How much cardio do you do to get stage ready.???

[Gunsmith]

I've been talking to some local guys about their contest prep , what diets they use and how much cardio they do and of course it varies widely.
None of these guys get condition enough to do much better than a local state show , but the guy that gets the leanest does the least amount of cardio but he also lives a keto lifestyle.

So im wondering how much cardio some of you guys do , what kind and WHY.

 

[mytreefiddy]

Ill do 40min ED...no more.... IMO if your diet is spot on you don't need to do more...

IMO I think MT thinks I do too much as it is....LOL.. i'll walk at a very brisk pace....about 115bpm..... keeps me in the fat burning zone...

 

[tenny]

Ill do 40min ED...no more.... IMO if your diet is spot on you don't need to do more...

IMO I think MT thinks I do too much as it is....LOL.. i'll walk at a very brisk pace....about 115bpm..... keeps me in the fat burning zone...

I think you do too much too...

 

[tenny]

I don't like cardio until its needed....

if everything is flowing the way it should.....it would be
20 minutes after every training session the last 2 weeks....that's it...

if there is a flaw in your prep.....its a tool used to fix flaws
in the prep....

ive done shows....and have won....doing ZERO cardio...more than one.

Gunny, its all individual with the cardio....and how behind you are..

me and MT hate cardio....its a muscle killer.

 

[Gymjunkie38]

This is such a broad question that changes so much from person too person out of a 100 competeors you still couldn't come up with a decent average .

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

 

[Gunsmith]

i personal only needed 20 min or so fasted in the mornings the last few weeks.
I follow a very low carb diet year round and i think that has alot to do with the need for cardio and what type.

I hired "Alex A" once and he had me on twice the carbs i normally ate , very low fat and i ended up doing an hr a day by 6 weeks out. I just got burned the fuck out on the diet and wasting my life (and muscle) on the human hamster wheel.

I fully agree that excessive cardio is a crutch for poor diet

 

[get it in ya]

I don't like cardio until its needed....

if everything is flowing the way it should.....it would be
20 minutes after every training session the last 2 weeks....that's it...

if there is a flaw in your prep.....its a tool used to fix flaws
in the prep....

ive done shows....and have won....doing ZERO cardio...more than one.

Gunny, its all individual with the cardio....and how behind you are..

me and MT hate cardio....its a muscle killer.

very interesting

 

[warlock]

It's very individual. Also depends on what type of cardio. HIIT will be more effective and shorter sessions. Ideally, combining or using depending on the phase works well.

Some people need to do more than others. It also depends on how you train. Work out a certain way and even twice a day can take the place of actual cardio.

 

[Kag94]

None

20k steps offseason and prep

 

[goal245]

Usually get up to 1hr per day the last few weeks. Starts at 20min eod

 

[juggy38]

I'm an Endo, and to get peeled, i have to do 25-30 minutes fasted 3-4 times A week.

But like everyone else says, even me being a former fatty, I can get beach body ready with just a lockdown diet and hard resistance training

 

[mytreefiddy]

But like everyone else says, even me being a former fatty, I can get beach body ready with just a lockdown diet and hard resistance training

A beach body is one thing...... stage ready is another.

 

[juggy38]

A beach body is one thing...... stage ready is another.

Yea I guess I was just trying to make a point that a pure endo can get really lean via diet. But for me cardio is required to get stage ready

 

[Mini Truck]

Great topic Gun!

Especially now that our TMT email is getting blown up .

We have guys who have done over an hour a day, tons of T3 and Clen in
past preps and never achieve the razor sharp look they seek.
And the scary part is that their "coach" has told them to do this.

I would argue the best time to do cardio is in the offseason!
It is not done for "fat burning", it is done for training efficiency.

Whether you train DC style, Meadows, high volume, high frequency,
etc x 100, and you need several minutes to recover between sets,
training efficiency goes downhill.

For example, do 10 sets of 20 reps on dead lifts with no more than 1
minute between sets. Can't do it?

