Can a fitness trainer or someone who works out in general help me please?

For the last few months I have been lifting weights for my upper-body which turned out great results. I currently lift weights every-other day and also work on abs on those off days. For my abs I have been doing crunches and was wondering if I should begin to run as well. I was told not to run when lifting weights with the result being a loss in strenth due to lack of calories. Would I be able to run and do crunches every other day without losing any muscle mass?

You've become caught up in a longtime, ongoing debate among weight lifters and body builders around cardio during weight training.

One school says that you don't need to perform cardio (other than a light pre-lifting warmup) when you are weight training and trying to build mass. They argue that it interferes with mass building.

The other camp says that cardio has all kinds of ancillary benefits and that it can help you keep body fat levels in check, which will help you stay lean and show more muscle definition.

The truth, like so many things, is somewhere in between.

There are some genetically-gifting people who can simply lift weights all of the time and keep body fat levels fairly low. But even competitive bodybuilders usually have to diet down and perform high intensity cardio leading up to a competition to strip off the excess fat they put on during their "bulking" phase.

So although they aren't performing much cardio during the off season, they make up for it during their cutting phase. And unless they are on 'roids, they DO lose muscle along with the fat during cutting. Sometimes quite a bit.

So all of this talk about no cardio if you are bodybuilding is really a lot of bunk - especially if your goal is to look lean and semi-ripped for more than just a few weeks out of the year - which is what most people want.

Excessive cardio CAN hinder adding lean mass, especially if you are doing a lot of distance, long-duration cardio. However, if you cycle it in on your non-lifting days (probably on the days you do ab work), it should have minimal impact on lean muscle. It can also help you avoid adding additional fat along with the muscle (although some fat gain is always inevitable in the struggle between anabolism and catabolism.)

One very effective strategy has less to do with cardio as it has to do with cycling your calories. For example, on the days that you lift, you will want to make sure your calories are at a surplus by the time you finish up the day. Also, try to at least 1/3 of those calories after you workout, when they are more readily used by the body for recovery.

On your "off" or ab days, feel free to run or perform cardio and allow yourself to come in at or slightly below your total maintanance calories for the day. This ensures that on the days when you need the extra energy for muscle building, you have it, but it also let's you keep the fat gain in check on the off days.

Still not convinced? Think about soldiers and highly-conditioned athletes who have very lean, muscular physiques year-round. Most of them are performing plenty of cardio -- often on a daily basis. Their body fat levels tend to be very low, and they will usually have excellent muscle definition and mass. They may not have the mass of a Ronnie Coleman, but that's probably not your goal anyway.

Best of luck!

I was wondering what people did back in the olden days like when they were building the railroad... did they say I cant build the rail today because i will lose muscle mass? I dont think so. Im so tired of worrying about all that crap. I am just eating a healthy diet and working out. If I feel tired I rest... and now my muscles are getting bigger and my body is more fit than ever.

I think we make ourselves nuts with all these opinions on when and when not to workout.

The key to getting great abs is understanding cardio and doing cardio the right way. Here is a great article that will help you out...

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/cardio-alte...

Enjoy!

AviB

i found this really good website that is run by a personal trainer called www.nowloss.com the trainer answered my question i posted too, so it was really helpful, goodluck:)

Yes. Do cardio 3,4 times a week-30 minutes. No mass lost. No strength loss. Helps in fat loss.

Chk Bodybuilding.com for in-depth info.