May 7, 2012 • In
Training • by
Vanessa Tib
I am constantly being asked “How much cardio do you do?”. So, I thought it would be best to write it here to make it easier for people to refer to.
I have been consistently training and eating healthy since April 2009. When I first started training I used to do cardio 3x a week for 30-45 mins. I like to switch it up and split my time between running on the threadmill, biking, or on the elliptical machine. I have always liked to perform cardio after weight training. I find that I’m strongest at the begining of my workouts, hence I save most my energy for weight training which is really my passion and leave cardio for last.
Currently my main focus is to maintain my low body fat percentage while at the same time adding lean mass to my physique. This is one of the reasons I like to limit my cardio time to no more than 30 minutes 3x a week. And, as I previously mentioned, I usually leave it for the end of my workouts, after resistance training.
I have found the this works best for my body type and for the look I am trying to achieve. This does not mean it has to be the same way for everyone else. I currently don’t need to lose any extra weight, but someone with different goals than mine, might need to add more or less cardio to their training routine. You must listen to your body and adjust your workouts and most importantly your diet accordingly to achieve whatever your goals may be.
I have never been much of a fan of cardiovascular training. But, in the summer months I do enjoy being outdoors and take advantage of the good weather by going for a quick run or to climb some stairs. But I mainly do it for the enjoyment of taking in the fresh air rather than for the cardio itself. I don’t knock it though; you have to do what you love and what makes you happy. If you are a runner good for you, but remember to also incorporate some weight training into your routine to build those muscles and get that tight, toned and defined physique so many desire.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great way to burn extra calories and fat. It has been shown that doing HIIT instead of low intensity cardio, helps burn more fat. It speeds up your metabolism, which in turn, helps your body burn more calories throughout the day even when you are not training. HIIT can be perform in many different ways e.g, on the elliptical machine, on a bike, jumping rope, or outdoors sprinting. If I want to lean down a bit more for a project or a photoshoot, I prefer this type of training instead of steady-paced cardio and only perform HIIT 3x a week. On the treadmill I like to do 45 seconds of slow walking and then 45 seconds of as-fast-as-I can sprints, then back to 45 seconds of slow paced walking. I repeat this until I reach about 15 mins total. HIIT can be very taxing on your body and you must pay attention to not over do it. If so, you run the risk of burning muscle mass to fuel your workouts. My suggestion for those wanting to lose extra weight, would be to perform HIIT 3x a week for no more than 20 mins each time, and continue doing steady paced cardio the other days of the week but, remember no matter how much cardio you do or how hard you train, if you don’t clean up your diet your hard work will not show. Diet is key in obtaining a healthy and fit physique and weight training it’s what takes your body to the next level.
I wish you all good Luck with your fitness goals, be patient, consistent and stay at it!!! :)
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Hey Vanessa. So excited about your website. I follow you on fb. Congrats! Well, im currently 133lbs and trying to get somewhere in between 120 and 123. I’m skinny fat with a goal of competing sometime within 12 months. How much cardio should I do to lose fat? I workout 5 days a week on average and mostly weight train. Hate cardio but I know it’s needed. Please let me know what you think is best to drop some weight. Thanks!
Thanks Jodi,
I would suggest a half hour of HITT twice a week and low to medium intensity cardio training two to three times a week for half an hour or more.
This being said, your weight and desired weight are really not enough information to know exactly what cardio training your body will adapt to best. You are really going to have to take into account your diet, metabolism, etc. I would suggest starting light and increase as time goes on to let you body adjust, and remember the more cardio you are doing the more you are possibly going to be burning that precious muscle as well.
Also remember, weight is not going to be a good indicator to know whether you are reaching your goals or not. Muscle weighs more than fat and since you are spending a lot of time resistance training you may not notice the desired weight changes. Make sure to take into account your BMI.
Good Luck Girlie!
Muscle weighs more than fat ??? A pound is a pound right? (-: I am gathering you meant that a pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle. Fat is bulky and lumpy so if you carry an extra five pounds of fat, you’ll be lumpier than with five pounds more muscle.
