When to add in 2nd daily cardio session?

[NY Muscle]

For those who compete or experienced with this...when do you typically add in a 2nd session before you have a show or event you are leaning out for? (This is for the guys who aren't gifted with not needing a lot of cardio).

It's been ages since I've been this lean and I'm. Lose to my goal and I really can't remember what my routine was back in the day with regards to adding more cardio.

Currently I do 40+min on treadmill at 6am fasted 6 days a week. Was thinking of doing maybe 25 to 30 min at like 9pm and not as intense as the morning cardio.

It's 4 weeks today to my event so figured it'd about time to start adding in the 2nd session or maybe wait until 2 weeks out?
Appreciate any advice and opinions. As an FYI....I'd rather do more cardio then keep cutting cals.

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[GreenTLB6]

There is no right or wrong answer here. The only way to really look at it is 'as needed'. Some need it and some don't. Some do an hour of cardio for 12-16 wks and some may do 20-30mins or even none during a prep. If you think you are behind or may need it give it a whirl for a week or two and monitor and see how things go.

 

[Lene28]

I don't have gifted genetics and have never done a show, but I am the leanest I have ever been (single digit BF). I do 30-60 min fasted on the recumbent bike. I would add five minutes if I felt progress had stopped. For my second session I do the stair mill for 15-30 min post workout and this is done at 1 minute hoofing it and the next minute a comfortable walk. I alternate back and forth until time is up.

 

[Jerry2222]

I add it in when I get close to single digits to lose that last little bit of fat. The science behind it or at least within literature it states when you do cardio for a mininum of 20 minutes you initiate an EPOC response. This is an elevate metabolsim for approximately 12 hours as a result of you doing cardio once. If you do cardio at the end of the day in addition to an am session so your second session you elevate your metabolism for an additional 12 hours therefore experiencing a full 24 hours of elevate metabolism. I experience a dramatic difference when i do it. Its pretty rough on your body and recovery so i limit the time I do twice a day until the last month or so prior to when i need to peak. Im peaking for photoshoots not bb shows now a days so i dont have to get as lean.

 

[Geardepot]

I have always loved cardio. When I was competing I would do cardio early in the morning on an empty stomach, and do more after my afternoon workout.

Everyone is different. When losing fat for a contest you have to remember that some of the 'blurriness' of the muscle comes from water retention. Keep in mind also that you have to address everything. Diet, supplementation, and workout intensity.

I noticed that some people can get shredded by jogging on the treadmill, while others have to wear a sweater and run for hours on the treadmill.

I am getting a little off track here though. As someone else here said; There is no wrong answer. You have to address things day by day and make a solid game plan on how you are planning to cut that fat and retain that muscle.

Sometimes late at night when I couldnt sleep, or I woke up in the middle of the night, I would slam a protein shake and go for a jog.

G

 

[zman12]

I usually add in a extra session when I feel that I am stuck at a certain point for me my normal is after my work out in the evening. So I will do cardio befoe work on an empty stomach.

 

[mytreefiddy]

There is no right or wrong answer here. The only way to really look at it is 'as needed'. Some need it and some don't. Some do an hour of cardio for 12-16 wks and some may do 20-30mins or even none during a prep. If you think you are behind or may need it give it a whirl for a week or two and monitor and see how things go.

I agree 100%....Too much and you'll look flat.... you should be looking ready 2weeks out..... IMO reassess then and if so, 20min immediately after training..

 

[NY Muscle]

Thanks all. Was thinking of doing some cardio after weights but I don't have too much time to spend in the gym. My routine is also far from normal. Meaning... because of my work schedule and family I do 6am cardio then breakfast then 8:30am weights. I think logically it's best to add some more cardio late at night.

I am not using every tool possible either. I'm not on t3 or GH or dnp or clen. Just OTC fat burners.

T3 I probably won't touch because I'm already on prescribed Synthroid(t4) for ages now. But I'm open to opinions on that.... I recall an old dr I had tell me t4 would help me with any T3 rebound though he told me this well before I starting on t4 for life.

Gh - gave me bad carpal tunnel in the late 90s as well as temporal growth and even though my abs were showing my stomach was getting distended. I only did 4iu a day for 3 weeks so I stopped using it

Clen makes my hands shake too much so can't function.

My main problem has always been too much visceral fat so my mid section distends until the last bit of remaining fat is left and boy that is the hard part.

DNP works wonders for that and also eliminating the last meal of the day so that my stomach is empty for a long time overnight. I won't touch DNP.

I'm tempted to go old school and walk around with boiled chicken in zip lock bags for for a few weeks lol

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[someday]

Clen makes my hands shake too much so can't function.

Clen definitely makes me jittery, so given that it is also anti-catabolic, I started taking it right before I fell asleep. I know...sounds crazy...but as long as you don't have a problem getting to sleep, it works great! Sleep through the jitters...and clen is one of those things that always worked for me. Would start at 40 mcg and add 20 each night for 10 days then go off for 10 days. I'd like to take credit for this protocol, but a much smarter guy than me suggested this years ago.

 

[LK3]

Thanks all. Was thinking of doing some cardio after weights but I don't have too much time to spend in the gym. My routine is also far from normal. Meaning... because of my work schedule and family I do 6am cardio then breakfast then 8:30am weights. I think logically it's best to add some more cardio late at night.

I am not using every tool possible either. I'm not on t3 or GH or dnp or clen. Just OTC fat burners.

