Best Cardio: 200m Sprint or a 3 mile Jog?

[sli]

I fully agree that long distance jogging /running is EXTREMELY CATABOLIC. Although you lose fat like crazy, feel "LIGHTWEIGHT", but you also lose LOT of STRENGTH which is exactly we DO NOT want while going to the gym.

Yes, I agree completely. My cardio used to consist of long distance running, but recently I have switched over to the epliptical/stair master in the gym. I felt, as you all have said, that I was losing strenght. Im gonna start doing more sprints, Ill let you all know how it goes.....

 

[elitist]

I don know about you guys, but I never do any sprintwork on the day of, or the day after I hit legs. totally counterproductive.

 

[LAM]

Originally posted by elitist
I don know about you guys, but I never do any sprintwork on the day of, or the day after I hit legs. totally counterproductive.

quite the opposite. doing HIIT/Max-OT cardio/sprinting for the day after legs will SPEED recovery. of course you need to keep it to 20 minutes or less at a high-intensity. it's works basically the same as doing an active-recovery session..

 

[Rich46yo]

""""""""'I fully agree that long distance jogging /running is EXTREMELY CATABOLIC. Although you lose fat like crazy, feel "LIGHTWEIGHT", but you also lose LOT of STRENGTH which is exactly we DO NOT want while going to the gym.
After all we do not go to gym to curl 50 Lbs for 50 reps!
Rich46yo...you must be missing some point brother!"""""""""""

Pray tell , tell me what point Im missing? You requested opinions and I gave you mine. If your regressing with weights at some point in your routine your overtraining. My opinion was it was probably your running, which was probably interfering with your rest cycle, and as a former LD runner I kinda gleaned from your post that you are probably running more then you admit.

I actually offered two opinions. #1, switch to lower impact, higher intensity, shorter time cardio, "kinda sounds like doing windsprints dont it"? #2, is the possibility your overtraining. Where in your routine you might be OT,ing in, hell ,I dont know. Only you can answer that, which is problematic because most people who overtrain dont even know they are doing it. BTW 3 miles 3 times a week is NOT long distance running. Its minimum cardiovascular gain.

Thats my opinion, tho it doesnt answer your question about "which" is better. Can I ask you one serious question Testo? Do you ever take one or two days off a week from exercise completely? Maybe a week or two several times a year? Thats from all exercise?..............take care.............Rich

 

[Testosterone]

I train 4 days a week. My workouts are oretty much like Dorian Yates: Short and Intense.
I take 3 days off a week, eat well.
During these 3 days I fast jog 3 miles non-stop. This is the period which tends to be catabolic for me. For me it's 4 days of Intense training + 3 days of Cardio sums it all. This 3 mile Cardio is havoc on me so I need to terminate it.
I need to utilise these 3 off days in HIIT Cardio as suggested by some of the fellow members here. Hopefully this way, I'll not lose strength.
Now you tell me: Is training 4 days a week called overtraining?
Or I'd be much better off with quitting Cardio and switch it with HIIT Cardio like sprints?

 

[elitist]

I gotta butt heads w/you on that one LAM. I've never heard of sprint work increasing recovery the day after heavy squatting. No way. Maybe for you, somehow, but its far too illogical without even knowing the specifics. Those type I fast twitches wont have time to recover, especially in your hammies. Slow easy cardio will necessitate the delivery of nutrients on the day after a leg session, but damn, if you hit your wheels as hard as I do.....sprinting isnt even an option the day after, and even if it was, I wouldnt take it. Why would I want to stop hypertrophy dead in its tracks?....light jog, yes....sprinting the day after a thrasher? not on your life.

 

[Rich46yo]

""""""""Now you tell me: Is training 4 days a week called overtraining?"""""""""

Cant answer that, I havnt seen your routine. I would guess no. I would also guess you know a helluva lot more about this stuff then I. Whatever silly advice I offered was done out of good intentions and friendship. I did guess right however, that it was the running.

