Best type of cardio to perform while cutting to not lose muscle?

jiggyj9
jiggyj9 Posts: 90 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey all, I’m finally starting a little cut after slowly gaining 10-15 lbs over my ideal weight. I usually do cardio (HIIT or sprinting or stair master or rower or swimming) for no more than 30 mins a couple times a week. I’m concerned about burning excessive calories and losing muscle. I’ve read recently that longer, less intense cardio is better to retain muscle, contrary to my prior understanding. What’s your experience/opinion?

Thanks!

Replies

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,630 Member
    Think about watching the Olympics. Mentally compare the body of the elite marathon runners (longer cardio) compared to the sprinters (HIIT). Which one appears to have kept muscle better? 'Nuff said for me.
  • jiggyj9
    jiggyj9 Posts: 90 Member
    Fair enough!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Preservation of muscle is going to come down to maintaining a reasonable calorie deficit and resistance training. For many years I was a long distance endurance cyclist and had no issue preserving muscle or gaining muscle...it just meant I had to eat a lot more (which I like) to keep up with the calories I was burning riding 100+ miles per week. Note that I wasn't really "competitive" in the sense that I wasn't trying to podium or anything like that. It was all for fun and exercise and I kept up with my time in the weight room.

    Conversely, as mentioned above in regards to elite marathon runners (same for elite endurance cyclists)...no, they don't hold a lot of muscle because muscle has weight and weight is the enemy for someone trying to be elite in an endurance sport...that isn't most of us. Those individuals also spend very little if any time in the weight room compared to a sprinter. I myself used to be a competitive sprinter and jumper, and spent a considerable amount of time training in the weight room because sprinting requires an extraordinary amount of power which is very efficiently developed in the weight room. My high school best friend on the other hand was a cross country guy and spent zero time in the weight room and most definitely looked like it.

    In a nutshell, this really isn't a concern unless you are substantially underfeeding and/or stop lifting and you should just do whatever cardio you like doing. I don't personally engage in HIIT or sprinting because there is a much higher risk of injury and also because it doesn't really compliment my recreational activities which tend to be longer duration things like hiking, mountain biking, and road cycling.

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,848 Member
    The question isn't how much cardio you're doing. The question is what is your deficit? If it's a reasonable deficit, say 10% maybe 20%, and you're lifting to at least maintain, and you're getting plenty of protein, you should lose little if any muscle mass.
  • jiggyj9
    jiggyj9 Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks for the insight and reassurance!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    nossmf wrote: »
    Think about watching the Olympics. Mentally compare the body of the elite marathon runners (longer cardio) compared to the sprinters (HIIT). Which one appears to have kept muscle better? 'Nuff said for me.

    Do heavyweight boxers do cardio, and have they kept their muscles? Yes. Do football players do cardio, and have they kept their muscles? Yes.

    I'm not saying you have to do endurance cardio (and I admit I don't much strength train), but wouldn't the right theoretical comparison would be to elite athletes whose sports require both muscularity and cardiovascular endurance/fitness, not sports that prioritize light bodyweight and cardiovascular endurance/fitness?

    Subject to genetic limitations, athletes pretty much get what they train for, plus elite levels tend to select for particular genetic types in the first place, and not all sports favor full-body muscularity. Some even favor partial-body muscularity, to a certain extent. Some of those skinny Tour de France guys have pretty muscular thighs, for example.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,848 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Some even favor partial-body muscularity, to a certain extent. Some of those skinny Tour de France guys have pretty muscular thighs, for example.
    I was going to directly post the pic of Poljanski's legs after stage 16 of a Tour de France a few years ago, but it's not for the faint of heart.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40653943
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Some even favor partial-body muscularity, to a certain extent. Some of those skinny Tour de France guys have pretty muscular thighs, for example.
    I was going to directly post the pic of Poljanski's legs after stage 16 of a Tour de France a few years ago, but it's not for the faint of heart.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40653943

    Yeah, I've seen that. To be fair, that's about starting super-lean, and spending everything you've got in a brutally long, hard event at an extreme of human capability. There are still some thigh muscles left in there, scary though the overall look is.

    I wouldn't suggest that OP undertake cardio to that extent, unless his goal is to win the Tour de France. It sounds more like he wants to optimize other aspects.

    This is probably pure personal prejudice, but I do think high-intensity cardio (HIIT specifically) is seriously oversold these days. It causes more CNS stress, increases fatigue disproportionately to its increase in per-minute calorie burn, can interfere with total recovery if repeated often, and some of the popular types of HIIT are more injury-risking as well.

    As with anything, if a person loves it, they should probably do it, but elite CV athletes of any sort I know of don't do high proportions of what is for them high intensity cardio - it's more of a side dish or condiment, not the main meal in training plans. To me, if elites don't train that way, why would regular duffers like me? Admittedly, I'm a CV-centric person (rower, boats), not a bodybuilder or power/strength maximizer, though rowing wants (and develops) a little more muscularity than some other CV modalities.

    I know that some high-level lifters do emphasize high-intensity cardio (if they do some at all). It's sort of time-efficient, especially if one doesn't care about total calorie expenditure from the cardio, or care about well-rounded CV fitness. VO2max isn't everything.
  • gpanda103
    gpanda103 Posts: 189 Member
    I would say do the cardio that you enjoy the most, no need to overthink it
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    ferneycompleting wrote: »
    Why are you afraid of losing muscle mass during cardio training?
    Because losing any muscle concerns those that train hard to put it on. Muscle isn't easy to put on like fat is and when one loses weight to lose fat, you'll lose muscle as well. Cardio isn't the main factor though. It's the deficit and resistance training that does.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


  • I_AM_ISRAEL
    I_AM_ISRAEL Posts: 160 Member
    40-60 mins of fasted cardio every morning with a fat burner of your choice.
    LISS. Slow state, no need to get you ur heart rate up to 180 or anything like that. Biggest factors will be a slight caloric deficit while still being INTENSE, with your workouts.
    Oh, and workout 5 days a week. On top of your morning fasted cardio.
    Stay strong 💪🏼
  • I_AM_ISRAEL
    I_AM_ISRAEL Posts: 160 Member
    smnsl4bcb1kh.jpeg

    1 month of progress following what I stated on my previous comment.
    However, I did not cheat once! Consistency and patience will always win! 💪🏼

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