Weight gain and cardio training. Mass cardio. Do I need to do cardio when gaining muscle mass. Maximum heart rate

Article last updated: 06/24/2016

As you know, aerobic exercise exists in order to help a person lose weight. excess weight, keep yourself in good physical shape and train the cardiovascular system. Correct power loads, of course, also contribute to the improvement of 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 the use of cardio training.

As you know, in bodybuilding, the main task is to set a clean muscle mass, this implies the implementation of a greater degree strength exercises. Many people don't have room for aerobic exercise in mass training at all, because most are afraid to include long aerobic activities such as running in their training, because they do not want to lose precious kilograms. So what remains, is it necessary to do cardio when gaining muscle mass? Of course, what is needed, because a healthy heart is much more important than a large pile of muscles, but this should be done correctly and we will talk about this now.

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

THE IMPORTANCE OF CARDIO TRAINING IN BODYBUILDING

With prolonged exertion, like running, the body burns better body fat, contributes to strengthening of cardio-vascular system, speeds up metabolism, increases the volume of the heart, reduces the risk of diabetes and heart-related diseases. As you can see, there are a lot of pluses 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 body of an athlete increases. For example, a person has been engaged in gym, gained muscle mass, but did not perform various aerobic exercises in order to. Imagine, this athlete from 70 kilograms increased his weight to 100 kilograms, thereby increasing the volume of blood in the body. But, due to the fact that he practically did not pay attention to cardio, his heart remained with the same volume as with a weight of 70 kg. Now imagine what kind of load our main muscle receives, pumping such an amount of blood. Because of this, various problems associated with the cardiovascular system may arise. To prevent this from happening, you need to do cardio training.

SHOULD YOU DO CARDIO WHEN YOU GET MASS?

Whether you are on mass or on weight loss, you must definitely perform this type of load. It all depends on how much 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 mass, simply reduce the intensity of the aerobic exercise and its duration. For example, 5-15 minutes of treadmill at the beginning of a workout as a warm-up and 5-15 minutes of running at the end of a workout as a cool-down are enough. There is also, which even contributes to gaining muscle mass, of course, with proper nutrition. By the way, this is very useful view training that is effective in losing weight. However, if you combine interval training with strength training, you get an excellent program in which it is possible.

Particular attention should be paid to the heart rate during 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 the maximum frequency, this is a moderate exercise at which you can burn a small amount of calories, with minimal impact on the muscles. If you take a frequency ranging from 80-90% of the maximum heart rate, this is already a weight loss workout and so on. That is, the more intense the training, the more emphasis on weight loss. 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 it was said at the beginning: 5-15 minutes at the beginning of the workout and 5-15 minutes at the end.

Remember that the most important thing is nutrition. Focus on nutrition, because even if you constantly perform the base, without proper nutrition for mass, the effect will be like from a workout aimed at losing weight.

CARDIO AND BODY TYPES

Another point to pay attention to is the type of physique. The thing is that scientists have identified three main types, which are called:, and. 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 desirable for such an athlete; moderately intense cardio for 10 minutes is enough. Of course, you can experiment, I think nothing will happen if the aerobic load is intense, but not long, for example, 5 minutes of speed running. However, I would recommend moderate running for 10 minutes, which will perfectly warm up your muscles, and your body will be ready for strength training.

Endomorph is a person with constant problems with overweight. Of course, before gaining muscle mass, you need to get rid of the main part excess fat. Such people simply need to perform cardio training and more intense than for 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 the right

As you know, aerobic exercise exists in order to help a person lose weight, keep himself in good physical shape and train the cardiovascular system. Correct power loads, of course, also contribute to the improvement of 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 the use of cardio training.

As you know, in bodybuilding, the main task is to gain pure muscle mass, which means doing more strength exercises. Many people don't have room for aerobic exercise in mass training at all, because most are afraid to include long aerobic activities such as running in their training, because they do not want to lose precious kilograms. So what remains, is it necessary to do cardio when gaining muscle mass? Of course, what is needed, because a healthy heart is much more important than a large pile of muscles, but this should be done correctly and we will talk about this now.

