Thoughts on No Cardio for contest prep...

patk · Jul 17, 2002

I wanted some input on the do's and don'ts as far as cardio and contest prep. I have a few friends that never do cardio when preparing for a contest and I've always questioned it. Now, it's my turn. I'm preparing for a contest in mid sept. and don't plan on doing cardio. I know if my diet is in tune and I train hard this should be possible. I started dieting 16 weeks out pretty strict. Only had 1 cheat day and don't plan on having too many through the whole prep. I just wanted some other opinions on this subject. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated, thanks. Take care.

patk

xcelbeyond · Jul 17, 2002

I would like to hear feedback from others regarding cheat days. I assumed that 1 day/week was OK up until about 4 weeks prior to contest (if everything else is right on).

I believe that "low-intesity" (with an emphasis) cardio done first thing in morning prior to eating is beneficial. You may not need it if diet's spot-on, but it wouldn't seem to hurt as long as you don't get heart-rate too high.

xcelbeyond

w8's · Jul 17, 2002

as far i'm concerned cheating is a big big no no to me. i don't want to be on stage after training for 4 months and be thinking back to everytime i cheated on my diet and thinking i could have been better if i didn't cheat.

as far as cardio goes.

i think that the people who dont' do it come in much softer then the people who do. i am rock hard right now and was for the show i won last week. i have one show left this saturday.

i think cardio is esential but i only do low intensity. I.e. walking 1 hour first thing in the morning.

JADAY · Jul 17, 2002

ok I am from the school of no cheating and lots of cardio. however, I question this theory with the results of a friend who won his class as lt heavy a couple months back.

1 he dieted for 18 weeks
2 did no cardio at all until the last couple of weeks to harden his legs up a bit.
3 cheated every sunday from 5 weeks out!!! from the time he woke up till early evening. And when I say cheated I mean big time.

he was as hard as I have ever seen, incredibly vascular , and dry as a bone.

whatever works for you!!!

Paul Bunyan · Jul 17, 2002

patk

The last time I saw you, you were pretty fuckin' lean. Is that normal for you? If so, you could probably get by without the cardio and end up with more muscle. Just the opinion of a bloated powerlifter though, I could be wrong.

PB

w8's · Jul 17, 2002

jaday are you saying he start cheating at 5 weeks out??? thats insane.

i wouldn't be able to live with myself.

eye_candy · Jul 17, 2002

Cardio

Personal thing i think, if you have fast metabolism etc... not needed to do cardio too much can burn a lot of muscle away. On the cheat thing same deal, i think 1x week is good to jump starts your metabolism as it slows from low carbs and dieting. I think it best to do the min. amount of cardio and dieting you can and still get lean.

JADAY · Jul 17, 2002

yeah w8
he started cheating at 5 weeks out!!!! you should have seen his loading menu. it started with krisy kreme dohnuts the night before. no shit!!!! and a bunch of other stuff. crazy but he looked great.

stevehnsn · Jul 17, 2002

My feelings are that body type is the biggest factor in cheating and cardio. Those who are naturally lean won't need the extra cardio, as they'd rather hang on to extra muscle. But perhaps they need that cheat day to give their glycogen stores a bump. Those who retain fat easily need to think twice about cheating within a couple weeks of a contests, and probably need a couple days of cardio to get rid of excess fluid retention and stubborn fat deposits.

Edit: Whoa... my post count got shot down to 86 from like 105. I suppose stranger things have happened.

patk · Jul 18, 2002

PB Thanks....

PB...thanks for the kind words and yes.....I'm usually that lean even when all out bulking. I am a firm believer that cardio burns muscle! Yes, it does burn fat, but it also burns muscle too. Now, I've dedicated my life to gaining muscle....why do I want to go and do something like cardio if I don't have to. I know that some people really do need it, but if you don't and you could achieve the same results by just dieting longer and more strict....wouldn't it be worth it to keep all that hard earned muscle that you've gained. As far as cheat days.... I don't cheat on a weekly basis and when I do it's usually a cheat meal, not a cheat day! I don't have a scheduled day that I cheat......I go as long as I can without cheating and when I do, like I said it's a cheat meal, not a whole day of all out gordging! To each his own.......Take care!

patk

stevehnsn · Jul 18, 2002

PATK

It looks as if you have a pretty good idea about what to do. Good luck with your show.

Ry Roid · Jul 18, 2002

Ahhh your all lazy fuckers!!

I am busting my ass doing 40min cardio 2 times a day.hehhe Yes, diet can rid you of fat w/out doing cardio but, i Gaurantee you won't look as good on stage if you leave it out.

RY

physiqueartist · Jul 18, 2002

I think cardio is a must for contest prep. I did 45 min is am empty stomach and last 5 weeks did 15-20 after workout. Did minuum intesity.

I also had a cheat meal or two (on Saturdays) up until 2 weeks out. Next time I will cut that out sooner. I cheated on fats not sugar, pizza, bugger soem fries etc. This helped me keep my sanity. Started dieting at 218 was on stage at 192 and lost no muscle size.

Pusher · Jul 18, 2002

I'm with Ry on this...

I drop 4-5% bodyfat just by doing a 1g test and .5g tren with arimidex while going to Burger King 3x a day and eating Domino's pizza before bed, but no way will I risk stepping onstage w/o cardio. Can't even think about throwing away 2-4months of hardwork and all that money because I didn't do cardio.

I'm not a fan of the cheat meals either, maybe 1 every 2-3 weeks if prejudging is still at least 5 weeks away. I'm a guy who has zero problem eating nothing but oatmeal, eggs, and protein shakes all day, everyday, for 8 straight weeks. Size won't always win that trophy, not if the guy next to you is rock hard from not cheating when you were.

BIGKIWI · Jul 18, 2002

I think you should be doing cardio as well it can only help. Doesn't have to be every day , just low intensity 3-5 days 40min. If you are worried about losing muscle because the cardios I personally feel that doing cardios will make you gain muscle. Your metabolism speeds up ,your appetite goes up (more protein etc ) , your whole body is refined not just the muscles.

kiwi