Cardio and HST

[imported_dont blink]

I just started my first HST cycle after a couple years of training differently and I read that is possible to a do limited amount(20-40min) of cardio during HST training. Personally I was going to run for about 20 min on the off-days (Tues, Thurs, Sat) to try and get rid of this damn beer belly. But is it possible to do this and still make the same gains (mass/strength) as you would without doing cardio? Seems hard to believe...

Also, is it really necessary to be doing these super-light weights the first week. I felt as if I accomplished nothing at the gym yesterday

 

[Big Boy]

cardio is VERY good IMHO with HST..i'm doing a body transformation using HST and so far its going great...i'm getting bigger AND stronger and at the same time i am losing a LOT of fat....

- Big Boy

 

[xarfox]

i think its impossible to get "bigger" and "stronger" and lose fat all at the same time

bulk - gain lots of muscle little fat
cut - lose lots of fat little muscle

that was how it is supposed to work in theory, but then again nothing has really worked for me in the grand scheme of things... i'm just a gerbil on the wheel of life

 

[lcars]

i think some gains will be sacrificed but if you eat right and dont overtrain this can be kept to a minimum ,im currently cutting(slowly),i run 3x a week 30mins 1 walk for an hour,my callories are still up but no crap except for a beer and occasional pizza at the weekend(not a good idea but im human).

 

[BigL]

I would do low intensity cardio. I walk on a steep incline (15.0) for 25-30 minutes. If you run 3 times a week and squat 3 times a week your legs are going to feel exhausted.

 

[imported_etothepii]

<div>
(xarfox @ Jul. 11 2006,13:42)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">i think its impossible to get &quot;bigger&quot; and &quot;stronger&quot; and lose fat all at the same time

bulk - gain lots of muscle little fat
cut - lose lots of fat little muscle

that was how it is supposed to work in theory, but then again nothing has really worked for me in the grand scheme of things... i'm just a gerbil on the wheel of life</div>
Body transformation is possible. It happens a lot. There are a few studies posted on EXRX.com that show it happening. The catch is this: The more out of shape you are, the easier/more likely body transformation is to occur.

In other words, if your way over fat, and have low muscle mass, you can build muscle and burn off fat &quot;simultaneously.&quot; (Can't be simultaneously, but the body shifts between modes throughout the training period.)

But, if you are a weight lifter, with quite a bit of muscle and very low body fat, then yes, the transformation is practically impossible. To overcome this, drugs, fancy diet plans, nutrient timing, etc., step in to overcome the &quot;impossible.&quot;

 

[faz]

<div>
(dont blink @ Jul. 11 2006,18:08)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I just started my first HST cycle after a couple years of training differently and I read that is possible to a do limited amount(20-40min) of cardio during HST training. Personally I was going to run for about 20 min on the off-days (Tues, Thurs, Sat) to try and get rid of this damn beer belly. But is it possible to do this and still make the same gains (mass/strength) as you would without doing cardio? Seems hard to believe...

Also, is it really necessary to be doing these super-light weights the first week. I felt as if I accomplished nothing at the gym yesterday

</div>
if you are overweight then yes you can lose fat and gain muscle.
cardio on of days is a good thing the fitter you are the better your body is at food partitioning.
and the fitter you are the easier the training becomes.

 

[jvroig]

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I just started my first HST cycle after a couple years of training differently and I read that is possible to a do limited amount(20-40min) of cardio during HST training. Personally I was going to run for about 20 min on the off-days (Tues, Thurs, Sat) to try and get rid of this damn beer belly. But is it possible to do this and still make the same gains (mass/strength) as you would without doing cardio? Seems hard to believe...</div>

Just a reminder of some basics: to lose fat, you need to eat under maintenance - calorie deficit, if you will. Either you eat less, or you become a lot more active so that you burn more than you eat.
Cardio by itself isn't going to do you much good if you still eat more than you burn.
The problem here is that if you want to gain muscle, you need to eat well over maintenance.

If you want to bulk and cut at the same time, then here's the answer to your (implied) concern: NO. Your gains won't be the same if you just bulked and didn't bother about cutting (losing fat).
As for your explicit concern, doing cardio won't be much of a bother, for example you just want your stamina to improve, as long as you eat beyond what you burn.

Is it possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? Yes, but bear in mind two things:
1.) You must be under a calorie deficit - you can't lose fat if you aren't in a calorie deficit, so the inverse won't work.
2.) Your bodyfat % is high. The higher your bf%, the more muscle you can realistically expect to gain. Even so, don't expect too much.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">
Also, is it really necessary to be doing these super-light weights the first week. I felt as if I accomplished nothing at the gym yesterday

</div>
No. Only if you think your joints will need them. If you don't want to, don't do them. I'm assuming, of course, that you are talking about 15's.

Regards,
-JV