Tim or Gerry....

[RichDaniels]

hey guys,I have read that cario such as running is not good for trying to maintain muscle while you diet.If thats all you have access to is what are your opinions on this? I have been doing 30 min 4-5 days a week and i have been staying around 75% of my target heart rate. i know alot like the HIT cardio ,but going out on the road for a short jog doesn't bother me.I don't want it to be counter productive though.thanks guys...
Rich

[Maximum6]

believe it or not..HIIT has gotten me lean . I don't feel like i lost muscle at all.

But i think the secret is all in the diet. I've been carb cyling.....and also kept my protein REALLY REALLY HIGH. For my body size that is....I also Eat BEEF too....that seems to get me more buff....and plus being cut....you know what that results as..

[RichDaniels]

thanks for the response bro,My diet is pretty good.I'm like 18 weeks out and i just wanted other opinions.I might give the HIT a try.you have any other info on it,any good links.....

[Maximum6]

Tim is the expert...he suggested HIIT for me..and i've been doing it.

Also when carb cyling..my carbs never went below 50(tim suggested). My lowest carb would be 54grams...highest...would be 105g...but i'll be adding some 4oz of Shiitake mushroom into my diet...so my carbs for lowest and highest will increase....for better performance in energy..which i BELIEVE>...will help me gain some more muscle...

For HIIT....don't go more than 20min. Because it is usually intense as it is. 15min. is like a minimum.....so 15 to 20min of HIIT is good. I usually do 3 min. warm up......then start 20min of hiit.

[Tim Wescott]

Here`s one of many good links to articles:

www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp

Here`s an article I wrote on cardio as well:

My Approach To Doing Cardio For Optimal Results by Tim Wescott

Most bodybuilder`s, fitness enthusiasts, and personal trainer`s, will tell you that the best time to do cardio is early in the morning, on an empy stomach. For some reason, which most of them don`t know the answer to, they will tell you this is the perfect time to facilitate fat burning. I`m here to say they are off base in this approach to losing bodyfat, and I will tell you why. As bodybuilder`s, most of us endeavor to eat 5-6 meals a day, spaced out over three hour intervals.This helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, keeps us in an anabolic state, by maintaining a positive nitrogen balance, aids in better digestion and assimilation, and also helps to keep the waistline smaller, as most of the meals should not be big meals, per se`!

After sleeping all night for 6-8 hours, or whatever amount is required for you personally, the body, upon arising in the morning, is in a very catabolic state.This means a state of negative nitrogen balance,something no bodybuilder wants. To perform cardio at this time, on an empty stomach, creates a further state of catabolism, thus resulting in muscle breakdown, and muscle tissue loss.The exact opposite of what bodybuilding is all about! It`s true that blood sugar levels are low in the morning, but so are amino acids,the building blocks of protein. If you must do cardio in the morning.... no big deal, just make sure to have a protein drink, or a light protein meal, 45-60 minutes before the aerobic session. Your first priority in the morning, after fasting all night during sleep, should be to feed the body protein and carbs, thus restoring the body to an anabolic state once again. You always want to remain in this anabolic state, if possible, thats why we eat every three hours or so.

In my opinion, the best time to do cardio is after you workout with the iron. Performing your cardio workout after training with the weights, is the most ideal time to burn fat. The reasoning behind this thinking is that during your weight training workout you are using glucose, and stored glycogen, as fuel for energy. Glucose and glycogen are sugars, and sugars are carbs. You want to use carbs as fuel for your training ideally,to sustain you throughout the workout. After you are done training, your glucose and glycogen levels are obviously depleted, thus making this the perfect time to perform your cardio, and to use stored fat as fuel. At this time, if you are on a high protein diet, as most bodybuilder`s are, or should be, the body will burn fat as fuel, to help get you through the cardio session.


Keep the cardio intense and brief, or the body will once again go into a catabolic state and use protein for fuel literally eating your hard earned muscle tissue alive.Doinf too much cardio is detrimental. The type of cardio that you perform is up to you, but I would recommend doing 15-20 minutes of "High Intensity Interval Training". Hereafter known as HIIT !! HIIT cardio involves an all out burst of effort for about a minute, followed by a cool down pace, also for a minute or so, or until the heartrate slows down substantionally. As I stated above, 15-20 minutes of HIIT is great and usually enough for most people. I personally wouldn`t go over 30 minutes tops.

