Morning cardio might tap into fat, but big deal?
We store and retrieve fat all day. If you burn 20g of fat in the AM, but store 40g of fat later on, you're no further ahead. Ultimately it's a balance of calories.
Yep, but if you compare someone who takes in 3000 kals and does some cardio against someone who takes in 3000 kals and does zero cardio, the person who does cardio will be better off.
For the record, again, I'm not saying "do no cardio, ever, motherfucker", okay? LOL
If 3000 calories is maintenance
- the one doing cardio will lose weight (muscle and fat)
If 3000 calories is a surplus
- the one doing cardio will gain less weight than the one doing cardio
If 3000 calories is a deficit
- the one doing cardio will lose more weight (muscle and fat)
Also, I think you can burn more than 20g fat during AM cardio - for example in a 45-60 min session. I recently went from 20%+ bodyfat to 5% bodyfat keeping my calories intake higher and doing plenty of cardio (last 6 weeks I was doing 5 miles every morning). I didnt notice any loss in muscle or strength.
Try doing this in 15 years. Let me know how well it works. You're male and you're young. LOTS of muscle-protecting testosterone there, lots of lipolysis-inducing GH, and maintenance calories that are high enough that you can run a reasonable deficit without stressing your body too much.
You would have enjoyed the same or better results with less cardio and a tighter diet - a method that will work for you now AND in 15 years.
Better off in terms of what? Lean gains...? Hmm, no
Irrespective of the number of calories someone takes in? I dont see your reasoning here.
Bud, you are hard work.
We have been talking about cardio helping with lean gains the whole time. I then explained to you how it doesnt help with lean gains. And to be honest I dont really know what you talking about anymore.
Oh, and if you didnt lose any muscle while running 5 miles every morning you have the best genetics I have ever heard of.
In a deficit, it's important to realize that ever-increasing levels of activity with nothing (read: no AAS) to protect lean mass, you'll drop muscle, flat out.
In a surplus, it's less risky. Now - there is a limit to how much muscle you'll put on in a caloric surplus - ANY caloric surplus. Eat more than you need for these gains, you'll get fat.
If you don't want this, eat a
little less over maintenance, or burn off a little of the surplus. Either way will work.
Lobo - if you LIKE eating like a horse and doing lots of cardio rather than eating a
little over maintenance and just doing a small amount of cardio for your heart, go for it - if it works and it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just be prepared for a time in your life when this approach no longer works. And don't try to recommend it to an older person or a woman - we don't have enough testosterone to protect our lean mass.
