how much cardio is too much cardio

**jmiro** · 03-09-2002, 03:42 AM

for fat burning purposes only, dont really care about muscle catabolism. on saturday mornings I generally wake up early do a spinning class, run for an hour, and then take another spin class. so like 3 hrs of cardio between 50-80% max heartrate on an empty stomach, what am I burning up principally, Im afraid its mostly protein and lean body mass. can someone help me

**Firmbottoms** · 03-09-2002, 05:12 AM

You need to provide more information...what is your cal intake per day,is your diet correct,how many times a week do you do cardio,what are your aims,what is your bf%

By the sounds of it you are both burning fat but could be in danger of losing muscle as well...this will result in you picking up injuries in later life..as a rule you should do no more than 1hour cardio per day four times aweek with a mixture of classes/exercises...running ,spinning circiut training and throw in some weights to build up strength.....dont burn your self out bud you will live to regret it..I did and I am full of Arthritis in my impact joints

**MIKE_XXL** · 03-09-2002, 07:27 AM

I only do 45 min, first thing in the morning on empty stomach, that helps me loose about 2 lbs a week, wich translate to about 1% body fat for me. And i am also dieting for a show, so the diet is very strict. At three hours a day without any seriouse amounts of drugs (anabolics) i would say you are looking at 50-50 split between muscle and fat, 3 hrs. a day, i think it's way to much...my 2 cent....MIKE_XXL

**Dr.Evil** · 03-09-2002, 07:39 PM

when you start losing strength, that could be a good sign of losing muscle. that is when i believe you've done too much cardio, unless you're cutting hard for a comp or a special event

**Dr. Derek** · 03-09-2002, 07:44 PM

I hate cardio, if I could get away with 2 minutes I would. I do 20-40 min five times a week when preparing for a show.

**jmiro** · 03-09-2002, 11:20 PM

what about everyday for 30-40 minutes at 60-70% max hr.

**Terinox** · 03-09-2002, 11:37 PM

From what people have been telling me, 3 hours is WAY too much. I used to do about 90 minutes of cardio, and people told me to cut down a bit. Now I only do about 45-60 minutes a day for about 4-5 days a week.

Try something like that and see how it works for you.