One of the advantages of performing HIIT cardio is that it accomplishes more in a shorter time period. Another more important benefit, is that it raises the heart rate and the metabolism. Your metabolism stays elevated long after your cardio session is done.This enables the body to keep on burning more fat just by going through your normal daily routine! I call this effect the "Afterburn" !!

I use an Eliptical Trainer most of the time, and I find by using this particular apparatus, I burn over twice as many calories using HIIT, over more traditional methods I have employed in the past.The Eliptical Trainer also has virtually no impact on the feet, hips, or knees. So there it is, my take on doing AM cardio, and why I think it should not be done on an empty stomach. Try it out and lose some of that excess bodyfat, while retaining your hard earned muscle, you`ll be glad you did !!
TRAIN HARD !!!
My Website:
www.geocities.com/timbuktuweights/

My Forum:
timwescott.proboards18.com/index.cgi

[hossjob]

Rich,

I know I'm not Tim or Gerry, but HIIT is the ticket! Tim is a HUGE advocator of it and as y ou know, He's the GURU here! haha. Also, you probably know this, but when I was doing my HIIT, took 5-10 grams of both BCAA and Glutamine before and/or after (usually both) my cardio. Seemed to help alot. Some say the "CLEAN" Aminos boost fat loss.
My personal take on cardio is to cycle it! It's my favorite! I do HIIT one day, low intensity distance another day, and then I do intervals of moderate intensity another day. I cycle this. I truly believe it helps teh metabolism because you're constantly guessing and hitting all metabolic pathways and energy systems.

Hoss

[GerryT]

Hoss, you guys know probably more about this than I!
Tim is the training and diet guru here. Have heard great things about HIT and saw some solid results from guys I've coached.

When access to cardio equipment is limited, a rigorous posing session is very aerobic. Rich, never too early for you to start with a session or two a week now. Can do a run through of all the mandatories and most muscular and repeat for 5 sets of poses. recommend holding poses at least 5 seconds to start. As you get better, try holding them longer.

Pro Darrem Charles was interviewed and he says he hates traditional cardio, and uses his posing practice sessions a few times a week as a substitute. He is not only spot on conditioning wise for his shows, but is also one of the top posers in the sport.

[RichDaniels]

Everyone of you guys that posted on this thread ,Thank you very much!!!! you guys don't realize how much you have already helped me since i started posting and eading the info on this board.you know why it's such a big deal to me? I have always gone out of my way over the years to help others in powerlifting.whether it was showing up to help at a meet or answering questions.I have kind of come across some that are not so quick to answer questions once i changed to bodybuilding.thats why when i came here my questions were answered very quickly and very ,very detailed.let me stop boring you nw...lol but seriously,things like this mean a lot to guys trying to take it to the next level.thanks again guys.I'm going to read up on HIIT and start today.

Rich

[RichDaniels]

Tim,great post,i have a question...
1) it's safe to say that i should do HIIT every other day and maybe a brisk walk on the days in between?
2) i'll do 20-30 min since i was already running for 30 min like a mad dog..lol....how exactly should I do the internals? 1minute sprint,1 minute walk? or 40 second sprint,40 second walk? thanks man....

[Tim Wescott]

Rich,The HIIT coupled with the walking sounds great .

You can set up the HIIT cardio anyway that you prefer.

I personally use the eliptical and just go balls to the wall for 1 minute then I slow it down until my breathing is ALMOST restored.

I do not time the rest "cool down" period.

Some people do a minute all out, followed by two minutes walking, and others do a minute of both.

If I were you I would give it a shot and see how it feels to you then fine tune it to meet your own specifications.

The most important thing is to get the heart rate up ,and to burn some caloeries.

I kind of cycle this by simply listening to my body and at times I`ll back off on the intensity depending on numerous factors ,mainly my energy level for the day.

If I feel a bit burnt out I`ll go slower or do less time,or walk on an inclined treadmill.

But for the most part I usually crank it out!!

[Maximum6]

try 30 secs as fast as you can then 30 secs slower...it works well.

And yea..i think i might consider trying incline walk instead...if i plan on getting bigger over winter....I"m just going to cut as much fat as i can in these 16 week...then whamo...!!! Steak and Sweet potatoes.