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when and how long to do cardio

DerickVonD

DerickVonD

Well-known member
Should I do cardio as a warmup on the same day I work my legs and do squats and deadlifts, or is it better I do cardio on the days I work my chest and arms. Also how long should I do cardio? I have a gazelle(didn't buy it) at home and was wondering if that is sufficient or am I better off jogging. I much rather have an exercise bike.
 
I think it's best to do cardio on days when you're not weight training. But I've heard that if you must do them on the same day you either:

1. Do cardio first, then wait about 3 to 4 hours before starting with your weight training.
2. Do weights first, then do cardio.

As for how long to do it, usually a good 30 to 40 minutes 3 times a week is sufficient. I personally go about 30 minutes of HIIT.
 
I did the gazelle for about 15 minutes today and I didn't like how it made my legs feel. Has anyone tried this machine and know if it's any good?
 
DerickVonD said:
Increase endurance, but not burn off too many calories since I am bulking.
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your going to burn more calories trying to increase endurance, gaining mass and endurance are two totally different things. yes, this is what everyone wants, but then we would look like comic book heroes
 
KgTomCat said:
your going to burn more calories trying to increase endurance, gaining mass and endurance are two totally different things. yes, this is what everyone wants, but then we would look like comic book heroes
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would you cut out cardio all together or just do like cardio?
 
I do cardio after i train with weights. I have a life outside the gym, work 50-60 hours a week which makes this the only option for me. It works out fine. I have dropped 20 ish lbs in 6 weeks cutting out carbs during the week and doing some cardio this way. Strength has suffered minimally. Actually less than i thought it would.
 
jcp2 said:
I do cardio after i train with weights. I have a life outside the gym, work 50-60 hours a week which makes this the only option for me. It works out fine. I have dropped 20 ish lbs in 6 weeks cutting out carbs during the week and doing some cardio this way. Strength has suffered minimally. Actually less than i thought it would.
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I've always heard to do cardio after weights.... because you waste all your energy if you do it before hand and you wont get any gains.
 
D3vildog said:
I've always heard to do cardio after weights.... because you waste all your energy if you do it before hand and you wont get any gains.
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and your body has freed up a lot of your fatty acids and they're ready to be oxidized. Same principle behind fasted cardio before breakfast.

The type (jogging, incline walking, elliptical, bike etc etc) doesnt matter so much, just do 20-30 minutes 3x a week either fasted or post workout. If you're gaining fat too fast, add 1-2 sessions per week. If you're not gaining muscle, drop a couple of sessions. listen to your body.
 
I'll throw my 2 cents....

Personally, I don't have much of a luxury of doing cardio first thing in the morning most days, so that leaves me no choice but to do cardio right after weight training. But, like someone else said before, it depends on a few factors (goals, level of current bf, level of bf you want to acheive, weight-training goals, etc.) You see, there is no real magic answer. Just a ton of variables for you to play with.

Regardless, if you have the opportunity, hit your cardio first thing in the morning. Then, in the afternoon some time, hit the weights. If you don't have that luxury, you shoudl train then hit cardio right after. Just make sure that you take in some BCAAs right after training.
 
I'd still like to hear what people have to say about the gazelle vs an exercise bike. I'm really thinking of selling the gazelle. I just don't like how your legs don't bend while doing the gazelle and it makes my legs feel still.
 
To reduce calorie burned stop doing the HIIT and try just walking on an incline for about 15 minutes. That will help relieve some soreness and not burn as many calories to help with bulking.

I would not do cardio before a leg day. As part of my warm up I would do about 5 minutes of stationary bike followed by stretching to get the blood flowing.
 
shortstop1616 said:
To reduce calorie burned stop doing the HIIT and try just walking on an incline for about 15 minutes. That will help relieve some soreness and not burn as many calories to help with bulking.

I would not do cardio before a leg day. As part of my warm up I would do about 5 minutes of stationary bike followed by stretching to get the blood flowing.
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I don't have an exercise bike, or an incline. All I have is a gazelle and a regular bike, which I can't use lately because it's so hot out.
 
there's alot of different things you can do. it ALL comes down to what do YOU want?
personally...I dont believe any of the specifics, I can go into further detail but I wont...just keep it simple, remember the basics
 
I do an hour of interval boxing/kickboxing twice a week and it works wonders with my 3 day DC style routine. Im leaning out and strength hasn't gone down at all.
 
KgTomCat said:
have you always been skinny, built, or 'big boned'
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skinny. When I was a young child I was really skinny, then by the time I got into high school I was alittle chubby. Now I'm not chubby, but I'm not skinny either. While in high school I lost a lot of body fast, when I cut out high fructose corn syrup.
 
spadesofaces said:
and your body has freed up a lot of your fatty acids and they're ready to be oxidized. Same principle behind fasted cardio before breakfast.

The type (jogging, incline walking, elliptical, bike etc etc) doesnt matter so much, just do 20-30 minutes 3x a week either fasted or post workout. If you're gaining fat too fast, add 1-2 sessions per week. If you're not gaining muscle, drop a couple of sessions. listen to your body.
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Good information.

Your body will tell you the truth. I used to do cardio 5 days a week and was seeing little muscle gain. I stopped performing cardio and was able to gain a tremendous amount of weight and muscle. Now I am at the point where I would like to trim some of the fat while keeping the muscle. I am doing cardio 20 minutes 3 times a week at 70 percent of my max heart rate. Seems to be working.

Follow your body.
 
DerickVonD said:
skinny. When I was a young child I was really skinny, then by the time I got into high school I was alittle chubby. Now I'm not chubby, but I'm not skinny either. While in high school I lost a lot of body fast, when I cut out high fructose corn syrup.
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sounds like you might be meso-endo, not sure though. IMO just listen to your body...and eat clean, if your hungry eat more, just make sure its the right cals/carbs. I eat ALL day and everyone asks me how Im not fat, I tell them, its the type of calories, not necessarily the amount...
 
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