How do pros do cardio?

[kinglewy]

When I am leaning out or trying to stay pretty lean I do cardio after all of my workouts plus a day or two of just cardio. My cardio consists of 30-40 minutes on treadmill. First ten minutes I set the treadmill at 6 mph(ten minute mile), then I bump up to 7 mph the second ten minutes, lastly I jump to 8 mph for 5-10 minutes depending on how depleted I feel and then back down to 6 or 7 mph to finish. All in all about 3-4 miles in under 30 minutes or so.
Well my question is this: A gym buddy told me that my cardio is way too intense and that I am probably burning lots of muscle running that fast. He says pro bodybuilders walk at a steady clip on the treadmill to cut up but don't try to go too intense. Is this true? It seems like it would take forever to get shredded like that. Not only that after a couple months of intense cardio I can run 3-4 miles before I even break a sweat, I wouldn't even be sweating no matter how fast of a walk I was doing on a treadmill.
Can anyone shed some light on this subject? Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

[jimmyjones]

Your gym buddy is every bit right bro. Try setting the treadmill speed to 5.2-5.5 and jog for a duration of 45-1 hour instead. I guarantee you will see better results and keep more lean tissue on your frame

 

[gstracer]

personally i dont think any bodybuilder really should be running thats way to high of a heart rate and you will be burning some lean mass. deff in your legs. i would just walk at like 3.5 speed keep your hearthate at around 130. most pros use the stepmill its the best for burning fat, and it works your legs better then walking.

 

[kinglewy]

I will definitely give this a try even though it will be hard. I enjoy that relaxing endorphin high I get after a good run. What if I jack the intensity up while im working out? Like little or no rest in between sets, where I am getting a real good sweat, is that ok to do? High intensity weight lifting won't burn off any muscle will it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[swolegasm]

Way too much for anyone looking to preserve muscle. Depending on bodyfat... I would keep cardio (WALKING - Incline okay) on cardio days no more than 2-3 a week and if ur not seeing results throw in 20-30 minutes in the morning or evening of your lifting days. Diet is key too.. :acti:n-sm

 

[bigmeat]

bro the stairmill is heaven sent! especially for a person that feel (psychologically) that they arent getting anything out to the tredmill...like someone mention in a previous post,,great leg work,,,u will feel like u been running outside,,even at the lower intense,low duration cardio session..it dont take much to get to 125-130hpm on this thing!

 

[FIRE0808]

Walk on incline treadmill. Once or twice times a day.

 

[ojs]

If you are talking "Pro" like in Pro Bodybuilder, the pros I know avoid cardio like the pleague. Even to the point that some won't do any cardio id they don't have to. I can tell you Dave Fischer, for example, was very strict about cardio. He was always the most shredded guy on the stage. He would walk on a treadmill with a high incline at no more than 2mph. And would slow down at the first sign of sweat. I've had another Pro tell me not to do cardio at all unless I was behind.

When I am leaning out or trying to stay pretty lean I do cardio after all of my workouts plus a day or two of just cardio. My cardio consists of 30-40 minutes on treadmill. First ten minutes I set the treadmill at 6 mph(ten minute mile), then I bump up to 7 mph the second ten minutes, lastly I jump to 8 mph for 5-10 minutes depending on how depleted I feel and then back down to 6 or 7 mph to finish. All in all about 3-4 miles in under 30 minutes or so.
Well my question is this: A gym buddy told me that my cardio is way too intense and that I am probably burning lots of muscle running that fast. He says pro bodybuilders walk at a steady clip on the treadmill to cut up but don't try to go too intense. Is this true? It seems like it would take forever to get shredded like that. Not only that after a couple months of intense cardio I can run 3-4 miles before I even break a sweat, I wouldn't even be sweating no matter how fast of a walk I was doing on a treadmill.
Can anyone shed some light on this subject? Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

[aphextwin]

From what I have read, most pros long slow durations on a treadmill or even walking through their neighborhood. It makes my knees hurt thinking about a 250 lbs monster running.

 

[tkav1980]

When I am leaning out or trying to stay pretty lean I do cardio after all of my workouts plus a day or two of just cardio. My cardio consists of 30-40 minutes on treadmill. First ten minutes I set the treadmill at 6 mph(ten minute mile), then I bump up to 7 mph the second ten minutes, lastly I jump to 8 mph for 5-10 minutes depending on how depleted I feel and then back down to 6 or 7 mph to finish. All in all about 3-4 miles in under 30 minutes or so.
Well my question is this: A gym buddy told me that my cardio is way too intense and that I am probably burning lots of muscle running that fast. He says pro bodybuilders walk at a steady clip on the treadmill to cut up but don't try to go too intense. Is this true? It seems like it would take forever to get shredded like that. Not only that after a couple months of intense cardio I can run 3-4 miles before I even break a sweat, I wouldn't even be sweating no matter how fast of a walk I was doing on a treadmill.
Can anyone shed some light on this subject? Thanks in advance for any responses!

Well First off understand that there isnt much about serious bodybuilding thats verry healthy. A pro will only do as much cardio as he needs to be in the condition he wants to be in. For some thats probably none at all as long as their verry strict with their diets(off season). Running 4 miles without sweating? Well your in good shape, you wont be the biggest dude but your definately in shape.

 

[SVT04DAL]

If you really want to burn off the fat try using the eliptical for at least 30 minutes/day post weight training.

 

[xx0noob0xx]

If you really want to burn off the fat try using the eliptical for at least 30 minutes/day post weight training.

Yeah, if you wanna lose muscle.

 

[discohornet]

Yeah, if you wanna lose muscle.

Yeah, just look at pro NFL players. They run their fucking asses off, must be burning off all that muscle.

If you guys are going the natural route I admire that and understand there are certain things you have to do if you want to be a PRO.

But the amount of muscle burned in a high intensity bout of exercise is seriously almost negligible. If you're on a decent amount of gear, eating tons of food, this is just not a problem in my opinion.

Now, if we're talking about someone like Jay Cutler - the only reason I'd never tell him to run hard is because he'd probably have a coronary.

Keep it brief, Drink BCAA's and give yourself some rest time, and don't worry about losing everything because you sweat a little on the treadmill today. This especially pertains to people on AAS.

Plus you get the added benefit of being able to recover quicker during workouts.

Just my two cents.

 

[discohornet]

poor schmuck has no idea he's going to melt away to nothing with all those sprints.

**broken link removed**