How much cardio?
rld84
Posts: 11 Member
I'm sure this has probably been asked and answered before, but I have a question in relation to the amount and type of cardio required to achieve a decrease in body fat whilst maintaining LBM.
I'm currently at my goal weight, sitting around 19% BF (as per a DEXA scan). Ideally I'd like to get my BF to 15%, whilst also maintaining my LBM.
My current training regime each week is:
- 4 sessions heavy weight training (1 with a PT)
- 2 x 45min HIIT sessions @ approx 80-85% max HR
- 2 x 60min low intensity cardio sessions @ approx 60% max HR
So my questions are;
- is this enough/ too much cardio to be doing in order to achieve my goal?
- Is this the right type of cardio sessions to achieve my goal?
- If I'm doing the wrong thing, what should I be doing instead?
Thanks for listening, and I appreciate your advice and suggestions!
I'm currently at my goal weight, sitting around 19% BF (as per a DEXA scan). Ideally I'd like to get my BF to 15%, whilst also maintaining my LBM.
My current training regime each week is:
- 4 sessions heavy weight training (1 with a PT)
- 2 x 45min HIIT sessions @ approx 80-85% max HR
- 2 x 60min low intensity cardio sessions @ approx 60% max HR
So my questions are;
- is this enough/ too much cardio to be doing in order to achieve my goal?
- Is this the right type of cardio sessions to achieve my goal?
- If I'm doing the wrong thing, what should I be doing instead?
Thanks for listening, and I appreciate your advice and suggestions!
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Replies
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Hi!
Are you trying to get to 15% for a competition? That is pretty low to keep sustained and you can run the risk of amenorrhea - the BF% that you can have hormonal issues varies individual to individual however.
Here is a good video to watch regarding cardio and fat loss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEJGR1_sZc 0 -
I have no explanation...
But it seems the lower my body fat % goes, the LESS cardio I have to do as long as I keep up with my weight training and calorie deficit. When I was 30+% body fat, if I didn't do cardio 4-5 times a week I wasn't going to go anywhere with my body fat. Now I am doing 1-2 sessions per week (I'm around 22% now) and last week I didn't do any at all and I lost a little more.
Of course, I've never claimed any sort of normalcy in my life.0 -
Thanks for your responses.
Sara - Thanks for the video. It basically confirms that the type of training I'm doing is correct, but has given me extra guidance on how to better structure my cardio around my weight training.
I'm not trying to get to 15% for competition - I don't compete, I train purely for my own vanity (and sanity!). After years of abusing cardio and not lifting heavy enough, and looking skinny fat instead of seeing the definition I wanted, I've recently adapted my training and am finally starting to see results.
But at 19% BF I still can't see visible abs, and my shoulders are only just starting to take shape, so I thought that by going lower it may help me finally achieve the look I'm after. Is this a completely naive way of thinking? And if 15% is not a realistic number in terms of sustainability, what is? Or does it vary depending on the person?
As for the hormonal issues - I take the contraceptive pill, which keeps my female hormones steady, but should I be worried about other hormones instead?0 -
It really depends on how much muscle you have and where. Visible abs have a lot to do with genetics. and shoulder definition will be improved by increasing the muscle there (assuming that is what you mean by shoulders taking shape). The way to counteract 'skinny fat' (which you are not at 19% BF btw) is to increase LBM, not necessarily decreasing BF%. When you decrease BF to a certain level, you actually run the risk of also decreasing LBM.
This is based on intuition and not anything I am very read up on, but taking the pill will not regulate your hormones enough to make up for the hormonal imbalance caused by a low BF%. A sustainable BF% varies individual to individual but as a ball park, 17% is on the lowish end (obviously there are exceptions).0 -
Thanks Sara, I wondered whether increasing LBM may be a better option for me to achieve the look I'm after.
But I also realise that I would likely also gain bf whilst increasing LBM, and I think I need to ponder that for awhile to see whether I'm prepared to accept a gain to achieve a gain.
That's interesting re the pill and hormone imbalance, I'll definitely keep an eye on that.
Thanks again for your advice!0 -
If you are concerned about gaining fat, you may want to go down the recomp route - basically, you eat at maintenance - varying your intake based on your workouts, but averaging maintenance for the week. It is slow and inefficient, but it is a pretty common way to increase LBM and not gain fat.0
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You probably need to be looking at your diet in terms of how much sodium intake you have. You don't have any pictures to see your muscularity at this point.0
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@JeffseekingV - If you're referring to water retention as a possible cause, I don't think that should be an issue? My sodium intake over a week is pretty low and averages ~2000mg/day.
Sara - I think the recomp route might be a better way for me to do it - despite being less efficient, it'd probably suit me better mentally to see less fat gain.
