Incorporating Cardio When Bulking?

Bigger Stronger Leaner
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I’ve been working out now since March 2012. I’ve been solely lifting the free weights at home. I’ve taken before and after pics and religiously weigh and measure myself the first of every month. My diet is pretty clean: no drinks with calories except the occasional glass of skim, no sodas this whole year, no caffeine, no candy ice cream or shit like that, no alcohol or drugs for well over a year. I don’t care much for taste, so I will be seen eating weird shit solely for the nutes like boiled eggs mixed with tuna, lettuce, onions, spinach and mustard. I’ve incorporated a lot of greens and veggies and fruits in my diet the last two months.

I found myself at 29 years old pushing 250 and hating life. This was in February 2012. My goal is basically to get laid, look good naked. And maybe compete in athletic events in the area like creek races and obstacle courses. I just want people to look my way and me not to feel ashamed.

I recently got pneumonia (I work in public health) and was sick all of August and most of September. I missed all those workouts, but stuck to my weighing and measuring. I record all of this and all my workouts. I have every workout recorded since 03/2012. I have recently got back into the groove and have been trying to implement some cardio. I basically jog as hard as I can, and sometimes walking is a must, between the two gates on our property. One two-way trip is 3/4 a mile up and down hills on gravel- like a dirt road in the country. These are Arkansas hills, not bullshitting u. I timed myself at 7:28 for the 3/4 mile. Not sure if that is decent bc of the hills or not, but I’m just content on recording it everytime and getting better.

I try to do this right after my weight lifting or on days when I don’t have time to lift.

Any comments or advice here would be crucial and appreciated.

I also have a log I cut out of a tree I axed down a few months ago. It’s about 5ft tall and close To a foot in diameter. It was alive so it’s pretty heavy, but it’s available. Would flipping this help me out?

Results:
March 2012
245 lbs
Chest 48 in (titties)
Belly 50.5
Squat 120 1x4
Deadlift 160 1x4
Military press 90 1x3 reps
BP 120 1x3
I recorded the rest Of my body but won’t bore u with those.

October 2012
219 lbs
Chest 45.5
Belly 46 7/8
Sq 190 3x5
Dl 210 3x5
Mp 120 3x5
BP 130 3x5

You can see I really focused on my legs. The pictures don’t show it though, but the numbers do. I figured if I could build up these bigger muscles, then they would burn more cals of my fat. Or something neat like that.

I’ve switched from my own workout scheme to doing parks 5x5. I’m probably gonna change it up soon. Anyways, can u please give me some advice on where to go from here. I just need an objective view. I’m happy with my results, but know I can so more.
Would u still say I’m in the phase where I can still cut fat AND build muscle? Should I focus on one at this point? If so, I think I should try building as much muscle as possible then worry about what far I will have leftover later. Sound good?

Btw, I really feel like the mp is a stand alone workout. I like doing it by itself rather than as a secondary to the BP. Anyone else feel this way? I do mine standing from off the ground in front of my head. I love them for some reason!!!

Pics: before is march 2012

After is July right before getting sick. Notice has changed. Feeling great and love the info here!!!
Oh I take Flameout and Biotest creatine. I have the gnc brand protein for now bc it was cheap. Will do better in the future!!!

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If your still losing weight at a steady pace (around 1.5 to 2 ish lbs a week) then adding a lot of cardio isn’t going to speed up the process. But, if your goal is to be generally all around healthy (which it appears to be) doing some cardio during the week is good for you. By some I mean start off 3 times a week, maybe 20 minutes of cardio. After a few weeks add 5 minutes. Repeat. Or if your doing the running across your property, every couple weeks go an extra half-way across. The idea is to gradually increase. Don’t worry if the time is “decent”, just worry about trying to improve weekly.

Keep in mind (judging by your numbers/before pic) that if you aren’t used to running much then start running 3-4 times a week at decent distances, especially if you aren’t somewhat light, can cause some knee/ankle pain. So be careful of that, if you want to run go for it but maybe don’t do it 3-4 times a week at first. Do some more joint friendly cardio the other times (such as elliptical, biking, or swimming) then work your way up to running more often.

Your still losing weight while getting stronger. Keep doing that. Your numbers give me the idea that your not that lean yet, though you are on your way. 25 lbs in 7 months, with the sickness and getting stronger, is good progress.

If those lifts are in pounds, then you are still very weak. They should have improved more then that in the 7 months, even with dropping 25 lbs. To be honest, it doesn’t seem like you have a good understanding about weight training yet. Doing reg parks or starting strength (buy the book) would be good for you I think, it will help teach you what it means to push yourself in the weightroom.

