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There is a common belief in the fitness community that cardio kills gains or muscle growth. However, this is a myth, and it is possible to incorporate cardio into your training without losing muscle. The key is to ensure you are consuming an adequate amount of calories and protein, and to separate cardio and lifting workouts to allow for optimal muscle growth. The timing of your cardio workouts is also important, with most experts recommending that you do cardio after your weights workout. Additionally, certain types of cardio exercises such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprinting are better for maintaining or increasing muscle mass.
Does Cardio Maintain Muscle?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Calories | Consuming an adequate amount of calories is important to maintain muscle mass while doing cardio. |
| Protein | Consuming an adequate amount of protein is important to maintain muscle mass while doing cardio. |
| Timing | Doing cardio at the wrong time can negatively impact muscle growth. |
| Type of Cardio | High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprinting are types of cardio that can help maintain muscle mass. |
| Number of Cardio Workouts | Three days of cardio workouts per week are less likely to deplete muscle mass compared to four or more days per week. |
| Resistance Training | Combining cardio with resistance or strength training can help maintain muscle mass. |
| Recovery Time | Adequate recovery time between workouts is important for muscle growth. |
| Caloric Surplus | A caloric surplus is necessary for gaining tissue or muscle mass. |
| Caloric Deficit | A caloric deficit can lead to a loss of muscle mass. |
| Insulin Levels | Lower insulin levels can cause the body to burn fat and store muscle glycogen. |
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What You'll Learn
- Caloric intake is key to maintaining muscle while doing cardio
- Separating cardio and strength training may be optimal for muscle growth
- Sprinting is a good form of cardio for building muscle
- Cardio is important for overall health and wellness
- Doing cardio before strength training may negatively impact performance
Caloric intake is key to maintaining muscle while doing cardio
To maintain muscle while doing cardio, it is important to ensure that your caloric intake matches your expenditure. If you are doing cardio and your body is not adequately fuelled, it will turn to your muscle cells and break down amino acids for fuel, leading to muscle loss. Therefore, it is crucial to consume an adequate amount of calories and protein.
To determine your caloric needs, you can use a calorie calculator that takes into account your gender, weight, height, age, and activity level. For example, the Mifflin St. Jeor calculation is considered the "gold standard" for calorie calculators. It provides a formula to calculate your BMR, which is then multiplied by an activity factor to determine your TDEE.
Once you know your TDEE, you can adjust your calorie intake based on your goals. If you are looking to maintain your muscle while doing cardio, you should aim for a "maintenance" level of calories, where your body weight, body fat, and muscle mass remain stable. This may involve tracking your weight and measurements over time and making adjustments as needed.
Additionally, the type of cardio you engage in can also impact muscle maintenance. High-impact cardio exercises, such as long-distance running or jump rope, can cause significant muscle damage and require time to recover. On the other hand, sprinting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help maintain or even increase muscle mass.
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Separating cardio and strength training may be optimal for muscle growth
It is a common misconception that cardio training will make you lose muscle mass. While cardio is a great tool to burn calories and facilitate fat loss, it does not necessarily contribute to muscle loss. However, if your calorie intake is not matched to your cardio output, you will experience a loss of mass in both fat and muscle.
If your goal is to maximise muscle growth, it is beneficial to separate your cardio and strength training. This is because combining strength (anaerobic) and cardio (aerobic) training in one session forces the body to utilise both pathways simultaneously, which can lead to inefficiency and potentially inhibit the body's anaerobic adaptation system. By inhibiting protein synthesis, the combined training effect may slow muscle and strength growth.
Research has found that when cardio and strength training are performed separately, there is no interference with the development of maximum strength and muscle hypertrophy compared to strength training alone. However, the development of explosive strength appeared to be negatively affected by concurrent training. This negative effect was exacerbated when the two types of training were performed in the same session, regardless of the order of exercises.
Therefore, if you are aiming for maximum muscle growth, it is optimal to separate your cardio and strength training sessions. This will allow each adaptation system to be utilised more efficiently, leading to faster results and improved overall fitness.
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Sprinting is a good form of cardio for building muscle
Cardio is often associated with burning calories and losing body fat. While cardio can help with fat loss, it is a common misconception that it leads to a loss of muscle mass. In fact, cardio can be beneficial for building muscle when done correctly.
Sprinting is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that can be an excellent form of cardio for building muscle. It is a vigorous total-body exercise that triggers powerful adaptations, making your muscles and cardiovascular system stronger. Sprinting takes strength and power to perform and can help build endurance, which is an essential component of strength training.
