Question on Cardio for Krypto...

[mybell]

I"ve noticed a couple of times suggestions on less cardio (2 or 3 sessions for only 20 - 30 mins)then what I thought was a good amount of cardio. Right now I'm doing 3 45 min cardio sessions a week, and run twice a week for 30 mins.
I lift 3 -4 times a week. If I'm trying to lose body fat, shouldn't I be doing more cardio? not less?

I would really like to get rid of the extra fat, I would love to get really defined, noticable muscle.

Am I going about this the wrong way? What are the pros and cons of what I'm doing and what I've seen here on this site.
Am I wasting my time with all this cardio? Do you have any suggestions? I know diet is a big thing, that could be another post though.

my stats are 5'6" 150 lbs. bf 23 -24% age 31

Thank you so much...

That's a misconception, more cardio does NOT equal more fat loss. Fat loss is more a result of your DIET than anything else. LIFTING or building muscle, is the other part of the equation. Cardio does help to some degree but it is not near as effective as your diet and lifting at burning fat. Cardio has a tendency to burn off muscle. What that means is that you will actually burn LESS calories as MUSCLE burns WAY more calories than fat. Cardio sends the wrong signal to the brain, telling it the body needs to be light and aerodynamic which is another reason why too much cardio will burn off your muscle. Basically, you can compare doing too much cardio to those marathon runners. They are stick thin rather than being shapely and muscular. I don't know about you but a marathon runner is NOT the look I want. In contrast, sprinters have toned, shapely, muscular physiques. So if you are going to do cardio, don't overdo it and do shorter sessions, incorporate high intensity intervals into the cardio sessions. That's basically what my speed skating practices are, high intensity interval type training, and that's ALL I do twice per week. The rest is my diet and lifting.

So yes, most likely by doing all the cardio you are doing right now, you are actually THWARTING your efforts to build that shapely, sexy muscle and lose the fat. The more cardio you do, the more difficult it's going to be for you to build muscle and strength. And just remember it's the MUSCLE that's going to burn the fat for you. MUSCLE is WAY more effective than cardio at burning that unwanted fat. Keep that in mind.

Oh, and as far as your stats go, if you are able to lose 5-7% body fat without losing any muscle, you should look pretty darn awesome even at 150lbs. It CAN be done. I did it. I started at around 140 lbs at 22% body fat (at 5'5") and I'm now 18% body fat, STILL 140 lbs. I got down as low as 15%, just couldn't hold it there without starving constantly. I may do it again come summertime, but for now I'm giving myself a break on the starving and trying to gain some more strength. Hope this clears things up for ya. /forum/images/icons/wink.gif

[k8_tel]

Krypto..... you are so **** SMART!!! Thank you, thank you
I too have been doing cardio like there's no tomorrow, trying to loose 5% body fat, without loosing any muscle (I consume about 150-175g of protein/day) and have not seen any positive results in fact I have gained 4lbs of fat (i think, I have not had my bf tested yet!, but I'm pretty sure it's fat by looking at myself in the mirror)
I am going to try doing shorter versions of cardio only in the AM (before carbs) and lift weights ONLY after workday in the PM, do you think that I will get the results I want then?

<blockquote><font class="small">posted by k8_tel:</font><hr /> Krypto..... you are so **** SMART!!! Thank you, thank you
I too have been doing cardio like there's no tomorrow, trying to loose 5% body fat, without loosing any muscle (I consume about 150-175g of protein/day) and have not seen any positive results in fact I have gained 4lbs of fat (i think, I have not had my bf tested yet!, but I'm pretty sure it's fat by looking at myself in the mirror)
I am going to try doing shorter versions of cardio only in the AM (before carbs) and lift weights ONLY after workday in the PM, do you think that I will get the results I want then? <hr /></blockquote>

http://www.plauder-smilies.de/rotwerd.gif Naw, I've just learned from my own experience as well as from just being here on Abc long enough, I've had some good mentors. /forum/images/icons/smirk.gif

I too used to do cardio out the ying yang, ever since I was 18 yrs old, that and abs every other day. It wasn't until I came across Abc that I finally learned that it was my DIET more than anything else that had kept me from getting that toned look I had so desired (ever since I was 18). And yes, I have heard of people actually GAINING fat by doing too much cardio. Again, it's cause it sends the wrong signals to the brain.

