Your opinion on cardio..

[MrKeenan]

Now obviously there are millions of topics on when to do/how long to do cardio on every fitness forum including this one however I would just like to gain a RECENT insight into what people believe to be most effective nowadays, even though I know people have individual differences.

I can go from one topic were people will be a big believer in fasted cardio, about it being best to do it in the morning due to glycogen levels being depleted and fat is used for energy.. doing it too long will turn the body catabolic causing muscle to be used for energy. Then in another I will read that cardio will always have a catabolic effect and it is inevitable you will lose muscle, giving endurance athletes as an example of lack of muscle mass. There's constant debate.



This topic has been raised a lot recently in my monthly mag's such as MD and Flex that new research suggests semi-fasted cardio to be most effective however would this mean a bigger source of protein or carbs before the cardio session?

Basically I would your opinion on when to do cardio, how long to do cardio and how much should be done in a week?

 

[Tuco]

I just keep it simple, 30 minutes of low intensity cardio, fasted in the morning, or after I hit the weights, or an hour before my last meal of the day.

 

[stfuandliftbtch]

Id say either right in the morning, or right after your weightlifting workout.

If you do it in the morning set an alarm 30 mins. before your cardio session and down a scoop of whey protein(to prevent any possibly muscle catabolism during card) in water and 1 caffeine pill. (500 200mg pills on bb.com for like $10). Then go back to sleep and wake up 30 mins later when your ready to do cardio.

IF you do it AFTER your weight workout, I wouldn't to do it any longer 20 minutes if you lifted over an hour. And no longer than 30 minutes if you lifted under 1 hour.

Just my thoughts.

 

[PushAndPull]

Basically I would your opinion on when to do cardio, how long to do cardio and how much should be done in a week?

I like doing my lifting and cardio on seperate days. I train in the morning, eat light before going (couple of yogurts).For me the key to cardio is finding something you can stick with and hopefully enjoy. I like shorter duration, higher intensity cardio for many reasons. For starters it is easier on my body so that alone makes it easier to stick with. It's more flexible time wise, and I feel the cardio benefits are better. Personally, I see my cardio as program not just a necessary time amount. So the amount of cardio I do varies week to week. I always train outdoors. I'll find a terrain that I like and then set up a program. Currently, i'm training around a lake. For me it's perfect: it's a paved road, has a decent amount hills, my dog is my training partner, there's milage markers on the road, and a good amount of tits&ass. I do an interval approach, sprinting the hills and jogging the flat stretches.
Nothing crazy, a current training block might look something like
wk 1: 2mi x 1
wk 2: 2mi x 2
wk 3: 2mi x 3
wk 4: 4mi x 1
wk 5: off
My goal is to be consistent, time myself for progression, and enjoy it as much as possible.

 

[BP2000]

It depends on your goals bro. If you want to get cut you can do 45 minute cardio sessions 6 or 7 times a week along with proper diet. (calorie restriction)

Fasted cardio is great. That is what I like to do. 15 minutes of ab circuit followed by 45 minute cardio. Take a ECA or 3-4 BCAAs beforehand.

Ill do 30 minute cardio after weight session as well. Or do some sprints after my weight session.

Working outside is good idea too if the weather is good and you have a place for it. You can also run bleacher's at a stadium or do sprints/slow jog at a track.

There is really no wrong way to do it. What matter's is you are doing it! Just make sure your heart rate is about 60% of max minimum and if it's low intensity make sure you go for at least 45 minutes if you are doing it for fat loss.

 

[ThreeGigs]

What kind of cardio?
Low intensity?
Medium intensity?
High intensity sustained?
High intensity interval?
Low intensity burst?
Medium intensity burst?
(burst is like interval training, only the high intensity bits are spaced much farther apart, like 4 to 5 minutes)

Low intensity you can do almost any time. Low intensity would be like a brisk walk.
Medium intensity moves you out of the 'fat burning zone', i.e. you actually burn more fat than in low intensity, however more than half of the calories you're burning come from carbs / muscle glycogen.
High intensity sustained is as fast as you can maintain for 30 to 45 minutes.
HIIT is all-out, balls to the wall for 30 to 60 secs, followed by 30 to 60 secs of low to medium, lather, rinse repeat for 15 to 20 minutes.
Burst is like HIIT but with longer 'rests'. Basically a low or medium sustained cardio session where you go all out for a minute every 5 to 6 minutes.

