Cardio question

[skatie0569]

Hi,
Is there anyone here who does heaps of cardio?
Are there many runners here or hikers.. serious walkers.
I wonder because I am interested in your eating habits.
When I go out walking (over an hour a time) I often find that my appetite is lowered. Does excessive cardio effect muscle building?
It's tough keeping calories in check when I do so much cardio, knowing if I have had enough.
Any Opinions?
Just curious...
Kelly

http://www.picturetrail.com/skatie0569

 

[lorihart]

HI Kelly,
I do tons of cardio.I find that there are times when I am not hungry.I would think that I would be hungrier but thats not the case.
When I run I may do just a 60 min run OR a step video with runs incorporated.I could do 2 hours of cardio no sweat.
I think that it is really important that you keep your calories in check.I know that running burns (for me) about 10cals per min.Most days I never get that back into my diet.Just figure out (on average) how much you are burning and if you don't want to lose weight then you will just have to eat it again.
I did read somewhere that cardio effects muscle building.I am not sure if it was in a BFL book or where it was.
If you don't know how many cals you are burning there are some good sites that you can check out.I find ivillage.com helps and also fitday.com.
Hope I helped some,
Lori

 

[Jennifit]

I completely agree (and relate) to Lori's response. Also, you body actually does supress it's appetite for hours after an endurance cardio session, but that does NOT mean you should not eat. Research shows that you should replenish carbohydrates/protein stores within 20 minutes of long endurance exercising to best fend off any muscle damage caused by the workout. (ie) you body will recover faster and better if you refuel quickly after a workout.

If a workout is more than 90 minutes, you should take a Powerbar or Gatorade with you. Just to keep replenishing.

I know when I did not get enough calories in a day when, in the evening, I am very tired and just feel "blah." If that feeling occurs, I simply eat more and get more protein. Your body is magnificant in that it will tell you when it is needing some calories.

Hope that helps.

 

[clareMc]

Kelly:

jennFit's response was excellent.

Also, cardio is only detrimental to muscle building to the extent that you don't take in enough calories to fuel the cardio. If there is a lack, then muscles will be broken down to provide that energy, essentially, the body cannabilizes itself.

But runners and hikers typically have lean hard bodies, they are limber, not at all like muscle bound bodies with a stiff gait. there's a reason for that! The type of cardio you do will still keep your lower body in great shape, especially if you vary your tempos and inclines, i.e. include plenty of hillwork and fartlek/intervals. But you should probably focus your weight training efforts on the upper body, to prevent that emaciated look that long distance runners acquire.

Clare

 

[trevor]

I agree with that if your main goal is to be a runner and perhaps not want to put on muscle bulk in the lower body. Heck, almost every serious runner I see looks skinny to me. But if you want to add muscle you gotta lift weights. Running hills cannot replace the intense muscle building work that you get from lifting. Also if you are like me and have a fast metabolism, good luck doing all of that cardio and still being able to eat enough to keep from losing muscle mass. In my case, if I did tons of cardio, you would not be able to see me if I stood sideways. I'd have to spend all of my free time eating. I do two 20 mins. HIGH HIGH intensity interval seesions every week in addition to my spin class. Sometimes I will add another 30 mins. session at much lower intensity. I lift intensely also, doing one bodypart per day. The fact that I am so high in intensity with the cardio means I don't have to spend precious time slogging along with endless cardio. Of course, running tons of miles isn't my goal either and I think that you also have to look at your individual goals as well as your body's responses when analyzing this question.
Trevor