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2003/12/31, 09:00 PM
Hi everyone, I'm trying really hard to understand what i should be doing and when i should be doing it to attain my goals. However, every time i think i figured out what i should do, i seem to find information on a message board, in a magazine or on a site that contradicts what i thought.
Currently, I'm working out 4 days a week trying to gain muscle mass, but at the same time i am desperately trying to lower my body fat significantly. I'm not sure what my body fat percentage is, but i know i need to lose atleast 4 inches on my waist. My workout for gaining muscle seems to be good, and I'm having no problem with it, however when it comes to doing cardio to help get rid of the fat, i'm not sure when i should do it. Right now i get on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes after each of my workouts (4 times a week)
Up until today, i thought that the best time was either right after my workout or early in the morning, but unless the info i read and heard is wrong, I'm now under the impression that doing cardio right after my workout will affect the potential results i could have had from that workout (muscle gain) and that doing cardio in the morning isn't good because for some reason it will result in more muscle loss rather than fat loss.
any help with this would be great, I know that nutrition is most important for this, and believe me, I'm having one hell of a time trying to understand all the rationale when it comes to what i should be eating. Also, if anyone could suggest a great book, site, or anything else that would help me in understanding nutrition and technicalities behind fitness better, that would be amazing. the biggest motivator for me is knowing what I'm doing is going to be effective, and I'm just really really confused.
Thanks a lot, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
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2003/12/31, 10:17 PM
well, if ur gaining muscle mass, which is anabloiclly active it will " burn" more calories which well lead to loss of body fat, as for the cardio thing i'm not really positive myself but i know it has alot to do with genetics, if your a hard gainer i would suggest lil or no cardio at all at most 2 times a week, but if ur like me and can gain weight easly an dhave more body fat to burn i think it would be ok to do cardio in the morning then work out 4 or 5 in the evening, i wouldn't do cardio on leg days though but i could be wrong
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---andrew.......adversity causes some to break, but others to break records!
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2004/01/01, 10:15 PM
thanks for the reply. I'm pretty sure that i have a lot easier of a time gaining muscle than losing fat. So, I guess what is being said is that i should do cardio 3 or 4 times a week still, but just not around the same time i do weight training. lol, man, I'm so confused, but thanx for the help, i appreciate it
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2004/01/02, 03:13 PM
Hi d22. It is easy to get confused with so much info comin at ya, especially in the beginning. The first thing you need to do is stop doing cardio after your weight training! Do it on opposite days or like andrew said in the a.m. at least 6-8 hours before your workouts. When trying to both gain and lose at the same time, it is tricky. DO NOT use the scales to judge your progress. Putting on muscle will not show your fat loss except by using a measuring tape. I tried to do both for a loong time and was frustrated with my fat loss. I was happy with the muscle gains though. Finally what I did was after about 6 months of trying to balance both, I did a 4 week program of circuit training 3x a week with cardio on the other days. I kept my muscle but really dropped some fat, which made me happy. Then I went back to my regular split program of lifting as heavy as I can 4 days a week with a couple cardio sessions in there somewhere. I think I will probably do that circuit program every 12-16 weeks as long as I keep getting good results. Remember when you are doing your weight training to lift as heavy as you can and keep ging up. Change up your routine every 10 weeks or so. And be sure to rest enough. Diet is VERY important, but you can get more info on that in the diets and nutrition boards. Good luck, and when you are confused, ask questions.
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~Victoria~
...Do not be discouraged; everyone who got where he is, started where he was.--anon
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2004/01/02, 08:54 PM
Wow, thanx a lot, I really needed a concrete conclusion to the whole, cardio after working out thing. So, am i right in thinking that the best way to achieve my goal of fat loss and muscle mass gain is to continue doing my weight training 4 times a week and do cardio on the days off??? If this is true, should i be doing cardio all 3 days? And, how long should i do it for? Thanks again, I really appreciate the response
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2004/01/02, 09:54 PM
A circuit type workout is a great way to get a bit stronger, keep muscle mass, and burn calories for fat loss. With a circuit program, there is indeed a decent amount of "cardio" type work in it anyway, so be careful. I would take at least one day of full rest. On the days you do do cardio itself, one of them do HIIT for some great results. Azredhead gave you some great advice. One note, in your post you were confused about doing cardio first thing in the morning. There is nothing at all wrong with this, in fact probably the best time as to raise your baseline metabolism for the day. What the emphasis is not to do it on a totally empty stomach, so you are burning as much muscle as fat if not more. If you don't eat a meal, you may want to invest in some MRP's, and do at least a half shake before cardio. Then "ride the wave" for 30-60 min. and let the fat burning go, when you do eat, make your next meal protein/fiber/fats. The reason for fats here is it has no impact on blood sugar, will help metabolize fat, and give you the calories you will lack from carbs in this instance. Your next meal have a low glycemic protein, complex carb meal like chicken breast and black beans or black eyed peas, etc. Go very low glycemic the rest of the day, lots of protein and fibrous veggies, will increase insulin sensitivity and keep the fat burning process proceeding. Hope this helps and good luck.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
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2004/01/03, 11:51 AM
Thankyou so much, that helps a lot too. I'm definately going to change my cardio routine around now. This all sounds great, and really cleared a lot up for me. thanks again
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