For those who do cardio, what is your approach?

[ProudVirgin69]

I've started doing cardio regularly since about 6 months.  Keeps my blood pressure in range, helps my waistline stay trim, and a whole bunch of other good benefits.  Makes you feel great too

Lately, my priorities have shifted back towards losing fat.  The conventional wisdom dictates that the target heartrate for fat loss is 110-120 bpm....aka walking.  That seems like a waste of time--and boring, too.

I'll usually finish my weights sessions up with 20-30 minutes of cardio on the stairmill or incline treadmill.  Now my heartrate is usually around 150-160 bpm when I'm doing this.....would I see better fat loss results if I stayed in the "fat-burning" zone?

[galain]

I don't do a lot right now, but when I did, I always had the best fat loss results with a 'calories out' attitude. The more you burn, the more fat you lose.

The people walking were never as lean as the people running.

[ProudVirgin69]

I don't do a lot right now, but when I did, I always had the best fat loss results with a 'calories out' attitude. The more you burn, the more fat you lose.

The people walking were never as lean as the people running.

That's what I figured.....I couldn't imagine spending 40 minutes walking on the treadmill to burn the calories I can do in 20 on the stairmill.

[_aj_]

I am a "conditioning" kind of guy. I like doing high intensity interval training. Jump rope hard for a minute, KB swings, push a Prowler, etc.

Do that non-stop for 10 minutes. Rest 2 minutes and do it again. That kind of thing. It seems more efficient than steady-state cardio.

[bigmc]

i sued to do gentle fat burning crap to no effect

now i go flat out in short bursts

[Conker]

no the higher your heart rate the more total and cals from fat will be burned. the 'fat burning zone' is just the area where the highest ratio of fat cals to glycogen cals are burned.

[kreator]

i hate jogging, can't understand people who jog for 1 hour or more, what's the point of that? all the women who do this don't have an ass cause exstensive cardio burns muscle as well yet they still keep pushing ... and no pump of course , a couple of sprints packed with maybe a 20 minut slow run is more than enough, just keep your calories at bay

[JasonH]

I've not had a lot of experience with cardio in my 20-year plus affair with bodybuilding, I never used to do any up until about a year ago.

At the moment I'm doing two 30-minute sessions on the stair-climber per week and I'm seeing some decent fat loss and general fitness results keeping within 130-140bpm. I know this won't last forever though as my body is going to get too used to it.

Going to give HIIT a go but I'm scared I'll give myself a heart attack or something. I think it's something I'm going to have to work up to. Even jogging for more than two minutes at a time is killing me at the moment. Aerobically, I am very unfit.

[the trainer]

I've started doing cardio regularly since about 6 months.  Keeps my blood pressure in range, helps my waistline stay trim, and a whole bunch of other good benefits.  Makes you feel great too

Lately, my priorities have shifted back towards losing fat.  The conventional wisdom dictates that the target heartrate for fat loss is 110-120 bpm....aka walking.  That seems like a waste of time--and boring, too.

I'll usually finish my weights sessions up with 20-30 minutes of cardio on the stairmill or incline treadmill.  Now my heartrate is usually around 150-160 bpm when I'm doing this.....would I see better fat loss results if I stayed in the "fat-burning" zone?

good cardio for you and your buddies after workout.

[hrspwr1]

On gym days I run a mile as fast as I can on the treadmill and then go lift for 45 minutes, on off days just run a couple miles.  I used to run distances but found that shit really wasn`t that good for me. It seems shorter distances at all out pace works for me.

[Teutonic Knight]

Beach lifestyle, sand jogging,swim,surf,........

[Mawse]

all the matters is the calories burned, and I fucking hate cardio, so I break it up into 5 min sessions between exercises.

ie.

Incline DB bench for 6 sets

Incline treadmill, burn 100 cals

Cable chest press

Eliptical , 100 cals

Laterals

Treadmill, 100 cals

etc

You don't even notice you're doing it and it beats sitting on your ass 'recovering' between exercises.

[Melkor]

I am a "conditioning" kind of guy. I like doing high intensity interval training. Jump rope hard for a minute, KB swings, push a Prowler, etc.

Do that non-stop for 10 minutes. Rest 2 minutes and do it again. That kind of thing. It seems more efficient than steady-state cardio.

