How Much Cardio Should You Do During a Cut?

When people start cutting, one of the first questions is:
“How much cardio should I be doing?”

The default advice is usually 20–30 minutes a few times per week.

But if your goal is maximizing fat loss while improving all kinds of metabolic markers, you could (should) probably be doing more, a lot more, as long as you do it the right way.

More is better, if you keep it easy

The key is intensity.

Most people ruin cardio by going too hard.

If your heart rate is climbing above 70–75% of your max regularly, you’re no longer in a truly low-intensity aerobic state.

You’re dipping into recovery-draining territory that competes with your strength work and increases injury risk (and hunger), especially when calories are low.

But keep it low enough (<75% of your max HR, ideally in the 60–70% range), and you’ve unlocked the sweet spot:

• Doesn’t interfere with recovery
• Helps regulate appetite
• Burns a significant number of calories
• Improves aerobic fitness

Walking, cycling, incline treadmill, elliptical: they all work.

More movement helps fat loss

Cutting is a game of energy balance.

And at a certain point, it’s easier to burn more than to eat less, especially as your calorie intake gets lower and satiety starts to tank.

Personally, once weight loss starts to slow, I'd much rather add 1–2 hours of easy walking or biking than cut calories.

Increasing movement gives you margin:

• You can eat more while still losing fat
• You’re less likely to crash metabolically
• You can stay leaner with less food obsession

It also helps regulate blood sugar, reduce stress, and improve sleep, all things that matter a lot more than people think during a cut.

How much cardio should you do?

Here’s a better question:
How much low-intensity cardio can you realistically tolerate while still recovering well?

For most people cutting seriously:

• Aim for 5+ hours of Zone 1 per week
• More is often better, especially if you're only lifting 3x/week
• Don’t force it. Build up gradually if you’re new to this level of movement

And no, this will not "kill your gains."

That said, there’s also a point where the cut has served its purpose, and pushing harder won’t help.

The bottom line

If you’re cutting, cardio is your friend, but not the high-intensity kind.

Do as much low-intensity movement as you can tolerate, keep the intensity below 70% max HR, and let it support your fat loss, not interfere with it.

Capacity Training

I built Capacity Training to plan your running and your lifting together. You can add cross-training like biking or walking, your max heart rate sets your heart-rate zones, and every workout gets a load score, lifting and cross-training included.

Run faster. Get stronger. capacitytraining.app

Mike