To Answer All Your Cardio Questions(Article:Please Read)

[Bignbuff]

Well now that's summer is approaching, everyone wants to lose weight. Cardiovascular exercise is a key component to shedding off those pounds. If you are interested in how to do this effectively than I suggest you read this post with some common questions that I've read and their answers.

What type of cardio should I be doing, high intensity or low intensity?

Well there have been recent studies about this. One group of people did high intensity cardio for a period of time while others did low intensity cardio. At the end of the experiment the group doing the high intensity cardio had burned more fat than the group who did low intensity cardio. The truth is that low intensity cardio for long periods of time actually burns more fat while you're exercising than the high intensity. They also burned a similar amount of calories during the exercise. However, studies showed that the group that did high intensity cardio continued to burn those calories afterwards while the group who performed low intensity burned barely any calories afterwards ultimately resulting in many more calories burned by the high intensity group. For long term fat loss, it is not techinically how much fat you're burning, but how many calories you are burning since the calorie deficit ultimately results in total fat loss.

Is HIIT a good form of cardio

Yes, HIIT is a great form of high intensity cardio. I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to lose some weight.

What is HIIT?

High Intensity Interval Training. It should take you about 15 to 20 minutes to complete and you do it in intervals. An example would be sprinting for 20 seconds than briskly walking for 40 seconds before repeating for the desired number of times. There are many other ways you can do this though. For more info on HIIT I suggest you read this, http://davedraper.com/hiit-cardio-training.html

Does it matter how I do the cardio?

Well I suggest running and walking because it's easy and you can do it just about anywhere. However if you would like, you can try an exercise bike or a rowing machine.

Should I be doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach?

Well the answer is yes if you would like to burn that muscle that you've worked so hard for. The problem is that in the morning you are at a fasted state and cortisol levels are high. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone which aids in the loss of muscle. If you do the cardio on an empty stomach, your body will use your muscle that you've worked so hard for, in order to supply you with energy. What is the solution? Well I suggest that you eat some complex carbs such as oatmeal about 45 minutes before your cardio session so that they can provide your body with the fuel it needs and not your muscle.

If I eat carbs before my cardio, won't my body just be burning the carbs and not the fat?

Studies have shown that it's not what nutrients your body is burning that matters. Like I said before, what's important for fat loss is how many calories in total that you're burning.

When is the best time to do cardio?

It really doesn't matter as long as you're not doing it on an empty stomach.

What should I consume for post cardio nutrition?

A good whey protein shake should be sufficient, just like you drink post lifting.

Should I do my cardio on lifting days?

Try not to. Try to do your cardio on non lifting days so you can put all your energy into the cardio. If you have to do it on lifting days though make sure that you're doing it after you lift so you won't waste your lifting energy on cardio. I don't recommend doing cardio the day that you're training legs though.


Well that's it. I hope this answers alot of your guys questions. Maybe we could make this a sticky. If you guys have questions or comments then feel free to post or PM me.

[pinoy]

very good article! this should be a sticky

[Samoan Superman]

Excellent article. This information will be very useful to me when I start cutting at the first of next month.

[Francis]

Bravo!

[Pro]

So you are saying a calorie is a calorie?

What's wrong with doing it the same day as legs? The day I wouldn't reccomend is the day AFTER legs.

[massmatters]

bignbuff you're dieing to have your own stick eh?

[Luke530]

Pre- and Post- HIIT carbs are necessary (ideally a 25g carbs/ 25g of whey protein shake followed by a meal about 1 hour later). Make sure you are well fed and have carbs in you before you start HIIT as well, or you will start burning amino acids for fuel (this includes skeletal muscle)

and from J.Berardi himself:

The Benefits of Training The Anaerobic Energy Systems

While training the anaerobic energy systems is clearly be of benefit for enhancing athletic performance, there are many other non-athletic benefits as well:

1) This type of training is very calorie expensive. Short, 30-minute workouts can burn in excess of 400kcal during the exercise. While carbohydrates provide much of the fuel used during the high intensity interval, fat is also burned preferentially during the low intensity aerobic recovery period between the high intensity intervals.