Yes! When you think of it as "conditioning" you tend to enjoy it much more and give it the same intensity and focus as the weight training. "Cardio" immediately makes me think of boring, pointless activities that "have to be done".

The key with conditioning is that it should actually compliment you're overall training programme. Jump rope is great, prowler (if you have access to one), sled pulls, farmers walks, sprints, most strongman type activities. These types of conditioning are time-efficient, increase your post exercise metabolic rate and, for me anyway, seem to allow you to either maintain or even lose bodyfat while eating a lot of carbs/calories.

The single best form of conditioning I have used is hill sprints. When I'm hitting the hills hard during the summer months I find I can even back off my lifting somewhat and don't lose any strength but my conditioning and work capacity reach insane levels (10 sets of 10 in the squat feels like a piece of piss).

It is extremely tough and you will need to factor this into you're training especially at first (if you're sprinting 3-4 times a week starting out, you're legs will literally be shaking walking the weight out on squat day). But if you start off slow and build up you will find that you're body will become a calorie furnace. If you're lifting intensely several times a week and doing hill sprints 3-4 times on top of that you're body composition will improve even without making drastic changes to you're diet.

[Simple Simon]

from the left.

[_aj_]

Yes! When you think of it as "conditioning" you tend to enjoy it much more and give it the same intensity and focus as the weight training. "Cardio" immediately makes me think of boring, pointless activities that "have to be done".

The key with conditioning is that it should actually compliment you're overall training programme. Jump rope is great, prowler (if you have access to one), sled pulls, farmers walks, sprints, most strongman type activities. These types of conditioning are time-efficient, increase your post exercise metabolic rate and, for me anyway, seem to allow you to either maintain or even lose bodyfat while eating a lot of carbs/calories.

The single best form of conditioning I have used is hill sprints. When I'm hitting the hills hard during the summer months I find I can even back off my lifting somewhat and don't lose any strength but my conditioning and work capacity reach insane levels (10 sets of 10 in the squat feels like a piece of piss).

It is extremely tough and you will need to factor this into you're training especially at first (if you're sprinting 3-4 times a week starting out, you're legs will literally be shaking walking the weight out on squat day). But if you start off slow and build up you will find that you're body will become a calorie furnace. If you're lifting intensely several times a week and doing hill sprints 3-4 times on top of that you're body composition will improve even without making drastic changes to you're diet.

Sadly, sprints is how I ruptured my Achilles' tendon back in August, so do warm up, stretch and run on a softer surface than hard pan.

[Novena]

Ten speed bicycle with toe clips mounted on a wind trainer.  Heart monitor strap on chest, 160 beats a minute, 40 to 60 minutes, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. TV and DVD/VCR to pass the time.

[oldtimer1]

It really doesn't matter what fuel you use during cardio concerning the ratio of fat to glycogen.  That myth of staying in the fat burn pulse rate is a bastardization of the Cooper's training zone heart rate. What Ken Cooper I believe was trying to accomplish is to come up with a formula that is the safest way to get aerobic exercise for the masses. He wasn't concerned with athletic training. Athletic training dictates that harder is better.  It's not the fuel used but the total caloric cost of your cardio. Yes there is also a metabolic after burn to cardio that goes against bro science preaching.

Now we come to how to get ripped when combining cardio with bodybuilding. There are two schools of thought. One is that lifting weights is the priority and doing cardio shouldn't detract from that  taking away from training reserves and even muscle wasting from to much cardio.  As a side bar of course taking bodybuilding drugs changes things. So one train of thought is lift weights then do very moderate cardio like walking at a light intensity.  The other polar opposite train of thought is that it should be as intense as possible to burn the the maximum fat like doing intervals. Intervals is what HIIT cardio was called for 60 plus years before the new age terms have rebadged the names of training protocols.

What's best for a bodybuilder? Low intensity so your training gas tank can be completely devoted to lifting? Is it high intensity cardio so you can maximize fat loss?  

This is my thoughts. I have been torn with this forever. If you are a power bodybuilder using relatively low reps and heavy weights then doing hard core cardio will cut into your strength compromising training. Low intensity like walking fast on a treadmill or riding a bike for at a casual rate will fit the bill. Even high intensity at a short duration can work within moderate duration. If you are a volume trainer where you are not using maximum weights but exhausting your self through high sets and low rest between sets you can do a more involved cardio program. I don't know about anyone else but if I run a hard 5 miler there is no way I could do a heavy deep squatting routine on leg day the next day.

