Is it possible to do cardio on weights? An ideal cardio workout for those who do not want to lose muscle mass. Cardio and body types

Do you want to simultaneously burn fat, improve the condition of your cardiovascular system and not lose muscle volume?! Read and find out the whole truth!

The best result of fitness and bodybuilding will be a harmoniously built figure with good muscle definition without excess fat. At the beginning, as you know, they go, then they add cardio loads to burn extra calories and create a super athlete figure, but what happens if you combine cardio with simultaneous muscle growth?!

Cardio for muscles

If you use cardio exercises simultaneously with a program for muscle growth, it has been scientifically proven that muscle volume decreases. Why does this happen:

Firstly - scientists who have conducted scientific experiments on combining cardio and increasing muscle fibers are of the opinion that the body’s adaptation to cardio loads is completely different than what happens during strength training. During cardio, the main goal of training is to adapt and improve the functioning of the heart, and mass growth plays the last role.

Secondly – any cardio load occurs at an increased pace, and this in turn increases the muscle process after regular strength training.

After this, the conclusion suggests itself that cardio cannot be combined with simultaneous training to increase muscle mass, but do not rush to such conclusions. It depends on what type of cardio exercise you choose and the level of intensity!

Running or cycling: which is better for gaining weight?

As a result of scientific research, the 2 most popular types of aerobic exercise were taken as a basis - and. After all, cycling has been shown to have less of a negative effect on muscle growth than running.

On the basis of which the following conclusions were made:

Bike– cycling does not lead to significant damage to muscle areas (this is a gentle type of cardio when gaining weight), which means they recover faster and the chance of muscle damage is much lower than during running. While riding, your hips work actively, and the load on your knees is much less than when running. Remember, on a bicycle you need to turn the pedal in a circle, and not press down with all your strength; you will pump your legs in the gym.

Run– puts much more stress on the knees and tendons, there is direct contact with the surface, and the whole body is loaded. You spend more energy, your muscles strain more, because regardless of whether you run up or down, the load on the body is constant, unlike cycling, where you actually rest when going down the mountain.

Intensity and duration of exercise

A very important point that cannot be ignored.

Long-term loads at a moderate or low pace have little effect on fat burning, but have a significant effect
burn lean muscle mass.

Short-term loads at a high pace have the maximum effect on burning fat deposits and at the same time have a minimal effect on reducing muscle volume.

A clear example, look at runners: those who run 10-20 kilometers are thin as herrings, sprinters at 100-200 meters are another matter, pay attention to their legs, and the entire musculature of the body as a whole - these are the real owners of sculpted muscles.

Due to sudden, explosive movements, muscle fibers that are inactive during strength training are activated. By combining short-term intense loads + strength training, you engage slow and fast muscles, which results in ultimate muscle growth.

For example, fast cycling or sharp sprinting for 20-30 seconds, from 5 to 10 times, perfectly increases muscle volume, creating an anabolic effect, dries out the figure and burns fat.

Set your priorities

No one is saying that jogging outdoors doesn't burn extra calories and lead to overall weight loss, but you have to understand what your goal is. If you just want to lose weight and are not interested in muscles, please jog for health, it strengthens the heart, develops the lungs, but at the same time you will have to spend a lot more free time.

If your goal is to maintain muscle mass, then for cardio while gaining weight, you need to use sprinting at maximum speed, as if an angry dog ​​is about to catch up with you and you need to break away from it with all your strength, this is of course more difficult than regular running, but you want the result also wonderful.

You can’t immediately switch to super fast running; you need to warm up your muscles well by doing preliminary exercises and start at an average running speed, gradually increasing the pace to the maximum. Your body needs a little time to get used to the stress load.

Finally, I will say, separate your leg training and cardio load on different days, scientific research conducted by Dr. Jacob Wilson has proven that cardio affects the working muscle groups.

In other words, a sharp sprint triggers an anabolic effect and gives growth to the leg muscles; in order not to disrupt this effect and not cause overtraining, at least 1 full day (24 hours) must pass between sprint races.

Of course, it’s up to you to choose, but think carefully, because one wrong decision can negate all the hours of hard work in the gym, I wish you good luck 😉!

