Q:
I don’t have a show coming up anytime soon so I have been skipping cardio now for almost 2 months. I go in and do an hour of hard weight training because that’s what I enjoy and I’m finding that my body looks as good if not better than when I was doing cardio and weight training combined. I suspect this is because it’s much easier to maintain than create but if so, I’m wondering how come you don’t bail on cardio all together yourself?
A: WOW, great question! You bring up a very interesting topic! First of all, you are listening to your heart and body and therefore seeing the response you are creating as your body is responding well! Now that you don’t have to kill yourself with cardio and I am sure have more food in your system, i.e. more glycogen stores, you are able to kill it with awesome workouts. Not only are you getting more out of your weight training workouts but I am sure you are enjoying them so much more because you have the energy, mentally and physically to push yourself. You are burning crazy calories during your weight training that you are able to get away with less cardio. I never suggest NO cardio because it is good to still get in the habit of doing it. Not only to keep your metabolism up but your heart healthy. You do not need to do crazy amounts but maybe 20-40 minutes 4-5 dimes a week. For someone like you who is staying in better shape and getting away with NONE, you may want to just do 3 20 minute sessions. Have fun with your cardio, like you are your training. It is amazing and something to think about… my thoughts are this.
– who says you need to do so much cardio pre contest? Is it because that is what everyone else does?
-everyone is different and every body is different!! You may be one that doesn’t need as much!
– If you keep yourself in great shape, year round, why should you have to kill yourself with cardio pre contest?
-low calories and high cardio only makes your energy levels low and your workouts poor!
– Think about it, when you are pre contest and doing endless amounts of cardio, who has the energy for an awesome weight training workout!??
– Maybe something to consider, as you are learning your body, that you don’t need that much cardio pre contest!
It kills me how many people push their cardio because that is what they think they have to do.
-Why does someone who stays close to their contest weight doing the same amount of cardio as one who has 20-30 lbs to lose?
I am a firm believer in cardio pre contest to get in the very best shape possible but not everyone has to do 2 hours a day! you definitely need to increase cardio throughout your prep but learn your body, what is too much and what is not enough. My suggestion is to pretend like you have a show on a certain day and do a trial pre contest run, to see what you can and cannot get away with! It is amazing to learn your body and maybe you find out that you were doing way too much cardio in your previous preps.
Something to consider!!
1/2 the time we do so much cardio that we don’t have the energy for workouts therefore go 1/2 a** and just try to get through them. We also don’t have the energy to push our cardio, since we are doing so much, so we just get through the cardio for minutes. What about having the energy and doing less cardio and having better workouts! You have the energy to push yourself harder, i.e. burning more calories and having more fun because you are not dragging throughout your cardio or training session!
On another note,
The biggest thing you are experiencing is the freedom of no stress. Often when we are in prep for a show, we have this unconscious stress that we have to get to a certain place, look a certain way, have a time frame and put unnecessary stress and pressure on our plates! when we do not have the stress of a show, it is amazing how well our bodies respond!! Cortisol is a huge factor in our success. When we are under stress and cortisol levels rise, our bodies hold on and don’t respond! When you eliminate cortisol, it is amazing how your body responds! When we are under stress (unconscious or conscious) our bodies do not respond so we push ourselves with more and more cardio to get a response but still the fat does not melt away! Take away the stress, do less cardio and look how your body responds! It is quite amazing, isn’t it! You are experiencing the beauty of living the lifestyle! Sometimes a contest prep only adds pressure that is unnecessary and actually mentally and physically keeps you from reaching your ultimate goals! Something to think about…
I am so proud and excited for you as you are learning more about yourself but more than anything, learning key factors that will continually help you with your fitness goals!
Thanks for your question and hope that helps! 🙂
-G