Hours upon hours of cardio for prep,..is it necessary?

[stayfit2008]

Maybe it's just me and my body physical makeup but Geesh! I see people doing all types of cardio in different volumes for hours upon hours a week!
My prep routine only calls for 2 HIIT cardio seesions per week at 16 minutes per session. The last month I may increase the volume to 4x16 minute sessions per week. This seems to be more than enough and I find it is very muscle sparing. I just cant see doing 45 minute or 1 hour sessions of moderate intensity or HIIT 3,4 or 5 times if not more a week and I see some doing cardio directly after weight training,..Yikes! Do some of you guys really need to do that much?

[Sniperwolf]

I dont get it either. I did a lot last year and felt terrible all the time. Always hungry and tired. This year I have done practically zero cardio (2 x 30 mins sessions on bike from 6 weeks out) and never felt better and I look better than last year with 2 weeks to go.

[MattyH7688]

another reason why I got away from the palumbo diet...

2 hours of cardio a day... **** that

[stayfit2008]

another reason why I got away from the palumbo diet...

2 hours of cardio a day... **** that

Hey whats up! good job on your latest show! Now it's time to get HUGE again! I never see you at BEST. You must be training with bones. :)

[MattyH7688]

Hey whats up! good job on your latest show! Now it's time to get HUGE again! I never see you at BEST. You must be training with bones. :)

getting leaner and sharper for ONE more show, then its time to get huge! :D

Nah, I odont train with bob to much.. My schedule is goofy though because of contest prep but i lift in the afternoon most days....

After the show is over ill be around best at like 3-4

[SkNatural]

I think for the most part people end up doing that much cardio because;

1. They kill their metabolism by cutting things out too quickly
2. They don't do the work in the offseason with their food so when it comes time to diet, they have food to cut out.

If you have hardly any food to start with, where are going to create the deficit from?

The only answer is 2 hours of cardio.

[merse]

im doing super amounts of cardio to drop the BF. im trying for a transformation to competition. ive actually increased my calories, but fixed my macros and eating the good stuff, but im doing close to 2hrs of cardio a day (1hr in the morning, 45mins after weights)
good results in the past 2 weeks tho

but yeh, its something i couldnt keep up for ever without burning out. I know im rushing the progress a tad, but competition is calling... and its a fun hobby (and healthier than the pub)

[xtralean]

palumbo diet..
2 hours of cardio a day

Thats just ridiculous

[bryce126]

when youre on a restricted calorie diet and doing cardio, you simply have the choice of adding cardio or dropping calories when fat loss stalls. intervals seemed to be pretty muscle sparing for me, and I wasn't doing intense amounts of cardio. by the end of this prep, I'm at 3 LISS sessions and 3 HIIT sessions per week, not too bad

[Whomper107]

I think for the most part people end up doing that much cardio because;

1. They kill their metabolism by cutting things out too quickly
2. They don't do the work in the offseason with their food so when it comes time to diet, they have food to cut out.

If you have hardly any food to start with, where are going to create the deficit from?

The only answer is 2 hours of cardio.

Couldn't agree more with this. It's very common for inexperienced competitors to make unnecessary adjustments to their program - IE cut calories here or add cardio there, whether it's necessary or not. I know I sort of fell into this trap a while back... I suppose I just had it in my head that cardio was a mandatory part of dieting, so before I knew it I was up to 7 hours of LISS a week, and 4 HIIT sessions. Rest assured I won't be making that mistake again. Next time around it's going to be a nice long prep, with a gradual reduction of calories as needed to keep things moving. I'll add in HIIT as necessary also, and perhaps even avoid LISS altogether, or at least keep it to a minimum.

[MattyH7688]

next time i diet the goal is to do as little cardio as possible!

really cardio hasnt been to bad until the final 2-3 weeks.. and i am upping it this final stretch to bring the best package i can and to come in at 176

[Outdoor Girl]

This is a great thread - very informative. The cardio part of training has always been a little confusing to me - how much, what kind, how to balance with diet created calorie deficits, etc. Really great to hear feedback from people who have been through the process. :)

[Quelly]

i'd like to see everyone who thinks cardio isn't necessary in large amounts post up their pictures...

not calling anyone out...just saying to get striated-glutes lean it takes a little more...at least for most...hell Alberto and Ben can get away with it...but my glutes are just coming in and i've DEFINITELY logged some days of HIIT, LISS, MISS, and GPP over the last 6+ months

[MattyH7688]

i'd like to see everyone who thinks cardio isn't necessary in large amounts post up their pictures...

not calling anyone out...just saying to get striated-glutes lean it takes a little more...at least for most...hell Alberto and Ben can get away with it...but my glutes are just coming in and i've DEFINITELY logged some days of HIIT, LISS, MISS, and GPP over the last 6+ months

I am good friends with a upper level npc guy who gets shredded glutes without doing a second of cardio. He does NOT use any fat burners either. However, he rarely goes over 8% year round.

Most guys will need cardio though.. but I think there comes a point were to much cardio is going to do more harm than good. Chris Aceto has his guys maxing out at 45 minutes a day.

[sweeth4796]

I am good friends with a upper level npc guy who gets shredded glutes without doing a second of cardio. He does NOT use any fat burners either. However, he rarely goes over 8% year round.

Most guys will need cardio though.. but I think there comes a point were to much cardio is going to do more harm than good. Chris Aceto has his guys maxing out at 45 minutes a day.

that is VERY true. I bought his book and he is anti cardio. I personally have lost about 28 pounds in the last 5 months and have done no more than 20-30 min cardio sessions 3-4 times a week

[Quelly]

I am good friends with a upper level npc guy who gets shredded glutes without doing a second of cardio. He does NOT use any fat burners either. However, he rarely goes over 8% year round.