2) The post exercise calorie expenditure is huge with this type of exercise. In some studies the resting metabolic rate remains elevated (by 15% or more) up to 24 hours after the workout. Interestingly, after exercise the body preferentially burns fat so this elevated metabolism is burning predominantly fat.

3) This exercise leads to an up regulation of aerobic, anaerobic, and ATP-PC enzyme activity. This means that all the energy systems of the body will operate at higher levels and become efficient at burning calories and generating energy.

4) The muscles used during this type of exercise will change their composition, shifting toward an increased percentage of fast twitch fibers. This increase in power-producing fast fibers comes at the expense of the weaker slow twitch ones. The shift is desired as the fast fibers grow more easily than the slow fibers.

5) There is an increase in specific muscle cell organelles (i.e. the sarcoplasmic reticulum). This leads to a better calcium balance and contractile ability.

6) There are short-lived increases in blood testosterone (38%) and growth hormone concentrations immediately after exercise. While this is debatable, these changes may contribute to an anabolic state in the body.


So What Are We Waiting For?

For the optimal application of anaerobic training in order to improve body composition, here is a model that I've found particularly successful. I have also used this program for off-season conditioning in my athletes.

Day 1 - 1.5 hours of Resistance Training (Upper Body - Pushing Type Exercises)
Day 2 - *30 minutes of Anaerobic Interval Training (Rowing)
Day 3 - 1.5 hours of Resistance Training (Lower Body)
Day 4 - *30 minutes of Anaerobic Interval Training (Cycling)
Day 5 - 1.5 hours of Resistance Training (Upper Body - Pulling Type Execises)
Day 6 - *30 minutes of Anaerobic Interval Training (Running)
Day 7 - Rest

*The anaerobic training activities are varied in order to activate different muscles from one workout to the next.

In structuring your interval days, here are some suggestions.

1) Before beginning such a program, be sure to experiment with high intensity exercise. If you have never tried such exercise before, you are in for a surprise - it's difficult.

2) Use a 1:3 ratio of exercise to recovery (i.e. for every 1 second you sprint, rest for 3 seconds).

3) To maximally activate your anaerobic glycolytic system, your exercise duration should be 30s to 60s. As a result your recovery will be between 90s and 180s.

4) Intensity is key to the success of this program. If your intensity is too low during the exercise, you will not realize the full training adaptation. If intensity is too high, you won't be able to complete the workout. You'll have to play around with the intensity until you get it right.

5) Your exercise intensity should be more than double that of your recovery intensity for 60s bouts and more than triple for 30s bouts. For example, if running at 11mph for 60s during your exercise interval, you should be running at approximately 5.5 mph for 180s during your recovery interval. Likewise if you're cycling at 350 watts for 30s during your exercise interval, your recovery should be at about 100 watts for 90s during your recovery interval.

6) When increasing the intensity from one workout to the next, be sure to increase the work. Do not increase the exercise duration or decrease the duration of the recovery. If the exercise to recovery ratio drops below 1:3, you'll lose power during your exercise interval and the activity becomes more aerobic.

Here is an example of these rules in action from one of my client records.

Day 2 - Rowing
5-minute warm-up followed by 7 sets of the following:
60 seconds at 250 watts*
180 seconds at 125 watts

Day 4 - Cycling
5-minute warm-up followed by 15 sets of the following:
30 seconds at 300 watts (level 12)*
90 seconds at 100 watts (level 2)

Day 6 - Running
5-minute warm-up followed by 7 sets of the following:
60 seconds at 11mph*
180 seconds at 5.5 mph

*If it's easy to maintain the same workout output for the full 30 minutes, increase the work (watts or speed) for the next workout. Increase the intensity to the point that it becomes difficult to complete all the sets at the prescribed intensity. Just like with resistance training, use progressive overload to continually improve.

So there you have it. A new model for improving body composition that's very effective and doesn't involve boring hours of your life spent on the cardio equipment. Give this program a try and the next time you're admiring the physique of a well-trained anaerobic athlete, it may be your own.

[Luke530]

Q&A

- Can I do HIIT before breakfast on an empty stomach?

