Cardio?

[Determined30]

I am still trying to burn fat and follow a clean diet. I am strength training 6 days a week. How much cardio is appropriate in the fat burning and cutting stage? I don't want to hinder any results!!

Thanks

[smokey_78]

20 - 30 mins post weight training has worked for me.

[Determined30]

Thanks!! And I will still be able to lose more fat?

[Abominator]

Diet > Cardio

I wouldn't do anything too crazy. 20 minutes daily of some light to moderate cardio should be sufficient.

EDIT: Just noticed this was the female BBing section. Unsubscribed.

[smokey_78]

Thanks!! And I will still be able to lose more fat?

Yup, just make sure you keep ur diet clean and change the amount of weight you lift, when it gets to easy, and change what exercise you do for that body part about 6-8 weeks, gotta keep you're body guessing.

[Determined30]

Thank you - this is helpful! I tend to overdo it in the cardio department!

[Cynthia_1979]

How much cardio during the week is appropriate when your combining it with strength training? This is an area I seem really confused about with bodybuilding.com. If wanting to lose weight are we suppose to aim for cardio 5x/week for 45-60 minutes on top of the 3-4 days of strength training or is it much less than that?

[AUTiger13]

Cardio is just going to add more of sink calorically, it isn't going to be THE thing that gets you lean. You need to check your diet. And when you say cardio are you talking Steady state or HIIT.

I think 5 days of 60 min of cardio PLUS 3-4 days of training to lose fat isn't smart. To me, if you need that much then your diet off. Once your body becomes efficient at 300 min of cardio a week- where are you going to go from there...add in more? two-a-days? I just think there is a smarter way.

[Cynthia_1979]

Cardio is just going to add more of sink calorically, it isn't going to be THE thing that gets you lean. You need to check your diet. And when you say cardio are you talking Steady state or HIIT.

I think 5 days of 60 min of cardio PLUS 3-4 days of training to lose fat isn't smart. To me, if you need that much then your diet off. Once your body becomes efficient at 300 min of cardio a week- where are you going to go from there...add in more? two-a-days? I just think there is a smarter way.

Because I'm not able to go to the gym due to having a baby 5 months ago, I'm solely relying on fitness video's for my workouts. The video's I'm doing combines mainly cardio with strength training, so I guess they're somewhere between steady state and HITT (it's hard to really say). I also include weight training for each body part 4x/week.

If I'm limited to fitness video's for now, how many times a week should I be working out then?

[SexyChic]

Because I'm not able to go to the gym due to having a baby 5 months ago, I'm solely relying on fitness video's for my workouts. The video's I'm doing combines mainly cardio with strength training, so I guess they're somewhere between steady state and HITT (it's hard to really say). I also include weight training for each body part 4x/week.

If I'm limited to fitness video's for now, how many times a week should I be working out then?

My advice is to buy some cheap dumbells and start doing some weight training....There are lots of different exercises you can do at home with dumbells, including squats. Cardio is just going to make you flabby if you don't have muscle undernearth.
It depends on the intensity of your fitness videos and how long you do them for....it also depends on how many calories you are eating per day.

[Cynthia_1979]

My advice is to buy some cheap dumbells and start doing some weight training....There are lots of different exercises you can do at home with dumbells, including squats. Cardio is just going to make you flabby if you don't have muscle undernearth.
It depends on the intensity of your fitness videos and how long you do them for....it also depends on how many calories you are eating per day.

I definitely have the dumbells and other pieces of equipment such as an exercise ball, exercise bands, ankle weights etc. to aid in my weight training so that isn't a problem. For me it's just figuring out how many days a week of cardio should be done in addition to what I'm doing with weight training.

[Mrsstanpoe]

Thank you - this is helpful! I tend to overdo it in the cardio department!

