Cardio

[Levani]

I know this is not a right forum for the question but still... what is the best form of cardio? I mean does it matter what kinda cardio you do as far as you stay in your fat burning zone? I only do treadmill once a week and jogging outside once a week 124-135bpm.(I'm bulking) I hate other machines. Only treadmill.
Thanks

[38jumper38]

the best cardio depends on what's your goal is, and what you like, jogging, bike, treadmill, etc...(for me the best will be play soccer every day, but that's not possible so I play saturday and sunday)
I personal strong believe everyone should do cardio everyday no matter of cutting or bulking,
If you cutting every day in the morning hrs, if you bulking every day after work out, at least 30 min.
cardio make you veins and arteries strong, also your heart
you always can replace the calories lost on cardio,

[SEOINAGE]

I think this type of cardio is a waste. I would suggest HIIT or other short duration circuits or medleys. Get all the cardiovascular benefits plus more.

[digsy1983]

the best is the one you enjoy doing and that yeilds good results. personally, i couldnt do much running when i started my health kick so i targeted other forms of exersice like road biking, rowing machine and the cross trainer, but over time of losing excess weight and also building up my joints i can now run fairly hard for 3 days a week before i start to feel a few niggles building up.
i find the 70% of max bpm good but rather boring to do for any length of time, the HIIT stuff is good and i feel im gaining both burning fat and also improving my cardio fitness at the same time.
cardio is hard, awkward and fustrating when you are unfit. but the more you do (obviuosly) the fitter you become and also the more enjoyable it is! i really never have been or thought i would enjoy cardio, but i find i'm actually settling into it nicely and enjoying it nearly asmuch i enjoy lifting.

cardio is a must while cutting, but id limit it to 2-3 times at 20-30 mins moderate intensity while bulking as it limits/reduces the potential muscle gain. its probably best used as a recovery device while bulking to push fresh blood around the body.

[LiL P]

I like hill sprints because i believe in staying in good cardiovascular shape as well as looking good

[ziggypiggy]

I mean does it matter what kinda cardio you do as far as you stay in your fat burning zone?
Thanks

imo "fat burning zone" is a load of bs. Just go as hard as you can which allows you to still complete a 20-30 minute workout.

[JohnnyVegas]

imo "fat burning zone" is a load of bs. Just go as hard as you can which allows you to still complete a 20-30 minute workout.

If you are pushing hard, the body will pull more of its calories from glycogen stores. I get great results at about 130 bpm for 45 - 60 minutes.

Sidenote: I hate cardio SO much. I am 32 minutes into an hour session as I type this. Blech.

[ma_fighter]

imo "fat burning zone" is a load of bs. Just go as hard as you can which allows you to still complete a 20-30 minute workout.

Well, your body utilizes a bigger percentage of glycogen instead of fat when you push too much. Fat release is fairly slow, so you don't wanna go too fast.
You'll drop weight, but regain it as you eat and glycogen is restored.
However, the total energy expenditure is higher if you go fast and hard. You just need to find the butterzone that works for you.

/Maf

[Levani]

If you are pushing hard, the body will pull more of its calories from glycogen stores. I get great results at about 130 bpm for 45 - 60 minutes.

Sidenote: I hate cardio SO much. I am 32 minutes into an hour session as I type this. Blech.

Ok. Got it. As far as I do stay 125-135bpm, any kinda cardio will work.
Thanks 4 replies

[SlimmerMe]

Cardio you enjoy is the best cardio you can do.

Also I find my morning fasted cardio does not have to be fast but just a steady pace. Yet my afternoon cardio is a higher intensity. This combo will shed the BF. And my sessions are shorter than most here and has worked for me. I am going on the premise that 2 short sessions are superior to one long one!

[gbrice75]

I don't think any cardio is a waste. The point is that you DO cardio. I see too many people worrying about what kind of cardio they should do, debating it on boards, etc. and not actually DOING it... consequently getting fat.

Moderate Intensity. High intensity. Intervals. Just do cardio and burn calories. Consistency even with a flawed plan will beat out an inconsistent 'perfect plan' any day of the week.

[GirlyGymRat]

Moderate Intensity. High intensity. Intervals. Just do cardio and burn calories. Consistency even with a flawed plan will beat out an inconsistent 'perfect plan' any day of the week.

I really like this! I may have to borrow this.

[SlimmerMe]

^^ and I dare say best describes my approach I must admit!