As you know, aerobic exercise exists to help a person lose excess weight, keep himself in good physical shape and train the cardiovascular system. Proper strength training will certainly also help improve heart function. However, in order to fully develop the most important muscle in our body, weight training is not enough; you need to resort to cardio training.

As you know, in bodybuilding, the main goal is to gain pure muscle mass, which means performing mostly strength exercises. Many people have no room at all for aerobic exercise in weight training, because most are afraid to include long aerobic exercise such as running in their training, because they do not want to lose precious kilograms. So what remains, should you do cardio when gaining muscle mass? Of course, it is necessary, because a healthy heart is much more important than a large pile of muscles, but it should be done correctly and this is what we will talk about now.

First, let's look at what aerobic exercise means. This is a long-term type of exercise that involves the use of oxygen as the main source of energy to maintain physical activity of the body. In simple terms, when a person performs basic exercises, the duration of the load is 10-30 seconds, at this moment ATP molecules, glucose and other substances are used to maintain the person’s physical activity at the time of exercise. That is, there is an accelerated process of decomposition of various substances, in which oxygen does not participate. This type of load is called anaerobic. When the load is not significant and lasts more than a minute, for example running on a treadmill or any other aerobic exercise, oxygen enters the energy process.

IMPORTANCE OF CARDIO TRAINING IN BODYBUILDING

With prolonged exercise, like running, the body burns fat deposits better, strengthens the cardiovascular system, speeds up metabolism, increases the size of the heart, and reduces the risk of diabetes and heart-related diseases. As you can see, there are a lot of advantages and I want to highlight one of the main ones. As I said earlier, the goal of bodybuilding is to increase muscle mass, and accordingly, the volume of blood in the athlete’s body increases. For example, a person worked out in the gym for many years, gained muscle mass, but did not perform various aerobic exercises to train his heart. Imagine, this athlete increased his weight from 70 kilograms to 100 kilograms, thereby increasing the blood volume in the body. But, due to the fact that he paid virtually no attention to cardio, his heart remained with the same volume as when he weighed 70 kg. Now imagine what kind of load our main muscle receives by pumping such an amount of blood. Because of this, various problems related to the cardiovascular system may arise. To prevent this from happening, you must do cardio training.

IS IT WORTH DOING CARDIO WHEN GAINING WEIGHT?

Whether you are trying to gain weight or lose weight, you definitely need to do this type of exercise. It all depends on how much space aerobic activity takes up in your workout and how intense it is. Everything is quite simple, if you want to lose weight, pay more attention to cardio training, make it more intense, longer, and so on. You can set aside a separate day for running.

If you are gaining weight, simply reduce the intensity and duration of your aerobic activity. For example, 5-15 minutes of running on the treadmill at the beginning of your workout as a warm-up and 5-15 minutes of running at the end of your workout as a cool-down is sufficient. There is also interval cardio, which even helps to gain muscle mass, of course, with proper nutrition. By the way, this is a very useful type of training that is effective for losing weight. However, if you combine interval training with strength training, you get an excellent program that allows you to gain pure muscle mass without fat.

Particular attention should be paid to heart rate when performing aerobic exercise. The fact is that at a certain heart rate, how the load will affect the body depends. For example, with a heart rate of 50-60% of your maximum rate, this is a moderate exercise that will burn a small amount of calories with minimal impact on your muscles. If you take a frequency ranging from 80-90% of the maximum heart rate, this is already a workout for weight loss, and so on. That is, the more intense the training, the more emphasis is placed on burning weight. You can choose the most optimal limit, for example, from 60-70% of the maximum heart rate and make the workout short, for example, as was said at the beginning: 5-15 minutes at the beginning of the workout and 5-15 minutes at the end.

Maximum heart rate

Remember that the most important thing is nutrition. Place the main emphasis on nutrition, because even if you constantly do the basics, without proper nutrition for weight, the effect will be the same as from a workout aimed at losing weight.

CARDIO AND BODY TYPES

Another point to pay attention to is your body type. The thing is that scientists have identified three main types, which are called: ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. These are three types that are fundamentally different from each other, for example, an ectomorph is a naturally thin person, with long limbs and not very good genetics. High-intensity aerobic training is not advisable for such an athlete; moderately intense cardio for 10 minutes is sufficient. You can, of course, experiment, I think nothing will happen if the aerobic exercise is intense, but not long, for example, 5 minutes of speed running. However, I would recommend a moderate run for 10 minutes, which will warm up your muscles and your body will be ready for strength training.

