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Ok. Well let me ask this then. I keep hearing that cardio burns body fat while you're doing it and muscle mass burns fat all the time. So it sounds as if both are equally important. So how does one have both?
I don't necessarly have to be a Lou Ferrigno, don't think I could ever get that big....but a toned down body that can run faster than my current 13 minute 1.5 mile time would be nice.
You should do cardio work at least a few times a week. You should do strength training every other day allowing your muscles to recuperate on off days. Once in a while you should probably take more than one day off too... your body will tell you when it needs the rest, listen to it.
Indeed as a thin guy you are not going to pack on the pounds as quickly as someone laden with a lot of body fat simply because it is easier to turn fat in muscle than to add muscle without much fat. That stated, you will make gains if you try to make them. You will sculpt your body in the way you want if you educate yourself to do the right exercises properly. Good luck :-)
Great/informative thread up to your post. Seriously, I don't mean to offend you, but I do think the thought you are imparting above is old school and proven without a doubt to no longer be valid.
Weight lifting didn't slow down or otherwise hurt Bruce Lee's legendary speed and fighting ability (it enhanced it). It also hasn't hurt any of the hundreds of thousands of athletes over the last 20 years who have broken and re-broken countless athletic records in every sport since incorporating weight training into their workout regimen.
I'd like to add that you are using professional athletes as an example here which really does not apply to the average guy with a job, family, other responsibilities....
So is it possible to be able to train the cardio system, and be fast but also weight-lift and be big and muscular? Yes-theoretically and as you point out many professional athletes do that...mainly because professional athletics is their job.
For many of us weekend warriors, life responsibility prevent us from working out all day. The number of hours dedicated to exercise is limited and therefore we usually either: A. have to choose how we exercise/train or (run OR lift) B. split our time between cardio and weights and realize that we won't realize our potential in either (jack of all trades, master of none).
I'd have to agree that you can't have it all if you are the average, recreational athlete and you want to be at the very tip-top of your game in BOTH speed and muscle/strength. Can find a happy-medium between the two? Absolutely.
Weight lifting didn't slow down or otherwise hurt Bruce Lee's legendary speed and fighting ability (it enhanced it). It also hasn't hurt any of the hundreds of thousands of athletes over the last 20 years who have broken and re-broken countless athletic records in every sport since incorporating weight training into their workout regimen.
I disagree with you on this. Bruce's goal was to be as strong as possible while still being as small as possible as well. He understood that large muscles (especially biceps and pecs) were counter productive to his core martial art of Wing Chun which was essentially the backbone of his Jeet Kun Do. While he did lift weights, his primary goal was speed first, then power second. Lot of his power resulting from his isometric exercises (like standing in a doorway and pushing against the walls.
He did NOT have big bulky muscles but instead was cut. Only really large muscles he had were his lats (Thomas Hearns had those too) but overall he was a thin guy.
As a martial arts instructor, fighter and bodyguard, I agree with and think more along the lines of what Huckleberry mentioned that speed and power IS superior to bulk and size.
Ok. Well let me ask this then. I keep hearing that cardio burns body fat while you're doing it and muscle mass burns fat all the time. So it sounds as if both are equally important. So how does one have both?
I don't necessarly have to be a Lou Ferrigno, don't think I could ever get that big....but a toned down body that can run faster than my current 13 minute 1.5 mile time would be nice.
Dude, all your posts say "I keep hearing.....", "Ive been told....." or "People tell me........." etc. and the advice we give you here on CD never seems to stick because you come up with the same old questions all the time and never seem to fully understand what we are saying and you never seem to fully understand or even know what you want out of working out/getting healthy.
My advice to you is to:
1. Sign up at a gym and schedule a pvt trainer once a week.
2. Get a subscription to Muscle and Fitness and Mens Health.
3. Figure out what it is you want and heed the advice given to you.
If you are training with weights in order to build size, then any other activity you perform will be stealing calories from the muscles you are trying to build and repair. So your progress will be slowed down if you are going for a Mr. Olympia physique, however running will not prevent you from building muscle.
Cardio burn CALORIES. Calories are just a way of measuring energy units. Where it takes those "energy units" from can be food, fat or muscle. High intensity activity like running will burn fat and lean tissue per "energy unit" IF you are on a calorie deficit. Low intensity activity burns more fat per "energy unit" expended IF you are on a calorie deficit.