[bigsiv]

Just a quick question sorry for the hijack but other than morning fasted cardio would you do cardio after a training session or limit it to your days of weight training?
Cheers for any replies guys, I'm just about to start seriously cutting and want to maximise my cardio, cheers

[Levani]

Just a quick question sorry for the hijack but other than morning fasted cardio would you do cardio after a training session or limit it to your days of weight training?
Cheers for any replies guys, I'm just about to start seriously cutting and want to maximise my cardio, cheers

It all depends on your goals. If cutting it is a good idea to do cardio twice a day 30-40 min each. also you need to make sure that your diet is good enough to save as much muscle as you can.

[bigsiv]

Just finished pct deca and test cycle, brining my calories down slowly at the moment just to maintain muscle. I will be in a deficit soon calories wise, diet is pretty clean cheat day every tenth day. Really want to get rid of the belly fat I accumulated when I was bulking was wondering if I can do cardio after my training session, or will it cause catabolism?

[SlimmerMe]

^^ from what I have read around here, the idea of cardio being catabolic is sometimes overly feared....and if you want to shed BF it is worth doing it IMO

[JohnnyVegas]

Cardio you enjoy is the best cardio you can do.

That is silly - there is no enjoyable cardio!

Unless sex counts, but I doubt my wife would appreciate me constantly checking my pulse and setting a timer.

[SlimmerMe]

That is silly - there is no enjoyable cardio!

Unless sex counts, but I doubt my wife would appreciate me constantly checking my pulse and setting a timer.

Now that is funny JV! But actually I do enjoy cardio and always have. So I am lucky here!

[JohnnyVegas]

Now that is funny JV! But actually I do enjoy cardio and always have. So I am lucky here!

Yes, you are VERY lucky. I wish I liked cardio. I love lifting, but cardio is something I force myself to do.

I am headed to do it now, so you can see that I am doing it...I just don't enjoy it. I have been slowly losing body fat and my abs started to show a couple of weeks ago. My wife freaked out and now I am accelerating the cardio so she will be happier.

I gained over 30 pounds of muscle in the past two years and she didn't say much, but a few lines on my midsection and she is impressed.

[SlimmerMe]

^^ wished I liked lifting! And have to force myself to do so......

[gbrice75]

Just a quick question sorry for the hijack but other than morning fasted cardio would you do cardio after a training session or limit it to your days of weight training?

As stated earlier, it all depends on your goals. If I were primarily working towards adding mass, i'd reserve cardio for my non-training days. Conversely, if reducing bodyfat was my focus, i'd be doing tons of cardio. I've said many times that my ideal cardio schedule (time/schedule permitting) would be:

am fasted: 45-60 mins moderate intensity, steady state

pm PWO: 20 mins HIIT, followed by 20-30 mins moderate intensity, steady state

With a solid diet and training regimen, it's a lethal recipe for shedding bodyfat!

Cheers for any replies guys, I'm just about to start seriously cutting and want to maximise my cardio, cheers

In that case - do as much as you can.

Just finished pct deca and test cycle, brining my calories down slowly at the moment just to maintain muscle. I will be in a deficit soon calories wise, diet is pretty clean cheat day every tenth day. Really want to get rid of the belly fat I accumulated when I was bulking was wondering if I can do cardio after my training session, or will it cause catabolism?

What does your preworkout nutrition look like? Assuming it's solid, I wouldn't be concerned with PWO catabolism... AT ALL.

[bigsiv]

I usually have a tuna salad about 4.00pm then train about 5.pm, then I have a chicken or steak meal with rice or potatoes plus veg.
Don't like to eat too much before workout makes me bork lol

[baseline_9]

I don't think any cardio is a waste. The point is that you DO cardio. I see too many people worrying about what kind of cardio they should do, debating it on boards, etc. and not actually DOING it... consequently getting fat.

Moderate Intensity. High intensity. Intervals. Just do cardio and burn calories. Consistency even with a flawed plan will beat out an inconsistent 'perfect plan' any day of the week.

Thanks GB....

The cardio debte is a strange one... People over complicate it and think that if they do this intensity for this long and keep there heart rate at that then they will burn only fat...... Sounds great and very complicated.... My suggestion for those people would be to stop reading bioscience and actually learn about energy systems....

Burning glycogen during cardio is NOT A PROBLEM.... In actuall fact IT'S A GOOD THING.... Because it means YOUR BURNING LOTS OF ENERGY, MORE THAN IF YOU WERE BURNING FAT.... CARBS, GLUCOSE, GLYCOGEN, FAT.... They are all within our ENERGY POOL.... Drain the pool guys...

[bigsiv]

Cheers for your time as well gbrice !