An endomorph is a person with constant problems with excess weight. It’s clear that before you gain muscle mass, you need to get rid of the bulk of excess fat. Such people simply need to perform cardio training more intensely than other athletes in order to gain pure muscle mass without fat deposits. Therefore, there are no options at all, and the main attention should be paid to nutrition, since without a proper diet, a person can easily gain excess weight.

Mesomorph is the ideal body type for bodybuilding. Such people easily gain muscle mass and lose excess weight with proper training and nutrition. Therefore, they can also perform aerobic exercise, both at an intense pace and in a moderate mode.

To find out what body type you have and get recommendations on training, nutrition and more, you can use our test by clicking on this link.

CONCLUSION

In general, from all of the above, we can draw a completely understandable and logical conclusion that cardio is needed both when gaining muscle mass and when losing weight, the only difference is in the intensity and duration of aerobic exercise. Believe me, with proper nutrition and cardio exercise along with strength training, you can effectively gain muscle mass, while training your heart and your health.

You've heard about the benefits of high-intensity cardio for weight loss, but you're daunted by the prospect of losing muscle mass. Find out the truth!

QUESTION: People talk about high-intensity cardio these days, but I know a lot of guys who still spend a lot of time doing low-intensity cardio these days. Personally, any program that will not negatively affect muscle mass is suitable for me. What do you recommend?

Undoubtedly, the hallmark of bodybuilding is extreme muscularity. Another trademark is the muscle relief drawn to the smallest detail. Look at most training programs and you'll see a standard approach to these goals: strength training to gain muscle, followed by cardio to burn fat. It's simple, right?

Science confirms the effectiveness of these techniques. But at the point of their intersection, in the “simultaneous training” phase, the situation becomes sharply more complicated. For example, research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 1998 found that 10 weeks of strength training combined with cardio resulted in greater mass loss than resistance training alone. Unfortunately, the same study showed that adding aerobic training to strength exercises slows down the growth of strength indicators by half. Other studies have shown similar results - after integrating cardio into the training cycle, muscle growth slowed down sharply.

Why does cardio exercise slow down growth? There are several explanations for this. Firstly, aerobic training is an additional volume of exercise, which makes it noticeably more difficult after standard strength training. Secondly, scientists insist that the processes of physiological adaptation to cardio loads are the exact opposite of what happens during strength training. Adaptation of the cardiovascular system comes to the fore, which negates all the effects of strength training.

Both scenarios described have an understandable effect on those who strive to gain muscle mass: they are too careful during the cutting phase. The question is, is it possible to achieve the maximum effect from cardio exercise and at the same time eliminate all the negativity? I've been studying this question with my colleagues at the University of Tampa for the past several years, and we have good news: it's possible. It all depends on what type of aerobic training you choose and to what extent you will perform it.

Pedal away from the treadmill

One of our recent studies examined the effects of different types of cardio exercise on muscle growth, their intensity and dilution over time of aerobic and strength training. Our goal was to find out which cardio loads negatively affect the results of strength training. For example, after comparing running and cycling, we came to the conclusion that running is accompanied by a more pronounced slowdown in muscle growth. This correlates with results obtained in 2009 by another laboratory: walking uphill led to greater reductions in strength than cycling.

After comparing running and cycling, we came to the conclusion that running is accompanied by a more pronounced slowdown in muscle growth

There are two explanations why this happens. The first theory is that the movements used in jogging or walking uphill are so different from the biomechanics of strength exercises (for example, squats) that this leads to a drop in strength training results. Unlike running, cycling involves much more of your hips and knees.

The second theory is that cycling is based on concentric movements that do not cause significant muscle damage, while running causes significant muscle damage during the eccentric phase and stretching. This is why recovery is faster after cycling than after running.

The importance of intensity

The intensity and duration of the exercise are even more important than the type of exercise. We find that long-term fat loss is least pronounced with moderate but very long-term cardio exercise. And the most noticeable weight loss can be achieved through short, high-intensity sessions, such as sprinting. We also found that the longer the aerobic training, the greater the loss of lean mass. At the same time, we recorded an extremely slight decrease in muscle mass and strength indicators against the background of short (no more than 20 minutes per day) cardio exercises.

