how much cardio is too much?

[jakefarley]

I am NEW to the gym. I go about 4-5 times a week, but still am very far away from my desired level of fitness and ideal weight. My question pertains more to how much cardio i do. Now that i am running again, i find myself pushing myself really hard. when i get on the treadmill, i do 10 min at 5% incline then 10 min at 8-9% incline then back and forth for about 45-50 min. I never go slower then 5.3 miles per hour. And when i'm at 5%, i will usually push it up to about 6 miles per hour. At the end of this, i find myself soaked in sweat. For a 24 year old at 5'11" and 205 pounds(fat), am i going too hard?
And am i loosing weight when i work myself at this level?

Is it strange that i still have some energy to lift weights afterwards?

For weight loss, should i be lifting weights?

Should i keep pushing myself to go farther?

 

[g8r80]

I am NEW to the gym. I go about 4-5 times a week, but still am very far away from my desired level of fitness and ideal weight. My question pertains more to how much cardio i do. Now that i am running again, i find myself pushing myself really hard. when i get on the treadmill, i do 10 min at 5% incline then 10 min at 8-9% incline then back and forth for about 45-50 min. I never go slower then 5.3 miles per hour. And when i'm at 5%, i will usually push it up to about 6 miles per hour. At the end of this, i find myself soaked in sweat. For a 24 year old at 5'11" and 205 pounds(fat), am i going too hard?
And am i loosing weight when i work myself at this level?

Is it strange that i still have some energy to lift weights afterwards?

For weight loss, should i be lifting weights?

Should i keep pushing myself to go farther?

First, welcome!

Second, as long as you are physically healthy enough to exercise, intense cardio will only help you. I routinely go harder than that and I am twice your age.

Third, for weight loss, you should incorporate weight training as well. There is lots of info on these pages for weight training.

If you have the drive to push yourself harder, it will make you that much fitter and more aerobically-qualified if you decide to pursue a sport.

Regards,

 

[jakefarley]

good info!!

Thank you for replying. So if I could go further, would you say go for it?

because i really want to see how far i can go.

weight loss still can be attained with heavy cardio?

Its funny cause i see no one else at the gym going as hard as i do. I feel like some kind of endurance freak.

 

[g8r80]

As long as you are physically fit, go for it. But, weight loss is attained more easily with a combination of cardio and weights. You would be well suited incorporating weight training along with your cardio.

On this forum, Flyinfree, Sparrow, BikeSwimLaugh, Drex, and I (up until a recent medical issue came to light) are all heavy cardio folks but we all incorporate weight training as well.

 

[Wrangell]

I am NEW to the gym.

I go about 4-5 times a week, but still am very far away from my desired level of fitness and ideal weight. My question pertains more to how much cardio i do. Now that i am running again, i find myself pushing myself really hard. when i get on the treadmill, i do 10 min at 5% incline then 10 min at 8-9% incline then back and forth for about 45-50 min. I never go slower then 5.3 miles per hour. And when i'm at 5%, i will usually push it up to about 6 miles per hour. At the end of this, i find myself soaked in sweat. For a 24 year old at 5'11" and 205 pounds(fat), am i going too hard?

And am i loosing weight when i work myself at this level?

Is it strange that i still have some energy to lift weights afterwards?

For weight loss, should i be lifting weights?

Should i keep pushing myself to go farther?

If your primary goal is to shed fat, your diet should be the first place you look for for opportunities to help get you there - no cardio regimen in the world can overcome a lousy diet IMO.

That said, what can you tell us about your diet ?

As for cardio and fat loss, losing fat is about losing calories. And when it comes to steady state cardio at least, ( all other things being equal ) the higher intensity at which you train, the more calories you burn. So, running hard for 50 minutes at a steady state burns more calories than running at a easy / moderate pace at a steady state for 50 minutes. Similarly, running 50 minutes 4-5 times a week burns more calories than running 50 minutes 3 times a week. And , as you might expect, running 50 minutes 4-5 times a week burns more calories than running 30 minutes 4-5 times a week etc.

So, how " hard " you train at cardio and how much you " keep pushing " yourself during cardio is really up to you and a function of how fit you are, your dietary habits, and your time commitment to other exercise and adequate recovery time, etc. etc.

As for weight training and fat loss, there are probably 3 relevant issues. First there is the the fact that over the long term ( i.e months ) you'll add some muscle mass as a result of training and therefore your overall lean muscle mass will go up. And, more muscle at rest ( i.e RMR ) burns more calories - in other words, weight training contributes to bumping your resting metabolism. However that is more of a long terms tactic and may only yield 5-10+ extra calories being burned per per pound of muscle at rest per day.