NO! you will lose weight, that's for sure, however, we do not want to see weight reduction as much as we want to see change in body composition. you don't want to shrink because you are burning muscle for energy. the point of HIIT is to create a greater caloric expidenture throughout the day by raising one's meatbolism (something that a low-medium intensity long distance session will NOT do)

- Can I do HIIT after my workout?

NO... post-workout, glycogen stores are low, not a good time to do HIIT for reasons mentioned above... better stick to nothing or a low-intensity session

- Do I need a post-workout shake?

YES! you need to replenish glycogen stores. HIIT creates another post-workout window for protein synthesis and glycogen replenishment. DRINK YOUR SHAKE (25g carbs/ 25g of protein) and eat withing one hour of your shake.

- How many times can I do HIIT per week?

When cutting I would not do more than 3-4. HIIT is very taxing on the body. More is not always better, and the more you do, the more muscle you may start losing, ESPECIALLY on a hypocaloric diet. 3-4 sessions per week should be the maximum, the rest should be light aerobic sessions if you need to burn more calories. DIET/NUTRITION are most important for fat loss and muscle retention



if anyone has something to add, please do... this should be enough... the HIIT questions are becoming WAAYYY to repetative...

[Tamacracker]

Sup guys, Im new to this message board... so to start off with my frist post I need to know bout fat loss, while maintaining muscle mass.

For the last month that I have been workin out, I have been barely seeing "any" muscle growth, but you guys have been answerin the right questions. I just need a lil more detail though. I keep listenin to my friend about how to work out and it's really no improving anything, except strength but I need to see the blubber go and the mass rip out.

Alright, right now I weight 215 LBS. and I need to hit 180 LBS. within 5-6 months. I have been doin cardio on and off which is just proving that Im a slacker.

I use this machine that your feet glide on, and you can raise the height and resistance. I usually run for 30 minutes but lately I have been workin with 45 minutes a session. Sometimes, 30 seconds before a minute ends I sprint as fast as possible (I hit around 250-256 strides per minute)

After I run I always go work out except I dont do cardio on my leg days. But when I go work out after the cardio, I dont have as much output... And my friend isn't into cardio so he thinks Im alot weaker than him, especially in bench.

Yesturday I just noticed my actuall strength after doing 4 sets of incline, decline, and flat bench. The only problem I have is.. that I dont see the mass, and I need it to keep me positive.

This is my eatin habbits (remember I just started workin out and gettin into shape)

*Mornin - Egg whites, small bowl of oatmeal, and two whole wheat toasts and water

*Lunch - Anything with less than 5 grams of fat and water (but sometimes nothin at all just a lot of water)

*Dinner - Steak/Fish/Turkey Breast/Chicken Breast with a side of rice and water and two tablets of Amino acids

*After Gym - 16 oz. Whey Protein shake various vitamines and one tablet of L-Glutamine

*30 Minutes before bed - 3 ZMA tablets

Can anyone re-arrange, add, or take away from this pattern to make my eatin habbits healthier

The one area that Im concetrating 100% on for fat lost is my upper body, gut, chest (nipple area), and especially on my sides!!!

Sorry this is long but I need the help as soon as possible and more detailed, I can't keep listenin to random opinions... I need real facts.

[Bignbuff]

Originally posted by Pro
So you are saying a calorie is a calorie?

What's wrong with doing it the same day as legs? The day I wouldn't reccomend is the day AFTER legs.

Yea I guess.

I don't like doing it the same day as legs or the day after legs for that matter because they both could potentially cause overtraining.

[Bignbuff]

Originally posted by massmatters
bignbuff you're dieing to have your own stick eh?

[Bignbuff]

Glad to see you added some stuff Luke. . If anyone else has anything to add please do so.

[Blashy]

Tamacracker:

Go there for all your FAT Burn needs

[Wheelies]

ok, so you arent supposed to cardio on the same day as working out, well guess what, I workout 5 days a week, I work on Saturdays so I really have no time to do it. Is there something Im missing here, or are all you guys on a 3 day a week lifiting split, cuz thats the only way I see possible to get in 3-4 cardio days. Yeah I guess I could get in 2 days on Sat. and Sunday, but one of those days is always a cheat day, and I like to take those days of because I bust my ass 5 days a week, Dont really feel like being in the gym 7 days a week. I guess if I really wanted to cut, I would do it, but there has to be a more time efficient way. Any suggestions.