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Thanks for the reply. I’m having issues with the photos.

This last year has been very hectic. I’ve got a lot of things going on, like most people, granted. But things are starting to calm down for me. Those are in pounds.

March 11 workouts
April 9 workouts
May 1 workout
June 8 workouts
July 11 workouts
August 2 workouts
Sept 6 workouts
Oct so far4 workouts

Typing this is giving me an understanding of what is going on!

The only issue I have with following those workouts by the book, is they have a lot of workouts for machines and stuff added in. I only have the free weights and no gym membership. Is there a free weight friendly routine? Surely before technology, mfer’s got big on only free weights.

Maybes diet is an issue too. I usually get between 2200 and 2500 a day with about 150g of protein.

I’m am still losing weight at a steady pace for sure. How do I go about learning more about lifting. I want to be healthy, but I also wanna be able to pick up my lady friends and have people be like “oh shit!” When I walk by.

I really thought I was doing good with my progress. I’m very interested in pushing my limits and upping my numbers.

I try to read the info on this site, but it seems a lot of it is conflicting or specialized for this and that. It gets very confusing and overwhelming.

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i can tell a difference in my face fat…lol

Im staying positive, but definitely feel like i hit plateaus and cant make it past them. Not really sure what to do about it.

I’m about 5 foot 11 if that makes any difference…lol Im sure it doesnt

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image of back

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Dude…

  1. Forget most of the stuff you read here. Most of it is geared towards intermediate/advanced bodybuilders and simply doesn’t apply to you.
  2. I don’t see where this thread has anything to do with bulking. Losing weight should be your top priority at least for the next year.
  3. Start Stronglifts 5x5, all you need is a barbell, barbell stands/ a rack + a bench. Do the workouts three times/week. No excuses.
  4. Clean up your diet. Whether this means Paleo, Zone, Vegan… What it boils down to is: eat less than you expend, don’t eat crap, get a MINIMUM of 150g protein per day.

that’s all you need to know for now. get your waist below 40 and your deadlift above 225. Then we’ll start talking about details.

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[quote]nighthawkz wrote:
Dude…

  1. Forget most of the stuff you read here. Most of it is geared towards intermediate/advanced bodybuilders and simply doesn’t apply to you.
  2. I don’t see where this thread has anything to do with bulking. Losing weight should be your top priority at least for the next year.
  3. Start Stronglifts 5x5, all you need is a barbell, barbell stands/ a rack + a bench. Do the workouts three times/week. No excuses.
  4. Clean up your diet. Whether this means Paleo, Zone, Vegan… What it boils down to is: eat less than you expend, don’t eat crap, get a MINIMUM of 150g protein per day.

that’s all you need to know for now. get your waist below 40 and your deadlift above 225. Then we’ll start talking about details.[/quote]

Thank you for your reply.

  1. glad to hear it
  2. It was my hope that I could get my muscles bigger while losing fat since i had so much on still. I didn’t mean to use the word bulking in the thread title. I guess it was the newbie coming out of me. I honestly meant to use the word “building”.
  3. I have a fantastic free weight set that included two barbells, two “curved” curl bars, dumbbells from 10-50, short barbells for custom dumbbells, a bench with leg ext mechanism on the end for LE and Leg Curls, cinder blocks, 2x4s, and a tree rack for the plates. We also just acquired a Weider weight machine…Im not too interested in this except the pulldowns and isolated flies.
  4. My diet is pretty clean already. I will continue to try to improve on this at any rate.

I will definitely look at this Stronglifts 5x5. It shouldnt be hard to trasition from Parks 5x5 since I was basically only doing the 5x5 part of it and not following it.

Your post brings up a point of confusion for me. How am i to focus on losing weight and getting my lifts up? After researching Ripptoe’s from the first replies recommendation and your reply, I am thinking that I will lower my weights somewhat maybe 10% and start adding smaller increments. I was adding 10 lbs to anything and everything I was allowed to move up on whether it be MP, BP, DL, or SQ!!!

Thanks again for your input!!! The past few months havent been a waste IMO, at least it got me on here and getting the information and the courage to post this thread!

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Ok, I looked into ripptoe and strong lifts. I like the simplicity of strong lifts. I think it would be good for me.

Of course it brings up a question for me. The formula it used on the spread sheet is having me start at like 100 lbs for sq and dl for the 5x5.

Currently I am doing (dl for example) warm up 140 1x5, 170 1x5, 200 3x5.
I know it’s about quality and form, but I don’t see dropping down to 100 and starting “over”. Isn’t this for brand new beginners? I’m not the strongest, but have got a few months of solid lifting in. 20 lbs is probably bitchy to even mention, but what about starting at 120 or 140?

