help! cardio and stuff

[scotimusprime]

ok so most of you know i dont ask many questions or ask for help much. i dont know if its because im a know it all asshole or just simply use the search button more than the average joe, but i need help.

Let me break it down for you...

28 yo, 29 in months from today
6'2"
255-260 lbs
probably hanging round 15% bf
on a blast of 700mg/wk prop and 525 npp
taking in approx 4000 cals/day 80% clean

i havent done an ounce of cardio in a year or more. yes this may be stupid, i agree, but ive been trying to get bigger and bigger. i started out this journey at around 190-200 lbs(light i know) but was 10-11% bf. i wanted to bulk and so ive done. i wouldnt say im fat but im definately not as lean as i would like to be. again i have been bulking so i am not depressed about the extra bit of fat/bloat, but i think its catching up on me

lately i just get bagged in the gym. i do 3-4 sets of 5 squats at 415 lbs or so and im dying. same goes for back days and so on. im assuming this is because my cardiovascular system blows ass from not being conditioned and the extra 60 lbs im carrying around aint helping either. also my heart is acting "strange" lately. i know what your going to say,"go to the doctor prime." well i dont have that option at the moment but it is something i will look into.

basically what i want to know is what i should do to get back in shape. i dont want to lose much size, but if it leans me out, ill look better anyway and i know this. i just wanted to get even bigger than this before i started cutting.

suggest to me some cardio options. in AM on empty stomach, intervals, elipticals or treadmills, what heart rate to run at, what has worked for you and what do you guys do? any input is greatly appreciated. please feel free to flame me or do what you need to to set me straight because i am a stubborn prick and need my ass kicked here. newbs input is appreciated as well.

thanks ology

 

[3J]

45min early morning cardio... empty stomach.. at 130bpm.. treadmill on an incline is all u need.. npp is a 19-nor.. i wonder if it works like tren and kills ur cardio.. that might possibly be the case but dont quote me.. i havn't researched it enough

 

[scotimusprime]

thanks for the quick repsonse 3J. everyday or is like 4-5 days a weeks enough?

 

[3J]

shit... 6 days a week would be ideal.. but start slow.. 3 days a week.. and work ur way up

 

[scotimusprime]

excellent. ima start this tommorrow. greens for 3j

 

[RJ]

i agree with 3J. But you gotta remember that if you dropped 25lbs of fat (which it sounds like you could) that would help drastically.

Low impact is great at cutting fat like 3J stated, but unfortunately it don't do shit for your conditioning, which is really what you needs as well.

That is why after all those years I started doing what I do now. MetCons. Metabolic conditioning. 10 mins or less of all out war at 100% intensity. I was doing 4 days a week but I'm down to 3 and still feel great in terms of cardiovascular fitness. Check out my journal for an idea of what they look like.

The idea being after 20 minutes of hard cardio, and you're being somewhat counter-productive. Basically you get alot more out of 5-10 minutes of 100% max intensity combining a couple exercises. Again, my thread will give you lots of ideas.

Here's E. Allen's short version:

The meta part of the word is for metabolic and that has to do with your energy systems. You have certainly heard and used the word metabolism and have a sense for slow and fast metabolisms. Some people walk by a bakery and gain two pounds and others shove everything they can get their hands on down their pie hole and never gain a pound. Metabolic - energy systems.

The con is easy, that's just conditioning and the contraction metcon is shorthand for the CrossFit methodology for improvement of the cardio vascular and cardio respiratory systems through a variety of functional exercises executed at high intensity. The program does wonders for much more than just your CV/CR systems but were just discussing metcon here.

Short energy systems course:

Creatine Phosphate or Phosphogen up to about 10 seconds of pedal to the metal, all out exertion. One rep max sort of thing.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Aerobic system which (assuming you are not working out as you read this) you are using right now. You can be in this energy system for the rest of your life. In an exercise sense it is at an effort level you can sustain for about 90 minutes before you exhaust your glycogen supply and have to refuel. How hard you can go is influenced directly by training and there are many endurance athletes who can do 5:30 miles and still be aerobic. I hate those people. The term LSD (Long Slow Distance) is the typical protocol for aerobic work where you are working at a low output for a long period of time.