Sprinters tend to have more defined muscle mass compared to long-distance runners. This is because sprinting is an anaerobic exercise that requires a lot of energy, and the body responds by adapting to the challenges imposed on it. As you consistently include sprinting in your workouts, your cardiovascular system becomes more efficient, improving your endurance and enabling you to perform better in other physical activities.
Additionally, sprinting has a unique effect on hormone secretion, promoting the release of growth hormone (GH) and testosterone, which are crucial for muscle growth and recovery. By improving your cardiovascular health, sprinting can also help reduce recovery time, allowing you to level up your strength training routine faster.
However, it is important to note that sprinting can be intense on the joints, and individuals with joint issues should proceed with caution. It is always advisable to consult a healthcare professional or a qualified coach before starting a new exercise routine.
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Cardio is important for overall health and wellness
Cardio, or aerobic exercise, is an important component of a holistic fitness routine, offering a range of benefits for overall health and wellness. While cardio is often associated with running, it encompasses a variety of physical activities that increase your heart rate and get your blood pumping, including walking, swimming, cycling, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Cardio is essential for improving cardiovascular health and endurance. By strengthening your cardiovascular system, you enhance blood flow throughout your body, ensuring that oxygenated blood reaches all parts of your body. This helps to lower your resting blood pressure and heart rate, reducing the strain on your heart. Additionally, cardio helps improve good cholesterol levels while lowering blood fats, contributing to overall heart health.
Regular cardio exercise has been linked to a reduced risk of dementia and improved brain health. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise can lead to more robust brain tissue, particularly in older adults. Cardio can also improve mood and mental health, with research indicating that it can combat depression, enhance self-esteem, and release tension-fighting hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Cardio is also beneficial for improving sleep quality and treating insomnia. Engaging in regular aerobic activity can lead to better sleep duration and quality, as well as increased daytime wakefulness and vitality. However, it is important to finish your cardio workouts at least two hours before bedtime to avoid interfering with sleep.
In terms of physical fitness, cardio can aid in weight loss and fat burning. It increases your body's ability to burn fat as fuel and can help maintain a caloric deficit, which is essential for losing weight and preventing muscle loss. Additionally, cardio can complement strength training by improving recovery time and reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Overall, cardio is an important component of a holistic fitness routine. It offers a range of benefits for overall health and wellness, including improved cardiovascular health, brain function, mental well-being, sleep quality, and physical fitness. By incorporating cardio exercises that suit your interests and fitness level, you can enhance your overall health and work towards your fitness goals.
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Doing cardio before strength training may negatively impact performance
Cardio training is a great way to enhance overall fitness and facilitate fat loss through caloric expenditure. However, doing cardio before strength training may negatively impact performance.
Firstly, it is important to understand that the body can maintain, lose, or gain tissue depending on caloric intake. A caloric deficit leads to tissue loss, while a caloric surplus leads to tissue gain. Cardio is often associated with burning calories and losing body fat as well as muscle mass. While it is possible to run and maintain muscle, it requires a balanced approach where caloric intake matches the expenditure from exercise.
Doing cardio before strength training can lead to decreased performance during the weight-lifting session. A 2016 study found that participants who performed cardio before lifting weights experienced a significant decrease in their workout performance. This may be due to systemic factors interfering with muscle hypertrophy when cardio induces muscle damage. Separating cardio and lifting workouts by at least six hours may be more optimal for muscle growth.
Additionally, certain forms of cardio, such as running, jump rope, and sprints, have significant eccentric components that cause lower body muscle damage. This type of high-impact cardio requires time to recover, and doing it before strength training can impair performance due to fatigue. On the other hand, low-impact cardio, such as cycling, does not seem to hamper strength training.
For those seeking strength improvements, limiting cardio to a short warm-up session before weight training may be advisable. This ensures that the energy levels and mental focus required for proper form and technique during lifting are maintained, reducing the risk of injury.
In conclusion, while cardio is an important component of fitness, doing it before strength training may negatively impact performance. To optimize results, individuals should consider performing cardio after strength training or on separate days, ensuring adequate recovery time for the muscles.
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Frequently asked questions
Cardio does not burn muscle as long as you're consuming an adequate amount of calories and protein. However, doing cardio at the wrong time can negatively impact your performance.
Cardio does not necessarily help to build muscle in the way that weight training does. However, a well-planned-out cardio routine can complement strength and resistance training.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprinting are recommended for building muscle.
Three days of cardio per week will not deplete all your muscle mass, but 4+ days a week likely will.
