View Full Version : Contest prep cardio
I'll be start dieting for my first contest tomorrow, a total of 12 weeks. My trainer told me to do 3 hours of cardio a week for the first 2 weeks. Right now I weight about 180lbs with 8% bodyfat.
Should I do 1 hour of cardio in the morning on a empty stomach 3 times a week
or
30 min. in the morning and 30 min. after workout 3 times a week
or
30 min. in the morning for 6 days a week?
A good question, to be honest..it is hard to answer without seeing you in person or pictures, body fat testers are not all equal. 8% does sound good. Do you have visable signs of your abs, do you have decent muslce seperation, got any veins showing? You can always add more cardio...Maybe try 30 minutes 6 days a week first thing in the morning, and don't do cardio on leg day. Ask your trainer what he suggests...and please post what he says. He knows you and sees you more than me...but this answer is okay to start at the 12 week mark. Stay strong and best of luck!
A good question, to be honest..it is hard to answer without seeing you in person or pictures, body fat testers are not all equal. 8% does sound good. Do you have visable signs of your abs, do you have decent muslce seperation, got any veins showing? You can always add more cardio...Maybe try 30 minutes 6 days a week first thing in the morning, and don't do cardio on leg day. Ask your trainer what he suggests...and please post what he says. He knows you and sees you more than me...but this answer is okay to start at the 12 week mark. Stay strong and best of luck!
Thanks for answering my question bro. My trainer told me to do a hour of cardio in the morning 3 times a week. My abs and oblique is visable, i have veins in my arms. I'm afraid that i might lose too much muscle if i do cardio for a hour straight.
I have a fast metabolism and i'm able to maintain my bodyfat around 10% without cardio.
The_Stig
01-14-07, 2:34 pm
hey bro, hope ur show goes really well, just to say if ur keeping cardio to a fast walk pace, roughly 60% of max heart rate, u'll burn the most often of fat but you really dont need to worry about losing muscle on that, especially if ur protein intake is high enough to cover it, hope it all goes well and good luck bro!
Hey will you be keeping a log of what your eating and your workouts for your contest prep? Id love to see what your diet looks like as you prep.
Hey will you be keeping a log of what your eating and your workouts for your contest prep? Id love to see what your diet looks like as you prep.
I'm currently keeping a log at bb.com's forum, but I'll start one here under the Bulking/cutting log section. Thanks for the support bro
Thanks for answering my question bro. My trainer told me to do a hour of cardio in the morning 3 times a week. My abs and oblique is visable, i have veins in my arms. I'm afraid that i might lose too much muscle if i do cardio for a hour straight.
I have a fast metabolism and i'm able to maintain my bodyfat around 10% without cardio.
Okay, you are 100% correct, to much cardio can make you loose muscle if you are already lean... if you do an hour 3x a week, maybe increase your protein by 50 grams a day on the cardio days...or just do cardio 30 minutes for 6 days a week annd leave your caloric intake the same...
Okay, you are 100% correct, to much cardio can make you loose muscle if you are already lean... if you do an hour 3x a week, maybe increase your protein by 50 grams a day on the cardio days...or just do cardio 30 minutes for 6 days a week annd leave your caloric intake the same...
I think I'll do 30 min. of cardio in the morning everyday except on leg day. I'll try to get my bodyfat tested tomorrow, and test it again after maybe one or two weeks. I'll adjust my cardio based on how much fat i've lost.
Also is it a good idea to drink a protein shake with glutamine before the morning session?
IRONADDICT45
01-25-07, 2:00 pm
amino acids glutamine with water if i had a protien shake id puke
bobbyj654
01-25-07, 5:21 pm
Also is it a good idea to drink a protein shake with glutamine before the morning session?
it is muscle sparing if i am correct
I'll be start dieting for my first contest tomorrow, a total of 12 weeks. My trainer told me to do 3 hours of cardio a week for the first 2 weeks. Right now I weight about 180lbs with 8% bodyfat.
Should I do 1 hour of cardio in the morning on a empty stomach 3 times a week
or
30 min. in the morning and 30 min. after workout 3 times a week
or
30 min. in the morning for 6 days a week?
Hi,
Good luck with your upcoming show. I always broke my cardio up into 2 sessions a day...5-6x a week...only because my legs were the last thing to get hard and cut and if I had to risk losing some muscle up top (which, luckily I didnt), than I had to risk it. I did an hour each time. I would train at noon, do an hour of cardio after my work outs..come back in the evening and do another hour of cardio. I did cardio the night before my show as well.
Now, this worked for me when I was about 5 weeks out. In the beginning of my 16-wk diet, I didnt stress too much over doing so much cardio..I did about 30 min. 5x a week. I do this now and I am not dieting.
Without really seeing you like BigAnt said, its kinda hard to give you an exact answer but you have a direction. I would break up the cardio into 30-45min intervals. If you hang doing it on an empty stomach in the morn, more power to you. I would also seriously invest in Universal's BCAA stack (grape taste nice) and Animal Nitro....glutamine, and Vitamin C chewables. All that cardio is alot on your system.
Thanks for all the advice, I really learned a lot from all of you. I really have to get my bodyfat tested because right now i'm about 10 weeks out and I'm not sure if doing cardio 5x a week in the morning and post workout is necessary. Been very busy with school and work lately, but I'll try to take some pictures this weekend. Thanks again for all the help everyone, I really appreciate it.
TheRealDeal
01-25-07, 10:12 pm
Truthfully bro as a competitor myself, it comes down to what works best for you. Last year I was doing 1 hr AM/PM and 30 PWO at 8 weeks out. Some guys it takes alot to get into great condition, others like your lean-self ;-) it may not be as much work.
It's all hit and miss, trial and error in the game man.
Do what you feel is working!
If youre peaking too quick, slow it down a little...
If youre not lean enough, bump it up.
It all depends on YOUR body and how you respond my man.