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Do bodybuilders do cardio?

faff

New member
I do 2-3 spinning classes a week, and I really enjoy them.
Can I maintain this and still put on muscle? I have been losing weight.
How much do the experienced builders do?
 
Yeah they do, but chances are they eat a heap more than you do too.

What are your stats and what is your bodyfat %? Are you wanting to "tone up" as such?

I just made a thread similar to this about getting shredded for summer.

I think your spin classes will be detrimental to building mass for sure. You would want to do a lighter type of cardio to keep the muscle. Now I will need someone else to take over who knows more about this stuff.
 
Normaly if Im training for bodybulding or looking to cut the only sort of cardio I will do is low intensity i.e walking on the treadmil on speed 3.5 - 6 at 0 - 6 incline, 45mins - 1 hour. - which I find helps me keep more muscle. If cutting the cardio sessions can range from 3 a week to around 10, depending on where I am in the cut

There are some bodybuilders they do sort very intense cardio sessions say 10-15 mins - but all the guys that I know who compete will do the low intensity form.

But in general you will find most will stick with the low intensity style of cardio.

In the off-season I will still do cardio normaly 1-3 sessions a week and again I will either walk on the treadmil or outside for 45 mins to 1 hour. This is only so I can eat more during the off-season because cardio makes me hungry.

The above is only if im training for bodybuilding - if my goal is conditioning, or if im looking to get back into sport then of course the above will change.

I find that RPM classes are great for "normal" gym goers - but for bodybuilders I really wouldn't suggest them - and def not 3 a week.

But it will be good to see some more feedback on the Q!

Thanks mate.
 
As I dont currently have any bodybuilders training at PTC, all my cardio sessions are designed to make you fitter. They are based on a similar style used by MMA fighters, which seems to be extremely functional to me.

Faff, when are you planning on competing?
 
Markos, are you able to put up a cardio program that you do at PTC? I am interested.
 
As I dont currently have any bodybuilders training at PTC, all my cardio sessions are designed to make you fitter. They are based on a similar style used by MMA fighters, which seems to be extremely functional to me.

Faff, when are you planning on competing?

This style of cardio as PTC said will make you alot fitter and is alot funner than walking on a treadmill for 45 mins lol
 
Okay, my favourite one is called " FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE"

It is a timed event, and you need kettlebells and blocks. Unfortunately most arent going to be able to do this due to lack of equipment.

UDL 64kg KB/32cm block x 10
UDL 56kg KB/25cm block x 10
UDL 48kg KB/22cm block x 10
UDL 40kg KB/15cm block x 10
Thrusters 16kg KB's x 10
Thrusters 12kg KB's x 10
Thrusters 10kg KB's x 10
Thrusters 8kg KB's x 10
Cannonballs 32kg KB x 10
Cannonballs 28kg KB x 10
Cannonballs 24kg KB x 10
Cannonballs 20kg KB x 10

Very, very, very few people will be able to do this in any ammount of time. I have a 6 minute time limit, my best lifters do it in under 4 minutes.

Tabata Thrusters is 4 minutes of sheer hell, google them.

Cannonball run is Cannonballs with 64-56-48-40-32-28-24-20-16-12-10-8kg KB's for 10 reps. A cannonball is a power upright row from the floor to your neck. There are some vids in both PTC videos of Alen in the first and Simon in the second doing Cannonballs with my 64kg KB.

Another one I do is called the effort workout. Squats, bench press, push press and UDL's done in a non stop circuit. Produces most vomit and best results.

A Medley I do is carrying 8 x 20kg plates one at a time a distance of 40m each, sprinting back to each plate. Plenty of complaints with this one lol

We have a 272m RUN. I live in a T Shaped court, from the front of my place we have a line, with 68m sprint to a pole at one end, then 136m sprint the full lengt of the street to the next pole, then 68m sprint back to the start. There are 3 starts, beginning and around each pole. The fit guys do it in just under 50 seconds, the really fit and fast guys do it in 42-45 seconds, and Max does it in 39 seconds.

I have hundereds more, would take all day to write out.

Buffalo girls is another ripper, too complex to put on paper.
 
When I first started, I had a few boards removed from my front fence, just outside the gym. It was called the Zubi Hole, named after Zubi who only lasted around 13 minutes.

I'm too embarassed to put up the workout he did because you wont believe me, needless to say the Paris, my 12yo daughter couldve done it.

Nina, Max and I were shocked at the ammount of peole that vomit. My sessions are simple basic full body workouts. Most arent used to these sessions.

then cardio started, now this shit was getting serious, I removed more boards to allow for tandem spewing. I have an easement next door, council owned, thank god.

