Is cardio on an "off" day really an off day?

[Ain't Squat]

Title pretty much says it. I lift 3 on 1 off, then 2 on 1 off. Is doing 45-60min of low intensity cardio (BPM<130) on an off day hindering recovery from lifting?

 

[C.K.]

No if anything it helps with the recovery by getting your blood flowing... if you do am workouts do your cardio am too cuz doing pm cardio before an am workout the next day would hinder your strength

 

[InGreatShape]

I don't consider Cardio as being on off day either.

 

[wcjcMr.O]

i dont think its really a day off if you exercising at all. your burning calories and therefore hindering your recovery IMO. i had a older competitor help me with my contest prep and i asked him this same question. he said a day of is supose to be a day OFF, your body needs the rest, ESPECIALLY in a calorie deficit diet. i would think the same during the off season too tho. if you want you could do a few LIGHT weight PUMP FILLER sets on your day off. dont take it to failure and use very light weight of about 20 reps. just to get some fresh nutrient rich blood to the muscles your trying to recover kinda like what CK was saying. EVEN CENTAPONI does this and it seems to work for him. lol although i havent done this consistently to know for myself

 

[fellaman]

The fact is it doesn't hinder recovery at all,it increases your appetite which is what alot of people struggle is eating.

Doing cardio and weight training hinders recovery!

 

[SpyWizard]

depends on what your goal is..

If it's fat loss, then no as it will continue to deplete the 300-400 cals stored in the liver thus you are able to sustain your caloric intake at the same level as when you do resistance training..

If your goal is strength and size and you are already sub 6% then you risk catobolic effects and having your body use ammino acids from your muscle stores for energy.

further..

Lets assume your maintenance caloric intake is 3200 cals, and you want to lose fat, you need to eat -500 cals less or burn them during exercise..

if it is to gain weight you must consume 500 cals above your maintenance including your exercise requirement

 

[NewestNoobie]

My off days are real off days, dont know about you guys but when I switch off I want to be left the fuck alone, no work, no workouts, nothing but tranquility. Then again I get mentally worn out much easier than physically worn out, Id rather do a 12 hour shift, hit the gym for an hour 4 days in a row (2 on, 1 off, 1 on) and then be able to spend 3 days running the computer at half speed than spread that workload over the week.

During the only real serious attempt Id made at a cut ever, I used to go for a walk before brekky everyone morning, bout 3 miles over 45 minutes, including off days, thats the closest Ive ever come to cardio on offdays.

 

[stevesmi]

this thread is a couple years old but I will weigh in and say people put too much emphasis on recovery. as long as you get a proper amount of sleep every night and don't have too much of a physically strenuous job you will recover fine working out 1 hour everyday with weight training, cardio, sex or whatever. you should always strive for 1 hour a day of some exercise.

if you start developing lingering injuries and inflammation etc. then you are overworking your body and should rest. so as long as you listen to your body you will be fine. dont be stubborn and pound away when your body tells you it hurts.