Is Cardio Right For Me?

SpikeDC

SpikeDC

New member
Hi, im 37, 5'10", 147 pounds with a good physique. Im very confused on whether I shoud be doing cardio. Reason Im saying is that I have a lean build obviously but i want to keep my stomach flat and have my abs show as much as they can and It seems that even with a great diet and workout routine with no junk food, eating whole foods, protein, etc, it all goes to my stomach the older I get. So my question is am I breaking down muscle by doing HIIT cardio 3 days a week for 20 mins as I dont really ever gain and my abs dont seem to show or should I be sticking to more cardio to keep my stomach flat? Im so confused whether cardio is the way or do I need to eat more and work out harder with no cardio to slim down?
Thanks
 
SpikeDC said:
Hi, im 37, 5'10", 147 pounds with a good physique. Im very confused on whether I shoud be doing cardio. Reason Im saying is that I have a lean build obviously but i want to keep my stomach flat and have my abs show as much as they can and It seems that even with a great diet and workout routine with no junk food, eating whole foods, protein, etc, it all goes to my stomach the older I get. So my question is am I breaking down muscle by doing HIIT cardio 3 days a week for 20 mins as I dont really ever gain and my abs dont seem to show or should I be sticking to more cardio to keep my stomach flat? Im so confused whether cardio is the way or do I need to eat more and work out harder with no cardio to slim down?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Add more cardio, and eat more! I'd suggest 30min of Low-Intensity cardio 6-7x a week (keep your HR ~130-150bpm). It's VERY IMPORTANT that you eat even more after adding extra cardio.
 
Really? Would i be losing a lot weight that many days a week? and my understand is low intensity steady cardio doesnt burn the calories that HIIT does. Please explain.
 
SpikeDC said:
Really? Would i be losing a lot weight that many days a week? and my understand is low intensity steady cardio doesnt burn the calories that HIIT does. Please explain.
Click to expand...

I'm just telling you what works for me. I have been doing this for the past year and have REALLY recomped. Everyone is different, but if you EAT MORE CALORIES than you burn (even with the extra cardio) you WILL gain weight.

You could do HIIT 3-4x a week too...just eat more :cool:


everyone is different, so I'd try both for 2-3 weeks and see which one works best
 
Well it does seem I just need to eat more. Thats been the consensus on this and other questions I have had. Thanks
 
SpikeDC said:
Well it does seem I just need to eat more. Thats been the consensus on this and other questions I have had. Thanks
Click to expand...

Up the calories and the cardio and tell us how that goes! :D

I just suggest extra cardio + extra calories, so that you dont put on too much fat when bulking! :p
 
Actually, this has been a bit of an issue on another forum I post on. To do cardio when bulking, or not? How?

My personal approach, is low intensity cardio 5-6 days a week. I mix it up, i don't do the same cardio workout two days in a row. For example, monday I'll set the tredmil to 5.5, an incline to 3 & walk it out for half an hour. Then the next day i'll be sittin on the bike for half an hour. Mix it up. See what works. After all, every body is different!
 
yes keep changing it i flick between treadmill, bike and actually jogging/running outdoors on occasions. just to 'shock' the body occasionally i throw in some weights like a 10kg dumbell in each hand...

for bulking i would recommend 1 HIIT for maybe 20mins and then 2-3 slow cardio for up to 30 minutes...
 
How's your protien intake?

I really recommend some cardio once or twice a week for at least 20 minutes at the heart rates recommended above.
Like you, I used to follow the old advice of no cardio while lifting but I found that a little cardio actually increased my strength from week to week when my diet was above maintenance levels and I was training for size and strength. Nothing really crazy, just peddling around on the stationary bike was all it took.
I think it really helped to saturate my body with nutrient rich blood which facilitated recovery from my heavy lifting. So I don't think the cardio was affecting my muscle building at all, in fact I know it helped. That's without anabolic steroids or anything other than just good diet.

Also, you could also try cycling your carb intake down on your off days and weekends in order to keep the bodyfat down. Replace the carbohydrate calories with protiens and healthy fats.

You look from your avatar to have a pretty good build so just try playing with these variables a bit to keep the bodyfat down while still gaining.




Give it a shot, it really worked for me.
 
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