Week 9: Quitting Cardio

8/6/2014

STATS:

Date Weight (lb) BF% Protein (g) Carbs Fat Total Cal
8.6.14 110 15.7 117 151 32 1,360 (+58)
7.30.14 109.5 15.5 117 141 30 1,302 (+58)
7.23.14 110.5 15.7 117 131 28 1, 244 (+18)
7.16.14 109 15.0 117 131 26 1,226 (+58)
7.9.14 109 14.9 117 121 24 1,168 (+49)
7.2.14 110 15.6 117 111 23 1,119 (+49)
6.25.14 110.5 15.4 117 101 22 1,070 (+40)
6.18.14 110 16.1 117 91 22 1,030 (+43)
6.11.14 112.5 16.8 117 81 20 987 (+40)*
START 117 77 19 947

I cannot believe there is only one more week until I hit my first GOAL--1400 calories! This is insane. In two months, I have added 400+ calories into my daily intake and LOST body fat/weight. Words cannot express how happy I am! I was so scared it was too good to be true… but this experiment is proving that metabolic adaptation exists and can go the other direction without weight gain! AND WITHOUT A COACH! If only people KNEW about this! In a world of quick fixes, crash dieting, and subsequent metabolic damage, I know this could change the world like it has changed my life!

So anyways guys… this week I am quitting cardio!! I had to post this legendary meme from one of my favorite movies to celebrate. :P But for real, I am quitting "cardio" (as in treadmills/elliptical/stairmaster/etc). I started this experiment at 2x 20 min HIIT sessions a week, dropped to 1x 20 min HIIT session about a month ago… as of this week my only form of cardio will be a 5-minute warm up and the usual heavy lifting with minimal rest.

"WHY" you ask? Cardio is not necessary for my goals of increased metabolic rate and muscle hypertrophy (aka eating more and getting ripped). Cardio is also NOT necessary for fat loss! It sounds CRAZY to most people, but it's just science. In fact, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that shows low intensity steady state cardio (LISS) can impede fat loss and lower metabolic rate over time. In this video, Matty Fusaro explains it very well. High Intensity Interval Training, on the other hand, is an excellent tool to help with fat loss and you will see a lot of competitors upping HIIT during a cut. It's just not absolutely necessary. And I personally don't enjoy it. So I'm quitting, at least for the time being! Plus, I thought it would be a fun little factor to throw into the experiment.

Eating more, quitting cardio, and getting ripped. I'll take it!!

My heart and my purpose for this blog is to help YOU do it too. YOU DO NOT NEED A COACH to reverse your metabolism unless you have a medical/thyroid condition, in which case, seek medical help. Go to the resources page of this website and do your research! If I can do it you can do it! But just know, I am absolutely here for you if you need guidance, advice, a plan of action, or just a friend to talk to about your struggles! I will NOT charge anything. My heart is to share this happiness that I have found. I have spent the last six years struggling with an eating disorder and metabolic damage… I have prayed for so long for God to remove this "thorn" from my life. I am so thankful He did and lead me to discover a way out. Seriously do not hesitate to contact me. I love you guys!! We are in this together!! :)

- C

11 Comments

Clayton link

8/9/2014 12:47:02 pm

I bet it seems weird increasing calories and dropping weight. People I work with often look at me like I'm nuts when I tell them that they should eat more if they want to lose weight. But that's exactly what happens at the beginning of a reverse diet.

Also, I saw you were cutting out cardio. Certainly you can cut out cardio and still make good progress when trying to maintain a calorie surplus. However, I generally recommend a limited amount of HIIT cardio even when trying to gain muscle. (1) it supports good cardiovascular health (2) it won't negatively impact your goal of gaining muscle (3) it gives you a good baseline to start from when you switch to a caloric deficit, where most people need a combination of diet, lifting & cardio to achieve prolonged healthy fat loss.

Good luck to you on your journey!

Cait link

8/10/2014 05:09:11 am

Hey Clayton! Thank you so much for your insight, it means a lot.