The CrossFit arena is the Glycolytic energy system where you hammer your way to and through your lactate threshold at an effort level sustainable for only 2 minutes or so. The CF protocol has you change the demand on the failing musculature after some number of reps or time by moving to a new exercise while the CV/CR system is still being taxed. This allows for metabolic conditioning at a far more intense level than you could ever hope to achieve through a single mode of exercise because of the predictable onset of muscle failure at high levels of exertion.

And heres a nice read that Glassman put out in a Cross Fit journal. You may have to skip around but his explantion of metcons hits home as well.

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/Foundations.pdf

I just hate the idea of long ass boring cardio which really doesn't actually work you in a cardio sense. Doing met cons is faster, keeps me interested, works the ticker quite well, and burns fat. It also has helped me on my big lifts.

 

[3J]

i agree with 3J. But you gotta remember that if you dropped 25lbs of fat (which it sounds like you could) that would help drastically.

Low impact is great at cutting fat like 3J stated, but unfortunately it don't do shit for your conditioning, which is really what you needs as well.

That is why after all those years I started doing what I do now. MetCons. Metabolic conditioning. 10 mins or less of all out war at 100% intensity. I was doing 4 days a week but I'm down to 3 and still feel great in terms of cardiovascular fitness. Check out my journal for an idea of what they look like.

The idea being after 20 minutes of hard cardio, and you're being somewhat counter-productive. Basically you get alot more out of 5-10 minutes of 100% max intensity combining a couple exercises. Again, my thread will give you lots of ideas.

Here's E. Allen's short version:



And heres a nice read that Glassman put out in a Cross Fit journal. You may have to skip around but his explantion of metcons hits home as well.

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/Foundations.pdf

I just hate the idea of long ass boring cardio which really doesn't actually work you in a cardio sense. Doing met cons is faster, keeps me interested, works the ticker quite well, and burns fat. It also has helped me on my big lifts.

great post RJ... thumbs up

 

[scotimusprime]

yes excellent help from the J brothers. thanks boyz. you can go back to your reach arounds now.

 

[Welter]

I just hate the idea of long ass boring cardio which really doesn't actually work you in a cardio sense. Doing met cons is faster, keeps me interested, works the ticker quite well, and burns fat. It also has helped me on my big lifts.

Im not sure this is entirely accurate. While this dude certainly has more qualifications on his list than i do. When i started doing my low impact cardio over a year ago my standing heart rate at was 67, one year later my standing heart rate at is 51. Just recently had a stress test and the doctor said my heart fitness level is at an elite level for a person my age (46). So it certainly helps, probably not as quickly and effectively as HIIT would but you will definitely improve your heart in the process. In fairness, i do a ridiculous amount of cardio so that might be the reason my fitness level has improved so dramatically over the course of the last year.

My cardio routine is 60 to 75 minutes a day at least 6x a week. Sometimes more. I usually do this on a treadmill at 15 degree incline at 4.5-4.7mph which is a very brisk walk.

 

[RJ]

My cardio routine is 60 to 75 minutes a day at least 6x a week. Sometimes more. I usually do this on a treadmill at 15 degree incline at 4.5-4.7mph which is a very brisk walk.

sorry brother, but that ain't low impact.

either way, dropping that initial weight would do wonders for scotty even moreso than cardio IMO.

 

[scotimusprime]

ya i think your right RJ. i did like 20 mins of what 3J suggested. do 30 tommorrow and then to 40 the next

what do you think about say 1 day cardio in morning and that would be like an off weight day and then the next do like your met con idea with some lifting (ie deads, presses, squats)

kind of incorporate both J brother ideas

 

[oufinny]

ya i think your right RJ. i did like 20 mins of what 3J suggested. do 30 tommorrow and then to 40 the next

what do you think about say 1 day cardio in morning and that would be like an off weight day and then the next do like your met con idea with some lifting (ie deads, presses, squats)

kind of incorporate both J brother ideas

I always mix cardio, one day HIIT then the next LISS.

For your heart I would be taking low dose Asprin everyday if you are having issues and can't go to get an EKG. That at least will help should you have any issues on the treadmill but like what was said above, could just be a combo of your weight and the tren.

