Remember not to over complicate Max-OT cardio.
The goal of Max-OT style cardio is to work out of your comfort zone for 16-20 minutes. You need to be “huffing and puffing” throughout the session. Simply put, if you complete 16 minutes and it feels easy then you are not working hard enough.
Don’t worry too much about what program setting you choose, what machine you are on or how many RPM’s you are doing. If you are uncomfortable throughout the session and always striving to beat your distance you will achieve the desired effects of Max-OT style cardio.
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I thought max ot cardio was 16 mins, one min on and one min off?
The important thing with Max-OT style cardio is that you are working out of your comfort zone for about 16 minutes and that you strive to always better your intensity.
It doesn't have to be interval style as in one minute on/one minute off but it could be done that way too. Either way just make sure you are "huffing and puffing" the entire time.
Should this be treadmill, bicyle, jump rope, or all of the above?
Any mode of cardio will work as long as the intensity level is where it needs to be.
Quick question Jeff, is doing Max OT cardio ok after a workout, because from what I understand it keeps your body in an anabolic state. Or will it hinder my muscle gains?
It is ideal to seperate Max-OT cardio from your weight training by 8-12 hours. If that is not possible then do it after weight training and be sure to follow it up with smart nutrition/supplementation.
This is exactly what I was looking for. What exactly do you mean by following it up with smart nutrition/supplementation? This should pretty much be done with any workout, correct? Or is there something specifically that would need to be addressed if you're doing Max OT lifting then Max OT Cardio?
I've been bulking for the past 3-4 months with MAx OT and had great gains but in the process I've also gained a little bit of fat in my stomach area. I always do 10 minutes of cardio before hand to get my blood flowing, but never anything REAL intense.
So, I still want to bulk but I want to lose some of the fat I've gained while gaining muscle…
Thanks Jeff!
I would also like to know this answer. I do something similar, warm-up before maxot lifting. But I took it to be, if I am eating to gain weight then I will be gaining weight. I gave up the idea that I was going to remain lean and cut as i was bulking.
The idea in a maximum muscle building phase is to have great nutrient ratios and smart nutrient timing without an over abundance of calories. It is true it is not productive to try and stay super lean during a maximum muscle building phase, however, it is not necessary to gain a lot of fat to gain muscle.
If you do the "one min all our run and one min jog/walk", then do you have to do 16 min run or is it "enough" with 8 times (that will say one round is 1min run + 1min jog)?
i plan on doing the max ot on a 4 day split monday through thursday now can i do the max ot cardio on mornings of friday saturday and sunday?
Yes, cardio on the off training days is fine.
JK – The important thing is that you are working out of your comfort zone the entire 16 minutes. If you achieve that, the combinations of run to walk is less important.
Hi Jeff! can i do the max-ot 6 days a week? every day except for leg day?
Max-OT cardio….Yes.
Hello
Mr. Willet, I was wondering should I have some time off from what Im doing currently(Fullbody workout 3X a week)for a few weeks before switching to MaxOT training/MaxOT Cardio.
Thanks in advance for the guidance
If you’ve only been on the workout for a few weeks I don’t think you need to take any time off before staring Max-OT. Plus the first couple weeks of Max-OT will start slow as you determine your weights.
Hi Jeff, i have a doubt about including carbs before and after the second cardio sesion. i train MAX-OT and inmediately 16 min of high intensity cardio in the morning lets say between 7:30 and 9:00 am, about 10 hours later i’m thinking about adding a second sesion of cardio but my diet doesn’t have carbs after 1 pm, i’m worried about the muscle loss doing cardio without any carbs. any help would be great. thanks
You could follow the second session of cardio with just Whey Isolate and Glutamine if you don’t have room for the extra calories. One point to note is you don’t have to be afraid of carbohydrates in the PM if they follow an intense workout.
thank you very much.
If I lift at 12 and do my Cardio at 9 PM…Should I have something to eat/protein shake after cardio? I usually go to bed at 11.
If you are in a maximum muscle building phase I would have a post cardio drink similar to your post workout drink. If you are in a max fat burning phase I would have a drink of just whey isolate and L-Glutamine as long as the calories fit into your goals. If not, I would just have l-glutmaine.
Hello Jeff,
Have you, or anyone you’ve consulted was at the point of low calories and doing cardio twice a day, did you hit walls when it came to reducing body weight? and how much weight was still needing to be left to lose?
I am going low cals and just started cardio twice a day this week with 15 lbs to go, and have stayed at the same weight this past week. Not sure exactly why.
We are really looking at fat loss more than dropping weight. The only time actual weight is an issue is if you are trying to make a weight class cut off. You making sure you are eating plenty of green crunchy vegetables can be helpful in dropping the fat when on low calories. Also, adhering to smart nutrient timing/selection and the Max-OT training and cardio principles are helpful parts of the equation.
Thanks for you response and advice. I have really tried to embrace MaxOT principles in my working out and eating. I have a quick follow up question to that. What is your opinion on cardio on an empty stomach, maybe first thing in the morning? do you feel its helpful or works against you?
Sorry just had to add another question. From what I know, the purpose of interval training is to have transitions from low heart rate to a very high/maximum heart rate.
Now if im doing maxot cardio and i want to increase the distance or calorie from the previous cardio session an option would be to increase the less resistance portions of the intervals. If this is correct, I would stay around medium to high heart rate. This is still ok for maxot cardio, correct? If reached a point where im at max heart for all 16 minutes that would still be acceptable for maxot cardio?
I try not to over complicate it. At the end of the day you want to be working out of your comfort zone throughout your 16 minute session. I found the best way to gauge that is to set a distance goal and then try to beat that distance. If you are “huffing and puffing” and out of your comfort zone you will be creating the desired effect.
I don’t advise cardio on an empty stomach. That will encourage muscle wasting. I think it is always best to have protein and carbohydrates upon waking before you do anything and particularly before you perform any exercise.
I know a lot of people are extremely busy. But because of the busy work schedule and kids at home, i have to manage my workout time as efficiently as possible. But my gym is always extremely busy during the week at all times. I easily spend 50% of my time just waiting for benches, weights, machines to be available. I noticed that the gym is least busy on weekend morning. I was thinking of doing all the weight lifting split between Saturday and Sunday morning when I have plenty of time. And then do cardio throughout the weekday since cardio equipment is always available. Is this an acceptable form of max ot?
I am still working out the muscles once a week. But instead of spreading it over 3-5 days I do it all in two day. Then leave the cardio for weekdays.
The only downside is when you have to do so many parts in one workout, it’s hard to keep the same intensity and focus up for the things you are training towards the end of the workout. I think that is the biggest draw back. But if you stick with some of the primary big movers over the 2 day period it could work OK.
Would Max OT cardio not burn away the hard earned muscle? Especially when dieting.
No. Short duration, high intensity cardio is most effective for fat loss and has less negative impact on the muscle building process compared to long duration, moderate intensity cardio. When combined with a smart nutrition and workout plan, Max-OT cardio will enhance fat loss without compromising muscle.