I've just returned to BodyBuilding.com after being through some tough times. For the past 7 months I've gained 20lbs of bad weight. Now I'm back with a vengeance and I'm hitting the gym hard!!! I've been working out for 2 weeks now and I've already lost 8lbs. However, I did this by doing cardio twice. Before and After my weight training. I use a basic 5 day workout week which is as follows:
*Note* All Cardio is done on a Precor Elliptical machine@ levels 8-10 on the interval setting.
Day 1: Cardio 20min, Chest, Triceps, Abs, Cardio 20 min
Day 2: Cardio 20 min, Back, Biceps, Calves, Cardio 20 min
Day 3: Cardio 20 min, Hamstrings, Quads, Abs, Cardio 20 min
Day 4: Cardio 20 min, Shoulders, Traps, Abs, Cardio 20 min
Day 5: Full Body Powerlifting 1 set/ 3 rep max (No Cardio)
My friends are worried that I'm doing too much. They're betting that it will cause my body to burn muscle as well as fat. I disagree Because I consume a protein shake while training. After the workout, I cook a lean piece of 4 ounce steak with wheat rice and a spinach salad. I drink 64 ounces of water daily. I get plenty of sleep. Also, the preworkout cardio is only temporary until so that I can lose my beerbelly and start to strengthen my core, which is my abs! I would appreciate your thoughts on this. Both Positive and Negative comments are welcome. Thanks...
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Thread: How much Cardio is Too Much?
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12-25-2011, 02:56 PM #1
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How much Cardio is Too Much?
Free weights do more for my body than pulleys.
But both are effective...
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12-25-2011, 04:57 PM #2
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12-25-2011, 07:47 PM #3
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If you're eating below maintenance, the amount of muscle you loose is determined by how you train. Just like how much muscle you gain when you're eating above maintenance is determined by how you train.
The best way to loose a beer belly is to stop drinking beer.Qualifying for long drive contest with 328 yard drive
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12-25-2011, 09:34 PM #4
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I don't know because I will NEVER have the "doing too much cardio" thing. My problem is the opposite. My advice is keep your energy for your weights, lift as heavy as possible then do all the cardio you need to at the end of your weights. If you lift really well you can rely on low impact cardio for 20 minutes a day only 3 times a week. You gained 20lbs in 7 months why not take 3.5 months to lose it. What is the rush? If you go to hard you'll get tired, bored and burnt out and then you'll just put the weight back on again.
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12-26-2011, 10:09 AM #5No brain, no gain.
"The fitness and nutrition world is a breeding ground for obsessive-compulsive behavior. The irony is that many of the things people worry about have no impact on results either way, and therefore aren't worth an ounce of concern."--Alan Aragon
Where the mind goes, the body follows.
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12-26-2011, 10:30 AM #6
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12-27-2011, 02:00 PM #7
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12-27-2011, 02:31 PM #8
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12-27-2011, 09:33 PM #9
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12-27-2011, 09:36 PM #10
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12-27-2011, 09:54 PM #11
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12-28-2011, 06:19 AM #12
The short answer is NO unless you are a "hardgainer" with the metabolism of a 20 year old at 37. You are doing 40 min of cardio on a machine that i use often, and you still have 20 pounds to go. I often do 1.5 hrs of cardio(not daily) in addition to lifting and have yet to shrink into a thin ectomorph yet, so it really depends on your genetic make up. Keep up the good work, and "observe" what your body is doing daily/weekly and adjust as needed. Good luck!
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04-15-2015, 09:50 AM #13
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04-15-2015, 09:55 AM #14
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04-15-2015, 03:55 PM #15
cardio gets pretty typical responses on here , do very little , and if everyone wanted to maximize muscle size with no interest in anything else I would agree , so it depends on your goals.
To be a well rounded athlete and person for that matter, cardio in many varieties is a great tool to shape your body and improve your overall health.
In my opinion 90% do too little cardio, and if you're over 20% fat like many, there is very little chance you'll burn any amount of muscle, since there is plenty of fat available for use.
Any small amount lost will be easily regained , and if protein is kept high basically all will be maintained.
Im pretty sure you're losses will slow anyway, the first couple of weeks are the easiest , you'll do well to lose 2 lbs a week with the same program going forward, which I would suggest is almost perfect.Last edited by wesleytimmons41; 04-15-2015 at 04:00 PM.
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04-15-2015, 04:09 PM #16
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04-15-2015, 04:20 PM #17
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04-16-2015, 05:09 AM #18
One more thing , the amount of work at the gym you have listed would not equal anything near a 4lb weight loss , 1 to 1.5 at best , so it is more likely most is caused by a combination of eating at a large deficit and/or lots of exercise outside of the gym.
By no means is your listed routine overly taxing cardio wise.
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04-16-2015, 06:50 AM #19
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04-16-2015, 08:20 AM #20
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04-16-2015, 10:10 AM #21
I dont think thats too much at all. I do 15 minutes pre weights on the elliptical for a warm up and then I do 10 minutes up steep incline treadmill followed by either 10 or 20 minutes of HIIT doing sprints. I find that the older I get the less I care about overall "mass" or size. I feel better at 13% BF than 20+ and "big". Theres nothing like WANTING to take your shirt off in the summer, instead of the "oh ****, I have to take my shirt off?".
Lift big, eat big, die big - and leave a big ass coffin.
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