[The Brute]

Hey guys im new to this site as well as body building I was wondering how much cardio to do a week if i am strengh training 5 times a week and trying to get very lean

[redhawk76]

hard to answer without knowing more information about you.

It will end up being different for everyone, but if you are just starting maybe start with 3 sessions and work your way up

[machine528]

I agree with the above poster that it definatly depends. I know guys that can do cardio for hours only to lose a few ounces. I know for a fact that i am actually leaner when i do less cardio. I waste away when i do to much. Your going to have to find out what works best for you. As a general protocol i would start at 20 minutes and work your way up to a half hour. See what your results are and adjust based on that.

[ReaperX]

Real men don't need cardio.

[EasyEJL]

Originally Posted by ReaperX

Real men don't need cardio.

I guess theres a bunch of prior Mr Universes and Arnold Classic winners that aren't real men then.

Anywho, i've worked my way now up to 1/2 hour cardio on strength days (after strength workout) and an hour to hour and a half non workout days. Its probably too much cardio, but i have a target i'm going to hit by beginning of august.

[riseboi]

Originally Posted by ReaperX

Real men don't need cardio.

haha, I'll assume you're being sarcastic...

I enjoy being able to run 3 miles and then still lift more that rest of the "men" in my gym.

[smalls556]

Originally Posted by ReaperX

Real men don't need cardio.

yeah real men just need heart attacks and strokes. J/J

[smalls556]

Originally Posted by riseboi

haha, I'll assume you're being sarcastic...

I enjoy being able to run 3 miles and then still lift more that rest of the "men" in my gym.

i love my cardio strength also. the feeling after a 5 mile run up a mountain is incredible

[JZ7757]

yeah, I hope he is kidding, but then again he is a noob....

Its tuff to gague and it depends on your overall goals. If you just want to stay lean/keep strength, a decent 30-45mins session 3-4x/wk should be good. If your trying to gain mass, thats another story....like 20mins 1-2times a week/Max.

[wastedwhiteboy2]

I would recommend not doing cardio on back to back days. if you are lifting 5 days a week. you might only have one day for cardio. make sure you have at least one rest day. I dont do cardio and weights on the same day. its hard to build muscle and lose fat on the same days.

[lilanimal]

when u start losing more than 2 pounds a week, either slow the cardio or up the cals. I was always told more than 2 pounds a week is more muscle burning than fat.

[EasyEJL]

Originally Posted by wastedwhiteboy2

I would recommend not doing cardio on back to back days. if you are lifting 5 days a week. you might only have one day for cardio. make sure you have at least one rest day. I dont do cardio and weights on the same day. its hard to build muscle and lose fat on the same days.

I think it really depends on the person. If you are an endomorph taking in 6g of CLA, 6g of HMB, doing a CKD and staying at 1g protein/lb of LBM, why wouldn't you be able to loose fat and gain LBM at the same time? I'm not advocating that it is the right thing for everyone, but its working well for me. I may very well be able to build more lean body mass faster if I wasn't trying to loose the fat at the same time, but the goals I set are what I set. I'm only doing it this way because I signed up for the Body For Life challenge and had a lot to accomplish in the 12 weeks. I'm sure next cycle i'm going to go with light weight gain in hard workouts (plus light cardio) from weeks 1-8 and combo cardio and weights the last 4 weeks to lean out again. I'm doing this as much for overall fitness as for size. It would be nice to be able to do a 5k run for charity or something like that.

[BigVrunga]

Cardio immediately after weight training is actually an ideal situation for buring fat.

[CROWLER]

I used to believe that you had to be real careful about burining muscle by doing too much cardio.

I now know better for myself. I REALLY increased by BCAA intake along with some more carbs and can now do quite a bit of cardio and still maintain the muscle.

By quite a bit I mean over 20 hours a week at a high intensity. Not saying you need this much (I do triathlons)just saying don't be afraid of doing alot of cardio BUT if it were me I would keep my BCAAs at a high level along with protein.

I have also found that by doing just one weight workout per week I can maintain both my strength and size. Don't buy into all of the old school info because it just isn't true IMO


CROWLER

[BigVrunga]

I have also found that by doing just one weight workout per week I can maintain both my strength and size. Don't buy into all of the old school info because it just isn't true IMO

Yeah the 'no cardio for weightlifters' myth is such a load of BS and it just WONT die. Being in great cardiovascular health actually improves your performance in the gym and your overall physical health as well.

In truth, I think doing over 60 minutes of cardio at time can have a negative impact on your anabolic goals - but like Crowler said account for it through diet and you'll be fine.

BV

[WheyGood]

Originally Posted by BigVrunga

Cardio immediately after weight training is actually an ideal situation for buring fat.

I agree! I used to think that cardio shouldn't be done after weight training. These days, I do 30 minutes of cardio after lifting almost every time. Then I'll do up to an hour of total cardio on non-lifting days. I had to work up to that much over the past year or so, but it is really a great thing for staying lean and just for overall health.

For young hard-gainers just starting out, though, I'd just stick to doing cardio on non-lifting days.