On Jordan’s most recent ig ama, I asked about 7+hours of zone 2 cardio per week negatively effecting strength training. He estimated ~4 hours/week was an upper limit before it began to effect strength training gains.
As a follow up question: is that estimate just for zone 2, or does it include zone 1 as well?
I’m thinking about extra “cardio” like gently biking to the gym, or rollerblading for fun, etc.
Thanks!
Yes this includes Z1 as well. I don’t have any issues with the activities you mention for health, fun, etc., but I think there is an upper limit to how much non-lifting activity can be done before it impacts those outcomes. I don’t think this should matter for most people, save for folks getting ready for a meet or contest.
Ohh I understand now. Thank you! Trying to not compromise those gains lol
If an anecdote is worth anything, I’ve been doing ~1hr of zone 1-2 cardio a day (Peloton while watching TV or leisurely walks around the neighborhood) and I’m still making gains on all my lifts. I do think if you do the cardio, and you get to a point where you’re not seeing any more strength gains, you could trim the cardio to see if that helps. Regardless of the gains, my priority now is weight loss so I’ll try to sustain a good amount of steady cardio with strength gains for as long as I can since both are going to help with that goal. It’s really a balancing game depending on your priorities, I guess.
Yep, definitely possible to continue to see improvements with relatively high volumes of conditioning. This is especially true when both are programmed appropriately.
I do think there’s some interference effect at high volumes nonetheless, though whether that’s of consequence depends on context, e.g. barbell sport athlete prepping for a competition vs. general health promotion. I’m not concerned much in the 2nd scenario.