Most guys will need cardio though.. but I think there comes a point were to much cardio is going to do more harm than good. Chris Aceto has his guys maxing out at 45 minutes a day.

I agree with you, most guys probably will need it...I just hate to see people promoting an all or nothing approach...realistically, your gonna have to do some cardio, a low moderate to high moderate amount in general...unless you are an outlier...

[crew5]

I always thought cardio was one of those things you used in a progressive attempt to get rid of body fat. During my contest prep I would change diet or add cardio as the weight got harder to take off. For me at least cardio is a must. Hey - could I compete without it - of course, anyone could. No one has to do cardio. Just be prepared for your placement and those should have - could have thoughts. I wonder how many guys are on here saying 'if I had only done more cardio' or 'if only my body fat was lower' - don't be fooled - do your cardio.

[stayfit2008]

i'd like to see everyone who thinks cardio isn't necessary in large amounts post up their pictures...

not calling anyone out...just saying to get striated-glutes lean it takes a little more...at least for most...hell Alberto and Ben can get away with it...but my glutes are just coming in and i've DEFINITELY logged some days of HIIT, LISS, MISS, and GPP over the last 6+ months

My trainer Bill Lawrence:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll247/stayfit2008/bill.jpg

and,..I dont think I did toobad myself either :)
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll247/stayfit2008/8days001-1-1.jpg

[MattyH7688]

i think the biggest factor is staying lean in the offseason... every person i have seen who can get away with little to no cardio doesnt get to fat in the offseason and are often pretty darn lean beginning the diet..I dont plan on getting fat this year and will not let myself get above 10%.. so hopefully i wont have to kill myself with cardio next time i diet

[FATHER FLEX]

Cardio as little as you need! :D As many have said in here. Cardio should add to your caloric deficit, you should not rely on it to make your quota. The amount will vary from person to person, depending on how much they got to loose, and bodytype.

Chances are you are going to have to do some cardio at some point to get into decent shape, regardless of your situation. Specially if you want to get REAL lean, and my definiton of REAL lean is I will admit is a bit ambitious.

[zuspann]

I have been thinking about this subject recently. im 12 weeks from first competition and only do 4 days, 30min low intensity cardio first thing in morning. i was doing 5 at first but cut it down due to losing too fast. i thought of dropping down to 2 days/week. is that unheard of, doing that little? ive even put calories back in because of losing too fast and starting diet too early. please let me know what you think because i think i could get by with little cardio.
thanks

[Quelly]

My trainer Bill Lawrence:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll247/stayfit2008/bill.jpg

and,..I dont think I did toobad myself either :)
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll247/stayfit2008/8days001-1-1.jpg

oh i didn't mean you bro! i know how shredded you got!

[MuscleManxx]

next year il def cut dwon cardio

i just didnt know how much fat i had to drop until 8 weeks out then in desperate attempt to cut fat i started doing 45 min cardio a day and 2 weeks out i was at hour cardio a day and down to 60 gm carbs.. it worked i lost 10 llbs in 5 weeks but i could have been smarter about it

[Sporto1633]

Maybe it's just me and my body physical makeup but Geesh! I see people doing all types of cardio in different volumes for hours upon hours a week!
My prep routine only calls for 2 HIIT cardio seesions per week at 16 minutes per session. The last month I may increase the volume to 4x16 minute sessions per week. This seems to be more than enough and I find it is very muscle sparing. I just cant see doing 45 minute or 1 hour sessions of moderate intensity or HIIT 3,4 or 5 times if not more a week and I see some doing cardio directly after weight training,..Yikes! Do some of you guys really need to do that much?

Is hours upon hours of cardio for prep necessary? No, it isn't necessary. Cardio should be used as a tool, not a crutch. I think there are benefits that you can gain from from the aerobic pathways that cardio has to offer (think HIIT for stubborn fat mobilization) that you can't get from anaerobic pathways through lifting - so I don't believe a cardio without prep is optimal. The right amount for any individual is dependent upon quite a few variables...phenotype, insulin sensitivity, efficiency of hormonal systems, etc. and figuring out that amount is a continual learning process for that individual to find the perfect balance.


I think for the most part people end up doing that much cardio because;

1. They kill their metabolism by cutting things out too quickly
2. They don't do the work in the offseason with their food so when it comes time to diet, they have food to cut out.

If you have hardly any food to start with, where are going to create the deficit from?

The only answer is 2 hours of cardio.

I agree - what most bodybuilders will realize eventually is how important the offseason is in many facets that contribute directly to how hard or easy their next contest prep will be.

Sporto

[tony_v]

i'd like to see everyone who thinks cardio isn't necessary in large amounts post up their pictures...

not calling anyone out...just saying to get striated-glutes lean it takes a little more...at least for most...hell Alberto and Ben can get away with it...but my glutes are just coming in and i've DEFINITELY logged some days of HIIT, LISS, MISS, and GPP over the last 6+ months

The first time I prepped I didn't do any cardio from 11 weeks out till show time. Ironically, I've yet to be able to match the conditioning I achieved then.

[Quelly]

all very interesting answers....as always....it seems nothing is black or white, and everyBODY is quite different

[Sporto1633]

all very interesting answers....as always....it seems nothing is black or white, and everyBODY is quite different

Very much so, not to mention the fact that your dieting approach has a lot to do with which cardio approach is optimal

Sporto

[stayfit2008]

Many styles, many methods.