how much cardio when lifting heavy weights?

S

sham

Member
Hello,

I recently read in Muscle and Fitness Hers, that when
you do heavy weights, you should only do moderate cardio,
and when doing light weights you can do more intense cardio
sessions. i.e with intervals, etc.
Does anyone have any comments about this?
Body for Life quotes the same thing. When doing their program
they say only do 3 - 20 minute intense interval cardio sessions,
any more cardio should be moderate.

Thank you,
sham
 
Personally, I feel there might be some truth to this. For a month I lifted as heavy as I possibly could 3 times a week and because I was feeling a bit burnt out at that time I alternated my strength training with only 3 half hour sessions of intense cardio. I had very dramatic results. Unfortunately I need more cardio to get rid of stress etc. so I try and do very moderate forms of exercise to make up for it. I also add in a lot more cardio during an endurance rotation. All in all this approach works very well for me. I seem to lose weight while on an endurance rotation and while I am lifting heavy I tend to see more results in the shape of my body and in the way my clothes fit.
 
Sham..
Hi! The logic behind this advice is that really, when you do cardio, and when you lift weights, you are seeking completely opposite physiological reactions. In one instance you are seeking to GROW and in another you are seeking to catabolize. The theory is that too much cardio (aka,an amount of cardio that burns off enough calories to bring you below that magical number that is needed to GROW) will inhibit muscle growth. A negative calorie balance is not a condition in which the body will grow. When you do too much cardio, you are causing this condition with or, sometimes, without even knowing it. So, the idea is to do just enough cardio to keep you from gaining too much fat along with that high quality muscle, but not too much so that you are working against yourself and inhibiting muscle growth.
That is why many people say you must redefine your goals. Do you want to look really lean, or do you want to look really buff?? Or do you just want general fitness and a little tone?? Serious bodybuilders looking for maximum gains typically keep calories high while they are "bulking", and then create a negative calorie balance to "lean out", once they have gained the desired amount of muscle weight. It seems to work out better this way as it is easier to maintain existing muscle than it is to grow all new muscle.
Hope that helps!! Janice
 
That is awesome advice! I remember Cory Everson saying once that a certain Mr. Olympia could carry a piano into a house by himself but couldn't jog around the block. It is my dream to be balanced in all 5 aspects of fitness: Stength, Endurance, Cardiovascular, Flexibility and (last and unfortunately not least), Nutrition. Hopefully everyone sees a balance in their life. Thanks for the great post.
 
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