Diet and Workout Routines

[Apathy]

Define healthy.

Morning: Oatmeal with fruit

Lunch: Usually a salad with the works (onions, croutons, some chopped eggs) + house dressing. Maybe a side of a soup and a yogurt.

Dinner: Usually meat, whether it be chicken with parmesan melted on it, brats, burger, etc. with a salad and spordically I make cous-cous (which is awesome)

Possible a hanful of cheez-it's here and there as well.....

Note that I'm not trying to get huge or shredded, just trying to reverse this mild skinny-fat thing I've slid into. I'm hoping that diet mixed with 25-30 minutes of cardio every day + some lifting every other day 5 times a week will do the trick.

 

[Kouki]

A carb-restricting diet is the best way towards fat loss, and you are already close to that.

 

[blazenmp]

Um, what? I guess it depends on what you want to do...if your goal is to build muscle cardio is counterproductive. If you want to burn fat, saying eff cardio is pretty retarded. You'll want to keep lifting heavy either way in order to retain that muscle that you do have, of course.

Actually, you don't have to do cardio to get your heart going and get healthy. If all you want to do is be lean, then light weights and more reps as well as cardio every other day is fine. However, you can burn fat just fine without cardio. Once you get in a weight lifting routine, it really can diminish the need for cardio. That being said, you can do just cardio to burn fat, but building muscle (sorry for saying it again) for tone will help burn fat better in the long run. You do not have to lift heavy if you are not interested in bulking. You will stilll retain muscle, you just won't bulk anymore.

 

[Chris]

Actually, you don't have to do cardio to get your heart going and get healthy. If all you want to do is be lean, then light weights and more reps as well as cardio every other day is fine. However, you can burn fat just fine without cardio. Once you get in a weight lifting routine, it really can diminish the need for cardio. That being said, you can do just cardio to burn fat, but building muscle (sorry for saying it again) for tone will help burn fat better in the long run. You do not have to lift heavy if you are not interested in bulking. You will stilll retain muscle, you just won't bulk anymore.

Well, sure. You can lose fat by not doing anything, just eating very healthy. Doesn't mean it's optimal. A good mix of cardio, lifting, and dieting is the best route from my experience.

But yes, you do have to keep lifting heavy if you want to try to retain muscle during a cut. If you're on a cut (eating a caloric deficit and doing cardio) but are not lifting, you will definitely lose some muscle mass. I use the term heavily loosely. Do what works for you. But yeah, during a cut, you are going to be losing muscle mass (low calory diet) obviously. That was my point.

 

[Kouki]

I just don't see the point. It really isn't necessary and only impedes weight training.

 

[Chris]

I just don't see the point. It really isn't necessary and only impedes weight training.

Impedes ... in what way?

If you're trying to gain muscle mass then no, you don't want to do cardio. Obviously. If you're cutting, erm...it is beneficial even if not wholly necessary.

 

[Kouki]

It impedes making strength gains or even maintaining strength. And especially for beginners without a background of training, you need everything you've got to keep your strength growing/gaining.

 

[Chris]

It impedes making strength gains.

You're not going to be making huge strength gains on a cut...if you are cutting you are not trying to gain muscle mass. :chuckles: This is simple stuff. Obviously on a bulk, you are 100% correct. Cardio is not a great idea, you're just working against yourself if you're doing cardio on a bulk.

 

[blazenmp]

Impedes ... in what way?

If you're trying to gain muscle mass then no, you don't want to do cardio. Obviously. If you're cutting, erm...it is beneficial even if not wholly necessary.

It's not necessary though. Of course, you could just say cardio is defined in the eye of the beholder - I guess you can say more reps with lighter weight is a form of cardio. Perhaps this is where we might agree?

