A question about cardio and muscle mass.

Tredo · Post by **Tredo** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:30 am

Long duration cardio makes you decrease in muscle mass, right? But which muscles? If you went on a bike for a really long time, would you lose muscle mass from all around your body, or just the muscles you used?

SarahPT · Post by **SarahPT** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 8:06 am

Good question. Just as fat is burned from all over the body, muscle will be too.
Long duration cardio can cause you to lose muscle mass if you are not properly fueled. As an edurance athlete myself, I eat a large meal before a long run, and I carry snacks with me to eat while running, and eat again as soon as I'm done. I do this to avoid losing muscle.

Sarah

Tredo · Post by **Tredo** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:32 pm

So, do you lose it from all around your body or just the muscles used?

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:13 am

all muscles

sameey70 · Post by **sameey70** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:39 pm

Make sure to consume enough calories to fuel your body and not to create a calorie deficit or you will lose weight. You may want to incorporate some resistance training into your program to preserve muscle mass. Bottom line: Eat enough calories.