Need Advice, Less Cardio?

[Nic14]

Hi All -

I'm looking for some insight on reducing my cardio.

I don't necessarily need to lose weight, however I would like to tone and define. My weight is where it should be for my height and body frame, however I feel "flabby". I have great upper body definition, however I have a layer of fat over my stomach and on my thighs. I've read of success with lowering cardio and increasing strength training to reduce overall body fat, but then I'll read conflicting information suggesting to reduce body fat to lessen strength training and increase cardio. Right now I do cardio 6 days per week, and have been hitting each muscle twice per week with weight training (PS Series), and while I've been happy with the strength gains, it has done nothing to eliminate any body fat. Hoping you guys can shed some light on the subject and steer me in the right direction. I'd like to cut back on cardio, but fear that my body has gotten too accustomed to 6 days of pretty intense cardio workouts, and fear anything less than that will result in weight gain.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Nicole

 

[tsut]

Hi Nicole -

I lowered my cardio workouts and noticed a big difference in fat loss. I too gain weight in the abs and thighs. I used to do 5-6 days of cardio and weighttrain twice a week. I was doing all Cathe videos at the time. I felt like I was hitting a plateau.

I decided to experiment and do a rotation like this:

Week One - 3 total body weight workouts + 2 cardio workouts

1-endurance weight tape (like Power Hour)
2-step video for cardio (PowerMax, etc . . .)
3-strength building tape (like MIS)
4-kickbox for cardio (CTX Kickbox)
5-another weight tape (just picked whatever I felt like that day. I just made sure it was a total body tape like Power Hour or MIS. I also subsituted with the Fit Prime tapes Core First or Weights First)

Week Two - 2 total body weight workouts + 3 cardio workouts

1-hi/lo cardio (MIC)
2-strength building tape (MIS)
3-interval tape (IMax or Intense Moves)
4-endurance weight tape (Power Hour or a Firm Video)
5-circuit training tape (Circuit Max w/light weights)

I really noticed that the body fat started melting off. I am at a healthy body weight, but I just couldn't seem to get rid of my stomach flab. This rotation really helped. I lost almost an inch in my waist in 2-3 weeks. I know that probably doesn't sound like much, but it was a lot to me after seeing no movement for months. I also lost another inch in my thighs and a few pounds. I'm already at a healthy weight range, but a bit flabby so I wasn't looking to lose weight.

The general idea is to do weights 3 times/week + cardio 2 times/week. And the next week do 2 weight workouts/week + 3 cardio workouts/week. I made an effort to not do the same cardio activity for each week. I tried to choose from hi/lo, step, kickbox, and circuit training. I also varied my intensities. I think that kept my body guessing and I never got too efficient at any workout. For example, if I did step on Monday then I would have to choose between hi/lo, kickbox, or circuit training for the other 2 cardio days.

I know it's scary to decrease cardio, but it really worked for me. I do less cardio now and have seen significant fat loss. I used to think that I had to do cardio 5-6 days/week at very intense levels. I think my body got to used to that.

HTH

 

[Jane P]

I think anytime you reach a plateau you need to make a change in your routine. Your body gets used to whatever you're doing.

 

[R_Lam]

I am currently trying a PS rotation with 3 cardio days but it hasn't been happening. I want to get the cardios in but for some reason feel totally wiped out by the time the PS tapes are done. This is my third week and am lucky if i could sneak in 2 cardios. I think I'm gaining weight around my middle but my arms are looking good.

 

[jgoycoolea]

This is interesting to me since I am also tiring a bit of so much cardio. That and after running so much in old tennis shoes (tsk,tsk) I am having heel discomfort at times (plantars fasciatis).

I have read in Planet Muscle that extended periods of cardio release some sort of hormone that causes fat storage, particularly in the abdomen. But, like said, it is hard to break away from cardio.

My doctor says I am at a healthy weight, but I do need to lose 10 pounds. I used to be a very comfortable size 6, now my 8's! are starting to feel too tight.

So, my question is, did you alter your diet when you decreased your cardio? Or do you think that your loss was mostly due to your routine?

Either way, I think I will give this rotation a try.

Jeanne

 

[Stacy]

I tried doing less cardio and I felt like my body was getting soft even though my strength training wasnt slacking. I had been doing 3-4 longer cardio sessions a week, usually Cathe's step, Circuit Max, Powerstrike and then 1 or 2 shorter cardios such as a CTX cardio or riding the bike. What I'm doing now, and I've only finished one week of this so I cant say yet how it's going, is doing cardio about 5 times a week, but only making one of them a longer session, and the rest shorter sessions, like from CTX or just doing the first 2 step sections of any Cathe tape. I'm also doing the strength portion from PH twice a week, and the strength portion from BM once a week, my arms seem to be liking this so far. I've been laying off legs lately b/c my knees were starting to ache from my last rotation, in that one I was doing PS legs and really increasing the weight I used. Now for legs, I'll usually ride the bike, tack on some floor work, or consider the cardio portion from CTX PC a leg workout.

