Question to the lifters/builders

Jumpy

How much cardio do you do?

Personally I hate it, I have a belly to lose but I am hoping to rely more on muscle gain and subsequent higher required calories to strip fat.

How much do the lifters and bodybuilders in this forum actually do in the way of cardio?
I very rarely see it mentioned so I dont know if its a given that you do a certain amount or if you barely do it at all.

Id love it to be the latter but I have my doubts

Its just boring, lifting feels great, but cardio is so repetetive.

Colm_OReilly

I don't make a distinction between cardio and weights.

Workouts like the CF girls are metcon workouts, where you're lifting weights but it's timed.

For example: Diane
21,15,9
100Kg Deadlift
Handstand Press Up

Nancy
5 Rounds for time of
40Kg Overhead Squat, 15 reps
400m run

20 minutes, as many rounds as possible of
12 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
5 Push Press

You might find them more fun than running. check out the site, there's tons of workouts like this.

Dragan

All cardio sessions revolve around rowing, grappling or sparring, all of which i love and i normally try and get in 3 sessions a week or so.

Add in some Crossfit that i do and i actually do quite a bit.

You'd think i'd be in better nick!!!

Malteaser!

I don't do ANY cardio of any description...I don't like it either!!!

I know Hanley doesn't either!!

Jumpy

Malteaser! wrote: »

I don't do ANY cardio of any description...I don't like it either!!!

I know Hanley doesn't either!!

Are you a lifter or a bodybuilder?

Malteaser!

ehhhh, of sorts...not particularly heavy yet, but I'm getting there!!

Hanley

Jumpy wrote: »

Are you a lifter or a bodybuilder?

She's getting there. A 1.5x bodyweight deadlift 12 weeks after first picking up a weight is decent no?

Anyway I don't go near it. I get about 30 mins of walking in a day going to and from college but that's it.

g'em

At the moment one interval session a week, and 2-3 light sessions to help me get back to competition weight, alongside 4 x lifting sessions/ week. Normally 3 light sessions a week alongside 3-4 lifting sessions. If I'm cutting, two interval sessions and 3-4 light sessions per week with 3 lifting sessions i.e. it's all goal dependant. Some people can get away with very little cardio for fat loss; I'm nto one of those people

t-ha

Jumpy wrote: »

How much cardio do you do?

Personally I hate it, I have a belly to lose but I am hoping to rely more on muscle gain and subsequent higher required calories to strip fat.

How much do the lifters and bodybuilders in this forum actually do in the way of cardio?
I very rarely see it mentioned so I dont know if its a given that you do a certain amount or if you barely do it at all.

Id love it to be the latter but I have my doubts

Its just boring, lifting feels great, but cardio is so repetetive.

If you find it repetitive then don't do it, at least not in the traditional hours on the treadmill type thing. Join a 5-a-side soccer team or something like that where you can get a run-out a few times a week. Unless you're trying to get really ripped (i.e. for a bodybuilding show or something) you don't really need to worry so much about fat lost v's muscle lost etc. so just add some activity to your week - or as Colm & Dragan said, make some of your weights sessions a bit more cardio challenging.

mkdon05

Seen as you have a belly to lose im gonna make the assumption that you are somewhat undisciplined. Therefore relying totally on lifting to lose it may be destined to fail as, you need to be very strict and dedicated for that route.

I would class myself as undisciplined and thats why i would have no chance of relying on lifting alone. The only way i can make cardio bearable is to set goals throughout your workout (i.e on a treadmill aim to complete 1km in 10mins then the next one in 8.5 mins etc....). Helps to get in the cardio during the day too, by walking or cycling to work or going for a walk at lunchtime. (Diet, as i'm sure you know is vital)

My 2c

Jumpy

mkdon05 wrote: »

Seen as you have a belly to lose im gonna make the assumption that you are somewhat undisciplined. Therefore relying totally on lifting to lose it may be destined to fail as, you need to be very strict and dedicated for that route.

I would class myself as undisciplined and thats why i would have no chance of relying on lifting alone. The only way i can make cardio bearable is to set goals throughout your workout (i.e on a treadmill aim to complete 1km in 10mins then the next one in 8.5 mins etc....). Helps to get in the cardio during the day too, by walking or cycling to work or going for a walk at lunchtime. (Diet, as i'm sure you know is vital)

My 2c

The only cardio I am doing at the moment is 15 min treadmill (2km) then I hop into the weights.

rubadub

Jumpy wrote: »

Its just boring, lifting feels great, but cardio is so repetetive.

All of my cardio is functional. Clean the house quickly, cycle to work, walk to the shops/pub (then cycle the next day to work off the hangover!).

I would find mindless cardio boring and it is a waste of time in my mind. I am quicker cycling to work than driving or going by bus, so I save time on both counts, i.e. I get exercise instead of driving, and I have more spare time since I have no time to dedicate to cardio in addition to commuting time.

Instead of paying for equipment or a gym you are in effect being paid to do cardio, i.e. you save money on cleaners/taxis/cars/insurance/gardeners etc. AND you have more free time, and time is money...
I would love to find a weekend job where I could come & go as I please and be paid for my work output- like delivering leaflets, paid per house- though I hate junkmail!

tribulus

Does walking count lol.

I probably walk a couple of miles each day to/from college but that's it.

Hanley

tribulus wrote: »

Does walking count lol.

I probably walk a couple of miles each day to/from college but that's it.

You should probably tell him you're not allowed exercise too much because you're cholesterol levels are too high!!

Degsy

I do a fair bit of stairwalking etc in work and i walk to and from the gym as well as to the bus stop each day.I hate cardio in the gym,i cant stay focused long enough to keep it up and i'm still carrying a belly.TBH,i'd rather be fat and happy than thin and miserable.

Transform

Most days and i rotate it with weights days. Could not get through a week without a good 2-3 cardio sessions. Have done this for ages and still managed to put on well over a stone over the last year while doing this.

Cardio is bread and butter stuff. Doing a marathon really helped put it into perspective for me though - 30-60mins feels like nothing compared to long runs.

Degsy

Its probably true to say most people,much less bodybuilders or lifters would never do a marathon,or want to.

eclectichoney

A bit OT (sorry ) but whilst I agree most people probably don't end up running marathons, I imagine quite a lot of people would like to be able to/want to.

Degsy wrote: »

Its probably true to say most people,much less bodybuilders or lifters would never do a marathon,or want to.

BrianD3

<snip>

Apart from the weights which I do most days I play a bit of golf and walk and hit a punch bag now and again.

I have the six pack and about 8% bf, eat a reasonable diet and don't drink. Before I took up weight training I did the same amount of "cardio" as I do now and I had a terrible diet (non stop junk) I was as skinny as **** but had the six pack then too.

Not really in a position to advise on losing weight so but all i'll say is a couple of times after stuffing my face with pudding at christmas time I noticed I'd put on a small amount of fat on my belly, all i did to lose it was cut back slightly on daily calories for the next couple of weeks. Eg one less slice of bread at breakfast, one biscuit at 11 instead of 2 and so on i.e. subtle changes. I'd say if you did something similar for a month or two in conjuction with the weight training you'd notice changes in your belly without ever doing any cardio.