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

THE IMPORTANCE OF CARDIO TRAINING IN BODYBUILDING

With prolonged exercise, like running, the body burns body fat better, helps strengthen the cardiovascular system, speeds up metabolism, increases the heart in volume, and reduces the risk of diabetes and heart-related diseases. As you can see, there are a lot of pluses 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 body of an athlete increases. For example, a person has been in the gym for many years, gaining muscle mass, but did not perform various aerobic exercises to train his heart. Imagine, this athlete from 70 kilograms increased his weight to 100 kilograms, thereby increasing the volume of blood in the body. But, due to the fact that he practically did not pay attention to cardio, his heart remained with the same volume as with a weight of 70 kg. Now imagine what kind of load our main muscle receives, pumping such an amount of blood. Because of this, various problems associated with the cardiovascular system may arise. To prevent this from happening, you need to do cardio training.

SHOULD YOU DO CARDIO WHEN YOU GET MASS?

If you are gaining mass, simply reduce the intensity of the aerobic exercise and its duration. For example, 5-15 minutes of treadmill at the beginning of a workout as a warm-up and 5-15 minutes of running at the end of a workout as a cool-down are enough. There is also interval cardio, which even contributes to a set of muscle mass, of course, with proper nutrition. By the way, this is a very useful type of training, which is effective in losing weight. However, if interval training is combined with strength training, you get an excellent program in which you can gain lean muscle mass without fat.

Maximum heart rate

CARDIO AND BODY TYPES

Another point to pay attention to is the type of physique. 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 desirable for such an athlete; moderately intense cardio for 10 minutes is enough. Of course, you can experiment, I think nothing will happen if the aerobic load is intense, but not long, for example, 5 minutes of speed running. However, I would recommend moderate running for 10 minutes, which will perfectly warm up your muscles, and your body will be ready for strength training.

Endomorph is a person with constant problems with being overweight. Of course, before gaining muscle mass, you need to get rid of the bulk of excess fat. Such people simply need to perform cardio training and more intense than for 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 proper diet a person can easily gain weight.

Mesomorph is the ideal body type for bodybuilding. Such people easily gain muscle mass, lose 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 are and get advice on training, nutrition and more, you can take our quiz by clicking here.

CONCLUSION

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

The content of the article:

Aerobic training is primarily aimed at combating overweight They also allow you to keep fit and strengthen the cardiovascular system. Of course, proper strength training also improves heart function, but weight training alone is not enough to strengthen the heart muscle. For this reason, you have to resort to cardio training.

The main goal of bodybuilding is to gain quality mass, which implies the use of mainly strength exercises. Very often, athletes do not have time for cardio loads. The main reason for this is the reluctance to lose weight. Here, athletes are interested in all the pros and cons of cardio when gaining muscle mass. It is safe to say that aerobic exercise is necessary, since a healthy heart is significantly more important than muscles, but everything must be done according to the rules, which will be discussed now.

Aerobic load during mass gain

Perhaps someone does not know what is called aerobic exercise. Before moving on to the use of cardio in bodybuilding, you should understand what it is. Cardio is a long-term exercise that uses oxygen as a source of fuel needed to keep the body active. To put it simply, during the performance of the main loads, which last for 10-30 seconds, the energy sources are glucose, ATP and other substances that support the athlete's body.

During this period, splitting reactions of various substances occur without the participation of oxygen. This load is called anaerobic. But the load, the duration of exposure to the body exceeds one minute, say, running or other cardio exercise that uses oxygen, is called aerobic exercise.

The need for cardio in bodybuilding

When the body is exposed to prolonged loads, for example, the same run, the fat burning processes are significantly accelerated, metabolism is accelerated, the heart acquires additional volume. This improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system, reduces the risk of developing diabetes and all heart diseases. Of course, cardio loads have a lot of positive aspects, but one of them is worth highlighting.

