yea i think cardio does do it...

Dominikm · 11-10-2009, 05:34 AM

Before my holiday I was doing cardio each morning (LISS 30 mins/5-6x week)and lifting 3x/week after work.

Now i'm too busy with uni and work so i'm just eating in a bigger deficit.

From how I felt my muscle before they seems softer and smaller and now without the cardio they seem a tad bigger and harder.

I know everyone has the own opinions on this and the whole muscle loss issue due to cardio is over rated and is a endless debate but now i'm inclined to believe it's true from my own experience.

VAnick · 11-10-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominikm

Before my holiday I was doing cardio each morning (LISS 30 mins/5-6x week)and lifting 3x/week after work.

Now i'm too busy with uni and work so i'm just eating in a bigger deficit.

From how I felt my muscle before they seems softer and smaller and now without the cardio they seem a tad bigger and harder.

I know everyone has the own opinions on this and the whole muscle loss issue due to cardio is over rated and is a endless debate but now i'm inclined to believe it's true from my own experience.

was it fasted cardio?

+rep for guinea pigging

dangermouth · 11-10-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominikm

Before my holiday I was doing cardio each morning (LISS 30 mins/5-6x week)and lifting 3x/week after work.

Now i'm too busy with uni and work so i'm just eating in a bigger deficit.

From how I felt my muscle before they seems softer and smaller and now without the cardio they seem a tad bigger and harder.

I know everyone has the own opinions on this and the whole muscle loss issue due to cardio is over rated and is a endless debate but now i'm inclined to believe it's true from my own experience.

id wouldn't do cv more than 2-3 times a week so's not to lose muscle and i would probably only do 20 min HIIT

Dominikm · 11-11-2009, 04:21 AM

Yea it was fasted cardio. I'm still dropping the fat I put on while on holidays but I look better (muslce wise) with out excessive cardio.

Mlupi319 · 11-11-2009, 04:54 AM

IMHO i disagree. If you eat more (run a smaller deficit) and do cardio (preferably HIIT), it is better for muscle gains and fat loss. Alan Aragon had an extremely good post i think in exercises or losing fat about why HIIT is great but i would never do it fasted, it just takes away from fat loss due to lower quality workout and muscle. The article was all backed by scientific studies (that he explained and cited) and pretty much came to the conclusion that preforming HIIT, with a slight calorie deficit, when cutting is better than no cardio and a bigger calorie deficit.
This would also mean that it would be better to run a higher surplus during bulking and add some HIIT, because it will counter act the fat gain while bulking and is not a big concern to the hindering of muscle gains.

Dominikm · 11-11-2009, 05:37 AM

Like I said before this could be an endless debate, just stated what I noticed.

DROE · 11-11-2009, 07:36 AM

A misconception that just does not go away is that you will lose muscle, if you do cardio training. So many people are worried about losing the muscle that they worked so hard to get, that they avoid cardio. Is it really possible to lose large amount of muscle whilst doing cardio?

Most people try to bulk up as much as possible, eating as much food as they can. And often people gain a lot of fat along the way because they avoid cardio workouts. But when people are happy with their muscle weight and try to lose fat then so many people lose muscle as well as fat. And it is not because of intense cardio but mainly because of the strict dieting. And I really do not know many people who consistantly measure their fat percentage. But knowing how much fat you have is essential, otherwise you have no idea if you are losing fat or muscle.

Cardio is not the main cause of muscle loss. You can still maintain your muscles, even if you do 45-minute intensive cardio workouts daily. The main reasons are inadequate caloric intake, inadequate protein or dieting without including a weight training program.

If you want to build muscle then people don?t want to gain much fat. And if people want to lose fat then they don?t want to lose muscle. It is very tricky to do them right. Not eating enough food or skipping meals are much more important factors than doing enough cardio.

Including adequate meal frequency, protein, carbohydrates and total calories to your daily diet is very important. If you are worried about losing muscle then track your lean body mass with skinfold testing and adjust your cardio and nutrition accordingly. You can make the right decisions according to your feedback.

Mlupi319 · 11-11-2009, 08:37 AM

DROE is correct
more calories + more cardio (preferably HIIT)= more muscle gain and less fat gain
(or more fat loss with less muscle loss)

But ultimately do what is working for you and listen to your own body. But i suggest reading Alan Aragon's post in exercises about "cardio myths....." its a sticky

DROE · 11-11-2009, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mlupi319

DROE is correct

But ultimately do what is working for you and listen to your own body. But i suggest reading Alan Aragon's post in exercises about "cardio myths....." its a sticky

I haven't read that sticky yet but Mlupi states a good point. I obtained all of that information from reading, reading and reading. Besides your eating habits, reading is one of the best things you can do for yourself at all costs. There is a lot of good information out there, but at the same time a ton of misleading information. When I read something I try to confirm it by finding another article that will back it up. Otherwise you could just be reading garbage! You have to separate the fact from the crap!

Good luck and do what is doing for you! If it isn't working then change something but never get discouraged. It takes time to learn how your body works for you.