I also know that some lifters are so incredably intense they can even overtrain taking 3 days off. If you are running on your "3 days off" my friend then you are not taking any "days off". What I do is do my 30 mins of cardio after I lift, and its all low impact. I take one or two days off and do NOTHING! Except eat right and sleep well, maybe a little stretching. This routine has allowed me to graduate from doing sitting overhead dumbell presses of 2 5lb dumbells, after my last back surgery, to currently throwing up 2 60's,4 10 rep throws, and Im about to move up to 65s when I can get to the store and buy them. Not to bad for someone legally crippled.

Took me two years to do it too. And in those two years there was a lot of cardio but always 1 to 2 days a week of doing nothing but stretching..........good luck my friend...........Rich

 

[LAM]

Originally posted by elitist
I gotta butt heads w/you on that one LAM. I've never heard of sprint work increasing recovery the day after heavy squatting. No way. Maybe for you, somehow, but its far too illogical without even knowing the specifics. Those type I fast twitches wont have time to recover, especially in your hammies. Slow easy cardio will necessitate the delivery of nutrients on the day after a leg session, but damn, if you hit your wheels as hard as I do.....sprinting isnt even an option the day after, and even if it was, I wouldnt take it. Why would I want to stop hypertrophy dead in its tracks?....light jog, yes....sprinting the day after a thrasher? not on your life.

LAM's Leg Day Quads/AM

Hack Squats - 2x135x20, 1x225x20, 1x315x20, 1x435x15
Flex Squat Machine - 1x225x20, 1x315x20, 2x565x15
Leg Press - 1x405x20, 3x875x20, Last set drop set from 875 to 135

Quads/PM

20 Rep Squats - 1x225x20
DB Lunges - 3x75x12
Leg Ext - 3x120xfailure

Hammies/PM
SLDL - 1x135x15, 2x275x10
Lying Leg Curls - 3x100x12
Standing Leg Curls - 3x80x15

* I have no problem doing HIIT/Max-OT or sprints the day after legs. But my diet is also spot on...

 

[elitist]

as is mine...why are you showing me your workout?...not to impress me I hope.......hey i aint gon sit here and call you a liar...im just saying...I personally think your protocol is hampering the optimal gains you could be getting if you passed on the HIIT......to each his own...

 

[LAM]

Originally posted by elitist
as is mine...why are you showing me your workout?...not to impress me I hope.

not in the least....I don't need to post stats on the internet to impress people...

If you don't think that you can train legs and sprint the next day you obviously have never competitively competed in track and field...

 

[elitist]

I don't remember ever saying you can't. Show me that quote why don't you. LAM, I could sit here and argue this 'till we're both blue in the face, and neither would have the edge. I'm quite sure of that.I never said one cant(as you incorrectly posted), I said I believe it is detrimental to quicker quality gains, which I whole-heartedly stand-by. And as for the comment about me never competing in track and field, you're correct, but last time I checked this forum is for people who want to build their bodies,and are interested in the quickest, most advantageous manner to reach their goals, not train for the high jump, or javelin throw. You're way off base with that snide remark.

 

[LAM]

Originally posted by elitist
I don't remember ever saying you can't. Show me that quote why don't you. LAM, I could sit here and argue this 'till we're both blue in the face, and neither would have the edge. I'm quite sure of that.I never said one cant(as you incorrectly posted), I said I believe it is detrimental to quicker quality gains, which I whole-heartedly stand-by. And as for the comment about me never competing in track and field, you're correct, but last time I checked this forum is for people who want to build their bodies,and are interested in the quickest, most advantageous manner to reach their goals, not train for the high jump, or javelin throw. You're way off base with that snide remark.

have you ever seen a world class sprinter with out superior leg development ? no..

what do they do ? lifts weights and do sprints day in and day out

 

[elitist]

True, but you touch my point though. That's for the most part what they focus on(lower body). Their legs take precedent over the rest of their body, and I have yet to see a sprinter with equal mass and development throughout the rest of their bodies to match their massy sculpted legs, and calves. Hey if your all about your pins, do you. Me personally, I would prefer to have a perfectly proportioned physique, and I'm sorry to say, sprinters, although they have beautiful physiques, are somewhat muscularly imbalanced. Not something conducive to bodybuilding. (sigh)...now go ahead and post your comeback...