It has already been said above that the main goal of bodybuilding is to increase the mass of muscle tissue. For this reason, the volume of blood also increases, because there are more tissues and they need to be nourished. As an example, let's take an athlete who has a fairly long training experience. Let's say, for the entire time he visited the gym, he was able to increase his weight from 75 kilograms to 110, but there was no place for cardio loads in his training program. Since the body weight has increased quite strongly, the amount of blood has increased.

However, at the same time, his heart has the same volume that was at 70 kilograms of weight. So imagine what load will now fall on the heart in order to pump a new amount of blood. Of course, this will entail serious problems with the cardiovascular system. To avoid these problems, cardio training is necessary. That is, if we talk about all the pros and cons of cardio when gaining muscle mass, then, of course, there will be more positive aspects from this type of load.

Cardio and mass gain

It doesn't matter if your training aims to gain mass or lose weight, but cardio is necessary. Another thing is how much time is needed for aerobic training, and what intensity to do. If you are losing weight at this stage, then everything is very simple here: you need to pay more attention to cardio and increase its intensity. You can even set aside a whole day for jogging.

At the same time, when gaining mass, it is necessary to reduce the intensity of cardio training and its duration. During this period, it will be quite enough at the beginning of the training session to spend from 5 to 15 minutes on the treadmill for a warm-up and the same time at the end of the training, for a hitch.

You should also know that there is also an interval aerobic exercise, which also contributes to an increase in the mass of muscle tissue. In this case, special attention should be paid to your nutrition program.

It is worth noting that interval cardio loads are very effective in burning fat cells. Moreover, if combined in one program training sessions interval aerobic exercise with strength, you can milk good results with a set of clean mass, devoid of fat.

When doing cardio, the focus should be on heart rate. It is at a certain heart rate that an aerobic type load can have a different effect. Let's say with a heart rate of 50 to 60 percent of the maximum, you can burn the most calories, with little or no damage to the mass of muscle tissue. This load is considered moderate.

For weight loss, a load that is 80 to 90 percent of the maximum heart rate is more suitable. Simply put, with an increase in the intensity of aerobic exercise, the rate of fat burning processes increases. To gain mass, you should use a load at an intensity of 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate for the time indicated above.

When determining the intensity of cardio loads, you should pay attention to your body type. As many people know, there are three types: endomorph, ectomorph and mesomorph. They are completely different from each other.

Ectomorphs by nature have a lean physique, have long limbs and most often not the most the best genetics. For such athletes, cardio loads for 10 minutes are enough as a warm-up.
Endomorphs have constant problems with being overweight. For such athletes, cardio training should be more intense and special attention should be paid to the nutrition program.
Mesomorphs are ideal athletes for bodybuilding. They can equally easily gain muscle mass and lose excess weight.

To summarize, when considering all the pros and cons of cardio when gaining muscle mass, it can be argued that it is necessary to make training program aerobic exercise.

You can learn more about the pros and cons of cardio loads when gaining muscle mass in this video:

First, let's look at what aerobic exercise means. This is a long-term type of exercise, which involves the use of oxygen as the main source of energy to maintain the physical activity of the body. Only in the case, speaking in simple terms, when a person performs basic exercises, the duration of the load in which is 10-30 seconds, at this moment ATP molecules, glucose and other substances are used to maintain a person’s physical activity at the time of the load. That is, there is an accelerated process of decomposition of various substances, in which oxygen does not participate. This type of exercise 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.

The importance of cardio training in bodybuilding.

With prolonged exercise, like running, the body burns body fat better, helps strengthen the cardiovascular system, speeds up metabolism, increases the heart in volume, and reduces the risk of diabetes and heart-related diseases. As you can see, there are a lot of pluses 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 body of an athlete increases. For example, a person has been in the gym for many years, gaining muscle mass, but did not perform various aerobic exercises to train his heart. Imagine this athlete from 70 kilograms increased his weight to 100 kilograms, thereby increasing the volume of blood in the body. But, due to the fact that he practically did not pay attention to cardio, his heart remained with the same volume as with a weight of 70 kg. Now imagine what kind of load our main muscle receives, pumping such an amount of blood. Because of this, various problems associated with the cardiovascular system may arise. To prevent this from happening, you need to do cardio training.

