is this possible?

[lazerss9]

i no i wont get a true bulk and wont put on nearly as much weight or strength as i would not doing any aerobics, but i want to get into good shape for cycling and need some mass and strength on my legs.(if that makes sense) so the question is, can i still gain a decent amount of size and strength while cycling for 1-2 hours about 5x per week? if not, wats the reasoning behind this?

Ill probably be eating around 3500 calories and doing a 5x5 program 3x/week. I'm only about 135-140 at 5'10". Thanks for the help.

 

[smoundzou]

Hmmm.. If you're wanting to bulk up, I'm assuming you're lean from the stats you posted.. and wanting to add additional muscle? The problem with that amount of cardio is.. it really dosn't matter if you have extra fat to burn, when you do that much cardio.. it's going to eat muscle... From what I understand.. when you burn doing cardio, it can't tell the difference between fat or muscle and burns both? That's why most bodybuilders avoid doing cardio when bulking... simply put, it's almost counter productive.. Wish I could give you a more scientific answer but have no idea how to explain it..

the calories look good and if the 5X5 is a good routine you should have OK gains while still doing the cardio.. but just make sure you get plenty of protein... maybe 3 shakes per day with about 42g and 350 cals per shake.. one in the morning, one pre-workout and post-workout.. 3500 cals is tought to take in.. I'm your height and weight 195lbs and when I bulk.. i try to take in 3500-4000 per day and it's not easy! but I also stay away from gainer shakes.. the kind that have 1500-2000 cals per shake.. so that's also an option if you don't mind drinking them..

A great shake with about 350 cals is..

12 oz fat free milk, 150 cals / 12 g protein
A tub of light yogurt, strawberry is good: 100 cals, 7 g protein
I scoop of whey protein, 100 cals / 23 g protein

that's almost 1/3 of your 3500 cals... only 2500 to go

good luck

 

[Rodja]

You can put on some muscle, but adding a significant amount will not be very likely. When doing that amount of aerobic training, your body goes into a catabolic state and muscle is sacrificed. The only advice I can give would be to consume ~30-40g of BCAAs along with a carbohydrate source while you are cycling.

 

[lazerss9]

i normally drink about 2 gainer shakes that are around 650 calories a piece, so thats a big help. but ive bn takin in 3500 calories for the past few weeks on workout days and its not too terribly hard, but im probably not eating the cleanest possible. i eat a lot of granola bars and a powerbar that help me get up there in the calories.

so would a gatorade mixed w/ the bcaa's be the kind of carb source ur talkin about rodja? or are u talking about gu (if u no wat that is) as a carb source? and even though size gains would be small, would strength gains still be possible?

 

[Rodja]

i normally drink about 2 gainer shakes that are around 650 calories a piece, so thats a big help. but ive bn takin in 3500 calories for the past few weeks on workout days and its not too terribly hard, but im probably not eating the cleanest possible. i eat a lot of granola bars and a powerbar that help me get up there in the calories.

so would a gatorade mixed w/ the bcaa's be the kind of carb source ur talkin about rodja? and even though size gains would be small, would strength gains still be possible?

Gatorade would suffice or you could use WMS. Strength gains are possible, but they will not come quickly. Your thighs will not have enough rest to make considerable gains, but you can still get stronger.

 

[smoundzou]

If you're taking the gainer shakes you should also take them on your non workout days as well. those are the days your body is rebuilding the muscle you broke down from your workout and they need as much protein, nourishment as possible.

Honestly, unless you are training for competitive cycling, I would really consider focusing on one or the other. I'm not anti cardio by any means and I would probably pick Rodja's brain as much as possible... in his signature, he mentions being an MMA fighter and as we all know.. most of those guys are pretty ripped and have insane cardio.. so with that said.. it's not impossible to do.. just not something that can be accomplished overnight..

Doing 2 hours of cycling per day “if it’s intense” is going to burn a lot of calories, fat as well as muscle.

 

[lazerss9]

i am training for competitive cycling(collegiate level) which is why i wanna be able to do both. im planin on doin the shakes everyday to keep the calories up, just hadnt started that yet bc of school issues, and i think 3500 calories might be a bit too much for me right now without any cardio.

so do u guys think ill c better gains if i maybe cut the cycling down to 3x/week, but still 1-2 hrs each time, and then a 5x5 3x/week? or do u guys think that that amount of cardio is gonna kill any weight gains whether its 3x or 5x/week? also, is there any timing issues i should keep in mind? i think i read something about somebody wanting to do cardio one day and workout on another to get the largest amount of time in between the two activities. is that important?

 

[Rodja]

Your body will have more time to rest, so, in theory, you will be in a better muscle building environment. It will be easier to gain mass, but it will still be difficult. Just don't get discouraged easily and keep the big-picture in perspective.

 

[lazerss9]

wat do u do when bulking rodja? u cant just stop doing cardio all together right?

 

[Rodja]

wat do u do when bulking rodja? u cant just stop doing cardio all together right?

Bulking is a thing of the past for me. I only focus on applicable strength these days.

 

[smoundzou]

Different objectives allow for different types of training.. for instance, Raja is an MMA Athlete.. he's probably not interested in having a bodybuilders body but more interested in having great cardio and being as physically strong as possible. Where most traditional bodybuilders really don't care if their cardio is that great and to some extent, really don’t care how strong they are, most bodybuilders are more concerned with how strong they look.. not how strong they actually are.. if that makes any sense??

If you’ve ever watch the strong man competitions, you’ve had to notice that some of the strongest guys in the world don’t look anywhere near as strong as a bodybuilder but when it comes to brute strength, the bodybuilder usually can’t even begin to compete with the strongman..

If I were you I would make the cycling my 1st priority and make the gaining mass a long term goal. If you consistently work a good weight training program, eat enough good calories so you’re not losing weight you’ll put on mass, it just won’t happen overnight.