Stacy

 

[tsut]

Hi Jeanne - Not sure if you were asking me about my experience, but I didn't alter my diet. I tend to eat more carbs than protein because I'm not a big meat eater. I am 5'3" and now 103 lbs. I usually eat a clean diet 5 days a week and allow cheating on the weekends within moderation of course. I was eating 1500-1600 calories per day and went from 110 lbs. to 104 lbs. I wasn't looking to lose weight - just tone up some flab.

The past few weeks I've increased my calorie intake to 1600-1700 per week and I lost another 1 lb. I thought I would gain, but was pleasantly surprised.

On the weekends, I allow cheat meals - not cheat days. One weekend of cheating can wipe out a week's worth of exercise and diet. When I cheat, I make sure that I stay within the calorie range of 1500-1700 that day. By counting calories and eating clean 80% of the time, I have been able to lose inches in my waist and thighs - my two problem areas.

Consistency, patience, and variety are key for me. I love doing cardio, but my body was just getting used to 5-6 days of such high intensity. My rotation has given me variety. Now I just follow that rotation and pick a tape in that category. It's so much more fun to do it that way.

 

[niclyf]

Hmm ... your results sound great!!

I'm going to print this off and give this a whirl.

I am really skittish about reducing cardio, because as I mentioned, it seems like this "flab" thing has transpired over the last few months .. when I was doing *more* cardio! I would've never imagined I'd gain weight adding in more intense cardio sessions, so the thought of reducing has me fearful of adding insult to injury with further weight gain.

But .. I'm determined to mix things up, and think I'll definitely give this a try for a couple of weeks and see what happens. How long have you been doing this rotation?

Thanks again for taking the time to respond!!

~ Nicole

 

[tsut]

Hi Nicole -

I was really worried about decreasing cardio at first too, but I was hitting a plateau. This rotation is a lot of fun and it allows for a variety of workouts. I have tried to follow rotations in the past, but I can't seem to stick with them long enough to see results. I've been doing this rotation for about 6 weeks now.

I substitute a lot of tapes and don't use Cathe exclusively. Of course Cathe is my all-time favorite and I tend to choose her tapes a lot. As I stated above I try to do a rotation with 3 weight sessions and 2 cardio sessions per week. And the next week I will do 3 cardio sessions and 2 weight sessions per week. I may add some walking during my lunch hours at work, but those are more of my therapy sessions with my co-worker. (We work in a very stressful environment.)

Weights - I make sure I do 1 endurance workout and 1 strength building workout per week. If my rotations calls for 3 strength workouts that week I see how I feel and decide whether I will do an endurance or strength workout. I try to put 100% effort into each workout. I think that makes a huge difference.

Cardio - I make an effort to do different cardio workouts for each week. I choose between hi/lo, kickboxing, step, intervals, or circuit training. Vary your workout times and intensity levels. One day I may do Taebo and the next day I may do Circuit Max.

You will be surprised at how hard other cardio workouts are when you try different ones.

With this rotation you can incorporate other tapes from the Firm, Fit Prime, etc . . . I like variety! It keeps me interested.

I'm glad you're trying the rotation. I saw results in about 2 weeks so don't be discouraged if you don't see results right away. Of course I think 2 weeks is fantastic as far as I'm concerned.

 

[slenamond]

Question for HTH

Hi,

I am not Nicole and I can not access my hotmail right now so I thought I would see if I could ask you a question here.

I have been doing cardio 4-5 days/week and full body weights 1-2 times per week. I am 5'1" and weigh 123 pounds. The scale will not budge and I have a layer of fat over my thighs and tummy. I ALWAYS watch what I eat although I am not perfect.

Do you think I could be helped my less cardio and more weight work? AND have you really seen a drop in weight when you upped your calorie intake?

Thanks, Sharon

 

[tsut]

RE: Question for HTH

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-21-02 AT 06:28PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Sharon –

Yes! I really lost more body fat when I decreased cardio. I know it is very hard to believe because I still can’t believe it myself. And yes I lost an additional pound when I recently increased my calories from 1500-1600 to 1600-1700. My diet is clean 80% of the time and I allow some cheat meals on the weekends.

If you are hitting a plateau and no longer seeing fat loss with 4-5 days/cardio, then yes try reducing your cardio. I know everyone is different, but when you don’t see any more gains it’s time to switch things up. I used to do cardio 5-6 days per week and 2 strength workouts per week. That worked for awhile, but I definitely hit a plateau.

Can I ask how many calories you eat per day? What kinds of cardio are you doing? How clean is your diet?

I ask because if you’re not eating enough food to fuel your workouts then you will definitely hold onto body fat – or at least in my experience that is what happened. If you don’t eat enough food you’re body will think it’s starving and no matter how much cardio you do your body will fight you to keep it on.

If you are doing the same type of cardio all the time your body could be getting used to it. I used to do Cathe’s step tapes exclusively and it started to feel a bit easy. I know – isn’t that hard to believe? I knew right there it was time to change something before I got burnt out. Now I do a variety of cardio workouts at different lengths and intensities. I now do hi/lo, step, intervals, walking, circuit training, and kickboxing. This has helped me because I no longer get bored and has gotten me the results I’ve been wanting.

Variety, consistency, and patience have been key to my success. I have never been this close to my goals in years. I’ve worked out for over 7 years and I’m finally seeing the results I want through trial and error.