Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Briefly, I am trying to gain weight & muscle by eating alot & body building.I am doing very well & have a good balance of food/workouts.

I am gaining a good amount of muscle every week, with no fat gains.

However, I am doing weights 3 times a week & no cardio.I know this is bad but if I do cardio I am going to lose weight & I dont wanna lose weight I just wanna have a healthy heart.

Does anyone have any suggestions for exercises that will make my heart healthy without burning too much fat?

Remember, all exercise simply involves muscle contraction - if you are working hard enough to make yourself breath heavy, then you are conditioning your lungs alright. If you are referring to the mainstream idea that lower intensity "Cardio" burns "more" fat than higher intensity, that is actually a big misperception. I have posted a scientific study before in which they directly measure exercises effect on metabolism - the results show that although a higher % of fat is oxidized during moderate exercise, the basic physics still makes sense: the higher the intensity (energy expenditure per unit of time) - the greater the absolute amount of fat oxidized. So the authors of the study recommend those looking for the most fat loss will want to balance maximum intensity with safety. You can get just as winded doing your workout without breaks (or doing 100s of hindu squats) as you can jogging - it's all about muscle work. After all, what does "cardio" logically mean except increasing blood flow and heart rate - and these things are easily done anywhere even by intense isometric muscle contraction. The whole "you need cardio" meme is unscientific IMO, it sounds like you're doing fine - eating low fat vegan and working out hard will easily keep the heart healthy and strong - don't underestimate the superb design of the body when fed the biologically appropriate fuel .

^-- what veganmaster said.

At worst the only thing you won't gain is cardiovascular endurance for non-bursty movements. So if someone were to snatch your wallet and go off running, you could probably punch your fist straight through his skull, but you have to catch him first and might be surprised how quickly you get winded during the chase.

why would it be bad ? all type of exercices, like walking, running sometimes to get to the bus or most of jobs except sitting in front of a computer, is cardio, including lifting weights in a gym of course! Unless your method is being very relax like lifting weights while reading a magazine for instance. Doing very high intensity is only good to higher your max heart rate beat, and it is not good to run at max HR too often because it's like the engine of a car being always pushed to it's max capacity, too much is like not enough and you risk to overwork your heart. High intensity efforts is very hard on the body and put a lot of stress, it's a misconception of fitness. It's OK to do this not too often and no during all life, but fitness in terms of staying healthy and in good physical condition only requires low to normal intensity work out during all life.

Firstly thanks guys, I actually thought maybe the weights were helping.The reason I say that is a while back I had to walk home from work which is a few miles & most of it up a huge hill called Amersham Hill.Its very steep & very long & I walked up that hill quickly with no breaks & wasnt even out of breath when I got home.Before doing weights & eating right theres no way I could have done that.

Im your man wrote:



When I read this it made me laugh quite a bit because I just had this image of just sitting on the edge of the sofa casually reading while doing some weights.Im not even sure thats physically possible is it, with anything other than bicep dumbell curls etc? Bench press while reading?

Actual LOL! Im your man, thanks for making me smile

I have actually seen people at the gym reading a book while slopping through a weight machine workout . . . go figure. Anyway, yogic breathing exercises are a wonderful heart and lung workout . . . alternate nostril , retentions, fire breath, etc. All can be done in a seated pose.

hilary wrote:



Thanks hilary, I have been thinking about doing yoga for a few days as I have some issues with relaxation (my job is quite stressful) & I think it might help.Do you do it?

I try to do yoga at least 5 to 6 times a week. It works for me. Great for flexibility, relaxation, and mental clarity. Helps put stressful things in perspective. I do yoga after weights, and never get sore from lifting. I also truly believe that it has enabled me to keep very active and healthy at age 55 . . . along with diet. As I said, the breathing exercises are great to work your heart and lungs. There are many different styles, so do a little research to find the one best suited to your needs. Have fun!

Thanks Hilary

I still think it's important to balance both cardio and weight training to get all around results, which is ultimately what anyone interested in fitness is looking for

agreed . . . I do weights 4x a week . . . dance classes 3x a week . . . cardio or swimming 3x a week along with the yoga. That being said, breathing exercises rock. I rehabbed from a major car accident with them and came back with great cardio strength.

Rowing and cycling are both great cardio workouts that can help build muscle. You can adjust a rowing machine or bicycle (indoor or outdoor) to provide more resistance until you find the right balance for your goals. Running is great cardio, but isn't generally as strength-oriented as these other two. Especially with higher-resistance rowing and cycling, you're mostly burning glycogen if you keep the duration on the brief side (I doubt you'd want to be doing more than 30 mins/session of cardio given your weight gain goals, anyway).

Thanks for the advice medman & indeed all.

I may do some cycling or rowing to compliment the weights

That is exactly what I was thinking.