If you are a die hard cardio junkie (as i used to be!) you will need to mix it up. 20 minutes of moderate WONT get you to lose fat. NO WAY, NO DAY (notice it was a MAN who posted that, no offense). Women have a much harder time dropping BF than men. The only thing that has really worked for me is varying the type of aerobic exercise (running, stairmill, glider, eliptical) and what intensities.. Just search this site for HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This will BURN that stubborn fat...

Good luck!

[freebirdmac]

I definitely have the dumbells and other pieces of equipment such as an exercise ball, exercise bands, ankle weights etc. to aid in my weight training so that isn't a problem. For me it's just figuring out how many days a week of cardio should be done in addition to what I'm doing with weight training.

Diet is #1, weight training is #2, cardio is the icing. Three 30 minute sessions a week should be fine

[freebirdmac]

I am still trying to burn fat and follow a clean diet. I am strength training 6 days a week. How much cardio is appropriate in the fat burning and cutting stage? I don't want to hinder any results!!

Thanks

With your stats I'd make it a slow lean. Twenty minutes of cardio 3 days a week plus a conservative deficit should work well. It'll be slow, but you can keep your muscles and maybe gain a tad more.

[fitlover]

I am still trying to burn fat and follow a clean diet. I am strength training 6 days a week. How much cardio is appropriate in the fat burning and cutting stage? I don't want to hinder any results!!

Thanks

Wow, I think you're doing way too much training. Unless you're prepared to eat a LOT to meet the needs of your body, you could end up overtraining. I'd be careful with that.

[Cynthia_1979]

Diet is #1, weight training is #2, cardio is the icing. Three 30 minute sessions a week should be fine

Thanks so much Freebirdmac! Just the information I was looking for. I'll give it a try and see how it aids my weight loss.

[chinadoll08]

Hey, I have a question for you ladies. I have tried HITT for 20 mins and it was not until I start doing hour long cardio sessions that my weight has dropped and switching my machines. Why do you think that is? Oh and my muscle has maintained.

[freebirdmac]

Hey, I have a question for you ladies. I have tried HITT for 20 mins and it was not until I start doing hour long cardio sessions that my weight has dropped and switching my machines. Why do you think that is? Oh and my muscle has maintained.

Could be you didn't see the results from HIIT until you moved on. Scale weight is awful for determining fat loss as well. You really need to see a change in measurements or in clothes or in the mirror. You could lose body fat but not see it in the scales due to water and/or muscle gains.

[JVo]

Do you guys think I'm doing too much cardio? I'm doing 4 40 minute sessions of HIIT each week and one 20 minute session. I'm just interested in dropping the fat faster than I would be through calorie deficit alone. (On top of that, I'm doing about 3 hours of strength training per week.)

I was doing even more cardio than that a few years ago...and did lose weight that way (not sure how much was fat and how much muscle).

Edit: Tom Venuto (in "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle") says he does 6 45 minute sessions of cardio per week (since according to him, it's better to "burn" the fat than starve it).

[JVo]

If you are doing true HIIT you should only be able to do it for about 15-20 min. You probably could get by with 2x 15-20 min HIIT sessions a week.

Thanks, but then how do you explain that Tom Venuto's doing 6 45 minute sessions of HIIT per week? Do you think that's not really HIIT?

Note that I'm also only planning on keeping this up for a couple of months...

[wendym1979]

Thanks, but then how do you explain that Tom Venuto's doing 6 45 minute sessions of HIIT per week? Do you think that's not really HIIT?

Note that I'm also only planning on keeping this up for a couple of months...

There are so many definitions of HIIT out there. Some say, increase speed and/or resistance by some for 1 min and alternate that with slower periods. But then some say go ALL OUT for as long as you can (which is really only 20 seconds or so). Does it matter which is "true" HIIT if there such a thing? I don't know if it does because either way, you are burning more calories AND fat than steady state. Plus, your metabolism is boosted throughout the day.

