Each summer I cut down about 15 lbs. Problem is I my arm size always seems to go with my weight loss. I do cardio in the morning right when I wake up. I always have read cardio is most effective first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Of course this goes against all teachings of maintaining your muscle by breaking your night time fast with some protein first thing. What do you guys do and how to you avoid the muscle loss associated with the cut?

If it works for pros, it works for normal people too.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bobchic3.htm

slowly cut calories, don't do anything drastic if you wanna preserve muscle.

20 mins of moderate cardio on an empty stomach will not atrophize your musculature. you're burining mostly glycogen until you raise your heartrate up to around 75% of your "Target".

i keep it under 30 mins, moderate pace on the stationary bike. just dont go running a marathon and you'll be fine.

Thanks for the link Vaporize. It was a good informative read.

Thanks for the reply Jay. I think I have gone a little too hard on the cardio in the past and am trying to lighten it up this summer to maintain what I worked for.

so just to make sure 20mins of HIT in the morning on an empty stomach is fine right? i do like 2 min sprints, 1 min rest

ephedrine is anti-catabolic and supplementing with glutamine and more importantly leucine will assist


there is another method as well.. metabolism slows down towards the evening and night.. doing your cardio then will rev up your metabolism at a time when it dips

Cardio first thing in the morn. i think i great. I do a 20-25 min. slow jog and it works great. Be sure to get in a good breakfast ASAP after.

i take in some bulk bcaa prior to cardio when i do it in the morning or in the afternoon about 2-2 and half hours after eating anything and I do HIIT on the treadmill and has worked well for me followed by some abs and stretching

It doesn't matter when you do it, or whether or not you've ate or not. Total calories burned throughout the day, vs total calories consumes is all that matters

Morning cardio is the best cause you can burn more fat than glycogen, it is a fact. Most calories were burned while you were sleeping. Take 5 to 10 grams of BCAAs right before and you will preserve muscle. If you just take leucine alone you will get an imbalance of aminos so take BCAAs. I would like to see scientific studies on how ephedrine is anti-catabolic because i never heard of that, I hear it can break down muscle before preserve it.

You also burn more muscle to. The notion that cardio on an empty stomach burns more total fat is a myth. The big picture is what matters. Don't believe me, look it up.

if caloric deficit is the only thing that matters, wouldn't just eating a little less and not even doing cardio be just as good then?

One can get plenty lean with no cardio at all. Arnold was famous for not really doing cardio, so was Franco Columbo. The point is, the extra increase at that moment in fat oxidation is miniscule, and doesn't make any difference. How many total calories you burn, versus how many you consume is the main difference.

yeah but cardio helps keep metabolism revved up, a person who just diets will be put at a disadvantage because there metabolism will slow down to adjust to the amount of calories your eating

Thats why you get people who eat 1500 calories a day but still can't drop fat

i agree though that time of the day is less important than just making sure you do it at sometime during the day

shit i'v read studies that say people who workout at night gain more muscle and lose more fat than pple that train in the morning... but doesn't mean i neccessarily believe it

i tried once doing cardio in morning on empty stomach for two months did not notice one single difference no weight loss ect.

If you are going to do cardio in the morning take BCAA+L Glutamine supplement before and during the cardio then eat your first meal of the day as soon as you are done.

The article was a good read!!! I guess I'm doing treadmil 3mph with 3 on the incline for 45 min. I use to use eliptical but its just i get sooo caught up in some Hardcore tunes, i get pumped at smash it and end up sprinting !!! But I did the 45min cardio today and needless to say it actually felt good and I also had a sweat going and a burn, great stuff. I'm doing this for a couple of weeks to see any progress. But overall it makes sense.

the total caloric deficit is a debated topic. in a sense both work i guess. It just seems more practical for me personally to perform cardio in the am.

But i think skipping cardio all together in place of just a caloric deficit isnt a great idea.

The theory is that when a bodybuilder increases his cardiovascular capacity, he then increases the diameter of his blood vessels...strengthening them, branching them out etc.

The increase in blood vessel strength and the new network of blood vessels will benefit the bodybuilder as more nutrients, O2, waste etc can be shuttled into and out of the muscle. that seems to make sense.

and yes, ephedrine will help to preserve muscle tissue while dieting because i believe it helps shift you into a more positive nitrogen balance. the data is out there to back it up....whats a google?

You need to cut slowly. I eat before I do cardio in the morning but just a quick shake.
Personally HIIT is the way to go. You only need 15min max