Is this appropriate cardio?
I am currently about 17% body fat, hoping to cut to 10% body fat. Usually when I cut, I will do 20-45 minutes fasted cardio at 75% max heart rate in the AM with good results. I usually lose about 2 lbs a week using this method and continue to make strength gains. However, due to time constraints, I now consume scoop of protein powder and some pre-workout supps for a total of about 25g protein and 10g carbs first thing in the morning. Then I run 20 minutes downhill to the gym, work out for an hour to an hour and a half, then run 23 minutes uphill back home for my post workout meal and supps. have noticed some strength loss, but I attribute this to my crappy diet last week due to illness.
Does this routine seem appropriate?
For the record, I am 24, 17% BF, 170lbs, 5'5", and I'm meso-endomorphic. My diet is fairly clean, I cheat one or two days a week. I have 6 years weightlifting experience.
Fasted cardio (aka catabolic cardio) should be performed at 50-60% or less of your max heart rate. When you perform more that this you lose muscle tissue as it's catabolized for energy as glycogen stores run out. Less than this and it's not really very effective. You may want to verify what your actual max heart rate is - do you use a heart rate monitor during your run? Your max heart rate will change as your conditioning changes so test it maybe once a month or so.
What you're doing now with the scoop of protein powder is not fasted cardio but just plain cardio as the protein you're giving your body is converted to glycogen (gluconeogenesis) along with the few carbs you're consuming.
Also, you're doing cardio before your weights workout which is going to definitely hinder gains. Additionally, your pre-workout nutrition is lacking for an AM weights session. You'd be much better off doing AM fasted cardio like before, then doing weights later in the day. If you can't do that because of time constraints, then I'd suggest having a decent meal then pre-WO shake, driving to the gym, doing weights then cardio afterwards followed by PWO shake. I'd say the combination of cardio before weights, lack of Pre-WO cals and your overall diet is definitely hitting your lean muscle mass.
Hope on the Slopes 2009 at Mt. Hood Skibowl
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