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[quote]fisch wrote:
If your still losing weight at a steady pace (around 1.5 to 2 ish lbs a week) then adding a lot of cardio isn’t going to speed up the process. But, if your goal is to be generally all around healthy (which it appears to be) doing some cardio during the week is good for you. By some I mean start off 3 times a week, maybe 20 minutes of cardio. After a few weeks add 5 minutes. Repeat. Or if your doing the running across your property, every couple weeks go an extra half-way across. The idea is to gradually increase. Don’t worry if the time is “decent”, just worry about trying to improve weekly.

Keep in mind (judging by your numbers/before pic) that if you aren’t used to running much then start running 3-4 times a week at decent distances, especially if you aren’t somewhat light, can cause some knee/ankle pain. So be careful of that, if you want to run go for it but maybe don’t do it 3-4 times a week at first. Do some more joint friendly cardio the other times (such as elliptical, biking, or swimming) then work your way up to running more often.

Your still losing weight while getting stronger. Keep doing that. Your numbers give me the idea that your not that lean yet, though you are on your way. 25 lbs in 7 months, with the sickness and getting stronger, is good progress.

If those lifts are in pounds, then you are still very weak. They should have improved more then that in the 7 months, even with dropping 25 lbs. To be honest, it doesn’t seem like you have a good understanding about weight training yet. Doing reg parks or starting strength (buy the book) would be good for you I think, it will help teach you what it means to push yourself in the weightroom.[/quote]

This post is encouraging the more I read it. Thanks! I am wondering at what point could I be considered lean? Bf%? Photos?

Money is tight at the moment. I have all my supplements I need for months bc I got them when the getting was good. I don’t have the 30bucks for starting strength book. Would u agree to the other posters idea of strong lifts to start with?

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[quote]aslynsdaddy wrote:
Ok, I looked into ripptoe and strong lifts. I like the simplicity of strong lifts. I think it would be good for me.

Of course it brings up a question for me. The formula it used on the spread sheet is having me start at like 100 lbs for sq and dl for the 5x5.

Currently I am doing (dl for example) warm up 140 1x5, 170 1x5, 200 3x5.
I know it’s about quality and form, but I don’t see dropping down to 100 and starting “over”. Isn’t this for brand new beginners? I’m not the strongest, but have got a few months of solid lifting in. 20 lbs is probably bitchy to even mention, but what about starting at 120 or 140?[/quote]

The idea behind starting so low in both of those programs is to keep ego in check more than anything. And to keep you from giving up too soon by getting burnt out when the weights stop going up every time you lift.

I would say that since you already know what you’re capable with a 5x5 style program, that dropping down to something like 100lbs is unnecessary. With your deadlift example, I’d just start with something like 150-170 for 5x5 and go from there.

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Awesome, good sir! I actually under shot it on here. I was talking to my lady friend earlier and told her I was thinking 150-170. I think I will go with 150 as to not over do it.

I’m looking for long term here.

I really can’t believe how little I’ve been working out. Feels like I’ve been tearing it up…lol
I figured it up and did about 3.5 months worth of working out over a 7 month period.

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[quote]aslynsdaddy wrote:

[quote]fisch wrote:
If your still losing weight at a steady pace (around 1.5 to 2 ish lbs a week) then adding a lot of cardio isn’t going to speed up the process. But, if your goal is to be generally all around healthy (which it appears to be) doing some cardio during the week is good for you. By some I mean start off 3 times a week, maybe 20 minutes of cardio. After a few weeks add 5 minutes. Repeat. Or if your doing the running across your property, every couple weeks go an extra half-way across. The idea is to gradually increase. Don’t worry if the time is “decent”, just worry about trying to improve weekly.

Keep in mind (judging by your numbers/before pic) that if you aren’t used to running much then start running 3-4 times a week at decent distances, especially if you aren’t somewhat light, can cause some knee/ankle pain. So be careful of that, if you want to run go for it but maybe don’t do it 3-4 times a week at first. Do some more joint friendly cardio the other times (such as elliptical, biking, or swimming) then work your way up to running more often.

Your still losing weight while getting stronger. Keep doing that. Your numbers give me the idea that your not that lean yet, though you are on your way. 25 lbs in 7 months, with the sickness and getting stronger, is good progress.

