Cardio

krknobbe10

For those of you who are trying to gain muscle, how many days of cardio do you do and for how long and what activity? For those who have muscle and are trying to maintain muscle and get rid of fat, how many days of cardio do you do and for how long and what type? And for those of you who are trying to build muscle and get rid of fat, how many days of cardio do you do and for how long and what type?

yopeeps025

First third scenario is hard to do pass newbie gains stage but I think most would love to increase Lean body mass while losing fat. With that said I would be in this stage. Cardio I don't do so much of since I am trying to get my nutrition in order. I did tabata HIIT jump rope for cardio(8 minutes if I can last that long). I also do barbell complex.

rybo

A person could theoretically do the exact same cardio for each situation and achieve their goals. The changing variable is the amount of calories eaten.

jacksonpt

rybo wrote: »

A person could theoretically do the exact same cardio for each situation and achieve their goals. The changing variable is the amount of calories eaten.

I'm one of those people.

I play basketball 2-3 times per week for about an hour. I run and/or bike when my schedule allows (probably once or twice a month).

Based on my goals, I'll add or remove volume from my lifting and increase or decrease my calories consumed.


OP - what is it, exactly, that you're trying to get at? Cardio's impact on muscle gain/loss?

Springfield1970

I tend to bulk in the winter when I'm doing less cardio, it makes the number crunching less complicated and allows my old muscles to recover better.

Right now I ratcheting up my training like mad and doing a slow slow cut (1-2lbs of fat off by bulk time in 8 months). It's still very difficult to not eat the entire contents of the fridge, but this kind of training needs a lot of carbs, and that's not helping my hungries!

krknobbe10

jacksonpt wrote: »

rybo wrote: »

A person could theoretically do the exact same cardio for each situation and achieve their goals. The changing variable is the amount of calories eaten.

I'm one of those people.

I play basketball 2-3 times per week for about an hour. I run and/or bike when my schedule allows (probably once or twice a month).

Based on my goals, I'll add or remove volume from my lifting and increase or decrease my calories consumed.


OP - what is it, exactly, that you're trying to get at? Cardio's impact on muscle gain/loss?

That is my question and just wanted to find out a bit of information and see what people are doing with cardio. I want to know how it impacts muscle since I am trying to gain muscle and get rid of fat, but I know I need to hit a certain calorie goal or slightly under every day no matter what I do and start lifting heavy.

Springfield1970 wrote: »

I tend to bulk in the winter when I'm doing less cardio, it makes the number crunching less complicated and allows my old muscles to recover better.

Right now I ratcheting up my training like mad and doing a slow slow cut (1-2lbs of fat off by bulk time in 8 months). It's still very difficult to not eat the entire contents of the fridge, but this kind of training needs a lot of carbs, and that's not helping my hungries!

You are losing fat by bulking? Can you please explain this more. You mean you are eating more to gain muscle so that muscle can burn fat?

rybo

Unless you are doing endless hours of cardio in a caloric deficit and no resistance training, it has very little effect on muscle.

jacksonpt

krknobbe10 wrote: »

That is my question and just wanted to find out a bit of information and see what people are doing with cardio. I want to know how it impacts muscle since I am trying to gain muscle and get rid of fat, but I know I need to hit a certain calorie goal or slightly under every day no matter what I do and start lifting heavy.

You can't really look at it without also considering calorie intake. Excessive exercise, regardless of weights or cardio, isn't good. If done with sufficient intensity and reasonable fuel, both cardio and strength training have similar muscle retention benefits.

A big advantage to lifting us that it's significantly easier to to continually increase resistance/intensity, which makes it the preferred approach for long term muscle growth.