T3 I probably won't touch because I'm already on prescribed Synthroid(t4) for ages now. But I'm open to opinions on that.... I recall an old dr I had tell me t4 would help me with any T3 rebound though he told me this well before I starting on t4 for life.

Gh - gave me bad carpal tunnel in the late 90s as well as temporal growth and even though my abs were showing my stomach was getting distended. I only did 4iu a day for 3 weeks so I stopped using it

Clen makes my hands shake too much so can't function.

My main problem has always been too much visceral fat so my mid section distends until the last bit of remaining fat is left and boy that is the hard part.

DNP works wonders for that and also eliminating the last meal of the day so that my stomach is empty for a long time overnight. I won't touch DNP.

I'm tempted to go old school and walk around with boiled chicken in zip lock bags for for a few weeks lol

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recently i have found dropping cals and food has helped much more then cardio...

doing more cardio i feel flat eating a bit less i feel my body eating itself!

also feel like the cardio shrinks my legs more....

i like the boiled chicken idea!

drop cals, drop carbs and the last week drop sodium. right before your planned day start carbing up a bit and adding more normal stuff.

i would do that by taking a drink in the gym with:

sugar
glycerin
creatine
maybe a little salt

sip of the drink, sip of water then do a set, take a sip of each in between each set.

if you really depleted the week before you fill up nicely!

 

[NY Muscle]

Clen definitely makes me jittery, so given that it is also anti-catabolic, I started taking it right before I fell asleep. I know...sounds crazy...but as long as you don't have a problem getting to sleep, it works great! Sleep through the jitters...and clen is one of those things that always worked for me. Would start at 40 mcg and add 20 each night for 10 days then go off for 10 days. I'd like to take credit for this protocol, but a much smarter guy than me suggested this years ago.

It keeps me up too. When I was younger I could pop those tabs late and sleep no problem. Now I'm up all night.

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[NY Muscle]

recently i have found dropping cals and food has helped much more then cardio...

doing more cardio i feel flat eating a bit less i feel my body eating itself!

also feel like the cardio shrinks my legs more....

i like the boiled chicken idea!

drop cals, drop carbs and the last week drop sodium. right before your planned day start carbing up a bit and adding more normal stuff.

i would do that by taking a drink in the gym with:

sugar
glycerin
creatine
maybe a little salt

sip of the drink, sip of water then do a set, take a sip of each in between each set.

if you really depleted the week before you fill up nicely!

Thanks. I'm starting to think I need to play with the calories like you said. I always knew my 730pm shake would eventually have to be eliminated.

My stomach never shrank so much as it did back in the day when I'd stop eating anything after 6pm.

Right now most of my carbs are in my intra shake. I'll probably add glycerin. I stopped creatine 2 weeks ago to keep water off as it makes me hold some in the mid section.

I'm also going to go old school and drain my tuna under water to get any last bit of sodium out. No more lightly salted almonds either. Etc.

I never really dropped carbs without replacing with fat like a keto diet. I do well when I "carb up" so I will be okay with that and being it would be for only a week I will drop the carbs and sodium without replacing it with equal amounts of fat.

Thanks.


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[pesty4077]

Thanks. I'm starting to think I need to play with the calories like you said. I always knew my 730pm shake would eventually have to be eliminated.

My stomach never shrank so much as it did back in the day when I'd stop eating anything after 6pm.

Right now most of my carbs are in my intra shake. I'll probably add glycerin. I stopped creatine 2 weeks ago to keep water off as it makes me hold some in the mid section.

I'm also going to go old school and drain my tuna under water to get any last bit of sodium out. No more lightly salted almonds either. Etc.

I never really dropped carbs without replacing with fat like a keto diet. I do well when I "carb up" so I will be okay with that and being it would be for only a week I will drop the carbs and sodium without replacing it with equal amounts of fat.

Thanks.


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I use to do that same approach. You felt like shit with no energy, but it did work.

 

[NY Muscle]

Looks like I'll be cutting out my beloved whey protein the last week. So much sodium in it.

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[LK3]

yeah, drop the shake, just gnaw on chicken breast when you cant take it any more...

i have most of my carbs around training too and am toying with the idea of dropping them while in the gym for the next week or two. just having post.

you prob don't want to replace the cals either, maybe a little if its extreme, but for a short time i wouldn't worry about it.

 

[sammy555]

For me pretty early in cut but I don't really reduce carbs or calories the whole time. I start in a small deficit no cardio. About just 500,300,50 cpf. I just add cardio, slightly up dose and add fat burners in that order as needed. I don't do fasted cardio but have a scoop of protein and do pay workout and evening on training days. Up to an hour in total.

 

[NY Muscle]

So I'm going to be cleaning up my already clean diet. Lowering sodium and eliminating my last shake at night. Will probably throw in another 25 min of cardio at night.

I still plan to double my carb intake like I have been doing every Friday which I find helps my progress and fills me out. I may skip it though on the 2nd to last Friday of my diet.

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[Chode Logan]

Why would you lower sodium so far away from the date?

 

[concreteguy]

Caffeine tabs. As much as you can handle without the shakes. You can get away with no shakes taking less clen also. If your four weeks out you should have an anti e program in place ramping up.

CG

 

[NY Muscle]

Why would you lower sodium so far away from the date?

Well I consume a lot of sodium since my carbs are rather low it doesn't cause me issues but now I see how much I actually consume I was shocked. I'm just reducing it a bit then will really do it at the end.

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