If those lifts are in pounds, then you are still very weak. They should have improved more then that in the 7 months, even with dropping 25 lbs. To be honest, it doesn’t seem like you have a good understanding about weight training yet. Doing reg parks or starting strength (buy the book) would be good for you I think, it will help teach you what it means to push yourself in the weightroom.[/quote]

This post is encouraging the more I read it. Thanks! I am wondering at what point could I be considered lean? Bf%? Photos?

Money is tight at the moment. I have all my supplements I need for months bc I got them when the getting was good. I don’t have the 30bucks for starting strength book. Would u agree to the other posters idea of strong lifts to start with?[/quote]

You will be considered lean when you look lean. Take pictures, weight yourself weekly, and keep measuring yourself. Don’t worry about body fat percentage number, it’s just a number. Worry about making consistent progress, and making yourself look better in the pictures you take.

You don’t need more supplements, you dont really need any honestly. Strong lifts would be fine, you basically just want something that forces you to try to increase the weight each session/week. That’s all starting strength does anyway, gives you a plan and tells you to try to improve every workout.

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Thanks for all your help and advice. I lifted hard Saturday and Sunday, so I’m gonna do light running today to burn a few calories take Tuesday off and start Wednesday on strong lifts.

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Better quality and thanks to who ever flipped my other pic!!!

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Starting strength or rather, the way it talks about progress, applies to skinny teenagers. In their case the recipe is: Stuff yourself, lift, get bigger. You WILL build muscle if you lift hard, but don’t bulk (=eat more than needed) - you will mainly gain fat from it. You will get stronger overtime with your approach, it will just take longer. But then again, everything takes longer when you’re not a teenager :stuck_out_tongue:

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Yeah, I’m damn near double a teenager in everyway…lol

My approach has been to eat around 2190 cals a day and get at least 150g protein. I’ve been getting 200+ recently. It’s been working pretty good for me.

I plan on starting strong lifts tomorrow. The work out schedule is M W F. What do I do if I know I can’t do it one day?

For instance, Halloween is on a Wednesday. I’m a single dad with custody so I have to take her out, no questions about it! Can I just do M thurs sat that week?

Thanks again for ur help

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The schedule is three days/week, with two one day breaks and one two day break. So in the case you mentioned, you can just change that particular week to mon/thu/sat or tue/thu/sat. Problem solved.

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that sounds great. thanks again. i started doing it today. i was only doing 30 sec to 1 min breaks. it was pretty intense. I’m looking up videos on youtube to study form. Rippetoe sure has an odd looking form for squat!!! im sure ive been doing them wrong, but ive never seen them done like he says.

Also, WTF is wrong with my pics? One time i will log on here and they are all turned right and look good. The next time, they are upside down.

Is there any specific resources or videos you can recommend? Is it wise to mainly check out Rippetoe’s vids?

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From where you started jogging is risky/not smart. Swimming or riding a bike is safe and smart.
The word bulking in your mouth shows lack of knowledge.
My opinion is simple. Now you should not focus about getting strong. Working out light loads 6 days twice daily will slim you down and at least keep the muscle you have. You need lots of volume short rests. Maybe in 3 months you will be ready to change focus.
When you ask suggestions mention your present waist line and your worst you might get good suggestions.
All the best !
PS. I did not mention nutrition but vegetables are your best friends.

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[quote]BHappy wrote:
From where you started jogging is risky/not smart. Swimming or riding a bike is safe and smart.
The word bulking in your mouth shows lack of knowledge.
My opinion is simple. Now you should not focus about getting strong. Working out light loads 6 days twice daily will slim you down and at least keep the muscle you have. You need lots of volume short rests. Maybe in 3 months you will be ready to change focus.
When you ask suggestions mention your present waist line and your worst you might get good suggestions.
All the best !
PS. I did not mention nutrition but vegetables are your best friends.[/quote]

Thanks for ur reply. Why is jogging risky for me? I’ve already been doing it some and it doesn’t bother me. I enjoy it.

I mentioned that I didn’t mean to use the work “bulking”, but yes I’m under informed. I would like to get informed, but most of the info is conflicting that I read. Any good sources u can recommend that are not conflicting?

I’m really confused as to why some people say I need to get skinny/slimmed down before focusing on lifting more. My plan is to continue strong lifts since I committed to it. I am only doing 30 second to one minute rests, so that should slim me down some while building strength. I have been hitting my calorie goals this week, just gotta keep at it. I know my pics don’t look good bc I was working and living at Pizza Hut!!! But remember I have lost 25 lbs and am committed.

I cannot do two a day workouts. I have a job 8-5 and a kid I have to get ready for school in the mornings.

I’m not sure what u mean by the rest of ur post on the waist line.