Will cardio make me lose strength?

LoudHoward · 06-19-2005, 01:25 PM

Well lately I have been doing 5 reps for 5 sets for pretty much all my exercises and I am very happy with my strength gains. However, I haven't stuck to my diet at all so I have become a fatty :pissed: So I am going to start doing a lot of cardio and I was wondering if cardio will interfere with my strength, especially in my legs.

Has anyone experienced cardio having a negative impact on strength? I'm not talking about hypertrophy, only strength.

StayBig · 06-19-2005, 02:47 PM

No I haven't experienced a loss of strength, but yes I have experienced hypertrophy, but I'm sure if you go too far that hypertrophy will obviously lead to strength loss as well. I can tell you more about this subject, but others will wanna bitch at me for it, so if you wan't some good advice give me a PM.

Gumby51cm · 06-19-2005, 02:58 PM

yeah, i woulndt to cardio that is too intense. stick with walking at a brisk pace for no more then an hour a day. if you cant hold a conversation with someone then your cardio is too intense.

Ironslave · 06-19-2005, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StayBig

No I haven't experienced a loss of strength, but yes I have experienced hypertrophy, but I'm sure if you go too far that hypertrophy will obviously lead to strength loss as well. I can tell you more about this subject, but others will wanna bitch at me for it, so if you wan't some good advice give me a PM.

how will hypertrophy "obviously" lead to a loss of strength? People will disagree with you because it is wrong. in fact, muscle cross sectional area is absolutely related to strength.

To anwer the original question, it depends. If you are doing low intensity cardio, then probably not. But if you are doing intense high intensity cardio for prolonged periods, chances are it will. You will deplete your muscle glycogen levels, which play a big factor in strength. When i am bulking i always do cardio at least twice a week, usually 1 higher intensity (I play lacrosse) and 1-2 lower intensity.

StayBig · 06-19-2005, 03:31 PM

I appologize sincerely, I thought he said "atrophy" I mean vice versa of what I said, thanks for pointing that out HDogg

SmallButGettingThere · 06-19-2005, 07:02 PM

I like doing more intense cardio. I try to do 30 minutes a day of riding on my road bike. I make sure to keep my legs moving entire time. If anythign I think it's making me have more energy and translated into more weight at the gym. Keep up the cardio though I have the same problem with the weight. Don't be disapointed if you don't see results fast cause it takes a long time to burn off.

Q80_MuscleHed · 06-20-2005, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdogg345

how will hypertrophy "obviously" lead to a loss of strength? People will disagree with you because it is wrong. in fact, muscle cross sectional area is absolutely related to strength.

To anwer the original question, it depends. If you are doing low intensity cardio, then probably not. But if you are doing intense high intensity cardio for prolonged periods, chances are it will. You will deplete your muscle glycogen levels, which play a big factor in strength. When i am bulking i always do cardio at least twice a week, usually 1 higher intensity (I play lacrosse) and 1-2 lower intensity.

agree with hddogs .. and i'm on diet right now .. and i'm doing low intensity .. my wieghts dropped a little bit .. like for example, i was doing 120 kg bench in bulk phase .. now i'm doing 110 kg

slyizlegend · 06-20-2005, 06:48 AM

Howard, no one can tell you if you will notice a negative impact on your strenght. You say you have become a little bit fat, so the logic is to reduce your caloric intake so that you will lose the fat while doing the cardio work. So it is quiet possible that you lose some power.

But on the other hand, I am a guy who is able to build muscle very quick, but I also lose it very quickly. And I CAN'T get fat. I was a skinny, good muscled kid a few years ago before I began working out. If I don't eat right, and don't sleap right I lose muscle tissue VERY quickly. So 2 months ago I began with some boxing training 2 times a week which includes: running, skipping, punching, slipping and so forth. This is the most exhausting cardio training one can imagine. So I was VERY affraid that I might lose some strenght and muscle. But the good thing is, I didn't lose ANY muscle tissue and I still make VERY good gains in strenght since those 2 months.

So it's very hard to tell how your body is gonna react. Especially if you gonna eat less calories. I never reduced my calories.