Cutting with limited Cardio?

Pen1987

Hi, Ive got a slight problem

Im 20, go to the gym on average 4 days a week, bench 65kg, 70 max, Im 6ft, and 12st.

Ive got a slight bit of fat around my torso muscle Im looking to get rid of before the start of March, to cut into a "six-pack", but unfortunately Ive also got a torn ACL in my left knee, so a lot of cardio excerscises, which would be the obvious training method, are unavailable to me... I can use the cross trainer, but Im afraid that if I overuse it I could damage my hips (?) due to compensating subconciously for the weakness in my left knee, I get aches in my hip already after using the cross trainer... Im pretty fit, resting heart-rate is 90 though, which has gone up since I stopped cardio training, and max HR is only 197, which is down...

Im thinking the only option available to me is a strict diet, and small periods of cardio combined with explosive upper-body weight excercies to maintain a high heart rate... am I right? I dont want to start a new diet plan if its going to be a waste of time without sufficient cardio... cos I fu*king hate dieting.

Thanks for any help in advance...

juanveron45

You could put the incline of the treadmill up to the max its usually 15 degrees but sometimes 20.

This way you wont be able to go as fast but youll get as equally intense workout

BossArky

1. Swimming (lots)
2. That weird hand bike thing which I've only ever seen in one or two gyms

An Citeog

Tbh, the best way to achieve your goals is through diet. They say killer abs are made in the kitchen. Read the stickies and it should give you some idea of what you need to do. It's not about reducing what you eat, just eating the right amount of the right foods.

As regards excercising with an ACL injury, afraid I can't help you there. You'd probably be better off consulting your physio about that.

AngryHippie

swim. 3km a day should do it

BossArky

I think these were the values I worked out yesterday for swimming vs running. Perhaps they'll help you factor up how much you need to do vs running.

• 750 metres front crawl in 20 minutes --> 120 cals burn
• Each 1km at approx 12kmph weighing 72kg --> 80 cals

TerrorFirmer

BossArky wrote: »

1. Swimming (lots)
2. That weird hand bike thing which I've only ever seen in one or two gyms

Yeah, what the hell is that thing? One in the gym I just joined, small as it is...

Colm_OReilly

Can you squat? Can you row?

I really hope that someday people will stop believing that steady state activities that we measure in time only will be the only form of cardio considered.

Try these for a cardio workout
5 rounds: 500m row, 50 squats, 30 back extensions

150 burpees as quickly as possible

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

5 rounds: 50 squats, 100 jump ropes.

justsomebloke

An Citeog wrote: »

Tbh, the best way to achieve your goals is through diet. They say killer abs are made in the kitchen. Read the stickies and it should give you some idea of what you need to do. It's not about reducing what you eat, just eating the right amount of the right foods.

Agreed. Your diet is where your abs quest is going to be won or lost so get that spot on and see how it is going for you. you may need to stick in some cardio later but for the moment just concentrate on diet

Dragan

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Can you squat? Can you row?

I really hope that someday people will stop believing that steady state activities that we measure in time only will be the only form of cardio considered.

Try these for a cardio workout
5 rounds: 500m row, 50 squats, 30 back extensions

150 burpees as quickly as possible

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

5 rounds: 50 squats, 100 jump ropes.

Not entirely sure that this would be the best advice for someone coming back from a ACL tear dude.

BlueIsland

if you ever want to be able to get over your injury you must build the muscle up around that joint (presuming you have got it sorted by an operation). Everyone jumped into offering advice whilst ignoring this huge problem. if you are a footballer or soccer play or that you msut got to a physio and get a rehabillitation programme before considering doing anything else. forget fat anywhere on your body. there will be an awful lot more if you seriosuly hurt yourself!!!!!

An Citeog

BlueIsland wrote: »

if you ever want to be able to get over your injury you must build the muscle up around that joint (presuming you have got it sorted by an operation). Everyone jumped into offering advice whilst ignoring this huge problem. if you are a footballer or soccer play or that you msut got to a physio and get a rehabillitation programme before considering doing anything else. forget fat anywhere on your body. there will be an awful lot more if you seriosuly hurt yourself!!!!!

