i'm getting confused about how much cardio i should be doing to maintain my weight. i'm 5'3 and weight 120lbs. i keep upping my cardio to 5-6 days per week thinking more is better but notice that it makes me really tired. however i'm afraid of cutting down to 3 days per week (inbetween STS days) I have been using insanity for my cardio and on sts days i have been doing 30 min steady state. is this too much? for those that do 3 days of cardio, how's it working for you?
3 days of cardio
- Thread starter kariev
- Start date
I've been maintaining the same weight for years with 3 days of cardio and 3 days of weights. Occasionally I throw in a fourth day, but never 5-6. Especially with doing STS, which is already pretty exhausting, I don't think you should do so much cardio, especially if it's making you feel really tired. You'll end up cheating either your cardio or your weight work.
I do 4 days of cardio @ 30 minutes each, and that's what I've been doing to maintain for years. I can get by on 3, but I feel better with 4. My 5th day is usually weights only - total body. I'm basically doing variations for Cathe's 4DS (I change up the cardio.)
When I need to switch off of that rotation, I'll do 3 days of circuit, and my other 2 days are only cardio.
I find that I need a balance of weights and cardio to maintain, and that my body responds best to heavy circuit work, rather than just lifting.
Each body is different, and you have to find what yours responds to. If you're tired after 5 days of cardio, then your body is telling you it's too much, IMO.
When I need to switch off of that rotation, I'll do 3 days of circuit, and my other 2 days are only cardio.
I find that I need a balance of weights and cardio to maintain, and that my body responds best to heavy circuit work, rather than just lifting.
Each body is different, and you have to find what yours responds to. If you're tired after 5 days of cardio, then your body is telling you it's too much, IMO.
Shannon_B
Cathlete
The past three weeks I was doing circuits and incorporated a little more cardio, and I noticed I started to become flabby. I'm quickly stopping in the middle of the rotation and picking up with a heavy weight rotation in the middle of the week. I've never done that but I think I respond better to heavier and more focused weights rather than circuits. So I'll try balancing the cardio with the weights.
I really dont know if that will help you at all lol, but I think you just need to figure out what works best! Try for a couple of weeks having 3 days of cardio, it might make a world of differnece!
I really dont know if that will help you at all lol, but I think you just need to figure out what works best! Try for a couple of weeks having 3 days of cardio, it might make a world of differnece!
thanks you guys! i'm going to cut back on my cardio this week and see how i feel. i have a hard time believing that less is more. i'm one of those people that if x amount of time is beneficial then doubling that makes it better. bad i know which is why i'm trying to work on my thinking LOL