“What about the fat burning zone?” - you shout from the treadmill. You are, of course, referring to the study conducted in the early nineties by Dr. Romijn. He concluded that we burn the lion's share of fat during long (45-60 minutes) aerobic exercise at moderate intensity (no more than 65% of maximum heart rate). The consequence of this experiment was the emergence of “fat burning” programs in almost all cardio equipment. However, the Achilles heel of this study is that the processes occurring in the body during exercise do not always correlate with the long-term consequences of training. And this is what I want to draw your attention to!

Long-term cardio exercise reduced muscle volume, and sprinting increased muscle volume

Our laboratory recently conducted such an experiment. We compared low-intensity, long-duration (60 minutes) aerobic sessions with 4-10 sprints at maximum speed for 10-30 seconds. As we thought, prolonged cardio exercise had a negative effect on muscle volume. And now attention: surprisingly, sprinting increased muscle volume. Conclusion: sprinting has an anabolic effect and at the same time promotes drying and creating relief!

Let's put it all together

I know a lot of people have the same thought: “If all this is true, then why are so many bodybuilders finding success with long-term, low-intensity cardio? It turns out that in their case it worked...” The answer is: it’s not that long aerobic sessions aren’t effective at burning fat—they are. The question is, what should you do as an athlete to optimize your training process and achieve maximum results in the shortest possible way? In our case, the answer is obvious: high-intensity sprinting leads to greater fat loss than jogging. In addition, sprinting preserves and perhaps even increases muscle mass.

On the other hand, not everything is so simple with a sprint; it requires the right systematic approach. Bodybuilders seeking to reduce fat mass should perform 4 to 10 sprints at maximum speed for 10-30 seconds. When I talk about top speed, what I mean is that at the end of the race you should be gutted. However, I advise you to start with lower intensity and gradually raise the bar.

Once you get into shape, which will take about a month, you should schedule your sprint runs. For example, if you are planning three sprint sessions per week, I recommend doing one short, very intense session of six ten-second hill sprints, and one moderate-intensity session of six fifteen-second flat sprints. The last workout should be the longest - four thirty-second sprints at top speed. Additionally, I am a big fan of exercises such as pushing a car, pulling or pushing a trailer, etc.

And one last thing. Try to separate your cardio and leg training by at least one day. Our laboratory, and others too, have proven that cardio affects the working muscle group. So if you did a high-intensity cardio workout for your legs today, it will directly activate muscle growth in that anatomical area. Research has shown that at least 24 hours should pass between cardio and leg training. Otherwise, you risk slowing down your growth.

This may sound preachy, but think about the time you'll save by not spending hours on the treadmill. It's definitely worth adding an extra item to your workout schedule.

Completely opposite opinions about the benefits of cardio training in bodybuilding can confuse not only beginners. This forces a novice athlete, if of course he is serious about his chosen sport, to look for a clear answer to the question whether they are needed or not, to do or, better yet, not to do cardio.

Some people talk about their necessity and benefits, others that they are superfluous in bodybuilding. In general, what is cardio training, bodybuilding in combination with them, slows down progress or enhances it? I propose to look into this issue.

Why do you need cardio training?

To begin with, you need to understand what is special about such exercises, their fundamental difference from the rest of the training. So, the word cardio (kardia) translated from Greek means “heart”. Looking ahead, let's say that, as the name suggests, this type of load trains, first of all, the heart. Cardio training is also called aerobic training; in essence, it is the same thing. Their differences from the main training are as follows:

1. During cardio exercise, the maximum number of muscles work.
2. Such training is characterized by continuous load.
3. Their implementation provokes increased work of the lungs and heart.

The most popular cardio or aerobic activities include running (jogging outdoors or on a treadmill), brisk walking, cycling (an exercise bike) and swimming. Cardio is performed differently during bulking and cutting. They differ in duration and intensity. What's the use of them? In fact, it is huge, pronounced, characteristic of this particular type of load. Namely, this:

1. Training the heart and the entire circulatory system.
2. General healing effect of the body.
3. Significant increase in endurance.
4. Fat burning effect.

