How much cardio?

FitnessBree__
FitnessBree__ Posts: 26
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what everyone's advice is on cardio and the amount to do. I workout 6x a week. I love BodyAttack class but the max I burn from that is around 340 cals. (I know they say on average in these classes you burn 4-600, but I'm 5ft5 and 126pounds so burn less!) I never feel this is enough though so will usually run after. I am not normally "happy" unless I've burnt around 600cals a day in cardio.
Today I didn't feel like doing a whole hour BodyAttack so instead did a cardio routine at home and burnt 207cals. ( I have a HRM watch) then went for a 40minute run and burnt 386 so a total of just under 600.
I was doing weights 6x a week too, but will probably drop that to 4 as I've read its safer that way and less chance of injury.
I eat very clean (pretty much just meat eggs fruit and veggies with exceptions such as yogurt and oatmeal) and have a fairly active lifestyle when I'm not working out.
How many cals should you aim for through a cardio session? Thanks in advance for any help.

Replies

  • Game8
    Game8 Posts: 442
    In my opinion, weight lifting is the best and most efficient form of exercise if your goal is to change your body composition.

    You can include cardio, the amount and duration all comes down to personal preference. It will help you burn more calories, which is an alternative to decreasing calorie intake. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Eating "clean" is not as important as you think. You don't have to torture yourself, but you can keep eating clean if it makes you feel better. In the end it's simply all about calories in vs calories out.
  • BigRich822
    BigRich822 Posts: 681
    I sort of agree. Keep eating clean, and Limit the cardio, it can actually hinder you from building muscle, which is what you need to change your body type. I say hit the weights and less cardio! Cardio is good but you dont want to over do it!
  • FitnessBree__
    FitnessBree__ Posts: 26
    thanks guys! how many times a week and for how long should i do weights?
  • Game8
    Game8 Posts: 442
    thanks guys! how many times a week and for how long should i do weights?

    It really depends on how much volume you do. Just listen to your body. If you're doing too much, you will notice clear signs of over training (losing strength, low energy, etc.)

    You can do something like a day of upper body, a day of lower body, rest and then repeat. Or you can do 3 days lower body, 2 days upper body and have 2 rest days a week. See what works best for you, just as long as you're hitting every muscle 2-3 times a week.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    You can include cardio, the amount and duration all comes down to personal preference. It will help you burn more calories, which is an alternative to decreasing calorie intake. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Slightly disagree on this. There's a huge cardio vascular benefit to cardio exercise that you can't get from strength training. Now let's get down to brass tacks. What most people want here is simply body re-composition. For that do some light cardio 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes and hit the weights as hard as you can 3-4 days a week.

    Unless you're wanting to improve your time in a 5k or run a marathon there's no need to do hour long cardio sessions.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    thanks guys! how many times a week and for how long should i do weights?

    2-4 times a week. as long as it takes to get the workout done.

    Follow a compounding lifting novice program that revolves around squats, deadlifts, bench press, and overhead press. Starting Strength and SL5x5 are the usual go-to's.
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
    You can include cardio, the amount and duration all comes down to personal preference. It will help you burn more calories, which is an alternative to decreasing calorie intake. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Slightly disagree on this. There's a huge cardio vascular benefit to cardio exercise that you can't get from strength training. Now let's get down to brass tacks. What most people want here is simply body re-composition. For that do some light cardio 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes and hit the weights as hard as you can 3-4 days a week.

    Unless you're wanting to improve your time in a 5k or run a marathon there's no need to do hour long cardio sessions.

    Doing a near failure set of 20 back squats or a Dan John barbell complex gets me breathing harder and heart pumping faster/harder than any cardio I've ever done. Sitting on the thigh abduction machine however is another story. You don't need cardio if you're lifting with proper intensity imo.

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