When you say vary my intake based on my workouts, do you mean eating back exercise calories, or have a standard calorie target depending on the type of training I'm doing?0 -
@JeffseekingV - If you're referring to water retention as a possible cause, I don't think that should be an issue? My sodium intake over a week is pretty low and averages ~2000mg/day.
Sara - I think the recomp route might be a better way for me to do it - despite being less efficient, it'd probably suit me better mentally to see less fat gain.
When you say vary my intake based on my workouts, do you mean eating back exercise calories, or have a standard calorie target depending on the type of training I'm doing?
It is a little better imo to calculate your weekly maintenance calories including exercise and then allocate across the days based o your lifting schedule - with a slight surplus on lifting days and a slight deficit on no lifting days.
For example, lets say you maintain on 2,000 calories a day on average and that you lift 3 x a week with estimated lifting calories being 300 (included in the 2,000 average). So, your non exercise calories for the week is 2,000 x 7 = 14,000 less 900 (3 x 300) = 13,100. You would take the average for the week excluding lifting - 13,100 divided by 7 = approx 1,871 - this would be your 'base'. You would eat to say 1,600 on non lift days creating a deficit of 271 x 4 = 1,084 for the week for those 4 days and then add those to your lifting days which would be 1,871 plus the 300 lifting calories plus the (1,084/3 = approx. 361 cals) to get to approx. 2,532
Total calories for the week = 1,600 * 4 = 6,400 plus 2,532 * 3 = 7,596 = 13.996 (same as the 14,00 for the week, with rounding)
So, total calories are the same, but your would eat 1,600 on non lifting days and 2,500 on lifting days.
The above is just to illustrate how it works and not using your specific numbers as it really is a preference as to how much you vary the intake. Personally, I would not go as extreme in the intake levels.0 -
Thanks Sara - so basically I'm doing a form of calorie cycling - with higher cals on lift days and lower on cardio days - but average over the week is equal to maintenance cals. I do a bit of that already, but it's not to the same level, normally only an increase or decrease of 100-150 cals at most in the form of some greek yoghurt or cottage cheese - so I'll try harder to ensure I'm hitting the right numbers and my average is at maintenance.
Should I be upping my cals in the form of carbs/protein or fats, or would I leave the macros at the same level? I currently have my macros set to 35/25/40 CHO/F/P and I almost always go over on protein and under on CHO and fat.
I've also been having a "sort-of" reefed on a Saturday for the past month, where I up my calls for the day up to 200-400 above TDEE. I don't eat junk, but just increase my fats and protein for the day to make up the cals. I think it's helped because I appear to have more definition in the mirror, yet my weight has stayed the same. Do you believe in refeeds for getting leaner?0 -
Yep - you got it.
Keep your protein and fats the same and vary carbs.
Regarding refeeds - if you are at a relatively low BF%, refeeds (which are high carb days) can help keep your metabolism chugging along. There are no real studies that support this - but a wealth of anecdotal evidence from very knowledgeable contest prep bb'ers and coaches that use this to good effect. The impact will vary individual to individual.
Calorie/carb cycling is a form of refeeds - just with more regularity. However, the logic behind calorie cycling for recomp is different - it is to provide your body with a surplus on lifting days to build muscle rather than for weight loss itself.0 -
Thanks Sara - understood and noted. I'll increase cals/carbs on weight lifting days and decrease on cardio days for a total of maintenance cals over the week.
Realistically how long should I expect to see an increase in LBM using the recomp method? Obviously it would be slower than the bulking/shredding cycle you're following, but have you ever followed recomp and if so what gains did you make in what time?0 -
Bumping for Sara's calculations. Thanks. 0
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Interested in the info in this thread.....
Is it possible that the extra LISS is counter-productive to the recomp goals?
Not too sure and don't want to jack the thread but that kind of stuck out to me 0 -
Interested in the info in this thread.....
Is it possible that the extra LISS is counter-productive to the recomp goals?
Not too sure and don't want to jack the thread but that kind of stuck out to me
It can be - have a listen to the video link I posted.0 -
Thanks Sara - understood and noted. I'll increase cals/carbs on weight lifting days and decrease on cardio days for a total of maintenance cals over the week.
Realistically how long should I expect to see an increase in LBM using the recomp method? Obviously it would be slower than the bulking/shredding cycle you're following, but have you ever followed recomp and if so what gains did you make in what time?
Honestly, there are too many variables to answer that - it depends on training intensity, genetics and a slew of other things. To put it into perspective, in their first year of training, women can only gain a max of about 12lb if they are lucky on a bulk. If you have been training for a year, then it halves. Recomping would be slower than that but unfortunately I have no gauge as to how much slower.
I have never recomp'd personally.0 -
Locking in order to keep track of active threads. Feel free to PM either myself or SideSteel, including a link to this thread, if you wish to add any comments or questions, and we will unlock so you can do so.0
This discussion has been closed.