Cardio After Workout?

[therock]

I was wondering since my work schedule prevents me from doing cardio in the mornings if I could do this. Ok here is the deal. I am not looking to cut at all right now. I am just looking to be able to breath better and have better cardiovascular health. Right now I am doing 10min cardio (slow pased) no running, eod after a workout. I am just wondering if this is bad, and am I burning muscle tissue. I dont know how long I should go on cardio post workout. This is new to me and need some help. I am currently working doing the cardio then drink my post workout shake which consist of 40g protien and about 60-70g carbs. Should I go longer and also which machine is the best to prevent leg muscle loss? Cause I have heard that men lose muscle in their legs when we do cardio as opposed to women who gain. I have just been neglecting cardio since I've never really needed it but now that I am planning to get to 240lbs I am going to need it to mantain my good breathing and heart health aswell. Any thoughts on how it would be better to do it? The only time I can do cardio would be right after a workout because of my schedule. Thanks bros.

[Slashmonay]

I am in the same boat. I do cardio just to have stronger wind capacity. I do cardio 2x a week, HIGH intensity at 20 mins...sometimes one time per week. You dont need to go a long time but you should do high intensity cardio training. I Definatly wouldnt do it after a workout, or even the same day as I weight train. I wouldnt worry about muscle loss if your calories are high enough bro. If anything your legs will probably gain some definition/strength. Hope this helps.

[BBAddict]

I've been doing a lot of high intensity cycling lately and my legs have definitely gained some definition. Doesn't burn the calories the way running does so you don't risk the same muscle loss, but you can still get a good cardio workout.

[Taylor]

i sprint 3 times a week, my only rules are never sprint on a leg weight lifting day, 1 day before a leg weights day, or 1 day after

and i only work my legs w/ weights once a week so it works for me

[therock]

I workout my legs twice a week so its harder for me. When yall say high intensity what would the be the equal to on a treadmill when its max power is about 12.5? I am going about 5.5 for about 10min right now, equal to jogging. So once or twice a week would be enough for what I am looking for? Sorry so many questions bros. I just feel like a rookie right now cause I really havent wanted to ever do cardio like I did in highschool back in the day.

[BBAddict]

I tend to gauge the intensity more by my heart rate. I shoot for a target heart rate and then keep it there for a given amount of time. A decent bike and/or treadmill usually has programs that will keep your heartrate in a zone for you by adjusting the intensity. Just like a treadmill, you can get an intensity either by adjusting the speed or the resistance (incline for a treadmill). I tend to keep the cadence at about 95 and then set the resistance to get the heart rate I want on that day.
I guess the easist way would be to get your heart rate on the treadmill and then just do the same on the bike. The recumbent bikes are easy to just sit back and get the cardio done after working out--the uprights take more focus and don't exercise the legs nearly the same way either.
Most people say that 3x/wk is minimum to get real results from cardio. I tend to agree, but if any of your workouts include supersetting, you may be able to count that as cardio. I wore a heart rate monitor during a supersetting workout and found that my heart rate stayed above 130--and I have a resting heart rate of about 42.

[therock]

Thanks bro for the info. I will try my hardest to get the cardio in there 3-4 times a week. Also I saw this porduct called Clear Lungs. What yall think about something like that to help me breath better? Its supposed to like clear the miucus or something.

[BBAddict]

Thanks bro for the info. I will try my hardest to get the cardio in there 3-4 times a week. Also I saw this porduct called Clear Lungs. What yall think about something like that to help me breath better? Its supposed to like clear the miucus or something.

I think you'll find that as your cardio gets better, you won't develop that mucus. Clear Lungs sounds alright if you have a chest cold or asthma but I don't know that I would recommend it on a regular basis. Give yourself a month of consistent cardio and I bet the mucus will decrease or go away altogether.

[therock]

Thanks bro. I will keep you posted.

[therock]

So how long is recomended for lung and heart health w/o losing weight or muscle tissue? Just trying to figure out how long my cardio session should be for my goals. Thanks bros.

[BBAddict]

I've heard that for cardiovascular benefits, the exercise should last at least half an hour. That's why I like cycling because 1/2hr of running can burn 500-600cals, but 1/2hr of cycling may only burn 250-300cals.

[therock]

But 500-600cal, wouldnt that be like burning muscle tissue?

[BBAddict]

But 500-600cal, wouldnt that be like burning muscle tissue?

Not necessarily but it may--that's why I go the biking route instead of running-biking burns about 1/2 the calories from my experience, so it's closer to that 250cals in 30minutes. That should be way less likely to consume muscle. Sometime's I'll even sip on Accelerade (carbs + protein) during cardio to make sure I'm refueling constantly.

[iceberg]

I tend to gauge the intensity more by my heart rate. I shoot for a target heart rate and then keep it there for a given amount of time. A decent bike and/or treadmill usually has programs that will keep your heartrate in a zone for you by adjusting the intensity. Just like a treadmill, you can get an intensity either by adjusting the speed or the resistance (incline for a treadmill). I tend to keep the cadence at about 95 and then set the resistance to get the heart rate I want on that day.
I guess the easist way would be to get your heart rate on the treadmill and then just do the same on the bike. The recumbent bikes are easy to just sit back and get the cardio done after working out--the uprights take more focus and don't exercise the legs nearly the same way either.
Most people say that 3x/wk is minimum to get real results from cardio. I tend to agree, but if any of your workouts include supersetting, you may be able to count that as cardio. I wore a heart rate monitor during a supersetting workout and found that my heart rate stayed above 130--and I have a resting heart rate of about 42.

I like what you said about the superseting. I was going to make the same point.

Rock,
First, how long are you training. you shouldn't do extended cardio if you are pushing weights for 2 hours. Not counting warm up /stretching, I work out for 45min to 1 hr max, then do some cardio.

Also if you are hitting legs 2x per week, you might try upper body cardio. Superset push-ups with pull ups. It will kick your ass!

Currently, my cardio or endurence workouts are as follows:
2x/wk pushup / pull up super sets
1x/wk, 20 min abs, fast treadmill, 10-12 min at setting of 7.5 (fast jog)
1x/wk, 10 min abs, regular treadmill, 20 min at setting of 6

1x/wk, after heavy quads, sets of walking lunges, mountain climbers, vertical jumps.

I spend about 30 min a day with cardio.

I have been doing this for almost 2 months, I have gained4-5 lbs, and lost almost 2 % BF (currently just under 13%).

Yes, I am ON-CYCLE right now.

I hope this helps a little

ICEberg

[therock]

Thanks for all the info on this. I will try out a little of everything and see what I like and then I will stick with it for awhile and see what happens. Thanks.