gmoneyjive Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 Will doing cardio negate the effects of doing a leg workout? i.e. I just did a low rep quad workout today, but then ended up biking for half an hour (extremely high rep, low weight workout). Will that hinder muscle building?2nd - During cardio, is not hitting your 70 - 80 percent target heart rate that important? I got bored as hell with running, so lately I've been biking, but I've noticed it's hard to keep in the target range while biking, I usually end up more like 60 - 65 percent of max heart rate. I've heard that under 70% of your max heart rate is no longer aerobic. I don't wanna do too much aerobics anyway cuz I don't wanna lower my metabolism, but I like to do some anyway.3rd - Right now I'm cutting fat (lost 25 lbs so far) and eating around 1800 cals/day (200 g's protein, little over 200 g's of carbs, very little fat). I've been working out to avoid losing muscle along with the fat. I'm assuming I will make little or no muscle gains during this... will I lose any? I haven't noticed much muscle change so far except after the first few weeks I could see better definition, but I have no way of really telling if I have gained or lost muscle (cuz simply losing fat will also improve defintion). Anyway, I'm just worried that even tho I'm working out I still may be losing muscle... lemme know whatcha think, thnx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackham Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 Originally posted by gmoneyjive Will doing cardio negate the effects of doing a leg workout?Not significantly, if done in moderation.2nd - During cardio, is not hitting your 70 - 80 percent target heart rate that important?No. In fact, if you're trying to lose weight, you'll burn more calories with interval training, which takes much less time and definitely doesn't keep you in the so-called "fat-burning" range.I've been working out to avoid losing muscle along with the fat. I'm assuming I will make little or no muscle gains during this... will I lose any? It depends. Some people even gain muscle while losing fat, but you shouldn't count on it. You're doing the right thing by continuing to lift. Also, aiming for no more than 1-2lbs of weight loss a week (approx. 12x your bodyweight in calories a day) will help you keep your muscle. More than that and you're much more likely to lose muscle.Congrats on your progress so far, and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamme Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 speaking of cardio....if you had to pick one machine to do for cardio..what would it be? treadmill?stepper thing?bike?sex? wait...besides sex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackham Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 I don't like doing cardio on machines; I get too bored. I like to run outside. If I have to be inside, I like to use bikes because I can read at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmoneyjive Posted August 21 Author Report Share Posted August 21 Thanks!!btw I can't stand doing cardio in a gym, and even get bored with running outside, so now I bike and play basketball... helluva lot more fun, and I'm much more likely to stick with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elitesnautica Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 If you actually did what I consider a leg workout. You would not be able to walk after the workout, much less do cardio.Nautica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elitesnautica Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 As far as the target heart rate goes. I wont even go there, but I will tell you it was invented by fat women who didn't want to sweat.Nautica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmoneyjive Posted August 22 Author Report Share Posted August 22 Originally posted by elitesnautica If you actually did what I consider a leg workout. You would not be able to walk after the workout, much less do cardio.Nautica True... I'm not a bodybuilder, nor do I claim to be one, nor do I want monstrous legs. On top of that I can't do real heavy weight on squats for fear of tearing a tendon in my knee that I tore 3 years ago & never quite healed properly... so at any rate, I still do a lil cardio after my workoutsbtw... what the hell is the deal with the "target heart rate", and if it is such bs, why does everyone talk about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daillestmattyg Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 Originally posted by elitesnautica If you actually did what I consider a leg workout. You would not be able to walk after the workout, much less do cardio.Nautica My gym got stairs and after an intense leg workout I request the elevator b/c if i walk down the stairs im clingin to the railing for dear life and ever now a then a batch of girls are heading up the stairs and they look at me like im a fkin asshole lol its a sitematt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackham Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 Originally posted by elitesnautica If you actually did what I consider a leg workout. You would not be able to walk after the workout, much less do cardio.Nautica True, I misread the original post. I was thinking more of doing cardio on different days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmoneyjive Posted August 22 Author Report Share Posted August 22 I also need to hold onto the railing on the stairs at my gym for fear of falling after a leg workout, I think that's pretty standard... I did the cardio 4 hrs after the workout, so I guess my legs had recovered a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackham Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 I don't think it would impact your workout much even if you did the cardio right after, unless you did it for so long that you neglected your post-workout nutrition. But like elites said, cardio may not be the first thing you want to do after a heavy leg workout!BTW, deep squats (below parallel) are safer for your knees than, for example, leg extensions or smith machine squats. That's because your hamstrings stabilize the knee joint when squatting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmoneyjive Posted August 22 Author Report Share Posted August 22 actually I don't think I'm gonna do it anymore after a leg workout... it made for weak cardioat first I was afraid to go deep (more than 90 degrees or so) cuz of slight pain in my knee tendon, but I did it one time and it didn't hurt when I go deep, so I do that now. I've heard of people building muscle too fast & tearing tendons, and since I already have a tendon problem I don't wanna do this... I'm assuming if I do higher rep/lower weight squats that over time the tendon will become stronger & I won't do damage to it... is that correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackham Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 Originally posted by gmoneyjive I'm assuming if I do higher rep/lower weight squats that over time the tendon will become stronger & I won't do damage to it... is that correct? From what I've read, that is a good approach to take. You might also try front squats; once you get past the difficulty of balancing the bar in front of you, you can go deep very easily. However, please do take my advice with caution as I'm not a doctor and don't know the details of your injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elementx Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 Originally posted by elitesnautica If you actually did what I consider a leg workout. You would not be able to walk after the workout, much less do cardio.Nautica You ain't kiddin... My legs shake uncontrolably after my leg routine... I never do cardio after a leg workout... I will do 15 minute warm up on the tread mill before I do legs... But I will never do it after...I read that doing cardio after a leg workout promotes burning calories... But I do not know. All stories in the mags tend to get negated by other articles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elitesnautica Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 Originally posted by elementx You ain't kiddin... My legs shake uncontrolably after my leg routine... I never do cardio after a leg workout... I will do 15 minute warm up on the tread mill before I do legs... But I will never do it after...I read that doing cardio after a leg workout promotes burning calories... But I do not know. All stories in the mags tend to get negated by other articles... It does promote burning calories, but at the expense of muscle. Depleting glycogen from the body does help burn fat faster - but I would not recommend it on a leg day.If you are thinking about cardio - you will hold back on legs. If you dont hold back - you will not be able to do cardio.Nautica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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