Secondly, in the short term,there are the calories you expend while actually completing your 45 - 1 hour training session itself. And as I said before, in terms of long term fat loss, the more calories you burn the better...regardless of how you burn them. So, just doing 60 minutes of weight training is simply another opportunity to burn calories.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, is the fact you get a post workout burn of calories as a result of weight training. It's pertaining to the whole issue of EPOC ( excess post-exercise oxygen consumption ) and that fact that your metabolism is elevated after you do weight training - i.e you're burning more calories ( than you would otherwise ) possibly for as long as 20+ hours after a weight training session.

 

[mdawson2]

definitely keep up your running. I used running myself to lose weight and so far I have lost 100 pounds and have kept it off for about 8 months so far. The biggest mistake I made was when I first started I didnt change my diet much and I didnt start lifting. I would suggest lifting but I also found that when I run lifting is almost pointless to gain any muscle. a couple of months ago I found that I was overtraining and my metabolism is almost too high now. I eat about 3000 cals a day just to maintain weight and I had to cut back my running to 3 days a week. That doesnt mean I stopped cardio though. My suggestion is incorporate other means of cardio into your routine as you continue to lose wieght I do stair stepper and just walk on incline with weights some days or jump rope. You also want to add variety to your routine so you dont hit a plateau, remember its unnatural for our bodies to have a body fat% less than 10% so your body is gonna fight you every step of the way. For me, toward the end my body seemed to only be burning muscle and not the last 10 pounds i wanted to get rid of. I dont know if this will work for you the same as it worked for me and I dont no your diet but this will hopefully help you not let your lifting go to waste while losing fat with cardio at the same time. TO lose fat though I cant stress diet enough start now if you havent already. Even though I eat alot I still never eat fast food and I eat pretty healthy all the time. That will make the biggest difference. Good Luck

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

On this forum, Flyinfree, Sparrow, BikeSwimLaugh, Drex, and I (up until a recent medical issue came to light) are all heavy cardio folks but we all incorporate weight training as well.

OMG...I am honestly so flattered to have been sited & included in this group!!! Thanks!


Also, everything Wrangel wrote is uber-valid....really read & re-read that info!

In my opinion, we are each given different talents & abilities in life...seems like you've stumbled onto something you do very well. For me, I take 2 spinning-classes back-to-back and then swim a mile or two....about 3 hours & 2k calories. I think nothing of it, others think I'm crazy. I can bike and swim....but running has never been my thing. I'm looking into it pending my knee-injury recovery. Anways, back to you....

The following is what I've been taught, told and understand.....I'm not stating this as The Law, but as something to think about and consider:

I've been taught again and again that weight-training is something that is very demanding on your body and you want to come into it fully fueled with lots of energy at the ready. My understanding is that weight-training is so intense that much of it is done anaerobically and consumes a great deal of creatine-phosphate/ATP & glycogen. For that reason, you want to do it first in your routine and make use of all that primo at-ready energy to get the most out of your workout.

I've also been told that weight-training should not exceed more then 1 hour because after an hour your energy is diminished and this is where catabolism starts to come into play. So; weights first, cardio after. You mention you do running and then weights...you may wanna reconsider this sequence.

You ask "how much cardio is too much"? Well...the thing I've found is that your body is very adaptive to the demand you place upon it. My first mountain bike rides were about 14 miles and they were done in my lowest gears with me huffing & puffing and on the verge of taking rest. Today I can crank-out 24 miles rides on much steeper hills and I'm in higher gears moving faster. Same thing with swimming...the first time I did a mile it was crazy, my record now is 4-miles. If you wanna talk crazy-long, FF is the king....this guy is capable of like 100-mile bike rides and runs 26 miles!

Point is, your body will adapt. Science tells us that maximum health benefits derived from cardio are reached at one hour...anything more is fat-burning. Is this accurate? Who knows, science is constantly revising it's position.

What I have found, recently (wth my injury) is that your body has a very keen sense of how much is going out and how much is coming in. If you are in deficit, you'll be hungry and your body will attempt to reconsile the situation in a survival-like manner. With my injury I lost my racquetball, spinning & biking...which accounted for about 4,800 calories per week. In all, I just ended-up eating about 700 calories less per day and everything stayed at equillibrium. 700 calories doesn't sound like much, but we often forget how packed with calories food is and after a solid workout we feel pretty entitled to eat a bit and replace what we've burned.

