it has come to my attention that I lost about 5lbs of muscle. I was running about 20 miles a week and swimming 2 a week before i injured myself and after a 3 month break I am at the same body fat composition but weigh 5 pounds less.

Was in the increase in cardio from 13.1 miles a week to 20 that caused me to lose the muscle?

If so how could I keep up cardio and build the muscle back?

I never let myself go hungry and eat 3 regular sized meals and 2 or 3 small snacks a day. Is eating more the answer even though I never go hungry?

2/2/2010 10:26:20 AM

You might need to eat more, specifically in the form of protein. If you're not already consuming some kind of high quality protein after workouts, it'd probably be a good idea to start. That's assuming, of course, that you are doing some kind of resistance training. If you're not doing resistance training, then that's probably why you're losing muscle mass. You've gotta get it in.

2/2/2010 10:31:33 AM

Quote :

"3 month break"

thats when the atrophy set in

2/2/2010 12:31:03 PM

if you're not strength training in addition to doing cardio, your body is going to see the muscle as expendable and burn it right along with the fat.

2/2/2010 12:38:23 PM

Might want to look into Crossfit Endurance

2/2/2010 12:58:23 PM

It's my understanding that when doing a cardio work out you don't want to exceed more than 80% of your maximum heart rate (sustained). Above that rate the body starts to burn off muscle in addition to fat.

2/2/2010 1:48:50 PM

eat more, add in weights on occasion, more protein.

2/2/2010 1:52:46 PM

Quote :

"if you're not strength training in addition to doing cardio, your body is going to see the muscle as expendable"

so what would be an appropriate strength training/cardio ratio (or other descriptor) to avoid this situation?

2/2/2010 2:24:32 PM

A basic start would be the same amount of cardio, that's fine, but before or after the cardio, or another time during the week, do some work with dumbells, free weights, weight machine, etc to make sure you get the muscles worked out you aren't focusing on during your cardio.

2/2/2010 2:49:30 PM

Quote :

"so what would be an appropriate strength training/cardio ratio (or other descriptor) to avoid this situation?"

The ratio depends entirely on your diet. The problem is that when you gain muscle, you also gain fat. When you lose fat, you also lose muscle. There's really no avoiding it. All you can do is try to minimize the amount of muscle that your body loses when you're cutting, or minimize the amount of fat that you gain when you're bulking. A BMR calculator can help you take the guess work out of it.

2/2/2010 2:59:50 PM

I was going to say in order to burn fat there really isnt anyway around losing muscle too.

You can certainly limit muscle loss by making sure you're getting plenty of complex carbs, protein, and sleep.

You should also be doing some strength training or perhaps mixing in some speed work rather than such long distances. If you add some sprints and interval training to your workouts you will still see impressive cardio gains w/o sacrificing as much muscle.

2/2/2010 5:27:00 PM

sweet, those all sound like good thoughts

^,^^,^^^ -thanks!

for the protein part, do i have to get the powders, etc. or can i just go crazy on some sandwich ham style protein?

2/2/2010 9:31:51 PM

I eat sandwiches almost every day for lunch, but you can't beat a 100% whey protein shake after a workout. It's all the protein without any extra bullshit. Ham, for instance, has fat, salt, and probably some other stuff. So, if you're "writing up" a diet, you can definitely figure out how many grams of protein are in the sandwich, but you're not going to eat 5 ham sandwiches a day to get the protein you need.

[Edited on February 2, 2010 at 9:39 PM. Reason : ]

2/2/2010 9:36:12 PM

no, i mean no way i would be able to do 5 ham sandwiches....but straight up ham...man i could eat that all day and night (or turkey, whatever)

2/3/2010 2:24:32 PM

i'd stick to whole foods as best as possible, so ham, turkey, etc, go for it....save the powders for convenience sake...although its alot cheaper to burn through powders

personally, my #1 protein source by far is egg....I'll eat roughly 12/day when I'm at my house

2/3/2010 3:37:46 PM

The key for me has always been to "overbulk" your ideal weight during the winter. Bench press is the best measurement...my ideal chest size has me doing 225. During the winter, I will lift and eat a lot more and get up to 265-275. Of course, I will pack on a little fat here as well. But when I start to burn to get in shirtless shape, I only lose excess muscle, not the muscle I want to keep. Works for me.

2/3/2010 3:57:50 PM

Greek Yogurt is another good high-protein option. Go for the fat-free, no sugar added-version. Approx 20 grams of protein for about 100 calories.

2/3/2010 3:58:25 PM

Quote :

"I'll eat roughly 12/day when I'm at my house"

jesus christ

2/3/2010 4:19:51 PM

^I saw some body builder dude that orders fresh eggs and eats 100 eggs a day, some cooked, some not.

2/3/2010 4:24:27 PM

I can eat a dozen eggs in 5 minutes

but no yolks

2/3/2010 4:24:30 PM

Complexes are great for fat burning and building up your work capacity. Since you are working the muscles anaerobically, it lowers the amount your body wants to use for fuel.

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/screw_cardio_four_complexes_for_a_shredded_physique

Keeping protein intake high is also very important. If you are in a calorie deficit, the first nutrient your body begins burning for fuel is protein.

[Edited on February 3, 2010 at 4:47 PM. Reason : .]

2/3/2010 4:46:23 PM

The yolks contain a majority of the protein.

2/3/2010 4:46:39 PM

i just do cardio


then i lift

of course fighting and grappling work both at an extremely high level at the same time, been doin this for about 2 and a half years (with actually keeping weight in mind, not like doin sports in college) and ive not only not seen any decrease in musculature but through the loss of 95 pounds in that time ive not seen any decrease in functional strength


now granted i was surprised that I could just throw up 205 on the bench like i was used to, but i hadnt benched in 3 or for years


so maybe play some kind of intense sport in addition to your workout?

[Edited on February 3, 2010 at 4:54 PM. Reason : m]

2/3/2010 4:48:19 PM

yeah but they tastes like whale cum

2/3/2010 4:48:21 PM

Quote :

"Greek Yogurt is another good high-protein option. Go for the fat-free, no sugar added-version. Approx 20 grams of protein for about 100 calories"

dairy has also been proven to have muscle sparing abilities beyond that associated with increased protein intake. Greek Yogurt, splenda, and a little bit of added fruit has become my dessert of choice lately.

2/3/2010 5:18:41 PM

Quote :

"The yolks contain a majority of the protein."

are you sure?
i've always been under the impression that the egg white and yolk were about even with it came to protein.
i googled it and found results that went from one extreme to the other.
and unfortunately i can only open about 1/5 of the sites b/c the internet connection here is so shoddy >.<

[Edited on February 3, 2010 at 5:42 PM. Reason : fixed it ]

2/3/2010 5:38:05 PM

shoddy

shottaz

2/3/2010 5:40:07 PM

is it shoddy??

lol i guess so cause spellcheck didn't underline it

2/3/2010 5:41:54 PM

shotty is slang for a shotgun

I GOT DAT 12 GAUGE SHOTTY AND IM FINNA FUCK UP SOMEBODY

2/3/2010 5:48:10 PM

Egg white have about 1 more gram of protein than the yolks.

The yolks do contain a lot of nutrients (i.e. calcium, folate, vitamins A/D/E, etc), plus they help with the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K), but they do have more calories, fat, and cholesterol. So it's good to eat a few yolks with the whites (i.e. if you're making an omelet with 4 eggs, use 4 whites and 1-2 yolks).

2/3/2010 8:01:10 PM

yeah I have to give mad ups to greek yogurt. I love the Fage brand. and in summer when berries are on sale, it's even better!!!

2/3/2010 8:43:47 PM