Too much cardio when strength training?

bizco

You won't build muscle unless you're lifting heavy. And, if you're eating at a deficit, you may gain some muslce in the beginning, this will even out, and you will simply be retaining muscle. Once you get past the "newbie" stage, you really only build significant muscle by eating at a surplus.

^ Exactly correct, almost. If you continue to operate at a calorie deficit to lose weight you will MINIMIZE muscle loss. Weight loss will still be a combination of fat and muscle. You won't "retain" all muscle.

Cardio burns fat, it doesn't build muscle. Most of the things you listed as your 1 hour cardio workouts really isn't cardio but more resistance (strength) training.

If you're truly lifting heavy then you need to let your body recover more. Muscles need 48 hours to fully recover so put a day in between your heavy lifting sessions. Muscle adaptation takes place during rest periods.

1carahmeldiva

Bump for later.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Excessive cardio hurts your gains

cljabusc

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DoingitWell

THanks for posting this question.

Therealobi1

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ahamm002

So right now I do cardio for 1 hour everyday and weight train mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri. Is this too much cardio? Its circuit training with stuff like push-ups, burpees, lunges, and squats. I also use weights in most of the exersices. Is this kind of cardio ok to build muscle?

A few things:

1. While excessive cardio can produce an "inhibitory" effect on muscle hypertrophy, the effect is generally overblown for recreational athletes. It's sort of like the new "starvation mode." Yes it exists, but for 95% of the population, cardio will be more likely to help burn fat than stifle muscle growth.

2. An hour of circuit training that consists of push-ups, burpees, lunges, and squats? WTF? What are you super woman? I would be very concerned that you're simply over training if you truly do that kind of circuit training for an hour every day.

00sarah

So right now I do cardio for 1 hour everyday and weight train mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri. Is this too much cardio? Its circuit training with stuff like push-ups, burpees, lunges, and squats. I also use weights in most of the exersices. Is this kind of cardio ok to build muscle?

A few things:

1. While excessive cardio can produce an "inhibitory" effect on muscle hypertrophy, the effect is generally overblown for recreational athletes. It's sort of like the new "starvation mode." Yes it exists, but for 95% of the population, cardio will be more likely to help burn fat than stifle muscle growth.

2. An hour of circuit training that consists of push-ups, burpees, lunges, and squats? WTF? What are you super woman? I would be very concerned that you're simply over training if you truly do that kind of circuit training for an hour every day.

Good advice. And I ate a surplus to gain.

Katiemarie4488

I was just told by my trainer NO cardio for more than 30 minutes a day! You are more or less undoing all the weight training work and muscle burns more calories.

How do you "undo" torn muscle fibers, aka all the weight training work? I'm not being rude.. I really just don't understand what you mean?

You rest, and eat protein

Jonesie1984

I was just told by my trainer NO cardio for more than 30 minutes a day! You are more or less undoing all the weight training work and muscle burns more calories.

How do you "undo" torn muscle fibers, aka all the weight training work? I'm not being rude.. I really just don't understand what you mean?

What she means is excessive cardio is actually catabolic (muscle wasting) so you are lifting weight to build muscle and doing excessive cardio and wasting/depleating it.

I really like the Kettlenetics dvds cuz they combine cardio with light weights. And they give you toning without bulking you up too much being a girl.

The kettlenetics one though I really like for being a girl cuz it combines lighter weights with the cardio so I can get a little of both and I don't feel like that one totally bulks you up it just tones you out a little better.

uggghhgg :grumble:

^^^ exactly If people only knew how hard it was to gain muscle they wouldn't be so afraid of it.

GrannyGwen1

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