I totally understand why you would still recommend throwing some HIIT into the mix. That makes perfect sense! I personally decided to cut it out (for now) to hopefully prove the point that it is not absolutely necessary, even though it is perhaps optimal. And… because I hate it! :P

I am curious, what do you mean by "it gives you a good baseline to start from" when cutting? As in, it will be easier on your body adding in HIIT when you've already been incorporating it? Just curious on that!

I will definitely consider adding HIIT back in at some point during the reverse. :)

Thanks so much! I love your blog and highly value your thoughts/opinion! Mad respect!

- C

9/6/2014 01:16:04 pm

I always try to keep as many variables constant and only manipulate those which go towards my purpose. So, when I cut, I drop calories, and, if necessary, increase cardio. My goal is to drop the minimum amount of calories and do the least amount of additional cardio necessary in order to achieve my fat loss goals. So, how do I know where to start with cutting? I base it off of what I was doing at the end of my reverse diet. That's how it becomes my baseline.

Honestly, I wish I could take full credit for that approach using HIIT. I actually learned that from Layne Norton.

Thanks for the props. Keep up the good work!

Laura

8/10/2014 02:06:06 am

Hi Cait,
Just came across your IG & blog today—I am * loving* it! Thank you so much for baring your heart and stats charts to all of us! :)

I was wondering if you would possibly consider posting about how to get started lifting? I'm relatively new to IIFYM, and what I find most intimidating (more than weighing and tracking food intake) is the though of joining a gym. I really want to lift heavy, but the fear of the unknown (what reps? what to wear? what etiquette?) is keeping me from going. I feel like a dork, but there it is! Thanks again for your amazing blog. I'm so happy I found it! :D

8/10/2014 05:07:10 am

Hi Laura! Thanks so much for your sweet words of encouragement!

And what a GREAT idea! I would love to write a blog post about how I got into lifting! I definitely don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I'd love to share what I do know so far. Kind of a "LIFTING 101" post! Haha :)

You shouldn't feel like a dork at all!! Thanks for the amazing suggestion and never hesitate to ask any questions :) Much love!

- C

Good website link

4/12/2016 06:48:12 am

Great reading post. Thank for share it

Corinne

6/5/2016 06:41:00 pm

Cait,
Thanks for this great site! After years of trying different things (clean eating, paleo, calorie cutting, weight watchers, etc) I am really trying to get into and better understand counting macros. I've read a bunch of blogs and books and I'm still a little confused/ frustrated. I've lost weight before by cutting calories (down to 12-1,300/day) but I would find myself hungry. I lift weights 3-4/ days a week and try to get some cardio in for my cardiovascular health. I've been tracking macros for the past 2 weeks trying to hit a 40/40/20 goal and calories at about 1585 and I've pretty much maintained. I know I can add in more working out but I only have so much time in the day. Any advice on what tweaks I could make? Also, any good recommendations for a whey isolate protien, I think I need a better supplement to hit my protien goal with out adding carbs. Thanks in advance!

vadim

9/24/2017 02:35:20 pm

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Robyn

12/10/2017 02:15:53 am

Hi, my question is, if I just from 1000 calories with cardio 4x a week to 1600 cals and lifting 3x a week with 1 cardio, will my body adapt or am I going to see weight gain? Does it need to be gradual? I'm really hoping to do this without a coach as I can't afford it but my calories are now really low and I don't want to develop an eating disorder. Thank you!

12/12/2017 07:00:33 pm

Hey Robyn! I would definitely recommend gradually increasing calories while gradually reducing cardio. As far as coaching goes, you can't beat AvatarNutrition.com. They ROCK. $10/month and it will set you straight. Can't recommend it enough!!! <3

Katy link

1/17/2018 08:10:59 pm

I have quit cardio a long time ago. My goal now is to improve techniques, focus on compound exercises, control intake calories and follow the given macros. It is definitely the way to build a healthy, lean and toned body.

Week 9: Quitting Cardio

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