[JVo]

There are so many definitions of HIIT out there. Some say, increase speed and/or resistance by some for 1 min and alternate that with slower periods. But then some say go ALL OUT for as long as you can (which is really only 20 seconds or so). Does it matter which is "true" HIIT if there such a thing? I don't know if it does because either way, you are burning more calories AND fat than steady state. Plus, your metabolism is boosted throughout the day.

Thanks...that's what I'm thinking...

[Cynthia_1979]

Quick question for all of you-have you heard of Jillian Michaels, "30 Day Shred"? If so, would her work-out video be considered a HITT workout program?

If you haven't heard of her workout program, it is a program that is made of 3 levels which you complete in 30 days. It uses a variety of methods such a short bursts of cardio, strength training, and other forms of exercise all completed within 25 minutes. Is this what we mean by a HITT program?

[dvsness]

Quick question for all of you-have you heard of Jillian Michaels, "30 Day Shred"? If so, would her work-out video be considered a HITT workout program?

If you haven't heard of her workout program, it is a program that is made of 3 levels which you complete in 30 days. It uses a variety of methods such a short bursts of cardio, strength training, and other forms of exercise all completed within 25 minutes. Is this what we mean by a HITT program?

HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training. Personally, I can't stand HIIT. I much prefer using diet and LISS cardio.

[sweetmelissa]

I wouldn't consider 30 day shred HIIT

[Cynthia_1979]

HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training. Personally, I can't stand HIIT. I much prefer using diet and LISS cardio.

Dysness-I'm curious to know why you can't stand HITT and why you prefer LISS based training? With LISS what does your workout regime look like?

[push_it]

I think HIIT is awsome if fat loss is your goal. Just add 1 - 2 sessions into your workout schedule. Start with just 1.
It's best done on non-weight training days as well.

[Cynthia_1979]

I wouldn't consider 30 day shred HIIT

Sweetmelissa-I was searching the web and found a couple of reviews stating that the "30 Day Shred" is considered a type of interval training, mainly composed of the circuit system of training. From what I know of circuits, they are similar to HITT in that you burn twice the amount of fat in a shorter training program as you would with a longer one.

What are your thoughts on this?

[JVo]

Just curious...Where does Tom Venuto say he does 6 sessions of 45 min of HIIT? I was surprised by this comment because it doesnt sound resonable. He would be burning all his muscle by doing 45 min of HIIT!

This is a direct quote from something i read "My cardio is mostly moderate in intensity. If I do high intensity interval training (HIIT), it's usually only 2-3 sessions per week. I do use HIIT, but I've neved jumped on the bandwagon that HIIT is the only way to do cardio (it's NOT, as bodybuilders such as myself have proven time and time again.)"


Here is the link if your interested....http://www.squidoo.com/tomvenutofitness

Thanks for finding that other quote from him.

I guess you're right that I may have assumed that the intense cardio he was talking about was HIIT (although he does say it's "intense"). In "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle", page 262, he says:

"By the way, this kind of cardio training is how I reach 3 - 4% body fat for
competitions: I do approximately six days per week of intense cardio, 45 minutes per session. Let me wrap up the topic of cardio frequency this way: If I were overweight and I knew what I now know about fat loss, I would be doing cardio every day, possibly even twice a day, seven days a week until I was happy with my weight. Then and only then would I cut back to three days a week for maintenance."

It's interesting that he's an advocate of so much cardio....while other people think that would be overtraining....different viewpoints I guess.

[dvsness]

Dysness-I'm curious to know why you can't stand HITT and why you prefer LISS based training? With LISS what does your workout regime look like?

I found that I lose more muscle performing HIIT that LISS (regardless of what studies indicate). LISS is also easier on my joints. I'd rather lose fat controlling diet with as little cardio as possible.

My workouts are tradition bodypart splits, 6-10 rep range, usually finishing with some form of pump set (dropsets if no carbs, FST-7 if with carbs). My workouts don't really vary in style too much from bulking to cutting - the only variable is caloric intake and cardio. I don't believe in using weight training as a cardio exercise (circuits). The goal of weight training is to build or maintain muscle.