 20 minutes but read (somewhere?) where 20 minutes was only enough to kick it in gear and get the system started? ....so he recommended 1 hour? I see from reading here there are a few different view points?

I can see the point where "it could be too much too soon" for the system? I was going to go full force into my Cardio "dancercise" for 1 hour straight, but after reading I think maybe I'll back off and take it slow and stick to my "20 minute" dancercise? I think the system is in enough shock?

I'm doing 20 minutes of stretches/20 min. light weights/ & 20 min. Cardio. (Do you all recommend 3 healthy meals a day or 5 small meals to keep that Metabolism pumping?) Any advice is always appreciated. Thanks guys for sharing your workout knowledge.

_____________________________
I'll be back 4 more....
Late30Sissy

Originally Posted by Sissy

(Do you all recommend 3 healthy meals a day or 5 small meals to keep that Metabolism pumping?) Any advice is always appreciated. Thanks guys for sharing your workout knowledge.

_____________________________
I'll be back 4 more....
Late30Sissy

You definately want to go for 5-6 small meals a day. You should stop by the Diet and Nutrition forum, there are some pretty good articles there you should take a look at. This board is FULL of information.

Originally Posted by Cyber_Pinky

Royalone... you might want to change what you're doing for Cardio.

Stepmill (basically real steps you have to go up)
Incline walking (10-15 grade)
Running

With Bikes/Elipticals/ski machines you aren't working against your body. So it's a much easier form of exercise and you waste too much time. 20 min on the stepmill feels like 45 on an eliptical. + with these your legs, core get a better workout themselves so you'll notice more muscular development in them.

Give them a try... you're shirt will wish you didnt.

20 Minutes on the Stepmill last night kicked my @$$. I worked harder for those 20 minutes than I did for an hour on the eliptical. I think I'll be doing Max OT -Cardio on the Stepmill for the next few weeks.

Originally Posted by TheRoyalOne

You definately want to go for 5-6 small meals a day. You should stop by the Diet and Nutrition forum, there are some pretty good articles there you should take a look at. This board is FULL of information.

thanks. I'll give the 5 small meals a shot and check out the Nutrition forum too. I've noticed on here the words "Max OT"? I'm in Cardio 101 (lol.) could someone please fill me in on the Advanced cardio terminology? thanks.

P.S. Try Groovin' to some Hip Hop! The New Usher CD is a GREAT way to "Bust a Move" and break a sweat! How about some Cardio with some Fun!! ...and then go climb some steps or trees will work!

Originally Posted by TheRoyalOne

20 Minutes on the Stepmill last night kicked my @$$. I worked harder for those 20 minutes than I did for an hour on the eliptical. I think I'll be doing Max OT -Cardio on the Stepmill for the next few weeks.

Hehe.. ya no doubt that machine makes you burn!

If you want to keep going and that movement is too tiring... go on the treadmill at the biggest incline and walk at 4mph... good way to keep it going and last a bit longer.