A recreational bodybuilder who doesn't compete can mix up things. Go for 2 to 4 mile runs.  Do intervals like 6 x 800 meters on another cardio day. Maybe mix in a fast walk.

I don't think a clear definitive answer exists. I think the best we can get is that if you are losing muscle then cut back on cardio.

[no one]

i cycle to the gym and back.

its a 30k round trip, and typically takes 1:20-30.

also train w/o rest between sets.

[Icelord]

i cycle to the gym and back.

its a 30k round trip, and typically takes 1:20-30.

also train w/o rest between sets.

How do you have juice left to lift heavy after 15km of biking?

[Hulkotron]

Bodybuilding is the muscle

[no one]

How do you have juice left to lift heavy after 15km of biking?

i dont lift heavy
 
i use loads i can handle, and run the pump. this has always giving me the bes results. some guys need heavy weight to grow. im lucky in that i dont.

and i cycle and train fasted. the body will adapt, overcome and meet the application of any outside stimulus if you train it to do so.

we've become a nation of lazy trainers. the harder you push your body the most resillient it will become in time.

so, im rehabbing sprained liagaments in my knees from basketball. by the time im done my stretching and foam rolling im ready to start lifting.

[Grape Ape]

Going to give HIIT a go

This is teh gay, but I've found it very effective.  Start slow, stay with it, and you'll work up:

http://bodyforlife.com/library/exercise/cardio

Basically it's 20 min - you warm up for 2, then do four cycles of one min each, increasing the intensity.  Then, each subsequent workout, you beat the previous.  A start may look like this:

Each increment on the left  is one min

1 - 3 mph walk
2 - 3 mph walk
3 - 4 mph
4 - 5 mph
5 - 6 mph
6 - 7 mph

Repeat for minutes 7-10, and 11-14, dropping to 4 mph then working back to 7

Then:

15 - 4 mph
16 - 5 mph
17 - 6 mph
18 - 7 mph
19 - 8 mph
20 - 4 mph

Fin.

Next time, minimum can be 4.1.......increase the intensity withing the 20 min.

I'm not sure if the science is correct, but I've always started this way after a layoff and it's worked.  Now I can get to 7 mph minimum, and do a sprint circuit after the 20 min when I'm done......

I tried a 5k after zero running last year and it took me 33 min with 10 stops.  Pathetic.   Did the exact workout above on a treadmill for thee weeks after, then tried the 5k again and did it in 24-25 minutes easy.  So I'm a believer in Mr. Bill Phillips' plan.

[ProudVirgin69]

This is teh gay, but I've found it very effective.  Start slow, stay with it, and you'll work up:

http://bodyforlife.com/library/exercise/cardio

Basically it's 20 min - you warm up for 2, then do four cycles of one min each, increasing the intensity.  Then, each subsequent workout, you beat the previous.  A start may look like this:

Each increment on the left  is one min

1 - 3 mph walk
2 - 3 mph walk
3 - 4 mph
4 - 5 mph
5 - 6 mph
6 - 7 mph

Repeat for minutes 7-10, and 11-14, dropping to 4 mph then working back to 7

Then:

15 - 4 mph
16 - 5 mph
17 - 6 mph
18 - 7 mph
19 - 8 mph
20 - 4 mph

Fin.

Next time, minimum can be 4.1.......increase the intensity withing the 20 min.

I'm not sure if the science is correct, but I've always started this way after a layoff and it's worked.  Now I can get to 7 mph minimum, and do a sprint circuit after the 20 min when I'm done......

I tried a 5k after zero running last year and it took me 33 min with 10 stops.  Pathetic.   Did the exact workout above on a treadmill for thee weeks after, then tried the 5k again and did it in 24-25 minutes easy.  So I'm a believer in Mr. Bill Phillips' plan.

This looks cool, I'll give it a try...

Lots of good stuff here fellas, keep it coming

[D.O.U.P]

Stadium steps 3 times per week.

Balls out, for about 15 min.

WORKS.

[Dr.J]

good cardio for you and your buddies after workout.

Nice video.... very manly.   Very normal