Shark Posted December 12, 2011 Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 I just started the Basic Training program for my sadly small upper body muscles. I have to start out slow because I am nowhere near to being able to take one good-form pushup. I train the 3 times a week the plan says, but I am wondering if it is OK to go running, swimming or something else on the other days of the week? Or does my body need that rest to build muscle? Quote Link to comment
scotticus Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Muscle gets built during rest. Also, having that feeling of constantly wanting to do more is great motivation moving forward. That said, if one of your goals is fat loss, throwing in a bit of cardio won't hurt! Quote Link to comment
Shark Posted December 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Thanks for the reply. I will start throwing in some cardio once I am done with the basic training. My legs hurt! I am not really looking to loose weight so much as making muscle. But I enjoy cardio a lot, so once I stop feeling like I got run over by a truck I will start some jogging. Quote Link to comment
aj_rock Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Just play it by ear. If the cardio makes you feel like recovery isn't optimal, you'll need to cut back. Generally though, hard cardio like HIIT or tabata or even IT is counter to building muscle, especially in your legs. They simply don't get enough rest using high intensity cardio. Quote Why must I put a name on the foods I choose to eat and how I choose to eat them? Rather than tell people that I eat according to someone else's arbitrary rules, I'd rather just tell them, I eat healthy. And no, my diet does not have a name.My daily battle log! Link to comment
ZenGwen Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Definitely have at least one full rest day. I do weights MWF, cardio TTSat and rest on Sunday. If your main focus is building muscle mass, you probably want to have more rest time than that, especially if you're pushing yourself really hard during your training. Quote Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving the body. Blog | Pinterest | Fitocracy Link to comment
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