What Science Says About Cardio Exercise Effects On Muscle Growth

             Many things may surprise you in a bodybuilder, but one of the most memorable facts is the skepticism about Cardio Exercise Effects. The fear of losing any pound makes them throw away cardio training and see them as the cause of muscle loss. If you are one of these bodybuilders who marginalize the role of cardio in a balanced workout routine, then it is time to revise your thoughts. By reading this post, you will find out why and how cardio can still benefit you based on what researchers say about it.

            Do you need cardio to build muscle mass was a question we asked in one of the previous posts. Then we mentioned that the best form of cardio exercises that a weightlifter can use are warm-up cardio movements and cardio exercises for muscle definition. Today we will develop this subject and analyze cardio exercises through their contribution to increase body strength and, as a result, muscle growth. Or better said, if they have any or worsen the situation.

Cardio Exercise Effects On Muscle Growth

             Concomitantly performance of strength training with cardio is concurrent training and caught the researcher’s attention for over three decades. Long-time observations conclude that cardio training before a strength workout decreases hypertrophy, which means less muscle mass is built.

            There is a strong correlation between cardio training intensity, frequency, and length and the bad effects on muscle mass. The higher these cardio training indicators, the more you miss the chance to build muscle mass.

            Does it mean that cardio training has to be completely abandoned? Of course, no. Nothing improves metabolism and burns fat as cardio exercises do. Aside from this, cardio training has a good influence on heart rate and overall health. Therefore, simply cutting it off from your daily life is not a good idea.

          Just imagine how great it will be to have the chance to embrace all these advantages while packing on muscle mass. Burn fat and building lean muscle mass is the dream of every bodybuilder. Well, research says this is possible to achieve when establishing a good balance between these two components.

How to know when too much cardio is done?

             When mixed with strength training for bulking, cardio training needs to have a frequency of no more than 2-3 times a week and not exceed half an hour. All this supposing that you follow a low intensity. Such cardio training potent the effects of strength training and has no negative effects. Go this way, and you will manage to build muscle, while cardio exercises do their good effects on your body.

         Things change when you cross this line. If you want to get rid of fat, you will find no problem with it. Longer cardio training performed at a higher intensity every other day has great cutting effects, so you will become lean within weeks after starting such a program.

          What you have to understand is that for bulking is good to follow a lower intensity cardio training with a greater effect on strength workout. After you build the muscle you want and consider the time to melt away extra fat gained over the bulking came, you can increase cardio training intensity and frequency to get this effect.

This is what we have:

• Minimum cardio for bulking purposes.
• More cardio for cutting effect.

What to do if you worry about losing too much muscle while looking to cut off fat?

             Most of the time, keeping the muscle mass is harder than building it. Preventing muscle mass while going through a cutting stage is the biggest challenge. It’s quite understandable your fear of losing muscle and the fact that you want to have over it.

            To make sure you lose fat and not muscle mass, keep a close eye on your body composition. Once you observe that the one who goes away is not fat but muscle tissue, you can stop it by reducing cardio exercise.

Some types of cardio training have a more destructive effect on muscle mass than others.

           According to research published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, running is more detrimental to muscle growth than any other kind of cardio activity.  Want more details about this subject? Read our post-Running and Bodybuilding: Is mixing them a good idea?

           Cycling is on the list of cardio exercises with a positive impact on muscle growth. Make it a part of your workout if you are about to increase your muscle size.  

        No need to google for the best exercises for burning fat. Check our post Best cardio and weight exercises to lose weight and see what these are.

Conclusion

Cardio and strength training can go hand in hand when a good balance is ensured—less cardio when bulking - 2 training sessions per week at a lower intensity for twenty minutes. During the cutting stage, more cardio is welcome - 3 times a week, training up to 50 minutes length at a higher intensity (the HIIT method works great).