off-day cardio

[Beelzebub]

how long do ya'll go for when doing cardio on off-days? off-days meaning no weights. was thinking of heading to the gym during my normal gym hours (~5pm) and doing an hour of cardio at low intensity to aid fat loss but hopefully not burn muscle in the process. already performing 20 mins low intensity directly after workout, just looking to step it up a notch. any opinions on if this is a bad idea or not?

note: on off-days, i cut carbs to ~130 with a carb cutoff at 2pm, and replace carbs with flax oil on the remaining meals. on-days are ~300 with a cutoff at 6-7pm.

 

[rysigpi]

I do 60 min. on off days in the mourning on an empty tank. I take in a lot of BCAA's throughout the day and have 20 grams during my cardio in the am. Everything seems good for me at this rate. For me I wouldnt go any more than 60 min. I would think 60 min in the mid day/evening would be good. Try it for a couple weeks and see if it helps ya. If you lose much strength you know somethings not right....

my 2 cents for the bub

 

[Beelzebub]

cool, maybe i'll start out a little shorter, like 30-40 mins or so. i figure on a low carb day, it will pay off dividends. can't deal with strength loss yet though, i'm not at that low of a bf. if i can get below 12%, then i'll accept a hit to strength.

thanks

 

[dsl]

I am doing 45 minutes of low intensity on off days with a caloric deficit. PLus, strength is going up, not much but a little.
Anyways, I'm losing about a pound a week. If you wanted you could go for 60 minutes if you feel like you aren't meeting your goals for fat loss.

 

[Beelzebub]

yeah, i just got back from 45 mins and it wasn't that bad. i'll leave it be for a few weeks and see what strength does. i'm on a low dose test/tren cycle right now as well, so catabolism isn't likely unless i get crazy.

 

[exnihilo]

60 mins @ 130HR 30 mins after a meal

 

[WannaBeHulk]

on off days, its usually 40 minutes at a moderate intensity (7.5 mph at a 2.0 incline on a treadmill or something similar). ill also wait about 2-2.5 hours after a meal. im experimenting with not doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach cause ive done that for every contest prep so far. works well for me, but i wanna hold on to more mass.

 

[NiteHawk]

I do about 10-15 minutes of high intensity cardio on my off days.

 

[theshocker21]

All I've got to say is....

8 scoops of Xtend Sizzurp during
and
Bike at HR 110-120 for an hour.

Well, Thats what I like to do on my off days.

I could probably ride that bike for 3 hours at that low of intensity and still not lose any muscle.

Above 120 and especially 130 just scares me. I get all OCD about muscle loss during cardio.

 

[Ubiquitous]

You don't need to go that long Beelze. especially on your lower carb day. Keep in mind that cardio can be collective.. ie split up in sessions.. as of course you are looking for calorie expenditure..

Low intensity with some higher intensity intervals work. I just got back on the horse with Cardio and it's all coming back to me now. Carb cycling had me not doing any cardio at all.

I like your plan as it stands.. You know what you're doing sugarpants.

I may not bulk as efficiently as you, but I can dice up with the best of them these days...Well, at least that's what I tell myself.

 

[Beelzebub]

they call me........sugarpants.

 

[idunk42]

Seriously, you two are freaking me out!:run:

 

[Beelzebub]

note the new title

 

[idunk42]

note the new title

:rofl: