I happen to have a very fast metabolism and have been considering cutting out the cardio (running, about 20-25 min. 2-3x/week)in my workout since I’ve found that I’m losing weight. I do weights (4X/ week)and have gained a lot of muscle, or so it SEEMS, but I’m losing weight, as in numbers on the scale in general. I’m not dieting, though I do have a clean diet. There are obvious benefits of doing cardio so I was wondering if it’s a good idea to cut it out all together, or if someone could give me an idea of how much is enough for cardiovascular health without crossing the line into weight loss. thanks.
Hi Kate. To determine the optimum amount of cardio and weight training, look at it from a strength and total bodyfat perspective. Does the amount of cardio affect your strength level? Is the cardio assisting you in reducing overall fat?
I tend to think of cardiovascular (CV) exercises as assisting weight training recovery by feeding the muscles with fresh blood and nutrients. You could accomplish this by maintaining a high heart rate over a long period (endurance such as running etc) or short rest periods (interval or circuit training, short sprints, rest etc).
Don’t eliminate cardio out altogether. Either reduce its focus or vary it. Running is only one form of CV. There are many others out there to choose from. Choose a few you like. The type of CV may be dependant on a specific sport skill or similar movement etc.
If you are unhappy with your weight loss, are you eating enough healthy calories? Hope this helps.
There is only one way to find out. Go ahead and drop the cardio from your workouts. If you stop loosing weight, then you know you were burning more calories than you were taking in. But if you are afraid to drop the cardio, add more calories (preferably protein, complex carbs) to your diet. If your weight training workouts move at a fast pace, you may not need the extra cardio. While doing Renegade Training, I didn’t do any extra cardio workouts. Yet the fast-paced weight training and GPP did more than enough to increase my V02 Max and overall conditioning while getting leaner and faster!
Kate: The amount of cardio you’re doing is within reason. However, I am not a big fan of running because it tends to flatten out the legs and gives them a stringy appearance. Being a little older now, I’m a strong proponent of “total body conditioning,” so cardio is definitely part of my regimen. I tend to differ on the cardio issue with most of the people who post on this forum. I say “what’s the sense of having great
muscle mass and being able lift tons of weights, if you
can’t run up 20 flights of stairs without collapsing!”
Since gaining lean muscle is priority number one, always make sure you put your weights first. Assuming that you are getting enough protein, taking in more carbs usually tends to be the answer in these situations. When my body weight starts to fall off, I start adding powdered "ULTRAFUEL" to my workout water. Presently, my body weight IS starting to fall off a bit, so I'm adding 1-1/2 scoops of "ULTRAFUEL," which is a carbohydrate powder (35 grams worth), to my workout water - Another thing I add to my workout water is 5 grams of BCAA's + 2 grams of GLUTAMINE in a powdered grape flavored form. (But I would consider the last optional for you.) I mix these 2 ingredients in 1.5 liters of water. This preparation makes a huge difference in maintaining LBM, as well as providing tons of energy for training. Also, few extra servings of complex carbs during the day would benefit YOU greatly; feel fortunate and enjoy them because they would put the most of US into FAT-LAND!
I hope this can be useful. Your “CYBER- TRAINING PARTNER,”
Joey Z.
Hey stud, excellent question. If you are an ectomorph who has a hard time gaining weight all together than performing cardio would deffinitly suck up much needed calories. If you perform cardio for it’s circulatory system benefits and not to lose fat, than be sure to eat, eat, and than eat some more. Try and limit your cardio to 2-3 times a week. Have a simple meal, primarily protein and carbs about an hour prior, no less or you will put blood in your stomach while runnning. And always finish with a simple sugar supplement, such as a couple spoonfuls of Gatorade to keep your system anabolic. Running is a great, intense way to keep your circulatory system pumpin’ which helps your endurance (during liftin’ too) in the long run. So keep runnning, just limit how frequently you do it and EAT!
Kate, if you like cardio but don’t want to lose weight, there’s a simple solution: eat a little more. Problem solved.
Hi Kate
I was in a similar situation to yourself and I also had a hard time keeping weight on. My problem was that I was doing cardio at least 4-5 times a week AND intense weight training sessions at least 4 times per week - and I wondered why I could never put on muscle. I was too afraid to drop my cardio, thinking that I would immediately get fat. But I tried something different and I gave it a shot and not only did I drop my cardio to 1 session a week but I also increased my caloric intake. The result - I lost bodyfat and gained lean muscle. You have to decide what you want the most - do you want to increase you lean body mass or do you want to focus on improving your cardiovascular condition?? You can do both but you cannot be the best at both. I strongly urge you to at least give it go and perhaps drop your cardio to only twice a week max. And remember - if you always do what you have alsways done, you will always get what you have always got!!