Cardio days off

[badcar]

We all know days off are essential for muscle building-wot about cardio?

I've been running 5 km a day (treadmill-old knees- 25 minutes)and while I don't get the recovery pain like from lifting weights, should I still be taking a break/day off?

Or do we just do that to grow muscle from weights and cardio is the exception if it's not enough to really strain the muscles?

[runveerun]

We all know days off are essential for muscle building-wot about cardio?

I've been running 5 km a day (treadmill-old knees- 25 minutes)and while I don't get the recovery pain like from lifting weights, should I still be taking a break/day off?

Or do we just do that to grow muscle from weights and cardio is the exception if it's not enough to really strain the muscles?

Um your running 5km a day 7 days a week? What are your goals?

[badcar]

Well, I could afford to lose a few kilos (maybe 5 more) and it seems the more I stress my lungs- cardio wise the better my asthma is. About 6 years ago I got really fit and my lifetime asthma completely disapeared for 6 months, thought I would test the theory again and it is definately working.

I'm actually running 5 days a week and doing a boxing cardio class the other two. Also doing weights 4 times a week but obviously not as intensely as others here are.

Goals? lose a few more kg, see if there's any muscle to define and not lose it all, increase cardio capacity and not fly to bits in the process (I'm 43)

[runveerun]

Good on you for curing your asthma! Well if it's working for you I would keep it up! I have done alot of cardio in the past, I ran the Auckland marathon for the last 2 years and I found that it interfered with muscle gains in fact the two sports contradict themselves so I have totally given up cardio to see what happens! You know diet is just as important if your trying to lose fat too hows your diet?

[teamfatboy]

My 2c worth, it depends on the intensity. If you look at runners, for example, the further they run, the less muscular they tend to be, because for a marathoner's goal, carrying excess muscle's counter productive, when compared with a sprinter.

But that's not the same as saying "can cardio build muscle?". If you define cardio as endless-reps (running 5k as five-thousand-strides) for example, the fact that you can do it, when compared with eg five sets of ten squats, suggests that the system getting the most stress is the cardio-vascular one, not the muscles themselves.

Cardio can really help expose muscle by stripping fat, especially if the other variable, diet (like Vee says) is properly managed. But if food intake and timing aren't managed, cardio can ensure you end up smaller, but at the same %bf...

You'd likely achieve your goals with running and boxing - and well done for beating the asthma, that's awesome ! - but you might find that a weights session would add variety, and help retain muscle, esp for us "more experienced" folks :grin:

[badcar]

The cardio has built up from 2km a time and I like it because it's cool to hit an endurance rather than an asthma wall which was always the norm for me.

The losing some fat is a nice bonus, my diet is relatively good apart from the beer/wine component but I'm not looking to get ripped anyway.

I was hoping 5 k was a medium sort of run without stripping lots of muscle and I'll still be working the weights.

Guess I'd keep going until I look like I'm burning too much of my limited muscle supply or it starts hurting.

[frogie2001]

My opinion is that amount of carido is fine if you want to lean up. depends on your diet, and of course your calorie burn during weight days (intensity levels etc). personally I wouldn't do that much cardio instead alter the diet so the body can use the energy to build / maintain muscle