Any truth to this article?

ReadynWillin
ReadynWillin Posts: 104
in Fitness and Exercise
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-muscle-prof-best-cardio-for-preserving-mass.html

Long story short, I started lifting and implementig a calorie deficit little over a month ago, but I only lost weight steadily (about 1 pound every week, despite allowing a deficit for 2 pound/week loss). But this week, I'd increased my cardio routine to 30 minutes a day, and I've lost 4 pounds in a week.

My question is: Is it possible that some of the weight I've lost this week is LBM because of all the cardio I've introduced into my routine?

*Looking for informed opinions (from experienced, fellow lifters) and/or links to peer reviewed studies/articles*

Thank You! :)

Replies

  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
    Bump
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    jacob wilson is smart dude.

    It's not really correct to say "cardio caused your LBM loss" ( remember LBM is not ONLY muscle by the way). Cardio is one way of creating/increasing a calorie deficit it doesn't burn muscle.

    Spriting/high intensity training is great and all but you have to consider what else is going on with someones training. If someone is already pretty lean, running an intense program and in a calorie deficit the high intensity traininig might impact their recovery too much...so for that person steady state cardio might be a better choice in that example....depends on what someones main goal is.

    in short, no cardio does not directly cause 'muscle wastage' or lbm loss but could be one of many factors that would contribute.
  • ReadynWillin
    ReadynWillin Posts: 104
    jacob wilson is smart dude.

    It's not really correct to say "cardio caused your LBM loss" ( remember LBM is not ONLY muscle by the way). Cardio is one way of creating/increasing a calorie deficit it doesn't burn muscle.

    Spriting/high intensity training is great and all but you have to consider what else is going on with someones training. If someone is already pretty lean, running an intense program and in a calorie deficit the high intensity traininig might impact their recovery too much...so for that person steady state cardio might be a better choice in that example....depends on what someones main goal is.

    in short, no cardio does not directly cause 'muscle wastage' or lbm loss but could be one of many factors that would contribute.

    Barring early-onset osteoporosis, excessive water loss, or hacking off chunks of skin willy-nilly; I believe I can safely narrow my choices to fat loss or muscle loss. Or both--that's more likely, I guess. Btw, I am not lean (I probably should have told you that at the onset.) I'm 5'5" and 226 pounds.

    What I took from the article is that my cardio workouts may be cutting my ability to build mass after lifting. Since I'm cutting with a calorie deficit (and hard!), my lifting routine and protein intake can only "protect" my current muscle mass, not build more...Or so I have been told--please correct me if I'm wrong. After reading that article, I got suspicious of my 4 pound loss in 5 days with the heavy cardio introduction.

    Perhaps, it's just a coincidence and my LBM is fine after all. Still, would you recommend separating lifting and cardio to different days to avoid the "danger?" Or is the "danger" so minimal in my case that I shouldn't worry about it?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    You have to exercise EXTREME caution trying to apply research results gained from studies on body builders to the average e exerciser.

    I have never had an instance where someone who was significantly overweight and did large volumes of cardio--including running--lost any significant muscle as long as they were doing resistance training as well. I personally averaged 3lb per week weight loss for 5 months and increased lean mass (granted not the same as muscle mass, but still...) by 7lbs while doing 5000-6000calories per week of cardio training, about 50% of that running. And avg a little less than 2 lifting workouts per week.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    Or is the "danger" so minimal in my case that I shouldn't worry about it?

    pretty much.

    Like is said it depends on goals, if you are a body builder/strength athlete prioritise you weight lifting and make the cardio secondary......if you are a runner make it the other way around. For the average joe on the street looking to lose a bit of weight it really isn't going to matter much.

    Also most methods of measuring LBM or so inaccurate I wouldn't draw any conclusions from weekly fluctuations in them.

    You have to exercise EXTREME caution trying to apply research results gained from studies on body builders to the average e exerciser.

    true. I havent read the studies posted in the article but i understand a lot of the 'cardio hurts strength/muscle gains' research has used middle to long distance cardio such as half marathons.....not many people are bodybuilding and running 25 miles a week. More like hopping on the stepmill for 25 minutes which isn't really the same thing.
  • ReadynWillin
    ReadynWillin Posts: 104
    Thanks to both of you for the information so far. My general goal is to eventually achieve a healthy weight for my frame (130-140 pounds). But secondly, being "skinny" isn't enough--I would like to look toned all over at the end of my cut. My final concern is endurance, agility, and flexibility for playing sports. So while I'm not too worried about strength, I like the benefits lifting has to offer.

    Currently, I am "running" an average of "20 miles" per week on the elliptical with a resistance of 10.

    I do keep hearing that the standard methods of measuring LBM are highly inaccurate (and it doesn't help that they are geared towards men when I am a woman). Which method has the lowest known margin of error for women?
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    read this mini series by James Kreiger on BF measurement

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=146

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=162
  • FitnessMind_SS
    FitnessMind_SS Posts: 37 Member
    read this mini series by James Kreiger on BF measurement

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=146

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=162

    ^ And read his other stuff too while you're at it. The guy is fantastic IMO.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Thanks to both of you for the information so far. My general goal is to eventually achieve a healthy weight for my frame (130-140 pounds). But secondly, being "skinny" isn't enough--I would like to look toned all over at the end of my cut. My final concern is endurance, agility, and flexibility for playing sports. So while I'm not too worried about strength, I like the benefits lifting has to offer.

    Currently, I am "running" an average of "20 miles" per week on the elliptical with a resistance of 10.

    I do keep hearing that the standard methods of measuring LBM are highly inaccurate (and it doesn't help that they are geared towards men when I am a woman). Which method has the lowest known margin of error for women?

    Keep in mind as well, that many of these effects are transient, not permanent. That's another common mistake repeated continually in many fitness articles (not the one cited, which was pretty good). Even if one had a "worst-case" scenario in which one lost a lot of fat and ended up losing some lean mass or being "skinnier" that one would like, there is nothing to stop that person from adjusting their program and focusing it on different goals.
  • ReadynWillin
    ReadynWillin Posts: 104
    read this mini series by James Kreiger on BF measurement

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=146

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=162

    Ah, thanks for the reading material. =D
    ^ And read his other stuff too while you're at it. The guy is fantastic IMO.

    Will do. ^^
    Keep in mind as well, that many of these effects are transient, not permanent. That's another common mistake repeated continually in many fitness articles (not the one cited, which was pretty good). Even if one had a "worst-case" scenario in which one lost a lot of fat and ended up losing some lean mass or being "skinnier" that one would like, there is nothing to stop that person from adjusting their program and focusing it on different goals.

    Gotcha. I was trying to do it all in one go, but it's probably more realistic to focus on cutting fat primarily and readjust my routine as necessary when I'm closer to the goal.

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