Should I do cardio while gaining mass?

Cardio while gaining mass.

Only if you are gaining mass, just reduce the intensity of the aerobic exercise and its duration. For example, 5-15 minutes of treadmill at the beginning of a workout as a warm-up and 5-15 minutes of running at the end of a workout as a cool-down are enough. There is also interval cardio, which even contributes to a set of muscle mass, of course, with proper nutrition. By the way, this is a very useful type of training, which is effective in losing weight. However, if interval training is combined with strength training, you get an excellent program in which you can gain lean muscle mass without fat.

Cardio and body types.

To find out what body type you are and get advice on training, nutrition and more, you can take our quiz by clicking here.

Do I need to do cardio on the mass. Cardio workouts for gaining muscle mass

There are different opinions on this matter: someone believes that cardio training interferes with gaining muscle mass, while others, on the contrary, say that cardio helps to gain quality mass. What actually happens to the body, and whether it is worth avoiding such loads, we will understand further.

What is cardio training and is it necessary when gaining muscle mass?

So, first you need to understand what is considered under the concept of cardio training. In simple terms, these are workouts that increase the heart rate and keep it at this level for a long time. That is, if we lift large enough weights and do it relatively a short time, then this workout can be called power. In the event that we work with very little or no weight and can hold one heart rate level until the end of the session or most of it, the training can be called cardio training. Examples of it can be seen in group exercise rooms, but they can be done at home as well.

In most cases, cardio training is also understood as running, brisk walking, walking uphill, rowing, cycling, etc., in general, all cyclic loads that can keep the heart rate in the required zone throughout the entire workout.

Why do you still need a cardio load when gaining muscle mass?

1. Development of the cardiovascular system. If cardio workouts are properly built with respect to strength training, then the intensity of strength will increase, and, accordingly, muscle mass will increase (with a balanced diet).

2. Reduction of body fat. If your goal is to make beautiful body with good moderately defined muscles, then the option of adding cardio training will be the best for you. The combination of these types of training and quality nutrition gives a very good result, we gain muscle mass, and by adding a cardio load, you can regulate calorie consumption, which will save us from the accumulation of subcutaneous fat.

3. Development of the respiratory system. From my experience I can say that when gaining muscle mass, it becomes a little harder to move around, and respiratory system works more intensively, because growing muscles require an increased supply of oxygen, this is physiologically natural. You can deal with this by adding, for example, walking on the path, cycling or cycling. It will become easier to move around, and the cardiorespiratory system will work easier.

Now many can start throwing tomatoes and rotten eggs at me, shouting: “You don’t understand anything! By adding cardio training, we ensure that the muscles begin to burn. No tracks and bikes, only power, only hardcore! But in fact, in order for the muscles to start “burning”, you need to try hard, do a lot of cardio, and its intensity should be quite good (see training pulse zones) and eat poorly without consuming the required amount of protein (usually when gaining muscle people eat a lot).

At what intensity do you do cardio?

In the process of cardio training with an increase in load, the body successively goes through a series of stages characterized by a gradual increase in heart rate - the so-called pulse zones, in which they are consumed in different proportions. In order to achieve the set goal (in our case, it is to maintain a good physical form and a set of muscle mass) it is necessary to walk (I emphasize - walk, not run) within the pulse zone of 115-125 bpm. Or maybe in a simple way calculate an individual indicator using the formula (220-age) × 65% / 100 = your heart rate zone. If you perform cardio after each strength training for an average of 20-25 minutes, depending on its intensity and your well-being, then this will help to gain high-quality muscle mass, improve the state of the cardiorespiratory system and, consequently, the state of health.