 

[scotimusprime]

no tren. yet lol

im having these irregular heart beats. im actually sitting back thinking that it may be my NO powder ,1.m.r.

i know its just a supplement but the shit is potent. i read the back and it says do not use for more than 8 weeks, and let me tell you, ive been running NOs all the time for years now. im gonna quit taking this shit and see if things straighten out.

but ya thanks for the input on alternating cardio

 

[Welter]

`

no tren. yet lol

im having these irregular heart beats. im actually sitting back thinking that it may be my NO powder ,1.m.r.

Thats very possible, i had bad shortness of breath and my heart was racing. Turns out it was caffeine from my energy drinks.

 

[scotimusprime]

ya i pound this shit on a daily basis. might just be time for a break, i hope. lol

def have some shortness of breath. seems like if i take a dep breath, i cough. im not worried tho.....just adding to the convo.

 

[3J]

yea that resting heart rate is important.. once i started losing weight and boxing my rhr went down to 46... its currently sitting arount 49-50 these days... im not in boxing shape

 

[Welter]

sorry brother, but that ain't low impact.

Why do you say that? Because of the sheer amount that I do? I always was under the assumption that HIIT was heart rate in the 140-170 range for short periods of time and LIIT was under 130.

 

[RJ]

Why do you say that? Because of the sheer amount that I do? I always was under the assumption that HIIT was heart rate in the 140-170 range for short periods of time and LIIT was under 130.

60-75mins of 4.5-4.8mph at a 15 degree incline, to me, is not low impact.

low impact cardio is 3-3.2mph at no to a 1-2 degree incline for 30-40mins IMO.

Either way, i think he just needs to drop the extra garbage.

Scotty, if you're gonna try metcons on lifting days, just be mindful of how much resistance work you do cause the idea of a metcon is max efficiency. If you got doing deads on back day and then try to do a met con with pull ups, even if they are kipping pulll ups, you will have a hell of a time keeping a high output.

 

[Welter]

60-75mins of 4.5-4.8mph at a 15 degree incline, to me, is not low impact.

low impact cardio is 3-3.2mph at no to a 1-2 degree incline for 30-40mins IMO.

Either way, i think he just needs to drop the extra garbage.

lol yea im kinda an obsessive compulsive when it comes to my cardio and being lean. I keep trying to convince myself its ok to eat big and as soon as i do i say ok time for more cardio. Its a fucking head game with me.

For the record at 4.5 - 4.8 my heart rate never gets above 130 and i normally hit 130 right at about the 65-75 minute mark, when i hit it i normally go another 5 minutes and call it a day.

I agree about dropping the weight, regardless of how he does it, its going to make a difference in not only his appearance but in his stamina and fitness.

Scott,

On a separate note, See a doctor just to be on the safe side. Dont fuck around with your heart. I had acid reflux and didn't even know it, had absolutely zero symptoms other than the shortness of breath and heart palpitations. Only found out it was that after dropping the caffeine and taking nexium for a week and the shortness of breath went away. The doc said excessive exercise causes it too but i wasn't about to stop.

 

[RJ]

lol yea im kinda an obsessive compulsive when it comes to my cardio and being lean. I keep trying to convince myself its ok to eat big and as soon as i do i say ok time for more cardio. Its a fucking head game with me.

For the record at 4.5 - 4.8 my heart rate never gets above 130 and i normally hit 130 right at about the 65-75 minute mark, when i hit it i normally go another 5 minutes and call it a day.

I agree about dropping the weight, regardless of how he does it, its going to make a difference in not only his appearance but in his stamina and fitness.

Scott,

On a separate note, See a doctor just to be on the safe side. Dont fuck around with your heart. I had acid reflux and didn't even know it, had absolutely zero symptoms other than the shortness of breath and heart palpitations. Only found out it was that after dropping the caffeine and taking nexium for a week and the shortness of breath went away. The doc said excessive exercise causes it too but i wasn't about to stop.

i feel ya man. I'm just the opposite. As soon as i say I'm gonna get lean as fuck... I eat a double angus cheeseburger and some tater tots, and get under 405lbs on the bench and i suddenly think its ok to have a little weight around my midsection.