cardio really necessary for an endomorph?

[bigpaw2000]

This is probably going to fly in the face of most things we have been told, but just telling things from my personal experience as I have gone from 265lbs (30% bf, 44" waist) to 215lbs (18% bf, 36.5" waist) in the last 2 years. I have been overweight my ENTIRE life.

If you are not really an endomorph and have experienced the complete frustration of not losing the fat you want to, you will probably think this thread is bunk. Just because you may have a 40" waist doesn't necessarily mean you are an endo, just lazy. Being big-boned, Neanderthal like, is what it means to be an endo ... and it sucks! I am not just an endomorph, I am like an uber-endomorph! My bones are huge, I have never broken one despite plenty of opportunities. At 5'9", I have only lifted for a little over a year and am 215lbs, have a 49" chest, yet am below 20% bf.

I used cardio primarily over the course of a year, after cleaning up my diet, to go from 265lbs. to 210lbs. I was around 20% bf and my waist was about 38". Then about 8 months in, a funny thing happened, the weight and fat loss stopped. Another 4 months of doing as much or even more cardio and even tightening my diet up a bit resulted in nothing. I got down to about 200 through marathon cardio and eating hardly anything for almost 2 months. One week off it and back to 210! I then started lifting, this would be around November 2002.

Needless to say, there really is a floor if you are an endormorph to how much fat you can lose through cardio and diet alone. But here is my point, to what extent does cardio help and when does actual lifting do it for you? Here is my point from personal experience.

From the first day of lifting to the summer of 2003 I lifted, but it wasn't always that consistent or intense. From October 2003 till the end of January 2003 I lifted 4-5 times a week, very heavy and very intense workouts. Always free weights, no cardio, lots of protein, good amount of carbs, very low fat. No sugar, no sat fats. Supps were creatine, arginine, ZMA, and MRP's.

My weight went from 203 to 214 and I lost nearly 2" of my waist. It went from 37.5" to 36".

Awesome, finally after 31 years, I think I got it! So lets cut, yeah, we can get down to 200 or so with lots of cardio and eating less, and look ripped! Isn't that what we are supposed to do? I was experiencing shoulder pain so I thought a few weeks off of lifting would be helpful too. Protein powder with no carbs replaced the MRP's, took a break from creatine and arginine, and got to work.

Well, here are the sad results. After a month of lots of running, over 100 miles, eating less, my weight was 215. I have never been so frustrated in my life. I didn't drop my calories that much (2600 - 2000), but the cardio should have done something. 100 miles is a lot in a month!

The bodyfat 'floor' doesn't care how much you run, or how good your diet is, this is a crappy reality for us true endomorphs. Needless to say, I am probably not the only person that has experienced this.

So a couple weeks ago, I started the heavy lifting again, lots of compound movements, back on the supps and MRP's, more good clean food, and although I am a little weaker, I have already lost a 1/2" around my waist and am down to 212.

Maybe if you are really an endomorph and have been really diligent, but aren't quite there, you need to just face this fact and use our advantages to their fullest. Maybe if we use our natural muscle building abilities and lift, lift, lift, the power of more muscle burning more calories will happen and the fat will come off that way? I am not where I want to be, but I have no choice. The cardio just didn't work, the lifting does. I could try to combine the 2, but my lifting would suffer, intense workouts really drain you.

Maybe the old adage that you can't change your body through cardio is correct and you only can do that through lifting. I don't know. I do know I am sick of being over 15% bf and want to see my abs! In 2 years I have learned that lifting can do it better than cardio so why not put all my efforts in that direction? I would really like to see people's thoughts and their experiences!

[ARMY_of_One]

I'm not an endomorph but I can tell you in the end it all comes down to dialing in the diet. You may have to do it through trial and error and tweak it here and there but you can lose weight(FAT).. It is not impossible.

Some of us are more prone to carrying bodyfat than others. I would recommend doing some high intensity cardio. Running 100 miles a month is awesome but it is not necessarily going to help you slim and lean out. I recommend running sprints and fartleks twice a week and running maybe one long run a week. Lift weights 3-4 times a week and focus on compound lifts and circuit training to burn more calories.

It all comes back to diet, eat light to moderate carbohydrates and be sure to get the protein you need. Other than that just work on the diet.

[buttaflap]

you can slice it how you want it but......in the end.

the formula for fat loss is strict DIET + CARDIO + TIME

When your training you need to get into the mode that cardio has so many other benefits apart from fat loss.

I do understand what your saying though, being an endo myself.

[E-Sizzle]

I used to be an ectomorph and I might still be (as its easy for me to drop pounds) but yeah, definitely take advantage of it. If you are 20% bf and looking massively built and intimidating, then thats cool. The only thing I can't see you might not have from being an endo is a 6 or 8 pack and honestly, its not that important.

[illmatic_drew]

how much cardio are we talking here? Too much cardio is counterproductive for any body type.

Two HIIT sessions and one day of moderate intensity jogging for 30-40 minutes should be all.

[wildman536]

im a Big Believer in Moderate Cardio Sessions. (A Walk on a Treadmill)

[bigpaw2000]

I guess also it depends on your definition of cardio. What is more beneficial? Walking or running 3 miles or doing 6-8 sets of heavy squats or deadlifts.

If you haven't done them for a while, the effect they have on you can be unbelievable, like you are gonna pass out. Never got that from running a couple of miles for the first time in a while.

How you lift really matters too, if you are a proponent of 3 sets per bodypart, this isn't gonna get it done without cardio. But if you lift more, 8-14 sets per bodypart, and do it 4-5 days a week, then I think that makes up for the loss of traditional cardio and is replaced by a different type where you are also lifting.

Can't lift 3 times a week for 45 minutes and lose fat without cardio, but I think if you do lift 5 times a week, pretty much working the whole body every 8 or 9 days, for 70-90 minutes, you can.

[Twin Peak]

Originally posted by buttaflap
you can slice it how you want it but......in the end.

the formula for fat loss is strict DIET + CARDIO + TIME

When your training you need to get into the mode that cardio has so many other benefits apart from fat loss.

Such as? I have for a long time contended that cardio is not very beneficial, for any bodytype.

When I say not very beneficial, I am specifically referring to its benefits over additional resistance training.

What you achieve from cardio, that you can't from resistance training, from a body composition standpoint?

[littlechris]

Originally posted by Twin Peak
Such as? I have for a long time contended that cardio is not very beneficial, for any bodytype.

When I say not very beneficial, I am specifically referring to its benefits over additional resistance training.

What you achieve from cardio, that you can't from resistance training, from a body composition standpoint?

I think the poster meant that there are many overall HEALTH benefits to cardio.

[wildman536]

a Quicker Movement Of Red Blood Cells, and Better Lung and Air Intake, there are a Ton of Benefits to Cardio.