Muscle building and Cardio work together or choose 1 or the other?

[peace]

Hi all

Ive been doing a 4 day workout routine concentrating on 1.arms/abs 2. Chest/Back 3. Shoulder and traps. 4. Legs. Ive been doing this for about 3 months and can really see the difference. The only problem is that i havent been doing any cardio at all and still have my beer belly. I have cut down the beer but am wondering if anyone has any good ideas on healthy food and a regime for Cardio?

Many Thanks

 

[xtonymarsx]

Anyone here will tell you that you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time. Building muscle requires a caloric surplus while burning fat requires a caloric defecit.

On the other hand, it is very possible to gain strength while losing weight. It all depends on your training. Focusing on compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench, pullups, barbell rows, dips, etc) incorporates the largest and strongest muscles in your body while training the muscles to work together. Using those movements in a high weight, low(er) rep fashion will give you the best strength gains.

As far as the cardio and nutrition aspect, the forums here have more than likely already answered any questions you could have. You just have to read around for a while. Trust me, you will find your answers. People are hesitant to answer the broader questions like yours though because there is simply too much information. The general concenses though about cardio will be, either to do low intensity fasted cardio first thing in the morning (cardio on an empty stomach) or to try HIIT (high intensity interval training) for about 15 minutes or so after your resistance training.

 

[thewebchild]

Hi peace,

xtonymarsx makes some excellent points here so I won't repeat them.

Cardio is optional for fat loss and it really depends on how much you have to lose, what body type you have, what will work you for and not anyone else, your current nutrition plan, etc.

You should be eating protein with every meal, 5-6 meals per day and to make this easy eat breakfast/lunch/dinner with smaller meals in between these 3 more traditional meals. This is pretty broad point and goes back to xtonymarsx's earlier one that the best way is to do some reading in these forums and find something that you think could work for you. The basics don't change however and there is no magic one way/fix all solution.

Natural foods, ie. foods as close the their original state as possible should make up the majority of your intake. Plenty of fruits and vegetables, good clean/lean proteins
and lots of water.

You should also be aware of your daily calorie requirements in order to lose/maintain/gain weight. Look up Katch-McCardle method for one way to work this out.

Depending on how sore you get after your workouts, you could also incorporate some body weight style circuits to replace traditional cardio which should only take you 15-20 minutes tops. For example, try these exercises back to back, no rest then rest for 1 minute max and repeat for 3-4 "circuits"
: Pushups, Lunges, Assisted Pullups, Squats, Plank (elbow or side). Two times per week on your off days would be sufficient.

I hope this information is helpful to you man.

 

[Typhon]

Anyone here will tell you that you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time. Building muscle requires a caloric surplus while burning fat requires a caloric defecit.

I'd say difficult, not impossible It divides opinion though

OP - Your split looks a bit ****ty, can you post in more detail? For a start you have 3 upper days for every lower which isn't a good balance, the path to strength is through the lower body

 

[tic]

It is doable to gain muscle while losing bodyfat by macro-nutrient weekly or bi-weekly diet but it's really really not worth the pain. Pick one and stick with it for a month; better results and less time carb depleting and refilling.

As for weight lost diet, read those fun stickes... lots and lots of water + fiber will do wonders. You can get a workout high and relaxation from cardio that is similiar to alcohol and if you are fatigue enough, you get beer-googles as well.