Such exercises not only train the heart, but also increase its volume. This means that for the same number of beats, a heart trained in this way pumps a larger volume of blood than an untrained one.

bodybuilder body

increases, the heart requires more effort to pump blood through all tissues, and for a trained heart this is much easier to do. Largely due to this, endurance increases.

Next, let's take a closer look at cardio training in the context of bodybuilding. In particular, we’ll talk about how to combine cardio and strength training in bodybuilding, and whether they are compatible in principle.

Cardio for gaining muscle mass

Novice bodybuilders, in particular, are interested in the following question: should they do cardio when gaining weight? In addition, the use of cardio during this period causes the most controversy among bodybuilders. Opponents argue that aerobic training prevents weight gain by causing catabolic processes - burning muscles. Supporters see only benefits in them. And they don’t just recommend cardio, but consider such training mandatory and necessary.

The fact is that cardio training, depending on the goal, can be different. Gentle cardio, for example, a 10-minute warm-up on a treadmill before lifting weights, is necessary for everyone, regardless of whether the athlete is preparing for a competition or is training in the off-season. This will prepare the heart, “accelerate” the blood, and warm up the muscles before the main workout. Such cardio training will not hurt at all in gaining muscle mass. At the same time, catabolic processes will not occur.

Is cardio necessary when gaining weight? Definitely yes. But, as we said, a short duration - 10 minutes of running at the beginning of the workout is enough. It is better to avoid a greater presence of cardio, as this can interfere with muscle growth.

Cutting and cardio training

Cardio for cutting is longer and is especially important for endomorphs (athletes prone to gaining excess weight). At this stage, a bodybuilder needs to burn excess fat. But, there is a difficulty that plagues many bodybuilders: what and how much cardio to do while cutting to effectively lose fat, and, at the same time, not lose precious muscle mass.

For this you can use classic cardio. This type of training is monotonous and long (30 minutes or more). It is very important that it proceeds in a moderate rhythm, in which energy is obtained through the breakdown of fats, and catabolic processes are minimized. It is important to maintain the optimal heart rate - it is 65% of the maximum value and is calculated using the following formula:

(220 - age) × 0.65 = optimal heart rate for fat burning.

For example, if you are 30, then (220-30)×0.65=123.5. This means that your optimal heart rate should be between 120 and 130 beats per minute.

Also, many believe that the best option during cutting is interval cardio. Unlike the classical one, the load or intensity in it alternates. Sprint running is often used for this: the athlete runs a certain distance with high intensity, then the run is replaced by a walk, during which the heart calms down, after which acceleration follows again and this is repeated several times.

This workout increases your metabolic rate and effectively eliminates excess weight. It's also a great way to increase muscle endurance, improve health, and maintain muscle mass at the same time.

But doing cardio correctly while cutting is not enough. Equally important is a competent change in diet, which reduces its calorie content. This moment can be called key. Therefore, cardio training alone is not a panacea for getting rid of fat.. As proof, let us cite the following fact: people who engage in aerobics to lose weight, without changing their diet, do not achieve their goal, but, on the contrary, get the opposite effect. This is explained by the fact that such training really effectively burns fat, but at the same time, it increases appetite to the same, or even greater extent. As a result, the person gains even more weight.

Thus, for effective cardio and drying of the body, you can and should use moderate classical cardio or interval cardio.

But you should remember

that an optimally adjusted diet and strict adherence to it is also an important (if not more important) condition for obtaining the desired result when cutting.

From all that has been said, it is clear that proper drying, bodybuilding, cardio exercise, weight gain and nutritional habits at these stages are all closely interconnected. In conclusion, it is necessary to mention one more important point that proves the need for cardio training. The bottom line is that strength training in bodybuilding is not entirely natural. What is meant? All natural body movements in nature, performed by both humans and animals, relate specifically to cardio or aerobic types of exercise.. A wolf running after a hare, a bird flying, a bear climbing a tree, and, if you like, monkeys moving along vines - all this refers to cardio exercise.

This is really true, because no one has ever observed how the same bear, for example, monotonously pulls himself up on the same branch, up and down, up and down, or, in the same manner, works with a log, and choosing it heavier . Yes, it would look, at least, funny. Why is this said? Besides, strength exercises and cardio are quite different from each other. The first ones load the muscles well, but do not train the heart enough. The latter are more harmonious in this regard.