 

[David.]

i always said cardio was unnecessary too, but so is cutting out sugars, fats, getting macros to a certain level etc.. you can do it without all the aforementioned but its going to significantly help, even moreso than the examples I stated.

from the viewpoint of losing muscle mass, I get it, but to say it doesnt significantly help in losing weight is another thing. If I run 60 minutes a day 5 times a week, thats easily a pound a week I lose just from exercise. Thats 52 pounds a year I'll lose with running vs. without. And Im not as up to snuff on bulking as I am on cutting, but isnt the most important aspect to it making sure you get enough protein per lb of bodyweight?? runnng doesnt have any effect on that... especially if youre running at a low intensity. The lower the intensity, the stronger the percentage of the calorie you are losing will be of fat.

Gaining muscle isnt in all ways opposite of cutting; Im not going to gain a pound of muscle for every 3500 calories over maintenance, I gain a pound of fat. I really honestly dont see a strong or even moderate correlation to gaining weight.

 

[Chris]

It's not necessary though. Of course, you could just say cardio is defined in the eye of the beholder - I guess you can say more reps with lighter weight is a form of cardio. Perhaps this is where we might agree?

That is true.

 

[Kouki]

You're not going to be making huge strength gains on a cut...if you are cutting you are not trying to gain muscle mass. :chuckles: This is simple stuff. Obviously on a bulk, you are 100% correct. Cardio is not a great idea, you're just working against yourself if you're doing cardio on a bulk.

If it's so simple :chuckles: then you should know that strength gains do not necessarily come from a gain in muscle mass. You can definitely gain strength while losing weight.

I mean if you like running, then by all means, go for it...I just see it as a chore and it isn't really necessary or IMO helpful because I think that retaining (or hopefully increasing) strength levels is better.

 

[Chris]

If it's so simple :chuckles: then you should know that strength gains do not necessarily come from a gain in muscle mass. You can definitely gain strength while losing weight.

I mean if you like running, then by all means, go for it...I just see it as a chore and it isn't really necessary or IMO helpful because I think that retaining (or hopefully increasing) strength levels is better.

Yeah, you can...usually if you just started lifting and you get "noob gains." They will be temporary, and will eventually level off and you won't be increasing your lifting much until you build more muscle.

If you are cutting but your main goal is to increase your strength, you are doing it wrong. Just how it is.

I don't "enjoy" running that much, but if I am on a cut and trying to lose body fat, I do it because it helps a lot. If I'm on a bulk, I won't do it, because it's counterproductive.

This is really an over simplification of everything, but you should get the general idea. I mean, this is all commonly accepted shit in the world of fitness from what I know. If you're cutting off all that fat, all that muscle you have will be a lot more visible and you'll get that look that everyone refers to as "toned."

Gaining muscle isnt in all ways opposite of cutting; Im not going to gain a pound of muscle for every 3500 calories over maintenance, I gain a pound of fat. I really honestly dont see a strong or even moderate correlation to gaining weight.

No, you won't, but cutting and bulking are still, in the end, opposites.

 

[Kouki]

Yeah, you can...usually if you just started lifting and you get "noob gains." They will be temporary, and will eventually level off and you won't be increasing your lifting much until you build more muscle.

The dude who started this conversation sure seemed like a noob.

If you are cutting but your main goal is to increase your strength, you are doing it wrong. Just how it is.

Never said it has to be a main goal, though it should always be a goal to at least maintain strength.

Basically alls I'm saying is that on a cut you should always try to at least maintain strength levels if not improve them (if you are a beginner), and focusing on lifting and avoiding running is going to help you maintain or improve strength levels.

I think we both know what we are talking about but just have different opinions. I'd rather focus on strength training and do all that I can to not lose strength that I've built up, and I see running as getting in the way of maintaining strength (since it takes away from the recovery process). And I've lost plenty of weight at a great pace by just lifting weights.

Also, I hate running. :chuckles:

 

[Powerslave]

Thanks for the advice fellas.

Another q, if I'm trying to lose fat, should I still drink a post-workout shake on days I'm doing cardio or just on weight-training days?