Looks like you jumped in without reading all the responses!;)

An Citeog wrote: »

Tbh, the best way to achieve your goals is through diet. They say killer abs are made in the kitchen. Read the stickies and it should give you some idea of what you need to do. It's not about reducing what you eat, just eating the right amount of the right foods.

As regards excercising with an ACL injury, afraid I can't help you there. You'd probably be better off consulting your physio about that.

Colm_OReilly

Dragan wrote: »

Not entirely sure that this would be the best advice for someone coming back from a ACL tear dude.

Hence the qualifying questions can he squat/row. Should have made it clearer however.

Dragan

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Hence the qualifying questions can he squat/row. Should have made it clearer however.

Ah, my bad. I miss read it as meaning "do you".....apologies dude!

Dragan
- offering respect to someone with a better beard than his.

t-ha

Pen1987 wrote: »

Im thinking the only option available to me is a strict diet, and small periods of cardio combined with explosive upper-body weight excercies to maintain a high heart rate... am I right?

Yeah I'd say that's your best bet. Take it easy on the ACL - don't do anything the physio says not to just for some short term abs & wind up with a linger lasting problem.

Pen1987

wow, thanks for all the replies...

I cant squat at all, I mean at all, physically cant squat more than 10kg+body weight due to muscle wastage, and attempting it isnt advised at all by the physio, running uphill is a big no-no... leg extenstions are also out... I can row, but like the cross trainer, its not great for my hips.

I didnt think of swimming, thanks defo gonna try that

I think a combo of swimming and a decent diet should see me to my goals.

A bit of help with the diet would be amazing, this is my current one...

Breakfast - Bowl of Porridge

Mid-morning - Soup and brown bread

Lunch - Banana and chicken beast (boneless/skinless)

Post-workout - Protein shake, banana and multivitiman capsule

Dinner - Chicken and baked potato plus small amount of salad (no dressing)

(Any other 'absolutely starving' snacks = slice of brown bread, should I cut these out completely?)


Also, sorry for all the questions, Im new to this, are sit-ups a complete waste of time concerning my goals or is that a myth? and how do I measure my own body-fat levels, is it possible without a calipers?

Woofer

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Can you squat? Can you row?

......
150 burpees as quickly as possible

.

150 BURPEES!! in one go! is that humanly possible!!

Transform

Drop the bread totally and the bananas - use the bananas only before or after workouts only. Apples at other times.

I would agree with colm on some of his points - i.e. get with the basics of weights for multiple rounds.

No attention to diet = no six pack

Colm_OReilly

Woofer wrote: »

150 BURPEES!! in one go! is that humanly possible!!

Did it in 12:38, some gits on CF.com managed sub 10 minutes. Really tough cardio wise during, sore arms after!

Colm
-Yay Burpees!

ErinGoBrath

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

-Yay Burpees!

I'm convinced the devil himself made this excercise up...

O.P.H

Pen1987 wrote: »

Lunch - Banana and chicken beast

Whats a 'chicken beast' taste like

t-ha

I am totally game for 150 burpees later. I every 4 seconds for a 10:00 time... hmmm... do you still have to jump as high as you can, given that it would be quicker just to do a little hop?

Sorry for the thread hi-jack OP.

Colm_OReilly

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_Burpees.wmv

These are from completely prone to jumping and touching an object eight inches above maximum reach.

t-ha

OK, just back. Did them in 9min 42s, however I did them in sets of 15 doing one set a minute (so if I did them in 40s then I took a break until the next minute started). It would be a braver man than me that would have attempted to belt through the lot of them in one go!

BTW, the chick at the start of that vid is totally wearing those stretchy pants

Colm_OReilly

Nice work!!!

Degsy

Whats wrong with bananas?

t-ha

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Nice work!!!

Cheers - can feel it in my hams, glutes & shoulders today though & I'm supposed to be fightin' tomorrow. :rolleyes: