Lifting heavy and doing cardio

Dodger · 27 Mar 2008 at 20:54

Will I lose size if I were to lift heavy but also do cardio sessions during a week. My main aim is to burn fat but also to maintain muscle mass. Should I be changing my routine from a 5x5 2 day split but incorporating cardio sessions a week to a 3x10 2 day split with cardio to assist with my aims, please advise.

Morba · 27 Mar 2008 at 20:58

are you looking to drop lots of fat or just a bit?
if not that much then you could continue with the weights as it is, drop calories a little while adding in a couple of cardio sessions a week.

Dodger · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:01

Morba said:
are you looking to drop lots of fat or just a bit?
if not that much then you could continue with the weights as it is, drop calories a little while adding in a couple of cardio sessions a week.

Thanks for responding, I am aiming to loose 2 inches from the stomach. Continue with the weights im lifting e.g. 55kg on bench and do a 5x5 routine but just add cardio during rest days. Is this the best way forward for myself? If I lower the carbs in my diet, will I still be able to lift heavy?

Morba · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:05

should be perfect. if you dont see the results you want then either do more cardio or drop a few more kcals :]

Dodger · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:07

Morba said:
should be perfect. if you dont see the results you want then either do more cardio or drop a few more kcals :]

How many calories should I be looking to eat a day? My bodyweight is 72kg and I am currently hitting 3000 calories a day. Drop this gradually down to around 2500, what do you suggest?

gareth.e · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:11

it also depends over what sort of time period you want to do it...

Personally I would do like you said focus more on the cardio until I've got my weight down and by the sounds of it your lifting routines been adjusted accordingly.

Just make sure you don't let yourself down on the diet side of it!

and good luck

Dodger · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:18

I have up and til the end of July to loose 2 inches which is achievable, I just do not want to lose too much size during the process. I only want to loose the excess fat around my stomach and not "weight" in general and that is why I am not considering going full out on a cardio routine 5 days a week for example. If I am benching 55kg with 2 warmup sets and 3 proper sets, that is pretty intense along with the other excercies in my routine posted in one of my previous posts. I am just thinking will I be able to complete full body workouts once I have lowered my carbs and gone into calorie deficit.

Morba · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:20

end of july is a long time, you can either do it nice and slowly or lose it, bulk for a month/6 weeks then cut again hehe.

Dodger · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:23

I have already been bulking for 2 months now. It is nearing my birthday and would like to lose some of the body fat

I prefer the nice and slowly method tbh, as I enjoy lifting weights and going on a full out cardio routine would just bore me.

Morba · 27 Mar 2008 at 21:28

well a couple of cardio sessions to start would be good, see how that affects your bf%. if its not quick enough then drop calories by 200-300 and give it a month. should be on your way to your target, from that you just add more cardio or drop more calories as is needed :]

make sure that you are recording your progress so that you can see what is working and what isnt :]

Freefaller · 27 Mar 2008 at 22:00

3k cals is a lot unless you're active (job, socially etc...), carry more mass (and 72kg isn't a lot) and also if it's made up of bad foods. I'd personally drop at least 250 cals of that daily for a good month.

Chong Warrior · 27 Mar 2008 at 22:39

Freefaller said:
3k cals is a lot unless you're active (job, socially etc...), carry more mass (and 72kg isn't a lot) and also if it's made up of bad foods. I'd personally drop at least 250 cals of that daily for a good month.

Agreed. I've been cutting with a calorie intake between 2200kcals-2500kcals and I'm currently around 95kg.

spirit · 29 Mar 2008 at 16:34

i would think it depends on a lot of things but yeah 3k seems a tad too high.. i'm currently going for around 1.5k but i weight a bit less than you (bout 64kg).. i still have more than enough energy to do everything (and i bench more than you) so i wouldn't be too stressed... i do 5 days heavy weights and 3days cardio...

Windle · 29 Mar 2008 at 19:11

You can't target fat loss at 1 specific point of the body either iirc.

Dodger · 31 Mar 2008 at 20:15

Thanks for the advice people. To help me with my aims (lowering bf% but maintaining size), is the following routine suitable, or is there anything that can be added or taken out. The routine is Frankie's 2 day split from MuscleTalk.

WORKOUT 1

Front Squats, Back Squats, or Overhead Squats
Dumbbell Bench Press or Barbell Bench Press
Barbell Rows or Dumbbell Rows
Barbell Curls, Dumbbell Curls, or Close Grip Underhand Chins
Grip or Ab Exercise

WORKOUT 2

Barbell or Dumbbell Overhead Presses
Deadlifts, Stiff Leg Deadlifts, Rack Pulls, or Power Cleans
Dips
Wide Grip Chins
Grip or Ab Exercise

I am also going to be doing 2 cardio sessions a week on rest days. Let me know your thoughts.

PAz · 31 Mar 2008 at 22:02

Frankie's is a solid routine, I've had excellent gains from it. I did his 3 day split though.