Long steady cardio vs interval training

[Tomer]

Hi everyone,

Currently I am running 4 - 5 mornings a week. I try to do 30 min of interval training such as

1.alternating short sprints/long sprints up hills/long hills

2.fartlek

3.100-200 meter sprints

4. 3 x 1 mile runs ( this takes me longer than 30 minutes)

I also lift 4 evenings a week.

Now that the weather is getting warmer ( and I usually do this in the summer) I may also be riding my bike to work..which is about 45 minutes each way and doing longer steady runs (90 minutes) on the weekends.

Will doing too much longer steady cardio take away the muscle mass?

The reason I ask is I used to run quite a lot.. ( and when I did, I ran for long periods of time.. I was fit... but skinny with no shape)

I have the endurance to run 90 minutes + I'm not sure how beneficial it is.

I do enjoy riding my bike in the mornings.. but a friend of mine was telling me that if I add too much cardio I could be defeating my 'fat loss' goals.

Thanks for your advice

 

[Tomer]

btw.. its not like I have so much muscle mass ha ha.. I'm currently trying to get rid of the fat

 

[Daisy_Girl]

In a word, yes.

BUT, you can help reduce muscle loss with a higher protein diet, and smart timing of meals. Problem with what you are describing, is that longer duration runs and rides require more energy - more carbs - which is opposite of what you want when trying to maintain muscle.

I am not saying carbs are not required to maintain muscle, they are needed. But, you want to make sure you are still getting a lot of protein. If long distance cardio is what you want to do, you need to make sure you keep protein high. This might mean that you will sacrifice some energy on these runs/rides.

What does your current diet look like (specifically)?

 

[Tomer]

OK,

My diet monday to Friday generally looks like this

6:30, half cup oatmeal + 3 strawberries or berries ( after cardio)cup of green tea every am

8:00 (arrive at work) about 10 almonds 1/4cup cottage cheese

11:30 palm size chicken breasts, or tuna or fish, or beef 1 or 2 baby potatos, broccolli or spinach or baby bokchoi)

2:30 (same as 11:30 meal)


4:00 more almonds( I snack too much!)

4:30 - 6:30(within this time frame) gym

7:00 sometimes I eat too much a small snack granola bar after workout, get home about 8:00 Dinner varies, usually chicken or beef with potatos/sometiems noodles and a green salad.

I also drink a fruit tea probably 2 evenings a week after dinner.

a coffee with milk ( no sugar) one morning a week, and a cup of black tea with milk once on Saturday am, once on Sunday am

I try and stick with this Monday - Friday..
I know my problem is that my cheat meal on Saturday ends up into being 2 or 3 cheat meals over the weekend. Also add in one cheat snack once during the week, such as a muffin or something similar.

I also go for a swim, a yoga class or a bike ride once over the weekend.

Keep in mind that I have only started 'trying' to eat these 5 or 6 smaller meals a day over the last couple months so I haven't really seen any results.

Don't different people need different fitness regimes to gain/lose the same amount of weight??

I do enjoy my bike ride into work.

If I am going to be introducing longer bike rides, longer runs, what do you suggest?

oh I forgot to mention I have a spin class on twice a week too( 45 min high intensity)

I know already about my lapses in diet, and I understand diet is everything. this is essential, I know that

I do not know my current bf%

I am 5'1, 119 pounds, 29 years old.

Thanks again

 

[Daisy_Girl]

6:30, half cup oatmeal + 3 strawberries or berries ( after cardio)cup of green tea every amYou need a protein or fat with this meal. You can add a tablespoon of healthy fat, such as olive or flax oil in your oatmeal. Or adda scoop of protein powder with it.

8:00 (arrive at work) about 10 almonds 1/4cup cottage cheeseOkay snakc, are you eating this because you are hungry? It is only 90 min after meal 1, if you are hungry this quickly, it is due to incomplete macros in meal 1. Adding fat and/or protein to meal 1 will likely eliminate the need for this snack. You can eat this as a snack at 9:30 (3 hours after meal 1).

11:30 palm size chicken breasts, or tuna or fish, or beef 1 or 2 baby potatos, broccolli or spinach or baby bokchoi)sounds great, don't limit green veggies - they are great for vitamins and fiber. if you have a snack at 9:30, can you push this meal to 12:30?

2:30 (same as 11:30 meal)sounds great, don't limit green veggies - they are great for vitamins and fiber. If previous meals are moved, you might want to eat this at 3:30 instead - might eliminate the need for the almonds at 4:00.

4:00 more almonds( I snack too much!)Before a workout, you need a better energy source. You need to add carbs to this snack (pre-workout), something like a small potato, an apple, even cottage cheese or a granola bar would be okay.

4:30 - 6:30(within this time frame) gym

7:00 sometimes I eat too much a small snack granola bar after workout, get home about 8:00 Dinner varies, usually chicken or beef with potatos/sometiems noodles and a green salad.Post workout, especially post weights and interval training, you NEED to have protein. I would have a protein shake immediately after weights and interval training, then make dinner.