It is all about calories. You need to have a surplus to build muscle, and a deficit to lose weight. Running will burn calories, so if you are looking to run, and build muscle, make sure you are paying attention to your calorie intake. And if you are running, and lifting, you are gonna be burning alot so you will need lots of food. Not just any food, as you can still get fat running and lifting if you eat enough of the wrong stuff and the intensity is not there
I have tried both at once and always have trouble. I am big (250) so jogging is rough on me, but I like the way I feel when I am done. I shred fat pretty quick, and have a lot more energy. But my lifting goes down the toilet because the jogging takes so much outta me. But if I lift I am usually too sore to run most days. It is hard, when you don't have the time, to train both efficiently.
You need to decide why you want both. I jog strictly to get that calorie deficit and get my heart pumping, and do it in a relatively short time. I lift to get big, and I don't care if I can walk a mile, let alone run it My primary goal is size but I kinda like the idea of having a healthy heart. But there are other alternatives to cardio...Lifting
I have been laying off the jogging for a while (foot problems) and turning up the intensity on my lifts while eating a little cleaner
You can get your cardio from lifting if done properly.
There is lots of stuff on the web, and plenty of medical stuff floating around on this that you could spend the next few years reading it and never finish it all.
Everyone is different so try some things. Age, body type, lifestyle, genetics, etc all play a part so what works for one will not work for another.
You are better off searching other boards. If you are healthy, and determined, try crossfit training. I wouldn't, but then I am not training for anything. For running try runnersworld or cool running. For lifting try bodybuilding.com
Great/informative thread up to your post. Seriously, I don't mean to offend you, but I do think the thought you are imparting above is old school and proven without a doubt to no longer be valid.
Weight lifting didn't slow down or otherwise hurt Bruce Lee's legendary speed and fighting ability (it enhanced it). It also hasn't hurt any of the hundreds of thousands of athletes over the last 20 years who have broken and re-broken countless athletic records in every sport since incorporating weight training into their workout regimen.
forgive the old school but had a close family member who was a golden gloves champion, everything he said turned out to be very true . i respectfully disagree, speed and fluid movement is superior to goon power. the teenagers i compete with (im 61) are painfully aware of this fact. as we grow older this becomes more true not less.
I've been told that when you run, your body looks for ways to make itself lighter, meaning it not only burns off fat but also trying to build muscle by weight lifting and such is decreased.
Is there any truth to this?
Thanks!
The answer is: Maybe there is a little truth to your question. When you run, your body begins burning, in order, electrolytes, then simple carbohydrates, and then complex carbohydrates. It's only as a last resort that your body begins burning muscle mass in order to provide fuel. And when and if this stage even occurs depends on your fitness and nutrition level. For example, as a regular runner, who carbo-loads properly before long runs, I can run, say a half-marathon--13 miles--easily, before I have to start worrying about losing muscle mass. But even a casual runner who runs maybe 5-7 miles a week and doesn't bother to carbo-load (there is no need to) won't begin burning muscle mass on a run until, oh, perhaps the 5 or 6 mile distance.
The answer is: Maybe there is a little truth to your question. When you run, your body begins burning, in order, electrolytes, then simple carbohydrates, and then complex carbohydrates. It's only as a last resort that your body begins burning muscle mass in order to provide fuel. And when and if this stage even occurs depends on your fitness and nutrition level. For example, as a regular runner, who carbo-loads properly before long runs, I can run, say a half-marathon--13 miles--easily, before I have to start worrying about losing muscle mass. But even a casual runner who runs maybe 5-7 miles a week and doesn't bother to carbo-load (there is no need to) won't begin burning muscle mass on a run until, oh, perhaps the 5 or 6 mile distance.
You might want to revisit your exercise physiology! First off, you forgot to mention that fat reserves are critical to endurance exercise. A typical person typically carries 20,000-30,000 calories worth of fat with them, enough to do maybe 10-12 marathons (back to back)!
You are correct that carbohydrates are the preferred fuel for exercise, but during sustained aerobic exercise your burns a mixture carbs and fat. As such, almost no protein catabolism occurs unless under the most extreme circumstances. Certainly not after 5-6 miles of running and probably not after 13 miles of running. IIRC, protein catabolism only occurs in response to stress hormones secretion and your body has to be in a pretty bad place when that happens.
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My primary goal is size but I kinda like the idea of having a healthy heart. But there are other alternatives to cardio...Lifting 