[Bignbuff]

Well you can do cardio on lifting days I just don't suggest it. Maybe you should try a 3 or 4 day split.

[pinoy]

wheelies, if you're doing low/moderate intensity cardio then it would be fine to do cardio on your lifting days..just don't do high intensity because that depletes glycogen

[Wheelies]

I would definitly be doing the high intensity, I was planning on following the Max OT cardion routine, 16 minutes, go up in either resistence or speed everytime you do it.

[Luke530]

there is nothing wrong with cardio on lifting days... nothing at all... as long as it is done a few hours apart, there is no problem at all...

directly after lifting... I would not recommend it, but if you are going to do it... do a short, LOW intensity session.
DO NOT DO HIIT POST-WORKOUT... that's just retarded.

[Wheelies]

I dont know how far your gyms are from you, but mine is 15-20 minutes, and there is know way Im getting up , driving all the way there, doing cardio for 20 minutes, coming back home, taking a shower, going to work, get off work, go home change, drive all the way back to the gym, driving home and taking another shower. Is that what you guys do?

[pinoy]

Originally posted by Wheelies
I dont know how far your gyms are from you, but mine is 15-20 minutes, and there is know way Im getting up , driving all the way there, doing cardio for 20 minutes, coming back home, taking a shower, going to work, get off work, go home change, drive all the way back to the gym, driving home and taking another shower. Is that what you guys do?

try doing cardio in your neighborhood...you don't have a locker room in your gym so you could just shower/change there?

[Wheelies]

Yeah there is a locker room but its a pisser, ****ter, and shower, its real small, be weird to take shower in there, and as fas as in my neighbor hood, i live city enviroment, not like downtown skyscrapers, but still very close houses no woods, no big lawns, be weird to be sprinting around and then stopping and walking.

[robefc]

Hi guys

In response to the points on doing cardio after a weights work out....

I take your points (Luke mostly) but I do feel there's another side to the argument.

Firstly I think everybody would agree that doing resistance training 7 days a weel is too much, your body needs to rest and recover. Now if HIIT sessions replicate the effects of a resistance workout (as is widely accepted in the morning cardio thread) then surely combining 3 or 4 HIIT workouts with a 3 day split would result in over training? (i.e. HIIT on off days = no or 1 complete rest day a week)

secondly I have a shake about half an hour before working out and another straight afterwards (30g protein, 60g carbs - how did you decide on your 25-25 ratio by the way?), I like doing high intensity weights (only one or two sets to failure or using pre-exhaust and drop sets) so am probably done in 40 mins or so. I feel that a 10-15 min HIIT session then when I'm already nicely warmed up with an elevated heart rate should be beneficial and the protein/carbs I downed before the work out should prevent me using my muscle tissue for enery at this stage? This would result in a work out of about an hour, 40-45 mins weights and 15-20 mins cardio.

What do you think of these points? Please note I in no way claim to be an expert on any of these matters, I just try to look at as many sources of info as possible and put it all together in a way that makes sense to me so if you have responses, positive or negative, to these points I'd appreciate it.

cheers

[Luke530]

Originally posted by robefc
Hi guys

In response to the points on doing cardio after a weights work out....

I take your points (Luke mostly) but I do feel there's another side to the argument.

Firstly I think everybody would agree that doing resistance training 7 days a weel is too much, your body needs to rest and recover. Now if HIIT sessions replicate the effects of a resistance workout (as is widely accepted in the morning cardio thread) then surely combining 3 or 4 HIIT workouts with a 3 day split would result in over training? (i.e. HIIT on off days = no or 1 complete rest day a week)

secondly I have a shake about half an hour before working out and another straight afterwards (30g protein, 60g carbs - how did you decide on your 25-25 ratio by the way?), I like doing high intensity weights (only one or two sets to failure or using pre-exhaust and drop sets) so am probably done in 40 mins or so. I feel that a 10-15 min HIIT session then when I'm already nicely warmed up with an elevated heart rate should be beneficial and the protein/carbs I downed before the work out should prevent me using my muscle tissue for enery at this stage? This would result in a work out of about an hour, 40-45 mins weights and 15-20 mins cardio.

