Thread: cardio sessions for fat loss

Originally Posted by davatar

What is the best time/way to do cardio to preserve muscle mass? Right now I do 60 minutes 150bpm (~55 resting 205+ max) before eating anything and then I have a tuna sandwitch, and a glass of juice (which I think reduces muscle loss because of an insulin surge). Is this bad/good? Using a scale and some rickety bodfat calipers I estimate that last week I lost some muscle mass ~2lbs for 6lbs of bodyfat (with the help of some biotest md6). Is this a decent ratio, or can I get better?

You may be putting your muscle at risk by doing an hour of cardio on an empty stomach.. sure at first it may not touch your muscle but after you go so long your body will switch over to using it as an energy source.

You may be better off either eating something like a single egg before your cardio or working out for a shorter time in the morning.. like say 20-40 minutes and doing intervals instead of staying at one steady pace.

You're burning, what, 300 calories in that session?

Just eat 300 calories less food and be done with it. Less work and it works better for fat loss.

Originally Posted by Built

You're burning, what, 300 calories in that session?

Just eat 300 calories less food and be done with it. Less work and it works better for fat loss.

hey built, when are we gonna see your new training and nutriton videos. hey, didnt you tell me to do 20 min of cardio after my workouts?????mmmmm

Originally Posted by diablomex

hey built, when are we gonna see your new training and nutriton videos. hey, didnt you tell me to do 20 min of cardio after my workouts?????mmmmm

20 minutes is a bit different from 60. And when Built says cardio, chances are she is talking about HIIT or some variant which can be found on her blog.

I am doing 25 minutes of Interval training since it was suggested here instead of steady state and I notice a difference in the intensity. I do it on the days in between lifting. I have also started to eat some protein prior and a banana with 8 oz of water before all my workout now. I was getting pretty fatigued early when I was not eating prior to working out. I eat things like cottage cheese or a tuna salad after I finish backed with a whey drink and water. It seems to make a difference (the intervals and eating before and after).

Originally Posted by davatar

What is the best time/way to do cardio to preserve muscle mass? Right now I do 60 minutes 150bpm (~55 resting 205+ max) before eating anything and then I have a tuna sandwitch, and a glass of juice (which I think reduces muscle loss because of an insulin surge). Is this bad/good? Using a scale and some rickety bodfat calipers I estimate that last week I lost some muscle mass ~2lbs for 6lbs of bodyfat (with the help of some biotest md6). Is this a decent ratio, or can I get better?

7 years is a long time to wait for an answer. I'm thinkin he might have figured that one out...or not.

Originally Posted by rahaas

7 years is a long time to wait for an answer. I'm thinkin he might have figured that one out...or not.

Haha I just noticed that.. I think I had the forum listed in the reverse order I wanted it.

Originally Posted by Built

You're burning, what, 300 calories in that session?

Just eat 300 calories less food and be done with it. Less work and it works better for fat loss.

Why does this way work better for fat loss?

I dont try to lose weight through cardio (tabatas on the rowing machine once a week) however cardio does help with nutrient partitioning, and if its HIIT your doing you will get a bit extra growth hormone released.

Im probably missing something here, I just cant see what it is?

Not really missing anything. As part of the overall plan, sure. As a primary modality for fat loss, you're better off dieting off the WEIGHT and taking steps to retain muscle - ie heavy lifting and sufficient protein/not too much of a deficit.

This study, done on obese people mind you, who can "enjoy" a greater deficit and higher-volume training than leaner folks, showed that deficit + lifting elicited greater fat loss than deficit + cardio. Effects of Resistance vs. Aerobic Training Combined With an 800 Calorie Liquid Diet on Lean Body Mass and Resting Metabolic Rate -- Bryner et al. 18 (2): 115 -- Journal of the American College of Nutrition

Does this "prove" you should never, ever do cardio? No. What it establishes is that you don't actually require dedicated cardio in order to lose fat - quite in fact, if you can only bear to do one form of training, the one that will protect your LBM in a deficit is resistance training.

For women, it's an even bigger deal that we don't try to "cardio off the weight" because our appetites tend to rise as our activity level does. Effects of exercise intensity on food intake and appetite in women -- Pomerleau et al. 80 (5): 1230 -- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

If we're exercising for recreational pleasure or for overall conditioning, not a problem. If we're doing it to lose weight, it's even more likely to shoot us in the foot than it is for men. I generally recommend pretending exercise burns NOTHING. That way you don't rely upon it for the deficit.

That help?

Appologies, for some reason I took your post to mean that defict+lifting was in some way better than deficit+lifting+some cardio.

Wasnt missing something, just assumed wrongly!