Too much cardio?

[itzbubble]

ok, so I've read all about diminishing returns when it comes to cardio, but how much is too much? I have a really good friend that's a bit old than me and been a bodybuilder his whole life. He keeps telling me that my double cardio days are bad and that its just eating my muscle and I'm not ever going to see the results I want.

But, i dont want to see "gains" i want to LOSE! I don't want to be super muscley! I want to be thin- not skinny- thin. I do an hour of cardio most days, but i DO do double cardio a few times a week. I do it because i LOVE how I feel after. I do it to hit my calorie deficit. I do it cause i want to...It's my hobby and the gym is my favorite part of my day.

But am I really working so hard that it might not even be working anymore? I've only lost like 10 pounds & 2% body fat in like 8-9 weeks that I've been counting my calories and working out to lose weight. So i guess it's working, but part of me thinks I should be losing lbs like crazy.

...I digress...
So, to me, like 3+ hours of cardio a day would be excessive. 2 hour gym sessions (either 1 hr weights & 1 cardio or 2 hrs of cardio) doesn't seem excessive to me. It seems like what regular gym rats maintain.

Can people please weigh in here... AM i crazy for thinking 2 hours of cardio a few times a week isnt that bad???

 

[dutchovenftw]

well.. to a sense i guess he maybe giving you the right information. What type of energy your body is expending during your "cardio" is based on your VO2 which is the amount of oxygen your body needs for the amount of work your putting it through. now its a total myth that you can "burn" muscle, its simply not scientifically sound information.. you can eat away at protein stores while doing intense cardio and your muscle can decrease in size due to lack of needed protein yes but don't think your eating your muscles away. anyway before i get too deep into information... aerobic excersize....50-80 percent of your maximum heartrate is a good template for burning fat stores during excersize, and unless your doing anaerobic excersize wich is like 80-90 percent of your max heart rate and eating no carbs you wont eat away at your protein stores.Now what dictates "too much" is your own mindset and if you love doing it by all means continue... hell professional runners run a little bit more then 2 hours a couple times a week and id say they are in pretty good shape =) i don't think its crazy and if its what you like doing then by all means continue.
good luck with your training!

 

[02sixxer]

Keep doing your cardio, it relieves stress and you enjoy it. It only becomes a problem if your body cant take it and you are hurting all the time. Plus I doubt you are pushing your body over the limit, you are probably around 50-60 % of your max heart rate, which is good for fat loss. I do two a days pre comp, and I respond very well.

Hows the diet, suprised with that amount of cardio you haven't dropped more. But you dont need to either, you should be staying pretty health dropping a lbs a week. Plus you probably have decent energy being only 3,500 deficit per week.

 

[johnman21]

Iv only found doing alot of cardio and dieting is i have low energy. Like the other guys have said, you enjoy it and it makes you feel good, also your not trying to be huge....Keep it up.

 

[theotherone55]

G-flux it dude.


Read up on it. Maybe a little advanced for this board but Berardi was definitely onto something with this principle.

 

[Miss Q]

If you want to do 2 sessions of cardio a week then go for it. A lot of ppl I know do the same, because they like to eat!! Plus as you say, it often is therapeutic.

You mentioned that your weight loss has stalled, do you ever change up your cardio routine?? That might help...

 

[hossjob]

You've already gotten some sound advice! Make sure your diet is in check.

As far as weight/fat loss goes though, the body is highly adaptive, especially to aerobic exercise. Throw in some intervals or HIIT training with your cardio. And I'd strongly URGE you to weight train. You will not get big and bulky. Most of us male bodybuilders spend all of our time trying to build big "bulky" muscles and it is NOT easy. You have 1/10th or less of the testosterone that a male has so if they are having a hard time getting overly-bulky it'll be almost impossible for you. Do your cardio, you seem to love it and it's great for cardiovascular health and other factors as well. Just incorporate some weight training. Weight traning will keep your metabolism elevated after you workout, whereas cardio will not have an impact on overall metabolism nearly as much. If you are not weight training and you begin to do so 2-4 times per week you should see your weight/body fat % drop.