So Jodi – as an example, a woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller. (-:
People usually say that muscles weight more than fat because muscle is more dense than fat.. but, yes a pound is a pound…
Hey Vanessa…You are such an inspiration for me!!!! I weight 114 lbs. and i want to achieve your goal about 105lbs.Two months ago that i measured mytself i had19% fat .I am 5’2. I workout 3 times a week weight train, being followed by 30min cardio.But i cannot lose fat,especially from my abs.I donnt wanna gain more muscle.As for my nutrition I have been following your programm that I have seen in one of your interviews! What am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
Thanks Elektra,
I would suggest, if your diet is clean, that you should increase the intensity and amount of your training. I train 5 times a week for 1.5 to 2 hours. Keep at it, some people take longer to respond than others.
All the best.
V
I agree with Vanessa, this is more than likely your diet. I struggled with a client for EVER! She was trying to out-train her diet. Finally I got her to eat clean for 10 days no cheating…she lost 4lbs and felt sooo much better! Abs really are made in kitchen, there is no denying that. Good luck!!
I’m currently 190 just had ababy and really want to shed fat how much cardio are u thinking. For me since I am no where near where I want to be
Candi,
Please before beginning any type of program, first consult your doctor to find out the level of physical activity that is appropriate for you.
I recommend making small incremental changes to your daily life. Perhaps start by going for a half hour walk around you neighbourhood after dinner. As you feel that you can take on more of a challenge increase the time to an hour, then perhaps more than once a day, then a light jog, etc, etc.
Play a game with yourself, try to do better each time, even if it is just a little better. Before you know it, you will be going for long runs and getting in better and better shape and enjoying it.
Know you limits, listen to your body, and stay motivated. You can do it. You’ve already taken the first step by asking.
All the best girlie .. XO
You are so amazing. I have a huge goal that I MUST achieve. Perhaps you can help. I just joined a gym, bought supplements from bsm, n.o.xplode, Syntha-6, Volumaize and Lean Dessert Protein Shake mix. My goal is to get a body like yours and compete soon. I am 5’7′ 205 pounds with meduim bone frame. I want to lose 75lbs. But I want to lose fat and build lean sexy muscle just like you. I love to weight train just started and I am addicted. And I am also liking HITT… I train with weight alternating body parts six days a week and I do cardio (HITT) 3 days a week at the end of my weight training…I also have started to eat clean. Should I be doing more cardio?? Am I on the right track?
Thanks Connie,
Good job on setting a goal for yourself. It sounds like you are on the right track, but you have a long road ahead of you and there are no healthy shortcuts. It sounds like you are on the right track. You are training a lot so listen to your body, if it needs a break give it a break as your muscles are going to need time to repair as well. I would recommend not to perform HIIT more than 2-3 times a week as too much high intensity cardio training can break down muscle and joints. Make sure to add in some low intensity cardio. There are formulas you can find online based on you age, weight, and resting heart rate to find the best low intensity heart rate fat burning zone for you. I would suggest HIIT 2-3 days a week, resistance training no more than 5 days a week and low intensity cardio on the days you are not performing HIIT. Other than that, take your time, eat clean, and don’t get discouraged. It is a long road, but one you will never regret. Best of luck!
How much cardio/weight training did you do when you were loosing your extra weight?
When cutting weight I typically follow a similar routine, but lower my carbohydrate intake gradually and increase my cardiovascular training slightly. I have never been much of a runner, you will be surprised at how much fat you can burn with a good resistance training regime.
You are such an inspiration! i saw a post where you encourage everyone who want to lean out, to cut down on sugar, I guess that includes fruits.So , as I have stared cutting fruit out, I feel more dizzy and more lethargic and I have less energy. Sometimes I end up eating more sugar than I need just because i feel like I need it. I do train hard and do a lot cardio. I’m 5’3 ,135 want to drop to 120. any suggestions ? Thank you
Majorie,
You need to listen to your body. If you feel you need something you probably do. Perhaps you are trying to cut things out too quickly. The best way is to make small incremental changes to your diet so that your body can adapt. Please see my latest reply to a few comments that may help you here.