Now you need to understand that I very much dislike having people spew. I always instruct them to stop if it gets hard.

Most wont allow a 44yo woman or young boy to beat them.....idiots. They have zero chance of ever beating them.

Most clients are good now, very fit, no vomit, but I had a young 16yo footballer come around for a session. He claimed he lifted 3 times a week, but wanted to check out PTC. I asked him how much he squatted and pulled, he claimed he did neither.

I then warned him he would find the workout hard, so I would give him one,including the same weights, that Jordy does, a 13yo client who plays no sport. He seemed quite pissed off, like I was making fun of him. So sad. He made such a mess in my front yard, power chucking, I had to get the hose out.

Jordy arrived before I finished cleaning up, she asked what happened, I explained he had tried to do her workout.

He hasnt come back.

Its why I tell people to check their egos at the door lol
 
HAHA, funny shit. Man I was laughing aloud at my desk when I read about the tandem spewing.

You sure know how to seperate the men from the women, or is that the pussies from the strong?
 
Hi guys,

I used to be under the belief that i could not be a descent bodybuilder and also be fit at the same time until i met my current trainer. He is an ex-bodybuilder, sitting nicely on 100kg, he cycles 50km a day, out to the work (the mine) and back, and then comes and trains with me six days a week, at a very high intensity as i am due for competition soon. I am now doing cardio every day of the week and am losing weight slowly, however i am only eating around 2000 calories a day. I now see that you can be fit, and be a descent bodybuilder at the same time!
 
I think I'm a Zubi at the moment, don't laugh, its from years of inactivity and lazyness. I can only do 30kg on squats and when I started, 15lb D/B curls. I see guys with 45kg dumbell and I can't believe how strong some of them are!

At the moment I'm doing 1 hour of cardio a day. 10 minutes on the exercise bike, 20 on the treadmill and another 20 on the crosstrainer. But I'm not really a bodybuilder so I shouldn't really comment.
 
Hi guys,

I used to be under the belief that i could not be a descent bodybuilder and also be fit at the same time until i met my current trainer. He is an ex-bodybuilder, sitting nicely on 100kg, he cycles 50km a day, out to the work (the mine) and back, and then comes and trains with me six days a week, at a very high intensity as i am due for competition soon. I am now doing cardio every day of the week and am losing weight slowly, however i am only eating around 2000 calories a day. I now see that you can be fit, and be a descent bodybuilder at the same time!

Just to put things into context here Brades. To get to be 100kg is one thing; to maintain it is something else. You wouldn't want to cycle for 50km and train 6 days a week if your aim was to reach 100kg. I thought I'd put things in perspective here, that's all.


Fadi.
 
Sorry Josh, I don't have any stats yet...
I have been at the gym for 2-3 years, initially for fitness. I have been doing more and more cardio, since I have been quite enjoying it, but have recently been losing weight, and since I was also trying to tone up, that wasn't much good.
Anyway, I have taken a recent interest in getting bigger, and think I will start focusing on building, rather than just cardio.
I think I'll still do 1 spin a week but, and start eating more to compensate :D
More weights.
 
Just to put things into context here Brades. To get to be 100kg is one thing; to maintain it is something else. You wouldn't want to cycle for 50km and train 6 days a week if your aim was to reach 100kg. I thought I'd put things in perspective here, that's all.


Fadi.

I agree with you entirely, getting there is one thing, but just because your trying to build muscle does not mean you can not do cardio to be fit aswell.
 
I agree with you entirely, getting there is one thing, but just because your trying to build muscle does not mean you can not do cardio to be fit aswell.

Brades,

You're right it doesn't mean you can not do cardio, but it means you'll be making it just that little bit harder to get there. Also, you have to know what cardio to do if your intention was to build muscles. In my opinion, a cardio session that heavily involves your muscles would be the ultimate choice. A weight circuit perhaps Brades.

Fadi.
 
bodypump

A "bodypump" class perhaps? I think this is weights and resistance for entire body? My gym has this class at some convenient times.
 
Fadi has put up a good article around here about losing fat and still building muscle. It was quite interesting. I am going to incorporate it myself. I think bodypump/combat/bullshit are hopeless if you ask me (why is it that the majority in these classes are overweight and it never changes?). There are much better ways around it.
 
A "bodypump" class perhaps? I think this is weights and resistance for entire body? My gym has this class at some convenient times.

Faff, to be honest I'm not familiar with this "bodypump" classes. Do they employ one's own bodyweight as in the brutal burpees, or do they involve weight circuit?

I'd be interested in what they do in your particular class; I might incorporate some of those exercises into the weight circuit. So could you please list all the exercises for our benefit here on the forum. Thank you.


Fadi.
 
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