Therefore, without cardio, we can get developed muscles, but at the same time the heart lags behind it.

It is the insufficient amount of aerobic exercise that explains the quite common problems associated with the heart in bodybuilders, which can sometimes lead to unpleasant and sad consequences. Therefore, remember that the heart is a complex and important organ that works for us day and night, with a powerful muscle that also needs pumping, especially if you are involved in bodybuilding.

That's all for now. Do cardio and don't forget about natural vitamins.

Nike trainer and founder of The Ocho System Joe Holder knows how to figure out how much cardio you need and how to incorporate it into your routine.

It's not just cardio training. This is hardening!

Conditioning is a unique tool that improves the condition of your cardiovascular system and does this without losing muscle mass. For many of us, that means running, working out on the elliptical trainer, or working out on the treadmill. In fact, this is not a completely correct idea. Cardio training develops the aerobic system, but does not allow you to achieve the most effective state. Hardening works much better, developing all our energy systems.

We need beautiful and voluminous muscles paired with a well-developed and healthy cardiovascular system. This can be achieved by combining sprinting with strength training in the gym, practicing tempo training and recovery running.

Basic energy systems

We have three main energy systems: anaerobic alactic, anaerobic lactate and aerobic.

Anaerobic alactate system responsible for bursts of energy in short periods of time (up to 20 seconds) that increase maximum strength and/or speed. It does not use oxygen and does not create lactic acid. The system receives the energy it needs due to the breakdown of phosphate compounds - adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate (CP). In order to develop this system, you need to train for a long time at maximum loads.

Anaerobic lactate system Provides energy for activities lasting up to one minute. It does not need oxygen and produces energy by breaking down glucose and glycogen. A side effect of a chain of complex reactions is the appearance of lactic acid, which then decomposes to form a salt (lactate). It is lactate that is responsible for the feeling of fatigue in the muscles (the restoration of ATP reserves slows down, the breakdown of glycogen stops).

Aerobic system is responsible for providing the body with energy for longer periods of time by breaking down carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids. This process requires oxygen and can result in the production of lactic acid - if the workout is intense enough.

Each of these systems has its own purpose, and depending on your goals, you need to focus on developing the one you need.

The perfect workout

If you want to maximize your muscle mass, train 2-3 times a week.

By doing low-intensity cardio more than three times a week, you're likely to neglect strength training, which maintains your current muscle size and helps you build it further. You may also be avoiding activities that strengthen and strengthen your energy systems in general. But you remember that our goal is to strengthen the aerobic system and at the same time maintain, even increase, muscle mass.

If you do conditioning training 3 times a week, your muscle mass will be maintained. More than four workouts per week will cause muscle size to begin to decrease as the body adapts to what it is being trained for (example: the lean, wiry bodies of long-distance runners). Don't forget about it!

Weekly schedule of proper cardio training

Three cardio workouts per week should be performed: one develops the anaerobic lactate system, another - the anaerobic lactate system, and the third is aimed at developing the aerobic energy system.

Holder says sprints are great for the first two workouts. The result will be an increase in your body's recovery rate and your performance during training, as well as muscle energy absorption during strength training.

The third workout is designed to develop the aerobic system (running, cycling, boxing). It can also be a tempo workout or a recovery run.

Sprint example

Two sets: five runs of 20-40 meters, 2 minutes of rest between them and 4 minutes of rest between sets. The effort you put in during this workout is key. Gradually increase the distance and number of sprints every week of training. If possible, add hill running.

You can also train on a bicycle according to the following scheme: 8-second sprint, 12 seconds recovery. Repeat for 20 minutes.

Example of a tempo running workout

• Three times 800 m.
• Three times 400 m.
• Once - 1,600 m.

This workout can be done both outdoors and in the gym. Remember to add 90 seconds of rest after each interval.

Recovery run example

This could be walking briskly on a treadmill at a low incline, jogging, or cycling at a very leisurely pace for 20 to 30 minutes.

You can also add small sprints after a light warm-up before your main strength training session in the gym. For this purpose, 5-second sprints with rest intervals of 30–60 seconds between them are suitable. It is advisable to perform 5 approaches. Then rest for 4 minutes and begin strength training.