How much cardio is the right amount?

[danny2521]

I’ve been lifting for a couple of years now and I’d say I’ve gotten very much stronger overall, but I still don’t have the definition and tone I want. I recently changed my diet and got strict on tracking macros. But I know I must do cardio to help burn off that extra fat. I lift Monday through Friday for about and hour and a half and I’ve recently started doing HIIT training every other day (M,W,F) for about 30 min. Is this amount of cardio good for shredding off that fat or should I amp it up more, say like switching to doing cardio everyday? Or will more cardio only hurt my gains?

[IancRadu]

You can lose the extra fat just by getting in a calorie deficit by diet alone. The cardio would only add to that deficit, you can do any amount of cardio as long it doesn't interfere with your recovery from weight training sessions.

[jgreystoke]

^^^^
This

[cmacken]

You can lose the extra fat just by getting in a calorie deficit by diet alone. The cardio would only add to that deficit, you can do any amount of cardio as long it doesn't interfere with your recovery from weight training sessions.

This x2 OP. Do cardio to meet a certain goal, it will make it more sustainable in the long run.

[jgreystoke]

I’ve been lifting for a couple of years now and I’d say I’ve gotten very much stronger overall, but I still don’t have the definition and tone I want. I recently changed my diet and got strict on tracking macros. But I know I must do cardio to help burn off that extra fat. I lift Monday through Friday for about and hour and a half and I’ve recently started doing HIIT training every other day (M,W,F) for about 30 min. Is this amount of cardio good for shredding off that fat or should I amp it up more, say like switching to doing cardio everyday? Or will more cardio only hurt my gains?

What 'I know...',

just ain't so.

Seriously.

You do cardio for health. You are doing enough for that.

It is much easier to push away a 500 Calorie(kilocalorie with a small 'c') muffin, than to walk/run the several miles required to burn those calories.

Some muffins are 1000 Cal + nowadays. Good luck with outrunning that kind of thing.

Btw, I eat muffins.

Getting 'tone' is actually the result of getting stronger. Strongmen actually have tremendous tone, even if a lot of them are not lean enough to have a sixpack, for example. I am an arthritic(spondylitis in lumbar and cervical spine, plus in sacroiliac joints, and osteo everywhere) old grandfather, but if you felt my shoulders or traps, you'd be surprised at the muscle tone you'd feel, even though I am not exactly lean.

Concentration camp victims get to a genuine 6%BF, and have no tone at all.

[SoCalHurler]

You want to be sure to keep the lifting going and keep the protein up, like near bulk levels for protein. Find your deficit by cutting fat and carbs, don't give your body a reason to burn your hard earned protein/muscle.

[nightanole]

3x10k jogs per week (a bout 3 hours) is only good for about a half pound weight loss. As others said, you run for health, not fat loss.

You want fat loss just get on the recumbent for 4 hours and grind on your favorite mmo.

[Matt413413]

I’ve been lifting for a couple of years now and I’d say I’ve gotten very much stronger overall, but I still don’t have the definition and tone I want. I recently changed my diet and got strict on tracking macros. But I know I must do cardio to help burn off that extra fat. I lift Monday through Friday for about and hour and a half and I’ve recently started doing HIIT training every other day (M,W,F) for about 30 min. Is this amount of cardio good for shredding off that fat or should I amp it up more, say like switching to doing cardio everyday? Or will more cardio only hurt my gains?

Just do linebacker training.

That's what i'm doing.

Don't do anything lasting anywhere close to 30 mins.

You can still decrease fat with short and explosive all out sprints.

I'm doing around 11 by 10 yard dashes with a 2 min break in between.

Short 20 yard sled pulls. Short hill sprints.

It's about intensity. Not quantity.

The human mind is led to believe that the more you run the better it is. That concept is flawed.

You want to stay below the lactic acid threshold.

Meaning stay below 4 seconds on everything. Run all out 40 yard dashes. Don't go above 40 yards.

Do like a 7 by 40 yard dash workout with 2 mins rest time.

That's much better than any distance workout.

You're only going to get stronger if you train like a linebacker.

Train like a linebacker to look like a linebacker.

[daudi81]

If Cardio is done for fat loss alone, it's not needed. As others stated, a simple calorie deficit will do the same thing. It's not going to help you "burn off extra fat" any more than a calorie deficit will. Unless you like Cardio of course.... then do it by all means, just make sure you're adjusting your calorie allowance for it.

I've lost about 8-9lbs over the last couple months - not a lick of cardio. All diet controlled. I hate cardio though, so it works out great for me.

Remember, fat loss is achieved through a calorie deficit over a period of time. Whether you do that strictly through diet, or use cardio - it's all the same thing. Calories in vs. Calories out.

[sunsean]

While cardio isn't needed for fat loss - I do find it aides the process, if only indirectly...obviously, it makes it easier in the sense that you are increasing your caloric expenditure, but beyond that I find beneficial aspects to regular cardio, like increased athleticism and a higher-revving metabolism. I've found, purely anecdotally, that regular cardio significantly raises my TDEE, beyond just the calories burned during the exercise, so that I'm burning more calories throughout the day. Sort of like what they say happens with HIIT, I get increased calorie burn throughout the week when I'm doing regular cardio. (not to mention that cardio is essential if you consider yourself an athlete, and not just someone who lifts weights).