Cardio tolerance

[Reaper47]

Hello

I am a avid lifter with a sound base knowledge,and have a ten plus years experience in the fitness industry.I was wondering if anyone has experienced long term plateaus in fat loss and or cardiovascular fitness through doing too much cardio?,I engage in HIIT cardio 4-5 times per week at 45mins per session then sometimes an extra session on weekends.Always prior to lifting and my schedule is based on working a 9 day split in which all body parts are worked once

Sometimes i have a tendency to get into a more is better mindset and lengthen sessions for up to two hours, i do not experience muscle loss so to speak as i eat very well but am having trouble getting really hard and vascular (ripped)whereas it used to be a lot easier now i have to really go into deficit and hammer the cardio.

I have been told to ramp up the calories again (maintenance or slightly above) and stop cardio for 1-2 weeks altogether in order to reset my metabolism i eat really clean and hardly ever cheat,try to stick to the bodybuilding staples.Any thoughts experience?I am scared to do this as i have worked extremely hard to attain this level of fitness and conditioning but am willing to try anything.My stats are 27 year old man 5 11" 78kg at 11%.

[Pseudonym]

Hi Reaper. Good question!

I wouldn't have thought you could build up a "tolerance" to cardio. But maybe being fitter means you work more efficiently and burn fewer calories? Hmm.. Maybe others can shed some light on this? :think:

[PeterDolan]

Basically, your body gets used to doing a certain workload so doesn't need to use as many calories to get the job done

[mike27]

your tolerance does build up to cardio

i just recently (3 weeks ago) finished a 9 week cut and from when i first started my cut until 9 weeks later.... my cardio was far easier.

thats what you need to keep pushing yourself to make it harder

such as run on a incline on the treadmill instead of flat, or do sprints, or crank up the resistence on the spin bike etc etc

good to take a week off from the cardio and then come back to it again. also switch up what cardio machines you use. keep making it more challenging and harder

do a 2000m row on the hardest setting and then do some running for example on an incline.

walk on the treadie as fast as u can without running or jogging, also on a ridiculus incline :grin:

do a light weight circuit of diff exercises with none or little rest

[teamfatboy]

I'm not sure that "tolerance" is the right way to think about it... while it is, to an extent, about calories in versus calories out, isn't it as much about training your CV system (lungs, heart etc) and in particular the muscle which powers it, the heart?

It's just another muscle, and as you do cardio, you train it and it responds to that training. Doing the same sort of cardio is just like always doing the same rep range - every now and again you have to mix it up by going faster, or for longer, or intervals.

How does this relate to OP's question about fatburning...

if the heart muscle doesn't have to work as hard, because the CV system is more effective at pushing oxygen around, less energy will be required, yes?

Comparing the heart to biceps - if all you ever did was 3x 12x 20kg bb curls, would you not expect it to get easier over time? Sure you would, and you'd expect to raise the weight. Same with the heart, surely ?

So, shock the system by mixing it up, and varying RPE/ duration/ load

[PeterDolan]

Also, when in a calorie deficiet, hormone levels can take a dive, hormones important to fat metabolisation. So take a week of the deficiet, clean as possible, then get back in to it

[Cameron_R]

your tolerance does build up to cardio

It's called getting fit

[mike27]

for sure

[train hard]

increase your daily calories for a week by 500 to 700 cals and take in lots of healthy fats (EFAs) that should kick your fat burning hormones back into gear and get you metabolism up again i think thats the problem not cardio tolerance i do the same boring cardio year after year at 6 ks on an incline and never built up a tolerance

[cantygirl]

Good question. I think this applies to all facets of training, even nutrition. For myself personally, when I compete I gradually increase the cardio workouts and intensity each fortnight and sometimes like has been said, throw in some high intensity intervals. Similar to nutrition, if you eat the same low fat low carb diet, you need to throw in a high carb junk meal to really shake things up. I mean you see the same people week in week out training hard out on cardio for lengthy sessions getting nowhere. Its like a drug, you want to change but your afraid to come off the cardio in case you put weight on. You've got to take time off, allow your muscles complete recovery and you will be the better for it.

[Reaper47]

Thank you all for your replies,cantygirl i appreciate your input fitness to me is a drug so to speak as i am a recovering drug addict two and a half years off the gear.Its so hard too lose the more is better mindset and stop working out altogether and let myself heal and recover.

In the past i have bulked up to 95-100kgs and made sick gains in size and strength but eventually one has to diet down again and losing 15-18kgs is a nightmare that i dont really want to keep repeating,and with that off course you end up smoking the muscle you fought so hard to gain.

So i now stay 5-7kgs over contest weight and it makes for much less drama as i can be contest ready in 12-16 weeks dial in slowly with plenty of carbs left in their and lose f*ck all muscle,then hit the rebound after contest and bulk to 10-12% again and repeat.This being said i am obsessive compulsive to the max and a perfectionist when im in top shape i don't want to let it go because psychologically i think that ill end up back where i started,not to mention i love the complements and attention i get from others when im shredded.

Bodybuilding is a marathon not a sprint and youve gotta eventually give the C.N.S a break or you burn out,but because i love the sport so much and get such a "high" from the pump i usually end up only taking a rest either if i f*ck myself up (injured) or get sick or am physically to tired to move.

Thanks all and keep killing it in the gym.

[cantygirl]

Hi Reaper47, I think you'd be amazed at how many other competitors are in the same boat. Like you say, to stay within reach of your shredded weight certainly makes for a more even process cardio/dieting. You seem to have it all under control. This year I am determined to stay only 5kg up from my contest weight. I am such a foody that I am stilll addicted to my bathroom scales daily to make sure that I don't get too carried away. So far so good however, I know that come Christmas I will need to watch my portions. Anyway, one way or another, we all have demons.

[teamfatboy]

Hi Reaper47, I think you'd be amazed at how many other competitors are in the same boat. Anyway, one way or another, we all have demons.

True, that!