Dinner looks okay, but I would be careful with noodles and a lot of potatoes this late in the day. You need to fuel yourself for what you are getting ready to do - at this point, you are getting ready to sleep - do you think you need all this energy source (carbs) to sleep? No. I would make this meal heavy on protein and fat, with a lot of green veggie. Example - a great salad with oil and vinegar dressing.

Also, you might want to think about having something small right before bed - so you are not going from 8pm-6:30am with no food. This can cause catabolism. A small protein and fat is great before bed. Evenb some cottage cheese and almonds are great.

I also drink a fruit tea probably 2 evenings a week after dinner.Just be careful with this, there is likely a lot of sugar.

a coffee with milk ( no sugar) one morning a week, and a cup of black tea with milk once on Saturday am, once on Sunday amThis is all fine.

I try and stick with this Monday - Friday..
I know my problem is that my cheat meal on Saturday ends up into being 2 or 3 cheat meals over the weekend. Also add in one cheat snack once during the week, such as a muffin or something similar.Cheats are not BAD, but be careful with them. Make sure they are PLANNED into your daily diet.


Don't different people need different fitness regimes to gain/lose the same amount of weight?? Of course. Everyone is different. But there are somethings that DO NOT CHANGE - no matter who we are talking about. Eating clean (not processed) and training smart are universal. Actual amounts, and even food choices, can change based on the individual. Some people have food allergies, or sensitivities, which make eating some things impossible. Also, medical issues may cause certian people to need certain things.

But in the average, healthy person, the basic rules work - eating higher protein, moderahe carb and moderate fat. Eat every 3 hours or so - about 6 meals a day. Do not go overboard on cardio. You MUST lift weights. This does not change.

My comments are in red in the post above.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Also, you might want to use www.fitday.com to get an idea of what you are eating everyday - the macronutrient breakdown.

 

[Tomer]

wow! thanks a lot for your comments Daisy. I actually did buy some flax seed caps this weekend and plan on taking them with my first meal. i will also try and add some egg whites or something to this meal... so I don't eat as soon as I arrive at work.

I know I really need to tighten up my eating habits... and limit my cheat meals to once on Saturday ..

would eating something like an egg, or tuna immediately after the workout be ok.. or some leftover chicken( or whatever protein source i had for meals 2 &3).

If I do add in these bike rides ( which will be an extra hour and a half of cardio... but very easy.. don't get out of breath at all..) is there anything I need to change with my eating habits... as I said, a few years back, when I was doing lots and lots of cardio, I was skinny, but didn't have the shape I wanted.

I've read various comments on this board, and while I'm not competing, I do see that many women (and men) do up to 2 hours of cardio every day when trying to cut bodyfat.. what steps would they make to make sure they're not losing muscle? and that the food they eat doesn't just go to expending energy rather than burning fat?

I really appreciate your comments Daisy!

 

[Daisy_Girl]

would eating something like an egg, or tuna immediately after the workout be ok.. or some leftover chicken( or whatever protein source i had for meals 2 &3).

Yup, this is fine. Real food is better than supplements.

If I do add in these bike rides ( which will be an extra hour and a half of cardio... but very easy.. don't get out of breath at all..) is there anything I need to change with my eating habits... as I said, a few years back, when I was doing lots and lots of cardio, I was skinny, but didn't have the shape I wanted.

Just make sure you so not skimp on protein throughout the day/week. You might want to have a little protein pre and post workout - just to help combat it.

Also, make sure you are lifting weights - this will help make the muscle and reduce muscle loss.

I've read various comments on this board, and while I'm not competing, I do see that many women (and men) do up to 2 hours of cardio every day when trying to cut bodyfat.. what steps would they make to make sure they're not losing muscle? and that the food they eat doesn't just go to expending energy rather than burning fat?

For professional BB/Fitness/Figure competitors, they are MOST LIKELY taking steroids to help combat muscle loss (and help accelerate muscle gain). Even many people who are NOT professionals take steroids - including some people on this board (and other boards).

For people who are not taking steroids, they will lose some muscle. It is inevitable. But you can help combat it some through diet and supplementation - things like creatine. But most competitors know they will lose muscle, so in the off-season they work on adding more muscle (and will add some fat too) so that when they cut down for the comp, they still have enough muscle.

 

[Tomer]

How do I know if I'm getting to the point where I'm eating too much protein.. I will add in more protein when I start riding to work... is this tough on the liver.??. I thought too much protein can cause these problems.

I will really make the effort to get lots of dark green veggies in.. I probably don't get enough.

I try and eat all my veggies first before my protein to make sure I get it all in, otherwise i'll overdose on meat.

I will be adding cardio breeze to help my cardio for my 4:45 wake ups. I do not want to rely on this though, and I have ordered it, so we'll see f its right for my body.

 

[Tomer]

oh yeah I also feel full , like I have to remind myself to eat.. maybe I'm eating too big portions.. I'm still fairly new to the eating 5/6 times a day