The other thing is, your body will also adapt to the demand and become more efficient. I noticed my bike rides were requiring less and less calories.....which is why I extended them.

I say, if you enjoy the cardio, then do it....but from a practical perspective, I think an hour a day is probably good enough. If you want to do more, you can....but to reap the turbo-charged kick-ass benefits of accelerating your weight-loss, you'll have to really focus on how many calories go in. Or as Wrangell might point out, you can burn an extra 800 calories, but if you replace them, it's a wash.

Suggestions:

Mix it up....

Try some swimming, it's great upper-body cardio and can really build your chest, arms & back! Woman often mention how much they love a swimmers body!

Biking is also great...it's much lower impact on your joints and uses different muscles in your legs. Since you're in a gym, you may wanna check-out a spinning class. Like me, most people are very skeptical of how much fun it can be working on a stationary bike...but with the right music, instuctor and lycra-clad hotties.....it's an addictive blast!!!!!

And most of all...enjoy what you do for the health benefits. I'm sure you're bloodwork looks great, you're feeling good about yourself and nothing...NOTHING beats that natural endorphin feeling you get after getting in a good workout!

Oh...and on a last note (just to stay consistend with my novel-length replies)....this may sound like another one of my sex-related jokes...but seriously, at least for me and others I've talked to:

If you feel horny and are looking at woman like they're meat....everything is fine. BUT....if you're overdoing it on the cardio and pushing yourself too much (excessive), you may notice your sex-drive will diminish sharply. Don't ask me why, but I've found this consistent with other people. It's probably because the body is stressed or you're watchign too much Oprah!

 

[jakefarley]

thanks

thank you everyone for responding to my post. I really need the help right now. I have the motivation, i just dont have the knowledge.

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that i need to change my diet. I dont eat bad food. I never eat fast food, i always choose salad over fries(but i still get the burger). i eat an egg white turkey and cheese on a roll in the morning, usually a salad with chicken or a fish in the afternoon, and big dinner at night(im spanish... thats what we do) but well balanced with a meat, greens, etc;. I probably get around 2000 calories a day. Not that much more. probably usually less. My major vice is drinking. Im 24, single, attractive, and i love to go out. I drink about three nights a week. What is the healthiest bews by the way?


I run outside these days but in the gym too at LEAST 3 times a week for usually an hour. Then I do sit-ups and push-ups before every shower and before i go to bed.

I still have a belly!!! 205 and 5'11".. given im a big guy anyway, i still should be in the 185 range. How do i get there while still being me?!?

Jake

 

[NoSweatNoGlory]

thank you everyone for responding to my post. I really need the help right now. I have the motivation, i just dont have the knowledge.

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that i need to change my diet. I dont eat bad food. I never eat fast food, i always choose salad over fries(but i still get the burger). i eat an egg white turkey and cheese on a roll in the morning, usually a salad with chicken or a fish in the afternoon, and big dinner at night(im spanish... thats what we do) but well balanced with a meat, greens, etc;. I probably get around 2000 calories a day. Not that much more. probably usually less. My major vice is drinking. Im 24, single, attractive, and i love to go out. I drink about three nights a week. What is the healthiest bews by the way?


I run outside these days but in the gym too at LEAST 3 times a week for usually an hour. Then I do sit-ups and push-ups before every shower and before i go to bed.

I still have a belly!!! 205 and 5'11".. given im a big guy anyway, i still should be in the 185 range. How do i get there while still being me?!?

Jake

I know ur not gonna like the sound of this but you have to cut down your drinking. Im sure lots of the forum members have done the same. Im not saying you need to cut it out completely, but maybe cut it down to one day. Remember, alcohol is filled with empty calories, and when you start to have the sugary mixes, it adds up quick.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

I know ur not gonna like the sound of this but you have to cut down your drinking.

NSNG is right.

I'm sure your beer-goggles help and I realize ugly chicks need to get laid too....but you're just gonna have to find another way to work things out. It's not right that you have to sacrifice having a lean body for the sake of woman's pleasure.

(BigTom will arrive on this thread soon)

Dude....fat is stored energy, if you want it to go away, you need to eat less then your body needs and then work at maintaining it.

Besides, at the rate gasoline is going up in price, soon all forms of alcohol will be precious to simply be drank.:bncry::bncry: