(Fitnessfreak) Why no cardio on weight days?

millalyte86

millalyte86

Cathlete
Hi Debbie! Why is it better to do cardio and weight work on separate days? What are the benefits as opposed to doing some cardio on weight days also? Does it effect muscle growth or something? Thank you!!

Laur
 
If you are building muscle, then cardio on the same day is a no no. If you are trying to lean out and lose some body fat then there is nothing wrong with doing cardio with weight training days. However, you should be working one body part a day with cardio, like Cathe does with the CTX series or 4DS series.

It also depends on how your body responds to both. If you are an ectomorph body type, little cardio should be done. If you are an endomorph, more cardio is needed.

I hope this helps. I guess it just depends on what your goals are.
 
I have kinda a hard time determining my body type. I have an athletic build with broad shoulders and naturally a lot of muscle (especially in leg area). This would make me think i'm a meso. But I always I've been considered "overweight" or at the very high end of my group on the height weight chart. And I tend to get cellulite and lower belly flub very easily. This makes me think I'm a endomorph... what do you think?

My goal is to maintain/ increase muscle in my upper body while at the same time losing body fat which is kept on my upper thighs and lower abs. Can this me done? I'm not sure if this is neccessary or helpful for you to know but I'm 5'7, 21 y/o, and weigh 150-155 lbs. (weight fluctuates day to day alot). Thank you so much Debbie!
 
Also I read that endomorphs have narrpw shoulders in relation to their hips which I don't have. My shoulder measure about 43 inches and my hip about 41 inches. So they are pretty similar. I'm not hippy at all. I just have thicker thighs due to muscle and I have the cellulite and some extra fat on the backs of them. My waist at the smallest part is 28 inches and my lower stomach at its largest part is 32.75 inches. I just wanted to make sure I gave you as much info as possible so you had a better idea of what I looked like. Thanks again, Debbie!
 
millalyte86 said:
I have kinda a hard time determining my body type. I have an athletic build with broad shoulders and naturally a lot of muscle (especially in leg area). This would make me think i'm a meso. But I always I've been considered "overweight" or at the very high end of my group on the height weight chart. And I tend to get cellulite and lower belly flub very easily. This makes me think I'm a endomorph... what do you think?

My goal is to maintain/ increase muscle in my upper body while at the same time losing body fat which is kept on my upper thighs and lower abs. Can this me done? I'm not sure if this is neccessary or helpful for you to know but I'm 5'7, 21 y/o, and weigh 150-155 lbs. (weight fluctuates day to day alot). Thank you so much Debbie!
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It sounds to me like you are more a meso with endo qualities. If you get your eating under control your body will respond. I'm the same as you with body type - I am mostly a meso but have endo qualities in my lower body especially.

It's hard to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time, but with the proper training and eating, it can be done. I can't remember, are you doing a rotation right now?
 
Well I was thinking about starting your september lower body rotation. Do you think that would be good for my body type? Thanks Deb!!
 
millalyte86 said:
Well I was thinking about starting your september lower body rotation. Do you think that would be good for my body type? Thanks Deb!!
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Honestly, any rotation is good for your body type. Meso's crave heavy lifting, though. But as long as you want to define and lose fat then yes, my Sept. rotation should work well. Especially because of the lower body getting worked twice a week.

So try it. Take your measurements, weigh yourself and if you can get your body fat checked. Then after the four weeks compare the numbers.

Have fun with it!
 
Hi guys,

Just wanted to stop in and say hi!

Debbie, I've started your Sept 08 rotation and have been monitoring my eating with fitday and I must say I've been doing pretty well with my eating. I want to lose fat also so I've been doing light cardio on my weight days. I just hope I dont burn myself out. Debbie, when doing cardio and weights, does it matter which is done first?
 
Fitnessfreakk366 said:
Honestly, any rotation is good for your body type. Meso's crave heavy lifting, though. But as long as you want to define and lose fat then yes, my Sept. rotation should work well. Especially because of the lower body getting worked twice a week.

So try it. Take your measurements, weigh yourself and if you can get your body fat checked. Then after the four weeks compare the numbers.

Have fun with it!
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Thanks Debbie! Are you sure there is enough cardio in this one for me since I tend to have endo tendencies?
 
nspire said:
Hi guys,

Just wanted to stop in and say hi!