Do you need cardio for mass? Cardio while gaining muscle mass

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

The fact is that cardio workouts, 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 training in the offseason. This will prepare the heart, "disperse" the blood, warm up the muscles before the main workout. Such cardio training does not interfere with muscle mass gain at all. At the same time, catabolic processes will not occur.

Is cardio necessary when gaining mass? Definitely yes. But, as we said, a short duration - just 10 minutes of running at the beginning of the workout is enough. A greater presence of cardio is best avoided, as this can interfere with muscle growth.

Cardio is a load of moderate intensity, during which energy supply is carried out with the participation of oxygen, therefore they are also called aerobic. As a rule, cardio workouts are used for fat burning, and heart training. But few people know that cardio is also useful in gaining muscle mass. Rather, this topic causes a lot of controversy. Some believe that using cardio while gaining mass will prevent them from recovering between workouts, others believe that cardio will prevent hypertrophy muscle fibers. Others argue that cardio on the mass can even contribute to its set, or at least that it should be done to prevent pathological changes in the heart muscle. But who is right?

And we do not invent opponents for ourselves, although it is a normal scientific practice to invent opponents, put statements in their mouths, and then smash them. But we don't! We decided to write an article about cardio when gaining mass after a small dispute in the comments to one of our previous articles about. In any case, you may have experienced similar disputes elsewhere, or you just don't know if you should do cardio during your mass-building cycles. If you are tormented by this question, then the answer to it is necessary! Cardio workouts should be used after strength training as a cool down, and can also be carried out on separate training days. But why and why, we will consider further.

Benefits of cardio for weight gain

The benefits of cardio training are realized through hypertrophy and hyperplasia of mitochondria. Cardio training increases the number, size and oxidative capacity of mitochondria. Mitochondria are organic tissue organelles whose function is to convert lipids and carbohydrates into ATP with the help of oxygen. Mitochondria are also involved in many metabolic processes, starting with the conversion of catabolic energy and ending with the anabolism of biosynthesis intermediates. That is why cardio training increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin, prevents catabolic processes in muscle tissue - and promotes anabolic ones.

And we are talking not only about an indirect effect, but also about a direct relationship between the ability to hypertrophy of myofibrils and the number of mitochondria. That is why Yu.V. Verkhoshansky in his book “Fundamentals of Special Strength Training” wrote that a strength cycle should be preceded by an endurance cycle. But it should be noted that cardio has a positive effect not only on the athlete's endurance performance, or helping his body as a whole to better respond to training. Cardio at the end of strength training also has a direct effect on oxidative processes in skeletal muscles, preventing catabolism and promoting muscle growth -. Therefore, do cardio while gaining mass!

Cons of mass cardio

The real disadvantage of cardio when gaining mass is the load on the knees. In general, all types of leg training put stress on the knees. In this sense, aerobics is no exception. Simply, since cardio workouts are an auxiliary type of training during muscle mass gain, we can say that this is a minus. Most of all, knees are loaded by running, so it is better not to use treadmills or running in the fresh air, but an exercise bike or bike trips. Although, the bike also loads the knees, just relatively less. You can also try to use the AMT simulator, but it is completely impossible to level the problem. So eat more.

Conclusion: cardio training must be present in the training cycle for gaining muscle mass, since it promotes hypertrophy of the myofibrillar apparatus and helps to maintain the training regimen.

Obviously, during weight loss or drying, when the goal is to reduce body fat, several cardio sessions per week are simply necessary. They will help increase energy expenditure and cause the body to burn fat.

But what if in this moment Is there a mass-gaining period, that is, an increase in muscle mass and strength? Is it necessary to do cardio in this case, or is it better to concentrate on hard training and eating enough food?

This topic is often discussed. In general, there is no single answer and there is no advice that would suit everyone. You need to proceed from the type of body structure, the amount of physical activity (excluding training in the gym), appetite and how the workouts are planned.

Still, there are a few points worth dwelling on in more detail. In fact, here are a few reasons why you should seriously consider regular cardio throughout the year. Further, based on this, everyone can make an informed decision and make the right choice.