That is a better plan, less, shorter, and more intense type cardio sessions. If you can, I'd even do the cardio on a separate day from lifting. I realize this can't always be done but it's a better way if you can do it. Yeah, I don't think I've ever lost any muscle from doing cardio either but I have noticed that too much seems to make it more difficult &amp; longer for me to gain strength in my lifts. As far as your actual question as to whether you'll get the results you're looking for or not, that my dear, only YOU will be able to answer. Remember, this is a very individual sport, results vary from person to person, I can only tell you what I've found works best for me and most others. Also remember, it's more a factor of DIET than training. I really believe DIET is at LEAST 80% of the equation to a toned body! As such, you should focus more on your diet than anything else, everything else is secondary to your nutritional program. Also remember that it takes TIME. Too many people get too impatient then they immediately think that it's not working when they really haven't given any one program/plan ample chance.

[Adam Knowlden]

Krypto is the MAN!...err, I mean WOMAN! /forum/images/icons/laugh.gif

[mybell]

So, I need to concentrate more on lifting then cardio.
Right now I'm doing a 3 day split.
1. arms and abs
2. upper
3. legs and abs

I've been doing 45min on the stair machine on mon, wed, and sat. running on tues and thursdays.

What would you suggest I change in this plan?

Where can I find a good plan on the right kinds of food to eat?
Thanks again... hopefully with this site and your advice I'll be looking good by Christmas (just dreaming?)

[President Wilson]

[ QUOTE ]
Krypto..... you are so **** SMART!!! <hr /></blockquote>

Very true /forum/images/icons/wink.gif

<blockquote><font class="small">posted by mybell:</font><hr /> So, I need to concentrate more on lifting then cardio.
Right now I'm doing a 3 day split.
1. arms and abs
2. upper
3. legs and abs

I've been doing 45min on the stair machine on mon, wed, and sat. running on tues and thursdays.

What would you suggest I change in this plan?

Where can I find a good plan on the right kinds of food to eat?
Thanks again... hopefully with this site and your advice I'll be looking good by Christmas (just dreaming?)<hr /></blockquote>

Well first off I wouldn't train your arms a day before chest &amp; back (if that indeed is what you are referring to by "upper"). Train the large body parts first. If you train your arms first, then they are going to fatigue on you before you can get a good chest or back workout, since arms are used when working chest &amp; back. A better 3 day split would be:

1. chest &amp; back
2. legs &amp; abs
3. arms &amp; shoulders

You can also check some of the other women's journals for training split suggestions. I'm on a 4 day split and I post what my split is at the beginning of each week.

Then, I would just do twice a week cardio 20-30 min preferrably on days you're not lifting. So that would basically give you one day off from any form of exercise. Choose whatever cardio you like, switch it up often.

As far as what kinds of foods to eat, without trying to type some mega long list, stick with a few rules of thumb...

1. Avoid processed foods, stick with foods as close to how they occur in nature as possible.

2. Avoid sugar like the plague. And I'm not talking just plain table sugar, I'm talking even sugars found in a lot of fruits, you can't always just look at the nutrition labels.

3. DO eat foods high in FIBER.

4. Don't be afraid of fat, DO include plenty of fat with each meal, try to keep the carbohydrates at a minimum instead.

You can always go to my journal and click on the fitday link I left in one of my posts. Then you can see everything I eat, ALTHO, DISCLAIMER HERE, I'm not actually CUTTING as you are, rather MAINTAINING with a focus on gaining strength. Sooo, there are foods I'm eating that I wouldn't recommend to someone who is wanting optimal fat burning happening. Again, if you stick to those rules of thumb, you may even be able to pick out the foods I'm eating which you probably shouldn't, such as pizza, tomato soup, pasta, to name a few.

The best thing I can tell you is what I tell everyone else, if you start your own online journal and type up everything you're eating, how much, when, plus your training, what exercises you're doing, what order, how many sets &amp; reps, etc, then anyone here on Abc will be much better able to help you. Good luck! /forum/images/icons/wink.gif