The notgonnadocardioforamonth experiment

txitalian · Fri, June 3rd, 2005, 01:29 PM

I have a belief that diet and resistance training are way more important factors than cardio when it comes to fat loss. To test this, I am not going to do cardio for 1 month. I started this May 30th and will end it on June 30th. I already log my meals and workouts in my journal, so I will use this thread to post my observations and weekly pictures, which will be taken each Monday.

Diet: cutting cycle
~2400 on lifting days and 2000-2100 on rest days. It usually averages to a 50% carb/35% protein/15% fat macro breakdown.
Workout: A 4 day split using an 8x8 routine for chest/biceps and shoulders/triceps and 6-8 reps for back and legs.

If anyone else wants to jump in, feel free.

Jason

txitalian · Fri, June 3rd, 2005, 01:31 PM

Week 1
Pictures taken 5/30/05
Weight:172lbs

williamso · Fri, June 3rd, 2005, 05:55 PM

Great idea! I am very curious about your results. I'll be watching carefully. Thanks so much.

jlforbess · Mon, June 6th, 2005, 10:21 AM

Interesting!! I'm excited to see how this turns out.

txitalian · Mon, June 6th, 2005, 01:26 PM

Week 2 pictures

Got a little sun yesterday

wh0rume · Mon, June 6th, 2005, 08:37 PM

i'd love to jump in, except i do about 2 hrs of cardio per day, which would probably disqualify me. at least i'm bulking though

best of luck! nice burn. doesnt it suck wearing a shirt over that?

txitalian · Mon, June 6th, 2005, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wh0areume

i'd love to jump in, except i do about 2 hrs of cardio per day, which would probably disqualify me. at least i'm bulking though

best of luck! nice burn. doesnt it suck wearing a shirt over that?

Thanks. 2 hours of cardio per day on a bulk? Damn, I can't imagine how much you are having to eat!

eh, I can wear a shirt without too many problems. It did hurt like hell when I got out of the shower, grabbed a towel and proceded to dry off. Felt like sandpaper. I ended up having to pat dry.

JoeSchmo · Mon, June 6th, 2005, 11:38 PM

This oughtta be interesting...mostly because I freakin' hate doing cardio (I do it anyway though...groan). So, I wish you success in your experiment.

Quote:

2 hours of cardio per day on a bulk? Damn, I can't imagine how much you are having to eat!

Two hours?! Wow, seems really excessive and counterproductive for a bulk. Hell, sounds excessive and counterproductive for a CUT! Tis a good way to get into cardio-vascular shape and build up your endurance though.

Nico · Tue, June 7th, 2005, 11:10 AM

I was reading recently that 90% of sun damage occurs before age 18 and is irreversable.

So you're in the clear since you're way past 18

I'm joining with you on this experiment somewhat because I decided that for the next 60 days I would hold of on official 'cario' but continue to work out at the track running 400's and 800's to train for a mile.

I think one of the advantages to skipping the cardio sessions is that you're allowing your body to recover from the resistance training more effectively without having to overeat.

To me it's something that only a more advanced trainer can try-an overweight person should really be doing a lot of cardio just to condition them for doing a full 8*8 style workout.

Have you tried doing a big set like this for legs? I did some lunges with 20 pound dumbells in each hand, just alternating legs for 8 sets of 10. By the end it was pretty damn intense, like at the end of a 400m race.

Adam and Jess · Tue, June 7th, 2005, 12:18 PM

someone must have watched supersize me! LOL

adam

txitalian · Mon, June 13th, 2005, 05:23 PM

Here are this weeks pics

txitalian · Mon, June 13th, 2005, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nico

Have you tried doing a big set like this for legs? I did some lunges with 20 pound dumbells in each hand, just alternating legs for 8 sets of 10. By the end it was pretty damn intense, like at the end of a 400m race.

Yeah I tried 8x8's for legs a few times and you're right, it sucked. I will sometimes do them for calves, but I personally feel that 8x8's work best on smaller muscles. I think bigger muscles, like quads/hamstrings and back require medium to heavy sets.

Jason

txitalian · Thu, June 23rd, 2005, 11:51 AM

I already posted these in my journal, but in case you missed, here are some pictures from week 4 of no cardio. I took these in my hotel with alot better lighting. The camera I used didn't have a timer, so I couldn't get the back or double bi shots. Hopefully this will help convince some that you can lose fat without slaving away on the treadmill.

Jason

George · Thu, June 23rd, 2005, 05:25 PM

You look amazing, man!

freddyaudiophile · Fri, June 24th, 2005, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George

You look amazing, man!

Hey man...

Looking good! I'm watching your progress here very closely, as I'm doing a HIT routine now and NO cardio. I find that my fat is slowly starting to tighten up a little. Will hopefully have some pics up this weekend...

freddy

#91 · Sat, June 25th, 2005, 04:46 PM

Question - is your weight dropping or is it just the BF%?

awesome progress btw!

txitalian · Sat, June 25th, 2005, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by #91

Question - is your weight dropping or is it just the BF%?

awesome progress btw!

I believe I went from 173lbs to 169lbs during the 4 weeks, which is right wehre I want it.

I haven't had my BF measured in a while, but I can visually tell that's it's lower.

Thanks!