How much cardio is too much ?

MACnificence

Hi

So just wondering when does cardio start to affect weight lifting progress?
Currently I run about 5 days a week , we're talking at least 5k
But I can some weeks clock 3/4 hours of cardio mostly running but maybe some stepper or bike thrown in there depending on if I got into the gym for some cardio or not
Thing is I'm also lifting 3 days a week full body
I try to get cardio in the morning and lift then in the evenings so I'm not doing both back to back

But is that much cardio possibly causing muscle loss and being counterproductive

How much cardio is too much ?

EpsilonGamma

How much can you eat.

These numbers are examples

your maintenance weight is 2100 calories. to gain a slow bulk, you want to eat like 2400.

On a day you run 5k. That's ~approx 400 calories depending on how much you weigh now.

So now you have to eat 2800 to gain your slow bulk. Add your lifting, that can be another 200-300 depending on time and intensity. Boom, you're up to 3100

Add in your stepper or bike and you could be looking at 3500 calories. That's a lot of food you need to be eating to be on a slow bulk my friend.

MACnificence

So just depends on food intake once you eat enough so that your not in a calorie deficit you won't affect your muscle mass ?

Not looking to bulk as such YET , just want to preserve as much muscle mass as possible while I'm reversing my calories up to maintainance and would love to see some sort of strength gains

I think I have the adequate protein covered for my weight I get at 100-110g daily , currently 101Ibs and I'm following a progressive loading strength routine (all pros)

Azdak

Research suggests that doing a lot of running will negatively affect gains in muscle mass, even compared to other types of cardio.

That doesn't mean "prevent" or "will cause muscle loss"--it just means one won't get as big as they otherwise would have, all other conditions being equal.

If the goal is to maximize gains in muscle mass, running is probably not the best cardio choice.

If the goal is to increase some mass and increase muscle strength, then that should still be possible with a running program.

MACnificence

Has anyone good links to reliable sources that cover this topic ?