Debbie, I've started your Sept 08 rotation and have been monitoring my eating with fitday and I must say I've been doing pretty well with my eating. I want to lose fat also so I've been doing light cardio on my weight days. I just hope I dont burn myself out. Debbie, when doing cardio and weights, does it matter which is done first?
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You should weight train first, at least that's what I do. That way you have your strength for the demands of the weight training part and you're not wiped out by the time you get to it.

Be careful with the extra cardio. It can backfire on you.
 
My main thing is that I've been working out for years and really haven't seen much changes in my body over the last 6 months. I usually do lots of cardio. Maybe thats what I have to change? Debbie, in your opinion, would it be wise for me to limit my cardio to 3 times a week and weight train the other 3? I used to do cardio 6 days a week then aternated lower and upper body every other day. I just haven't seen many changes in months. What do you think?
 
OH whoops you kinda already answered this question. I was only looking at page 1 of this thread and I missed you answer. Ok Less cardio it is!
 
Another question if you don't mind, Debbie... Cathe just posted her Septemeber rotation... do you think this rotation has too much cardio and not enough weight training for me? Even if I go heavy on the weight days?
 
millalyte86 said:
Another question if you don't mind, Debbie... Cathe just posted her Septemeber rotation... do you think this rotation has too much cardio and not enough weight training for me? Even if I go heavy on the weight days?
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For your goals I would say Cathe's rotation is targeting too much on endurance/cardio. She has a lot of total body workouts and circuit workouts in this rotation. It is better for fat loss versus muscle gain.
 
I hope you dont mind all my questions but I don't get the opportunity to talk to someone so knowledgable on fitness often. I have another question. I know you said it is hard to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.. what if I did a rotation with more cardio and moderate weights one week, then the following week do one that is heavier on weights and lesser on cardio, then continued to alternate between the 2 every week? Do you think that would help build muscle while lowering fat? It would be sure to keep the body guessing... what do you think? Thanks so much!
 
millalyte86 said:
I hope you dont mind all my questions but I don't get the opportunity to talk to someone so knowledgable on fitness often. I have another question. I know you said it is hard to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.. what if I did a rotation with more cardio and moderate weights one week, then the following week do one that is heavier on weights and lesser on cardio, then continued to alternate between the 2 every week? Do you think that would help build muscle while lowering fat? It would be sure to keep the body guessing... what do you think? Thanks so much!
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think its good to stick with 8 week rotations that incorporate one thing: muscle growth or weight loss.

You will see no results mixing it up like you want to do.

Since you are a meso-endo, I really think you need to stick with rotations that work one body part a week and doing maybe 3 hours a cardio. I think if you stick with a plan like this, work as heavy as you can with each workout and eat clean, you will see results. You will gain muscle, this will help you burn fat and you can lean out at the same time since you are a meso. It won't be easy, but you will see changes in the muscle department.

My rotations consist of workouts like this:

Mon. - Chest and Tri's
Tues. - Cardio
Wed. - Legs
Thurs. - Shoulders, cardio
Fri. - Cardio
Sat. - Back and Biceps
Sun. - Rest

Right now I'm following a 12 week rotation I found in the men's M&F magazine. It has everything that I'm suppose to do including workouts, foods and supplements. I'm seeing excellent results and I'm only getting in around 2.5 hours of cardio. I have leaned out well in just three weeks into the program and I already see some nice muscle growth, especially in my arms.

You have to find a program that works for you. You have to follow it for at least 8 weeks to see any type of results. After the 8 weeks you take a week off, reevaluate where you are and where you want to be and figure out what to do next.

My fall and winter months are spent building muscle. Yes, I gain weight doing this time, but not a lot of body fat. I eat clean 99% of the time. Spring and summer are dedicated to losing some body fat and getting defined. This works well because the body is always seeing a change with every two seasons.
 
Debbie, I've been doing some thinking. I want to build some more muscle but mainly I just want to be able to see cut muscles under my skin. I don't want to just bulk up and get thinker looking. I want to be chisled. Especially in my abs, but also in my arms. Do you think to get that chisled muscle look I want this is the right type of rotation for me? Or do you think I need to focus more on fat-loss? Or will that also be an added bonus of a muscle building rotation? Thanks Deb!
 
Deb -

Not to cut in on the thread but...

Which month's M&F magazine did you find your current rotation?

Gib
 
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