Vanessa, you’re sooo pretty!
I need to ask you something… Is HIIT better than low intensity cardio when it comes to fat burning? I’ve been reading about it and it’s quite controversial! What works better for you?
There is definitely a lot of contoversy on this issue. The main reason for this, I believe, is because low intensity cardio does burn a higher ratio of fat. Meaning, of each calorie burned a greater percentage of that calorie is using fat as it’s energy source than HIIT does. However, it does take a lot longer to burn a calorie during low intensity cardio than high intensity cardio. For example, you may have to walk/jog for an hour to burn the same amount of calories you can but in 20 minutes of HIIT. You might burn more fat as a whole in that hour of low intensity cardio than you would in that 20 minutes of HIIT, but what are your time constraints and your overall goals. Performing HIIT will burn more muscle for energy than lower intensity cardio would, and nobody wants to burn muscle. I recommend a good mixture of both. I recommend performing HIIT NO more than 3 times a week and if you need to perform more cardio than that, make sure it is low intensity cardio.
Thanks “V”. I read you blog on cardiovascular… I currently do 30 minutes of cardiovascular at the end of my weight training 5 days a week. I also drink my protein shake after my main muscle group for that day and before my cardiovascular session. I may try to bump up to 45 minutes of cardio to burn off a few more extra calories… I have a certified trainer friend/buddy who has me trying this Matrix workout to go along with my current routine to keep from hitting plateus. This Matrix is all about “The Big Three”, squats, bench press and deadlifts. It works but extremely time consuming.
Hi Vanessa, I’ve enjoyed following you on facebook for a while now.
Im hoping you can give some advice. I am a competitive kickoxer, I am 6’3, 180lbs hovering somewhere around 10% body fat. My issue is that I would like to gain muscle mass but still continue to train in my high intensity kickboxing sessions (which can go for over two hours) at least 4 times a week.
Do you think its possible to gain muscle mass with this much cardio? I am looking at my diet to increase protein levels and have only just started lifting weights.
Appreciate the feedback!
I would definitely look into your diet. You are burning a high amount of calories by doing that much cardio. I would increase my protein intake, my calories and include more complex carbs as well. Don’t forget your pre-post workout nutrition. It’s very important you refuel as soon as you are done with your training with enough protein to start the muscle building process and prevent further catabolism.
Good luck and stay fit! xo
Awesome info and do TRUE and helpful, the truth shows kn the way you look and it DEF shows that you know what your doing and that you do if well, I truly appreciate you giving your secrets and tips someday I hold to look as awesome as you and help others the way you do, your an inspiration and simply gorgeous, your hard work and dedication shows !!!
Great article, Vanessa! I needed this! I’m lifting 4-5 days a week doing an upper/lower split with plyos in between sets to get my heart rate up and doing 1 day of just cardio. I’m currently following a cyclical ketogenic program and lost 10lbs but since then no progress. I was just talking with my bf yesterday and we were discussing if I should ad in more cardio to help with the fat loss. I think I’m going to try to add in cardio after my lifts this week and see how that goes. Thanks for sharing your cardio routine!
Hi Vanessa! You’re build is my favorite of all fitness models. I’m 5’5″ 139 lbs. lots of muscle and build muscle easily. However I’m trying to lose inches on my waist and get that layer if fat that hides my definition offfff!! I lift heavy and workout 4-6 days a week. What would you recommend cardio wise? I’m working on getting really strict on my diet so that will def help. But I get so much mixed information on cardio because I don’t want to burn off my muscle. : /
Thank you, you’re incredible and I would love to meet you!
April
Hi April,
When trying to trim down I love to incoorporate High Intensity Interval Training into my weight training routine. HIIT has been shown to help in burning more fat and calories than tradional steady-paced cardio. I like to do sprints outdoors or on the threadmill 3x a week for no more than 20 mins. Check out my “How Much Cardio I Currently Do” Blog to read more about this topic..
Good luck with your fitness goals
Vanessa
I absolutely love your website! I am just beginning my journey of building strong, lean muscle and all of your tips are wonderful! All of the information you post is so inspiring and helpful! Thank you!