How much cardio?

[danezcou3]

Just a basic question here. I want to build muscle, but i also want to minimize fat buildup at the same time.

I was thinking that running 3.km 2 times per week would be good. Yes? No?

[Koudoo]

That seems about right, do you know how many calories you are going to eat above maintaince? How long have you been working out for?

[danezcou3]

That seems about right, do you know how many calories you are going to eat above maintaince? How long have you been working out for?

Why do i have to up my calorie intake? How long have i been working out for? I have some past experience, but i really went into full throttle about a half a month ago.

[ktj4l]

Why do i have to up my calorie intake?

So you can build muscle.

Light cardio twice a week on a bulk should be okay.

[Koudoo]

It's not about upping calorie intake if your already above the calories to maintain your weight. To build muscle you generally need to be eating more calories than your body needs to stay the same mass. You can't build mass without calories.

And the reason why I ask is because it is possible for beginners to gain lean muscle mass, while staying/losing body fat even.

[Rtettz]

Just dont go crazy you wont need to do much, it all depends how much calorie surplus you are at id say for bulk you'll need no more than +500 calories than your basic metabolic rate. Work out how much you need, add a few more, if you go over thats when you need to be doing cardio.

[danezcou3]

It's not about upping calorie intake if your already above the calories to maintain your weight. To build muscle you generally need to be eating more calories than your body needs to stay the same mass. You can't build mass without calories.

And the reason why I ask is because it is possible for beginners to gain lean muscle mass, while staying/losing body fat even.

Body fat for me isnt a problem. I have about 6-8% body fat atm, i just want to lose as much fat as possible and keep it that way while maintaining almost the same rate of muscle growth. So i figured 6km running per week should do the trick.

[SuffolkPunch]

Cardio does not cause significant nutrient paritioning. You are unlikely to lose fat while in a caloric surplus, if you want to minimise fat gain, just keep your surplus small (2-300 calories)

http://www.simplyshredded.com/nutrit...edded-com.html

[ktj4l]

Cardio does not cause significant nutrient paritioning. You are unlikely to lose fat while in a caloric surplus, if you want to minimise fat gain, just keep your surplus small (2-300 calories)

http://www.simplyshredded.com/nutrit...edded-com.html

This.

If you're seriously 6-8% body fat (highly doubt this given the questions that have been asked), you're gonna need to add some body fat anyhow for your body to even be in a state where muscle can grow naturally.

[danezcou3]

This.

If you're seriously 6-8% body fat (highly doubt this given the questions that have been asked), you're gonna need to add some body fat anyhow for your body to even be in a state where muscle can grow naturally.

Yea, you´re right. I just took a wild guess. I´m going to measure it the next time i go to the gym.

[ktj4l]

Yea, you´re right. I just took a wild guess. I´m going to measure it the next time i go to the gym.

If you're relying on a scale that "measures body fat", it's not going to be accurate. There are accurate tests, but they're usually expensive. It's a waste of money for most people, because it doesn't matter that much. Measurements and calipers are usually your best bet at estimating body fat without spending a lot of money. If you aren't looking to compete, just go by what you see in the mirror. Optimal body fat levels for muscle growth will be between 12-15% for most people (naturally). Going much over 15% will make it difficult to cut back down to a six pack when you want to. Going under 12% will make it very difficult to add muscle mass. Again, general guidelines... some people might be very 'talented' at growing muscle mass naturally at 10% body fat, but that's going to be extremely rare, if those people exist at all.

[DCSpartan]

a 3km run twice a week isnt going to cause any muscle loss. lmao.