What do you think of these points? Please note I in no way claim to be an expert on any of these matters, I just try to look at as many sources of info as possible and put it all together in a way that makes sense to me so if you have responses, positive or negative, to these points I'd appreciate it.

cheers

there should be at least 2 rest days per week, especially on a hypocaloric diet... one day of COMPLETE REST... sleep and stay away from activity, and one with some very light cardio. 4-5 days of weight training and 2-3 HIIT and 2 aerobic sessions is ALOT:

IMO, this would be ideal (cutting) (JB has a different view, but his program calls for only 3 weight sessions per week, and I think is designed more for either recreational purposes or athletes, not designed specifically for bodybuilding):

Day 1 - 1 hour of Resistance Training
Day 2 - 1 hour of Resistance Training, 1 HIIT session
Day 3 - Aerobic Training of choice
Day 4 - 1 hour of Resistance Training, 1 HIIT session
Day 5 - 1 hour of Resistance Training, Aerobic Training of choice
Day 6 - 1 HIIT session
Day 7 - Rest

(4 weight training sessions, 3 HIIT sessions, 2 aerobic sessions)

HIIT sessions last 30 minutes
Aerobic session last 45-60 minutes at 50-60% MHR

IF YOU OVERTRAIN, YOU WILL LOSE MORE MUSCLE THAN FAT ON A HYPOCALORIC CUTTING DIET BECAUSE CATABOLIC HORMONES WILL BE GROSSLY ELEVATED.

As for training, even though your training is short, it is very calorie and carbohydrate expensive... HIIT post-workout wont give you the benefits it should, as your metabolism will already be raised post-workout... if you would like, do a 20-30 minutes AERBOIC session that wont burn as many carbohydrates for fuel. If you still want to do HIIT on the same day as weight training, do them ideally about +8 hours apart...

[J.S.B.]

I like to run about 3 mornings a week, 40 mins at a moderate pace, on an empty stomach. Now for me it's more mental, and I enjoy running. I have found that over the years this is an effective way for me to keep my metabolism going, and conditioning up all year long. It also helps me in the gym greatly. As long as I'm eating enough, I find nothing wrong with morning runs on an empty stomach.

I know, everyone's different. Keep It Simple.

[robefc]

Originally posted by Luke530
there should be at least 2 rest days per week, especially on a hypocaloric diet... one day of COMPLETE REST... sleep and stay away from activity, and one with some very light cardio. 4-5 days of weight training and 2-3 HIIT and 2 aerobic sessions is ALOT:

IMO, this would be ideal (cutting) (JB has a different view, but his program calls for only 3 weight sessions per week, and I think is designed more for either recreational purposes or athletes, not designed specifically for bodybuilding):

Day 1 - 1 hour of Resistance Training
Day 2 - 1 hour of Resistance Training, 1 HIIT session
Day 3 - Aerobic Training of choice
Day 4 - 1 hour of Resistance Training, 1 HIIT session
Day 5 - 1 hour of Resistance Training, Aerobic Training of choice
Day 6 - 1 HIIT session
Day 7 - Rest

(4 weight training sessions, 3 HIIT sessions, 2 aerobic sessions)

HIIT sessions last 30 minutes
Aerobic session last 45-60 minutes at 50-60% MHR

IF YOU OVERTRAIN, YOU WILL LOSE MORE MUSCLE THAN FAT ON A HYPOCALORIC CUTTING DIET BECAUSE CATABOLIC HORMONES WILL BE GROSSLY ELEVATED.

As for training, even though your training is short, it is very calorie and carbohydrate expensive... HIIT post-workout wont give you the benefits it should, as your metabolism will already be raised post-workout... if you would like, do a 20-30 minutes AERBOIC session that wont burn as many carbohydrates for fuel. If you still want to do HIIT on the same day as weight training, do them ideally about +8 hours apart...

Thanks for the response Luke

I should explain that I'm not cutting at the moment, nor would I classify myself as a bodybuilder, I just enjoy going to the gym and working out with weights but also want to be fitter and more athletic (I also play soccer).

with my 3 day split my aim was to tack a HIIT session onto the end of two weights session and the third would involve legs so I wouldn't do any cardio on this session.

