How fast should I cardio in my workout; lookie here plz!!!???

Question

I work out 3x a week.

I have been just strength training for a few weeks, but I want to incorporate cardiovascular working WITH MY STRENGTH TRAINING.

What is considered cardio? And how fast should I walk/run? Should I be running at 6-7 MPH or should I just be walking/fastwalk at 3.5-5 MPH?

I want to MAXIMIZE my efforts, but my MAIN GOAL IS TO GAIN MUSCLE!!

Any help please?? And thanks ahead of time.

Answer 1

If your goal is to gain muscle, spend 10 - 15 minutes on cardio at the beginning of your workout. This will get your heart rate up and you'll have a better weights session.

Go at a moderate speed - not slow and hard so that it causes muscle pain, and not so fast you fatigue yourself in 10 minutes. You should just break a sweat before lifting weights.

Answer 2

if you want to do cardio but your main goal is to gain muscle, then I suggest you sprint. Start at 7 MPH and increase up to 10MPH, run hard for 10 mins, don't walk or jog. I run 2x a week and i'm taking L-glutamine, which protects your muscles from catabolism.

Answer 3

The American College of Sports Medicine offers guidelines for cardiovascular, flexibility and resistance training. The guidelines are flexible enough to allow you to pick your own exercises but have enough structure to get you going when you first start out. They are pretty easy to follow and will make your workout easier and more efficient. For more information on exercise, visit http://straighthealth.com

Beginners Guide to Exercising - http://straighthealth.com/pages/guides/begex.html
Advanced Guide to Exercising - http://straighthealth.com/pages/guides/advex.html
Diet/Fitness Forums - http://forums.straighthealth.com/