Cardio

RazorCuts · Feb 4, 2006

Cardio

Cardio training and bodybuilding training can be too much exercise for some people's body to recover from. Some people may need to to little or no cardio work, during a muscle building phase, while others do it daily.

Here's what I know for sure. Cardio can be a useful tool for losing fat. It can increase your overall fitness level so that you can really train hard in the gym. If you can't run a mile, you can't train very hard. For some people, like ectomorphs (very thin people) it can stop muscular gains altogether. These types, might only do cardio for one 3 month cycle a year, just to establish a base of cardio fitness.

Everyone needs a base of cardio fitness. After you have it you might consider doing no cardio at certain times of the year. Especially before a contest. Too much cardio can thin you down.

Use cardio to get in good shape 4 months out from the show. Then stop doing cardio. Now let your diet take off those last 10lbs of fat, slowly over the remaining 4 months.

By abstaining from cardio before a contest (and using dieting only to get "ripped" ) you avoid the slimming effect (and possible muscle loss) of cardio work. It also helps you stay strong and lift heavy all the way to the contest. Run in the off season This can be a valuable way to peak.

People who are naturally big, the majority of professional bodybuilders, need cardio to lose fat. These guys are built like sumo wrestlers. In the summer of 1983 I saw a fellow built like Ray Mentzer bike for miles near my home in Florida. He was making an effort to slim down and he was not fat. After months of intense biking and dieting he was no smaller. In fact he looked more muscular. His calves were 21 inches cold. He was naturally a big guy who had to fight putting on body fat but when he lifted weights, gains came easy. Few people have these "big" people genetics. Most people are average or thin. If I had followed this guys routine and calorie restricted diet, I would have lost 20 lbs at least. Regular people lose muscle doing cardio too often or two intensely.

Adrenaline Rush · Feb 4, 2006

now this is an interesting concept to me, when the bodyfat is higher and calorie intake is higher the chance for muscle loss is greatly reduced, so it makes sense to do your intense cardio in the beginning, and avoid it as much as possible as the bodyfat creeps down..but how are you suggesting one transitions to zero cardio when coming down to the final weeks before competition? do you taper down? are you going to have to modify your diet to make up for the reduction in caloric output?

thank you in advance?

Tman2002 · Feb 5, 2006

I disagree

I think everyone should do some type of cardio. Even in the offseason. It helps me to recover faster, put on more muscle and less fat. My metabolic rate is higher, so I can eat what I want as long as my protein intake is high. Even those who cant seem to gain weight should use cardio. It has too many benifits to list. The amount of cardio may be only one or two days a week for those who are hard gainers. But thier caloric intake should be very high anyway.

BigBoyJ · Feb 5, 2006

Tman, I have to disagree with your disagreeance.

Even one 20 minute cardio session per week shrinks my legs. No exaggeration. Cardio wipes out muscle on me before I can blink and I actually get fatter every time I try to do it. Even at 400 grams of protein per day, cardio makes me small, weak and fat. I've completely stopped doing it for the last few months and it's strange how much easier it's been for me to stay lean without it.

I think of it this way. Your body is an adaptive machine. It strives to become more efficient at performing whatever stimulus you put it through. If you're training it to move large weights, it adapts by becoming larger. If you're training it to run or bike for long distances, it adapts by becoming lighter and more streamline. If you're doing both types of training, you wind up somewhere in the middle. I don't want to be in the middle, I want to be big.

But, my bone structure is extremely ectomorphic. I have a large torso and thick muscularity, but my bones are TINY. I was just 123 lbs at 6 feet tall when I started. I've been as heavy as 270 not too long ago.