I take your point about doing an aerobic session rather than HIIT after a weights workout but I didn't realise your HIIT workouts lasted for 30 mins! mine are only for 10-15 mins (I'm shattered after that) which kind of goes in line with the workouts layne and others described in the morning cardio thread). Therefore I'd have thought that 10-15 mins of HIIT would actually use less or a similar amount of carbs than 30 mins of aerobic exercise? I would also have thought that having a carb/protein shake half an hour before working out would mean those carbs are becoming available to use at about the time I start HIIT, therefore reducing the effect of depleted glycogen stores and increased cortisol levels?

I'm going to try it for a while anyway while monitoring fat loss/muscle gain/loss. The reason being that if I don't do it when I'm in the gym I'm less likely to do it at all and I don't want to be going to the gym more than 3 times a week. If I do cardio away from the gym I'm more likely to motivate myself to go for a jog than do HIIT. Incidentally I'm not interested in doing low intensity cardio (as opposed to HIIT or cardio with heartrate at 80% or so)for fat burning as I want to get fitter

thanks for your help

[Luke530]

as I said before... (Quote from JB)

In structuring your interval days, here are some suggestions.

1) Before beginning such a program, be sure to experiment with high intensity exercise. If you have never tried such exercise before, you are in for a surprise - it's difficult.

2) Use a 1:3 ratio of exercise to recovery (i.e. for every 1 second you sprint, rest for 3 seconds).

3) To maximally activate your anaerobic glycolytic system, your exercise duration should be 30s to 60s. As a result your recovery will be between 90s and 180s.

4) Intensity is key to the success of this program. If your intensity is too low during the exercise, you will not realize the full training adaptation. If intensity is too high, you won't be able to complete the workout. You'll have to play around with the intensity until you get it right.

5) Your exercise intensity should be more than double that of your recovery intensity for 60s bouts and more than triple for 30s bouts. For example, if running at 11mph for 60s during your exercise interval, you should be running at approximately 5.5 mph for 180s during your recovery interval. Likewise if you're cycling at 350 watts for 30s during your exercise interval, your recovery should be at about 100 watts for 90s during your recovery interval.

6) When increasing the intensity from one workout to the next, be sure to increase the work. Do not increase the exercise duration or decrease the duration of the recovery. If the exercise to recovery ratio drops below 1:3, you'll lose power during your exercise interval and the activity becomes more aerobic.







If you want to make HIIT optimal... you will probably have to go longer than 15 minutes because of the reasons mentioned above (Recovery, etc...). 20-30 minutes seems good.

As for weight training, you just wont get the benefits of HIIT post-workout, and you wont get the fill benefit of weight training when you are doing HIIT right after since you will be burning lots of muscle.



As for aerobic exercise... it has it's place, DEFINATELY. you need it as well, 2 sessions per week is a bodybuilders type aerobic workout... as for soccer, 3-4 sessions would be more optimal

[robefc]

thanks luke, I take your points

just one last thing - regarding intensity etc, I did a 2 min warm up and then 10 mins of HIIT consisting of 5 30sec intervals and 5 90 sec rest periods so I was following your advice to the letter! My heartrate got up to 90% of its max (176bpm) during/just after the intervals and after 90 secs had just about fallen to 80% so your ratios seemed to work well for me going by that. Hard to measure whether intensity was 3x greater during intervals as I jack the resistance level up, safe to say I just go all out and then just go at whatever pace I can manage in the rest periods!

But if intensity is the key (which I completely agree with) then I would have thought 15-20mins max would be enough, surely if you're doing it for 30 mins you can't be pushing each interval to the limit? I was knackered after these 5 although I'll increase that
gradually over the next few weeks but I won't being going above 15mins I wouldnt have thought, the same goes for quicker intervals (10-15 sec running, 50-45 secs jogging) - at the moment only manage about 8 of them.

[Luke530]

it looks fine, but like you and I both agree, intensity is key, which is hard to do post-workout

[robefc]

agreed!

but that HIIT workout I posted was post-workout! I figure maybe easier to get the heart rate up cos already been exercising.

[Bignbuff]

I'm gonna bump this again with all the cardio questions lately.

Sticky mods?