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For those bulking, how much cardio do you do per week?

Riz72
Riz72 Posts: 67 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I'm going to be starting my "bulk phase" again in about a month. Was wondering if I was doing too much cardio the last time around, which may have been affecting my gains.

I play basketball about once a week and do some intense cardio at the gym 1-2 times a week during the bulk. Perhaps that too much?

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    the more cardio you do, the more you'll have to eat...so bulking becomes more difficult. when i did my bulk, my cardio consisted mostly of walking with only 1x weekly of a nice 3 mile jog.

    a lot of people pretty much do no cardio when they bulk...but cardiovascular work is important to me and to some of the health issues I've had and continue to battle.
  • Riz72
    Riz72 Posts: 67 Member
    Yeah, I feel like I still have to do some cardio... helps my endurance when lifting too.

    Did you find that you were able to keep the body fat to a minimum when doing the cardio that you did?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Riz72 wrote: »
    Yeah, I feel like I still have to do some cardio... helps my endurance when lifting too.

    Did you find that you were able to keep the body fat to a minimum when doing the cardio that you did?

    I put on about 50% muscle and 50% fat...cardio isn't really going to make the difference there...the size of your surplus is going to have a far more profound impact there.
  • aown61
    aown61 Posts: 62 Member
    I attend a metafit class once a week, this is a 20 min high intensity workout.
  • labohn91
    labohn91 Posts: 113 Member
    Do some type of cardio, even walking a few times a week. You will thank me in 40 years, plus you get to eat more which is awesome.
  • BenJDarling
    BenJDarling Posts: 12 Member
    I do none
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    As little as possible. I'm a professional performer - so my dancing keeps my cardio up sometimes- but I pretty much cut out all running/sprinting/stairmastering.

    I get enough heart work through dance- off season is a different story.
    labohn91 wrote: »
    Do some type of cardio, even walking a few times a week. You will thank me in 40 years, plus you get to eat more which is awesome.
    You do realize you're in the weight gain section- and sometimes having to eat more food on top of more food isn't always that awesome.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    When I first started my bulk I did interval training twice a week (15-20 min), eventually though I dropped all cardio because I was constantly chasing my surplus.
  • Riz72
    Riz72 Posts: 67 Member
    I definitely have to do a better job tracking. Especially during the "gain season".

    I'm going to hit my macros and all but figure the more I can eat the better (pending my workouts match as well and the diet of course will have to be clean)
  • Riz72
    Riz72 Posts: 67 Member
    Thanks for your replies btw. I don't use the forum portion or this site enough.
  • richln
    richln Posts: 809 Member
    Zero, although I still get a fair amount of LISS just from working around the house and occasional weekend hikes with the fam.
  • GlenzioFitness
    GlenzioFitness Posts: 253 Member
    The only cardio I do is lifting the food to my mouth faster
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
    Maybe I am weird, but I try to make sure and get decent cardio in. I feel like stamina is a big requirement when bulking and really pushing hard to get your next bump up on your lifts. I don't think I could make it through a fullbody workout 3 to 4 times per week with crap stamina. I just make sure to do cardio AFTER the lifts, keep it to about 10 minutes HIIT, and eat my cals back. No steady state for 20+ minutes or anything like that. Just thinking about it makes my gains cry.
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    As little as possible. I'm a professional performer - so my dancing keeps my cardio up sometimes- but I pretty much cut out all running/sprinting/stairmastering.

    I get enough heart work through dance- off season is a different story.
    labohn91 wrote: »
    Do some type of cardio, even walking a few times a week. You will thank me in 40 years, plus you get to eat more which is awesome.
    You do realize you're in the weight gain section- and sometimes having to eat more food on top of more food isn't always that awesome.

    Or cheap. RIP grocery budget.
This discussion has been closed.

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