How quickly your heart rate recovers is the key.
Plus in the offseason, because your eating more calories, you won't
sacrifice any muscle whatsoever.

I'm talking 3-4 times a week, 15-20 minutes of HIIT.

An hour of steady state burns around 100 calories and is simply not
worth the time and effort.

Or if you are the type to gain more than 25 pounds over contest weight,
and trying to do a "hurry up" prep (less than 16 weeks), shame on you!

Occasionally, depending on the client, we may throw in a 2 week cardio
burst at some point where fat loss has stagnated. But that is only
recommended with specific instances.

And like Tenny mentioned, maybe the last couple weeks.......but only
if absolutely needed. Some people need none.

But no one should be doing ED cardio, 2-a-days, or more than they actually
need. Especially when restricting carbs and/or fats.

Just my 2 cents .

-MT

 

[buck]

It would depend on how high the body fat level was before starting and how long it was till the show. High carb diets with lots of cardio will drag you down I find.

 

[brutus69]

an hour of steady state burns 100 calories?
total nonsense. hell, a bodybuilder will burn 100 calories an hour doing nothing. look at the bmr. u can burn 22-2400 cals in 24 hours just living.
ss for an hour can burn 400, 500 or even more an hour.

 

[alfresco]

just an fyi, my cardio, don’t want to hijack this thread

An hour of steady state burns around 100 calories and is simply not
worth the time and effort.

-MT

MT . . . ???, 1 hour = 100 calories? That is very ‘light’, no?

I burn 600 calories in one hour (100 calories in 10 minutes is my
pace) regardless of the apparatus; stationary bike, Concept II
rowing, Stairmaster, etc., and I am not even winded. Sweaty
yes, but really a piece of cake.

And I do not want to be a slave to cardio just to look good.
It is not time efficient.

I do it for health / heart purposes, not to lose fat / weight.
Diet is far more efficient. I do cardio mainly to warm-up
before weights, 30 minutes, 3X per week in the early AM.

On my ‘off days’, week days, I walk hills for 1 – 1 ½ hour.
Then maybe back to gym, do cardio for 30 minutes to warm
up before an hour of dedicated stretching.

Weekends, maybe up to a 4- 8 hour walk (like tomorrow).

One day a week I do absolutely nothing.

I am not lean by any stretch of the imagination. Could easily
lose 10 – 15 lbs. to see full, clear, clean abs. But man-oh-man
it ain’t going to get done by doing cardio. It will happen at the
table.

Right now, I eat anything and everything, zero restrictions.
But it must be the best quality food money can buy. Prepared
food is all from scratch, known sources. A well balanced, very
nutrient dense food plan. My cardio must be keeping me at
equilibrium.

To close, I agree. Cardio is not for contest prep, to get you
stage ready. Bad timing.

Good thread.

 

[Gunsmith]

the only "cardio" ive been doing the last couple years is just my sprinting obstacles and shooting drills kit. Its generally a couple hrs twice a week , definitely HIIT style though

I can jump on a bike and jump heart rate up 170-180 and hold it there for 10 mun easy so im guessing im in decent cardiovascular shape (besides being fat)

 

[No1]

Ill do 40min ED...no more.... IMO if your diet is spot on you don't need to do more...

IMO I think MT thinks I do too much as it is....LOL.. i'll walk at a very brisk pace....about 115bpm..... keeps me in the fat burning zone...

you're in good health bud

 

[beastmode121]

are you guys lying to win who does the least amount of cardio medal? No one in this thread does cardio and gets peeled? Ok

TELL US YOUR SECRET. Are your calories extremely low? how lean are you starting off?

Or am I the only one that used to get to an hour daily till a week out to get stage ready?

Bodies are different. Cutler used to do an hour a day ore contest. Phil health did also an hour. Shawn ray reached hour and a half stated in one of his contest prep videos. Are they all doing it wrong?