Maintenance Cardio

[MuscleMama87]

Hey girlies I have never tried to maintain before...ever...lol...funny looking back on it..I was always cutting for something, or bulking....never maintaining though..

Well, I am trying to devise my off-season training, and I need to stay within the 5-10lb range from my stage weight..currently I am 128lbs..Im thinking that I might by 123-125lbs on stage. The reason I need to maintain is becuase I basically have to stay "camera ready". I have a bikini contest every week for 9 weeks starting June 24th (which ends in August). I also have 2 other photoshoots, AND THEN I have to start preparing for my next show..which is in Sept. I also want to look nice for the Olympia weekend (which I may be going to...Kellie kinda convinced me..lol)

So basically the question is..lol...how much cardio do you guys do to maintain the weight? How do I stay lean? (I know its not healthy to stay "stage lean" all year round, thats why Im giving myself those extra pounds to gain).....

I have NO idea where to start...lol

[sneezingstardust]

Diet, m'dear Cardio ONLY if needed...just keep your calories in check and you'll be good to go!

[MuscleMama87]

Yes!!!! I hate cardio..so it is great to read that post!!! lol

[Nic902]

Ditto on Christine...Its all about D-I-E-T! If you feel you're getting a little too soft, add a couple of HIIT days in...go with the flow

[sneezingstardust]

I find that I would rather eat a little bit less than do more cardio, haha...I'm just so lazy by nature! If I REALLY feel like I want some extra calories, I'll throw in a bit of SS cardio but nothing extreme. To be honest, I can barely walk after my weight workouts lately, much less do cardio, LOL!

Besides, we do enough cardio during contest prep, no?! Going crazy with off-season cardio = double cardio sessions when it ACTUALLY comes to leaning down again!

The less you keep it in, IMO, the easier it is to lose fat when you re-introduce it Some is good, though. For health benefits.

[KKKRRR]

Christine's got this covered!