Plus, how much and how intense cardio you can do also depends on how much fat you're carrying. If you're really lean, you have a lower limit before your body will go catabolic. So in addition to picking a type of cardio to get an opinion on, you'll also have to specify a weight and bodyfat percentage for the target individual.
Oh, and was there muscle glycogen-depleting weight training before the cardio? That matters too.

 

[Gissurjon]

High intensity intervals, 15-20 minutes, ca. 2 a week.

 

[bjg]

20-30 mns cardio 3 times a week will not make you loose any muscle ...in the oposite it will give you better shaped muscles and harder muscles + it will improve your stamina for better training and sprinting the last few minutes will raise your hormonal level.
you can finish a workout with 20 mns cardio no problem.

 

[MrKeenan]

The elliptical today working amazing as a pre-exhaust when I did calves, could get a inteeeense squeeze

 

[adrianl158]

My cardio and lifting are two separate sessions, I make sure I eat light a while before a run, get properly hydrated for longer runs and stretch.

When I go for the longer runs I use about the first half mile as the "Warm up" before going into a tempo run. I haven't been doing this though recently cause they are starting to get boring.

Uphill interval's are my new found love. They don't take much time to complete and they can kick you ass. I have a very convenient walk way near my house that has so ill hit that about twice a week. The walkway has a hill that climbs for about 100 yards or so before descending for another 100. Ill sprint up then jog down.(Repeat 12 times)

Every once in a while (1-2 a month) ill go for a jog up these mountains I have around my house. I don't worry about time or anything like that; just jog it for fun. Once I hit the top ill rest up an enjoy the scenery.

This is something I do rarely but is always an option; the barbell complex. Its a cool little thing I do when the weather gets too bad for any of the above(Looks like a hurricane is about to hit so I might be doing these soon). If you have your rest periods short enough it will get you winded in no time. When I do complexes they are a bit after my initial lifts.

 

[Sabrina21]

If you do it AFTER your weight workout, I wouldn't to do it any longer 20 minutes if you lifted over an hour. And no longer than 30 minutes if you lifted under 1 hour.

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[Paramour]

 

[GetBig25]

cardio is shit.. i train hard and eat a lean diet

 

[PushAndPull]

Everyone loves a hypocrite

cardio is shit.. i train hard and eat a lean diet

So cardio is shit.

I eat alot of lean foods with low fat and after 2 weeks of doing cardio for 15mins after i lift and eating lean i lost an inch around my waist

So cardio is not shit.

 

[GetBig25]

cardio is shit cus I cut it out and still lost another inch on my waist from eating right...

 

[sofargone561]

i do cardio everyday. if im fastes i do low intensity for about 30 minutes. depending on what workout day it is and what ive eating ill do up to 60mins. mostly on the stationary bike becuase i have bad knees runnng with fuck me up.

 

[PushAndPull]

Do you not realize that your posts also contain the date they were posted?

cardio is shit cus I cut it out and still lost another inch on my waist from eating right...

Yesterday you posted that cardio was shit, today you posted that it helped you lose an inch from you waste. Now you saying that you cut out cardio and lost another inch and that's why it's shit. If that was true, then you would have first posted that cardio was good, followed by cardio is shit. Not to mention that they would not have been separated by a single day.

You don't have to lie to kick it

 

[itodobien]

For me, I do it right after Iwork out for anywhere from 15-30min. I have read that interval running is best for cutting fat, so that's what I do. 1min at a slower pace followed by 30-60sec high intensity. You can alter your speeds and times at each intensity too, for me it works really well.

 

[MrKeenan]

Does anyone have any info on if the type of cardio affects the occurrence of catabolism doing fasted morning cardio? Read a lot of people going against it as 'glycogen stores are low and you may find your body using its own protein as fuel'. Wouldn't this be the case in all types of cardio?

 

[Imens]

I try and do cardio as much as I can, but I can only do it when I have free time and that aint often When I get to do it, i do it for about 30minutes.

 

[32bulkcycle]

What's cardio?