HighIntensity.net View Mike Mentzer Bodybuilding Topic

Hi,
I have started on the consolidated routine as specified in the Underground Seminar i.e., Workout A ,rest 6 days and then Workout B .

However, I fear as if I′m gaining some fat by resting those 6 days.

Can I do some light cardio like a slow jog or even walking first thing in the morning on an empty stomach during a few of those 6 days?Would it really make an inroad into my recovery ability?

Pls reply.

Thanks

I you can′t walk every morning without making an inroad into your recovery ability then maybe you need to get in shape. High Intensity cardio (anerobic out of breath running) will hurt your recovery. I know this is a hot topic among HD/HIT guys… So I′ll quote Mike Mentzer:

Here is what I posted in this thread:

http://highintensity.net/Forums/ViewTopic.asp?topic_id=2058&start;=8

Here is what MM says on p169 of HITTMMW:

"Your aerobic training should be performed at what I call a relaxed pace; if you¡¦re gasping for breath while performing your aerobic exercise, that means you¡′re increasing the proportion of sugar being burned for fuel and decreasing the use of body fat. If you can¡′t talk easily while jogging or cycling, you¡′re working to intensely. Perform your aerobics at a conversational pace, and you will be using up to 90 percent stored fat as fuel.
Diet is just as important as increased activity levels in getting you ripped. No matter how active you are, continuing to consume more calories than you burn will keep you from losing fat. The safest and most effective approach to dieting for a contest is to maintain a diet that¡′s lower in calories"

"Remember, as long as you take in fewer calories than you need to meet metabolic and physical activity energy requirements, you¡¦ll lose fat…"

One more thing I would like to add:

You cannot increase muscle mass while cutting weight. You body needs MORE calories than your metabolic and physical activity energy requirements to build muscle. You body needs FEWER calories than your metabolic and physical activity energy requirements to burn fat. (I don′t remember what page that is on)

And for those who say "no cardio" do some research about how low intensity cardio at a conversational pace stimulates production of growth hormones needed for muscle growth. I′ve gone a year lifting without cardio. I see more muscle gains and less fat gains when I mix in some low intensity cardio.

I know MM was against cardio in between workouts when bulking, but he was talking about the out-of-breath anerobic cardio on the treadmill that was popular in his time.

Cardiovascular conditioning (at a conversational pace) from walking, sled pulling, and weighted backpacks can improve sleep quality, energy levels, recovery, reduce the chance of overtraining, improve appetite, digestion, and waste elimination; reduce infection susceptibility, improve flexibility, and stabilize blood glucose and insulin sensitivity, not to mention body fat levels.

Most lifters don’t do cardio because they are convinced that it will impact their training. And they are right if they are talking about long duration high intensity cardio.

It has improved my increases from one workout to the next.

With no cardio deadlifts increased one rep each time until I reached 10 reps, and then I added 10% next time.

With light cardio on off days deadlifts increased 4 reps (from 7-11) in one workout, and the next workout I did 10 reps with 10% more!

discipleofmentzer
Thanks for taking time to give me a detailed reply.

One thing more.My deadlift went up from 8 reps to 16 reps at 210 lbs after taking rest for 6 days!
In fact I never felt stronger on the DD before.IN fact I had to terminate the set bcoz I felt slight pain in my lower back and not bcoz I was tited.Infact I felt I could go on for maybe atleat 4-5 reps more.

And during those 6 days of rest , I didn′t do any aerobics.

I felt I had abundant energy.A feeling I never got when I trained 5 days a week 30-45 mins a day.

re: "And during those 6 days of rest , I didnŒt do any aerobics"

And you were complaining about getting fat? How well did you recover after deadlifts?

My deadlift also improves more when I have 7 days of rest instead of 4 days of rest. That the beauty of the consolidated routine.

I don′t do any aerobics either. I just go for walks every day (15min AM and 15min PM) and go hiking one day on the weekend.

Cardiovascular conditioning during active rest periods for the High Intensity weighlifting trainee does not mean aerobics. It just means getting a little light excercise every day to keep yourself in shape.

This will help with recovery, reduce soreness, and get the blood moving to supply nutrition to growing muscles.

This will also stimulate the production of Growth Hormone. Lots of info on the internet about that.

*This light excercise also stimulates your body to burn fat without excercising so much that you damage your recovery ability.

About your deadlifting…

I have someone watch me pull deadlifts and tell me when I lose correct form on the arch of my back. Continuing deadlifts when form is lost will lead to SERIOUS back injury.

Since you mention fat gains, would you please post your diet with typical meals and estimated daily calories. Also your current height and weight.

Thanks for showing interest in my training.
Age: 29
Height: 5′ 9.5"
Weight: 145 lbs
Waist : 32 inch

Let me tell you that I was quite fat at one point.My waist was 36 inches and weight 154lbs.
I dieted (along with training 5 days a week) about two years ago and reduced my waist to 30 inches and weight to 132 lbs.

Then I started raising my caories.

Currently , I have calculated my maintenence level of calories to be 2000 calories.
Infact while my weight is not going up beyond the 145 lbs mark, my waist has gained .5- 1 inch.
When I was volume training my waist remined tight and never seemed to go past 31 inch and sometimes I managed to raise my weight to 148 lbs.Though it would always come back to 145 mark in a week or so.

My diet:
9:30 AM
Protein shake:
16oz milk
50gram cottage cheese
1oz skimmed milk powder
1tbs honey

12PM
boiled potato 150 gram

2pm
protein shake same as at 9:30 AM

4pm
2 chapatis (I live in India, chapati is made from wheat four, each chapati containg about 25-30 grams of flour)
25-30 grams pulses

7PM
100 grams chana dal(This has the lowest GI in the world, check Mendosa′s website)

10pm

blended drink of the following:

50 grams cottage cheese
5 g olive oil
5 g coconut oil
5 g heavy cream

(Earlier I was using 10 grams each of the above listed fats, now I have cut them to half to minimize fat gains)

12:30AM
8 oz milk
50 g cottage cheese
5 g falx oil
2-3 g cinnamon

Total for the day:
Protein carbs fats total
grams 141 305 52
calories 564 1220 472 2113
% 27 58 22

On my workout day , I take a post workout drink of 15-20 g of whey with 25 g of glucose.