Body type & value of cardio vs heavy lifting

[Sassy69]

don' t know the exact carb ratios -- i don't want to analyze my current diet -- i'm more interested in the general statement that cardio is in fact more important than otherwise sometimes stated for a bodytype that can easily build muscle but also fat.

Yes I take ripped fuel when i train , but i cycle it - i've been useing thermos for many years so its not a new concept by any stretch. I also use ALA.

My daily supps consist of kelp, spirulina, TwinLab Daily 2, green tea extract in the AM and Vit C, Vit E and CoQ10 during the day. I use BCAA, ALA, thermo, glutamine before training & glutamine after.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

How much glutamine do you take before, and how much do you take after, Sassy? I've been taking 4.5g (1 tsp of the prolab powder) after training only. Do you take the same amount and split it up or do you take 2x as much?

 

[hookdup]

I'm also interested in the Glutemine amounts,

Also,

I've done a search on ALA (alpha lipoic acid) and read all the threads and still don't get it.

Ceebs, you recommend it? I understand that it's good if you're eating high carbs.
What about low / average carbs.
I have also read that this helps with fat loss? How ... in layman's terms?

 

[Sassy69]

<trying to get this thread back to my topic....>

Here is what I was looking for -- I guess this makes me an endomorph:
(from http://www.csmngt.com/Aerobics.htm)

There are three basic body types: Ectomorph, Endomorph and Mesomorph. Some of us gain weight with difficulty, some of us put on fat easily and some of us put on muscle watching television. The genetic differences between individuals is great. Body type has little to do with athletic ability or coordination, it simply relates to metabolism and genetic predisposition to gaining fat or muscle or staying lean. Athletic ability and coordination (nuero-muscular connection ) are also tied to genetics but not to the body type / metabolism genes.

Ectomorph. The Ectomorph generally has a very high metabolic rate making it difficult for then to gain both muscle and fat. The Ectomorph is a naturally lean individual. Ectomorphs need less aerobics and should do anaerobic / strength building resistance training with reps in the 6 to 10 range.
Mesomorph. Mesomorphs are the guys who can come into the gym only occasionally but stay lean & pack on muscle very easily. Some mesomorph's are muscular, defined and have "six pack abs" with little or no exercise. Probably most professional body builders are mesomorphs.
Endomorph. Endomorphs are people who tend to put on fat. Endomorphs tend to have a lower metabolic rate. Endomorphs need to do more aerobics and higher rep, 12 - 20 reps, anaerobics in order to burn more calories. Plus adding muscle through anaerobic exercise will increase the basal metabolic rate, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat.
Simplistically these are the differences between the three basic genetic metabolic types. But ultimately metabolism is infinitely variable. Please do not make these categories strict " pigeon holes" to put yourself or workout partners in. Ultimately the Ectomorph has little Mesomorph in him or her. The Endomorph also has a little Mesomorph in him or her. This just that some of us after work a little harder to bring out the Mesomorph! .

The amount and type of exercise required by each of us is different. This synergistic exercise program is adaptable to all three body types.

We all need aerobic exercise, however lean people obviously need less aerobics than heavy people.

No matter what your body type the Ultimate Aerobic & Anaerobic Program will provide an excellent total body workout or an excellent warm up for your specific exercise program. The combination of lower body aerobics and upper body aerobics provides muscle stimulation with the resultant increased nutrient & oxygen rich blood flow to all the muscles of your body.

Ectomorph - Some aerobics ( 20 minutes, 3 times per week minimum )for cardio vascular fitness. Low rep 6 - 10 with heavier weights to gain size. Longer rest between sets, 45 - 90 seconds.
If you play a sport that requires, or your goal includes optimal physical condition, more aerobics are required!
For optimal cardio vascular fitness aerobic conditioning is required.
Mesomorph - Aerobics for cardio vascular fitness ( 20 minutes, 3 times per week minimum ). A balanced program of low rep for size & high rep for definition.
If you play a sport that requires, or your goal includes optimal physical condition, more aerobics are required!
For optimal cardio vascular fitness aerobic conditioning is required.
Endomorph - Lots of aerobics to burn calories / fat ( 30 -40 minutes, 3 -5 times per week ). Higher rep 12 - 20 with lower weights and short rest intervals, 30 - 60 seconds between sets.

 

[hookdup]

Sorry if I helped contribute to the digression of this thread Sassy
I'll start another thread on ALA.

By the way ... looks like I'm an Endomorph too!

 

[sysopt]

<trying to get this thread back to my topic....>

Here is what I was looking for -- I guess this makes me an endomorph:
(from http://www.csmngt.com/Aerobics.htm)

Endomorph. Endomorphs are people who tend to put on fat. Endomorphs tend to have a lower metabolic rate. Endomorphs need to do more aerobics and higher rep, 12 - 20 reps, anaerobics in order to burn more calories. Plus adding muscle through anaerobic exercise will increase the basal metabolic rate, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat.

Once they mentioned that endomorphs should be in the 12 - 20 rep range to lose fat, well, I think they lost their credibility. One does not need cardio to lose fat. There are tons and tons of people that lose fat only by diet. If you're eating clean and you can't lose the fat, then you're eating too many calories, plain and simple. I don't think it's like one type of person needs cardio more than the other; nobody really needs it.

 

[Sassy69]

Your statement brings me back to my original quandry --- I was doing a heavy lifting, 10-12 rep sets routine w/ tight diet and no cardio and didnt' lose bodyfat. I've dropped my weights, changing the rep number from generally 10-12 x 3 to 20, 15, 15 reps, but probably tighter form & more intensity and adding in an hour of cardio in the morning & 20 min after training. And I'm losign bodyfat. So can someone please explain this to me if cardio is not necessary??

 

[Temple]

Sassy, I think what it comes down to is that it is a very individual thing. If what you are doing isn't working for you then change it, if you change it and its working then keep doing it until it stops then change the plan again. I believe that bodytype plays a big role in the way that we manipulate the variables.

 

[sysopt]

Your statement brings me back to my original quandry --- I was doing a heavy lifting, 10-12 rep sets routine w/ tight diet and no cardio and didnt' lose bodyfat. I've dropped my weights, changing the rep number from generally 10-12 x 3 to 20, 15, 15 reps, but probably tighter form & more intensity and adding in an hour of cardio in the morning & 20 min after training. And I'm losign bodyfat. So can someone please explain this to me if cardio is not necessary??

It all goes back to energy balance. Evidentally, even with your tight diet, you were still eating too many calories and therefore hanging around maintainance (or however you spell it ). That's where the cardio comes in; the extra activity created a negative calorie situation which forced your body to dip into reserves (fat). There's no special magic to cardio. Does it burn calories? Sure, but so does being alive. Can it create a negative calorie situation to lose fat? Sure. Is it effective? not really. The choice is yours. There's more than one way to create a negative calorie situation: you can either eat under maintainance or go to it or even go above it and increase activity accordingly. Reread that first sentence I wrote....It all goes back to energy balance.

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[Ceebs]

Sysopt, I totally agree.

Maybe there's new research that refutes this, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was always under the impression that cardio burned calories while you were doing it, and the boost to your metabolism after the fact was negligible. So essentially, instead of doing 400 calories worth of work on the treadmill, you could simply eat 400 calories less to get the same effect. I'm aware that cardio has other benefits like increasing VO2 max, and (depending on the intensity) recruiting Type I and Type II muscle fibers, but where energy balance is concerned, decreasing one's caloric intake is equal to doing cardio.