Can you cut up your abs while building muscle? Or is it pointless...

[Just Did It]

I'm not on a "bulk"...and i'm not really "cutting" either...I'm strong, and everything except my abs is defined...my abs aren't fat, they are just "there"...flat, but not cut up.....if I start to run, will I lose strength gains?

[Powers|ave]

I'm not on a "bulk"...and i'm not really "cutting" either...I'm strong, and everything except my abs is defined...my abs aren't fat, they are just "there"...flat, but not cut up.....if I start to run, will I lose strength gains?

exactly my situation. im afraid if i start doing cardio i will lose some of my mass, which took forever to gain and any loss would really hurt. im fine with a flat no-abs stomach as long as i can do a good vaccum. god help me if my stomach ever passes my chest

[BernieD]

I think the whole cardio lose mass thing is blown out of proportion.

Sure, if you run hours and hours a week, you'll lose muscle (I mean, who's ever seen a jacked marathoner-duh) but if you stick to 1-2 hours of cardio a week you should be fine. I do cardio 3x a week for 20-30 minutes and haven't noticed any decrease in muscle mass. It only becomes a problem if you do LOTS of cardio

[tbohacker]

I agree with Bernie, doing cardio a few days a week in the form of HIIT is the best cardio while bulking/gaining mass. It will basically burn up the excess calories that will lead to fat gain. However, do be careful not to overdo or it could affect the calories your body needs to rebuild and gain mass.

[Glockmeister]

Yeah that fear of cardio due to losing muscle is way out there. Even the mighty Arnald preeched doing cardio to keep bodyfat down. I think that fear is more what you hear from proffesional BB's but the average guy really shouldn't worry about it.

[BernieD]

^exactly...

I was reading some article by some pro BB'er awhile back and was talking about his cardio being walking on a treadmill for 20 minutes 2x a week. I guess if you're competing, since there are questions about cardio and muscle loss, that cardio should be little, since you want to keep every ounce you can. But to be honest, if you do only a moderate amount of cardio, you won't notice much of a difference. And there are studies that have shown this too

[MrSinister]

Yeah that fear of cardio due to losing muscle is way out there. Even the mighty Arnald preeched doing cardio to keep bodyfat down. I think that fear is more what you hear from proffesional BB's but the average guy really shouldn't worry about it.

arnie was extremely unnatural, what worked for him wont work for the common natural lifter... why do so many ppl idolise his techniques????

[$AJ]

if yo'ure a newbie, u can bulk and cut at the same time; but after a while, it becomes poinltess because the body isn't designed to do both at the same time - i mean, u can, but progress will be verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slow.

it's best to pick 1 goal, do it, then do the other (or maintain at this point)

[paul_v]

I normally do 6 mins of moderate cardio before I lift. I figure that's the best way to warm up my core temperature. Is this not a good idea?

[Rocky_Maivia]

I'm not on a "bulk"...and i'm not really "cutting" either...I'm strong, and everything except my abs is defined...my abs aren't fat, they are just "there"...flat, but not cut up.....if I start to run, will I lose strength gains?

Can you build muscle and burn fat at the same time? Yes you can. It is not easy though. You have to eat like you are trying to gain mass. But keep the diet "clean". And do heaps of cardio (long duration, low intensity).