Best Cardio Q & A
I was wondering if I should do cardio workouts every day to lose weight and see ripped abs? I really have a lot of fat to shed. On non training days, can I do cardio training twice: once in the morning and once at night? Thanks for the help.
I love your drive and willingness to work hard for your goal. No more sitting around and thinking about getting into shape any more. Once you get rolling you have taken the first step towards a level of fulfillment words can't describe.
It sounds like your primary goal is losing fat and you feel you have a way to go to reach your optimal condition. That being the case, I'd suggest attacking cardio exercises full go at this point. I would go ahead and add daily cardio training sessions starting today. Make sure to spread them apart from your weight workouts by at least 6 hours.
This timing is important to ensure that you are getting the full benefits of your cardiovascular workouts and minimizing any potential negative effects on recovery and the muscle building process.
If you have a lot of fat to shed then go ahead and add the extra cardio exercise session on your off days. One session in the morning and one at night should really crank up your metabolism and help you melt away the fat.
For the best cardio for weight loss, I'd suggest a mixture of intense and long/slow cardio approach. That means keeping your sessions 15-20 minutes and working hard the whole time on intense days and walking for 30- 45 minutes on other days. The more you huff and puff the better. Set a goal each session whether it is a distance goal or a caloric expenditure goal and work to beat it every time just like you work to train heavier with each weight workout.
Shorter and more intense cardio training sessions will have a bigger effect on your metabolism and elevate it for a longer period of time after exercise, so that’s the biggest bang for your buck. However you need to give your body a break every other day, so a long slow, leisurely walk is great.
Don't waste any time and start elevating your standards. You have a clear goal in front of you and it certainly sounds like you are highly motivated and committed to reaching it. Now you just need to focus and execute!
I started doing High Intensity cardio (the best cardio to lose weight) close to 8 weeks ago and lately I've been having problems beating my previous day's distance. I've been working hard to get there but sometimes come up a little short. Am I still boosting my metabolism and burning fat even though I don't always go further?
As you continue to raise the intensity of your cardio exercise sessions and set new high distance marks you will likely find it harder to keep beating your best distances every time but that does not mean your cardio training session was ineffective.
If you do not pass your distance goal but end up close to your target, you can feel good about the work you put forth. You were no doubt working well outside of your body's comfort level and giving your metabolism a boost for the next several hours.
Specific numbers to try and increase like distance traveled or calories burned are important. They are motivating tools that push you to work harder and they are an excellent gauge of your intensity level.
I don't always beat my distances either but I work hard to reach them and as long as I get close, I know I had an effective session.
I have been doing cardio four times a week directly after my weight training for 20 to 30 minutes. I have read that a person should not do cardio after weight training because it kills gains. Is this true and what would you recommend?
If you’re trying to get as big as possible- efficiently, cardio training directly after training isn’t a great idea. Performing your cardio as soon as you are done working out can have a negative impact on recovery and muscle growth.
Immediately after training there is a very important window of nutritional opportunity where your body is craving nutrients. You want to take advantage of this vital time period with intelligent supplement timing so you can start the recovery process immediately. Your focus should be on nutrition directly after training and not on cardio.
It is more effective to separate your cardio sessions by more than 6 hours apart from weight training or perform cardio on off training days. This may not be the most convenient way but it is the best way to ensure you get all the benefits of cardiovascular exercise and minimize any negative effects it may have on the muscle building process.
Do you recommend supplementing after cardio? What exactly do you take?
Here’s the deal. Cardio training gets your body all geared up for increased nutrient uptake and utilization. Intense cardio depletes nutrient stores and glycogen. Therefore, supplying nutrients after cardio will be anabolic to muscle and not doing so will be catabolic. With that in mind it is clear to see the importance of supplementing after cardio to halt any muscle breakdown and increase recovery. This ensures you get all the positive effects of cardio without impeding the muscle building process.
After my weekday cardio sessions I take 1 scoop of whey isolate with 15 grams micronized glutamine mixed in water. Research shows 8 grams of glutamine is as effective as 61-grams of glucose for restoring muscle glycogen levels. That means the whey/glutamine mixture will effectively replenish glycogen and supply taxed muscles with the highest quality protein immediately after cardio while adding minimal calories.
If you're serious about getting results, I suggest Adonis Golden Ratio. It's a step-by-step no-bullsh*t road map for guys who want to lose fat fast. Here's my affiliate link, I greatly appreciate when you use it.
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