Cardio: The Final Word?
Q: Okay, some of you T-mag guys write about doing cardio and others say not to do it at all. I?m confused. What?s the freakin? answer?
A: Cardio is only for girls and girly men. Which one are you? Okay, I?m joking. Yes, we all have different opinions here at T-mag, but that?s what makes us so gosh darned cool. Besides, if we were all forced to adopt the same old tired principles we?d be, uh, Muscle & Fitness.
Remember that most people, including jokers who write for most muscle magazines, tend to base their "facts" on what works well for them. If one guy can tolerate a high carb intake, then the diets he writes will likely reflect that and vice-versa. Same goes with cardio. So as with everything else, it?s an individual thing.
That said, the first thing I do when helping someone out with a diet is get them to ditch the cardio. I?m not totally against it, but here?s my reasoning. As I said over and over again in my Diet Manifesto article, the key to fat loss is diet. I see most people making only half-assed attempts to get their diets right and trying to make up for it by doing loads of cardio. Excessive cardio can lead to catabolism (muscle wasting).
The old Bill Phillips standby of "do cardio on an empty stomach in the morning" may lead to even more muscle wasting, at least in my experience. This is especially true if you don?t eat anything for an hour or more after to "increase fat burning." That?s crazy. If you insist on morning cardio at least break the fast. Try one scoop of a low carb protein blend like Advanced Protein 15 to 20 minutes before you run (or bike, or have rough sex or whatever.)
Now, all that doesn?t mean cardio is pure evil. It?s just misused. Once a person I?m helping out has his diet tuned in, I?ll allow him to add in some moderate cardio, say, 20 minutes twice a week. This can be done on off days or added after weight training.
The question also comes up, "Yeah, I understand all that, but what about just staying fit and conditioned? I don?t want to get out of breath just walking up a few stairs." Good point. This goes along with what T-mag contributor Dave Tate called GPP, or general physical preparedness.
Another point that?s brought up is the fact that cardio (and weight training) increases insulin sensitivity. That?s great for those of us that get fat just looking at a bagel. Another T-mag smart guy, John "boom boom" Berardi, points out that it?s best to do this cardio at a time separate from weight training, especially if you need to improve your insulin sensitivity.
Here?s how I put all this info together for my personal use. First, I?d really rather not ride a bike that?s not going anywhere for 40 minutes. So for cardio workouts, or as I call them, my GPP sessions (sounds so much better, doesn?t it?), I use a mixture of boxing, Warrior Training, stadium runs, sprinting and Dave Tate style sled dragging. I do this an average of three times per week, on off days if possible.
My sessions last only 20 to 30 minutes and are never done in a fasted state. If I?m on a hardcore mass gaining cycle, I?ll cut this back to once or twice per week. This is how I balanced out the conflicting info about cardio. It helps me stay conditioned without interfering with my weight training. Give it a shot. I?m very pleased so far with my results. And for those of you that do cardio six days a week for an hour every morning, well, you people need to take up Yoga, TV watching, reading, or anything that?ll get you out of Catabolic City.
Facebook
Twitter