Cardio almost everyday??!!

[codybear012]

Hey guys, i got a question but first heres a little background about me..

ok well ill make this long story short... in highschool i was an athletic 250 pounder ( played varsity football, varsity wrestling and powerlifting ) and after graduation ( in 2012 ) i stopped lifting for a few months and i started to notice more flab then i remembered, so i got a gym membership and started lifting again. It wasent til Mayof this year (2013) i decided to loose weight. At this moment i weigh 208! with 16-18% bodyfat! i feel like this is good but im sure theres some who arent impressed. My current maxes are 250 bench press, 330 deadlift ( ive never dead lifted in my life til may of 2013 ) and a 410 squat. Now my question is...

Can i run 2 to 3 miles 4 times a week without hurting my muscle gains? I lift 5 days a week doing 1 to 2 muscle groups a day. After my workout i drink my protein and then go run.
Right now i run every other day (3 times a week ) but only 2 days being distance and one being a hill day after a leg workout.
My diet is pretty good i think, in the morning i have a bowl of oatmeal with a green apple or a banana or a peach ( whatever is in the fridge at the time ), water and Omega3 pill.
then i go lift. drink my protein shake. Lunch i have a bowl of brocli/carrots/cauiflower or sometimes a bowl of fruit and dinner i have whatever my mom cooks but i eat a small serving.
My goal is to get down to 9-12% body fat. Am i doing this right? or am i just maintaining? ive seem to of plateaued with my weight loss but i am getting stronger.

Thanks!

[Lovier]

Honestly, I'd rather do HIIT (15-30 minutes) 3 times a week.

[josh0014]

2 things....

1 - your weight loss may have plateaued but if your still getting stronger you're building more muscle so you're still losing fat. The fat for muscle exchange is still happening

2 - yes you can run and maintain your muscle gains. Running fast miles can inhibit your chest gains at times I've found but over all running is a great cardio addition to your workout out routine if you enjoy it. Provided your not running for "time" and your just doing it for the cardio I don't think you'll notice too much difference in your gains.

[skel1977]

Hiit

[darinaldi]

Can i run 2 to 3 miles 4 times a week without hurting my muscle gains?

Yes.

/thread

[Razor44]

Definitely HIIT.

[Krugg]

Hey guys, i got a question but first heres a little background about me..

ok well ill make this long story short... in highschool i was an athletic 250 pounder ( played varsity football, varsity wrestling and powerlifting ) and after graduation ( in 2012 ) i stopped lifting for a few months and i started to notice more flab then i remembered, so i got a gym membership and started lifting again. It wasent til Mayof this year (2013) i decided to loose weight. At this moment i weigh 208! with 16-18% bodyfat! i feel like this is good but im sure theres some who arent impressed. My current maxes are 250 bench press, 330 deadlift ( ive never dead lifted in my life til may of 2013 ) and a 410 squat. Now my question is...

Can i run 2 to 3 miles 4 times a week without hurting my muscle gains? I lift 5 days a week doing 1 to 2 muscle groups a day. After my workout i drink my protein and then go run.
Right now i run every other day (3 times a week ) but only 2 days being distance and one being a hill day after a leg workout.
My diet is pretty good i think, in the morning i have a bowl of oatmeal with a green apple or a banana or a peach ( whatever is in the fridge at the time ), water and Omega3 pill.
then i go lift. drink my protein shake. Lunch i have a bowl of brocli/carrots/cauiflower or sometimes a bowl of fruit and dinner i have whatever my mom cooks but i eat a small serving.
My goal is to get down to 9-12% body fat. Am i doing this right? or am i just maintaining? ive seem to of plateaued with my weight loss but i am getting stronger.

Thanks!

I won't waste my time reading that paranoid post you just typed. Cardio everyday (high frequency) equals low intensity and/or low volume.

[miamibodybuilder]

well i mean if you prefer doing your cardio outdoors then by all means go ahead and run big man. do your running for distance a couple times a week, but i would also add some HIIT cardio as well for like 15-30 mins. skip the hills after leg day and hit the track and do sprint and jogging intervals or sprint and walking intervals to start. also, i think you're really undereating, i know you're trying to lose weight but starving yourself isnt going to help. find your maintenance caloric intake and then drop 1-200 calories and go from there. i think you'll be better off this way and it wont be as tough for you to diet. flexible dieting is much easier and much healthier than just cutting away foods you enjoy eating altogether. good luck. make sure you're getting your greens and fiber in also.

[BB-archeologist]

Running consistently will not hurt your muscular gains, providing that your nutrition is on point. I work for the National Forest Service, a job that requires hiking 8+ miles per day straight up and down mountains above 10,000 feet elevation. I also won my pro card in natural bodybuilding and pulled a 585 deadlift so, yes, you can do both, get strong and do lots of cardio. People have told me time and again that I can't build muscle with this crazy amout of cardio work but, at least in my case, this has not held true. The key really is getting in enough calories and enough protein to keep from turning into a catabolic mess.

[boo99]

Honestly, I'd rather do HIIT (15-30 minutes) 3 times a week.

totally agree there brah

[tomsfish]

Running consistently will not hurt your muscular gains, providing that your nutrition is on point. I work for the National Forest Service, a job that requires hiking 8+ miles per day straight up and down mountains above 10,000 feet elevation. I also won my pro card in natural bodybuilding and pulled a 585 deadlift so, yes, you can do both, get strong and do lots of cardio. People have told me time and again that I can't build muscle with this crazy amout of cardio work but, at least in my case, this has not held true. The key really is getting in enough calories and enough protein to keep from turning into a catabolic mess.

could not have said it better,and congrats as well.
nice to see no one bringing the nonsense about looking like a marathon runner,cause some one runs a few miles a week.

[Tommy W.]

Steady cardio over time loses it's effectiveness. It's like lifting the same weight for 50 reps of the same exercise for months on end.....

[BB2K]

HIIT 2-3 times a week is what i prefer. I use to swear by LISS and still do but HIIT 3 times a week is perfect for me.