First you need to understand whether you need cardio at all if the main goal in this period is to gain mass? Is it possible to postpone cardio for a while and still successfully gain lean mass and a minimum of fat?

In general, if you carefully plan your diet, you can quite successfully gain dry mass without cardio. But, if we talk about the really optimal option, it is better to do cardio regularly. Below are a few reasons for this.

Cardiovascular training and endurance increase

Always remember the importance of exercising the cardiovascular system and keeping it healthy.

If the usual training methodology is used, which implies a low or medium number of repetitions and a relatively long rest between sets, the cardiovascular system is loaded, but not trained. As a result, you may begin to have difficulty even catching up with a bus or quickly climbing stairs.

At the same time, if you do not neglect cardio training, you will be able to maintain the cardiovascular system in good order, which will positively affect all aspects of life. Moreover, this will directly affect the quality of strength training. Gradually, it will be possible to slightly increase the number of repetitions. Speed up recovery between sets.

Further, it must be borne in mind that if you do not do cardio on mass gain, then, purely psychologically, it will be very difficult to start doing a lot of cardio on cutting. In addition, long periods without endurance training lead to significant drops in this very endurance. Thus, when it comes time to remove fat, it will be difficult to withstand long cardio sessions, you will have to re-train this skill.

Proper use of energy

It is about how and for what the body will use the energy and nutrients it receives.

Resistance training combined with cardio improves the body's ability to use what it gets from food to build muscle tissue and meet energy needs. And wean to put something in the fatty layer. They also train mechanisms that stimulate the use of fat for energy in case of its deficiency.

Active Recovery

Low-intensity cardio improves recovery between workouts because it stimulates blood circulation and speeds up the delivery of nutrients to the muscles.

Fat minimization

Of course, careful dietary control is a key element in minimizing fat gain during mass gain. But the extra cardio will definitely help.

In addition, in the case when the appetite is such that it is very difficult to restrain, additional cardio will allow you to spend part of the energy received, which will make it possible to eat more.

True, it is worth noting that low-intensity cardio in this case will not work, since, on the contrary, it stimulates appetite.

On the other hand, high-intensity reduces appetite somewhat, which can be convenient.

Will cardio interfere with muscle growth?

As with everything, it is important to know the measure and dose everything correctly.

Yes, too much cardio is definitely contraindicated during mass gain and will lead to slower muscle growth. But the threshold beyond which “too much” begins lies much further than many people think. And two or three (or even four or five) of the average duration of cardio sessions per week will only benefit.

At the same time, I note once again that everyone should look for a suitable option for themselves, since all people are different.

As already mentioned, the number and duration of cardio training is highly dependent on the personal parameters of the athlete. But for most people, 2-4 cardio sessions per week will be a good option. You can do 1-2 of them at high intensity for 8-20 minutes, the rest - at a lower intensity, aerobically, for 40-60 minutes.

It is wise not to mix strength training and cardio, separating them by day.

If you have a lean physique, it is logical to do less cardio, since the body is not too prone to accumulating fat. If, on the contrary, you are inclined to be overweight, then the amount of cardio should be more.

If your work is related to physical activity, then it is quite possible that additional cardio is not even needed. But if the work is sedentary, in the office, then additional physical activity simply necessary and will only benefit.

It is important to remember that with a large amount of strength training, you should not get carried away with cardio due to the risk of overtraining. Or you need to limit yourself to aerobic cardio sessions.

conclusions

Yes, it is worth recommending doing cardio even if the main goal is to gain mass. Primarily because it will improve stamina, speed up metabolism, optimize the processing and use of nutrients, speed up recovery and help not gain excess fat.

When planning cardio workouts, be sure to take into account body type, the amount and amount of strength training, and your overall level of physical activity.

During the period of weight gain, the main goal of training is to build as much muscle as possible with the help of strength exercises and work with weights. However, do not forget that the body must develop harmoniously and be ready for stress.

Definition

Muscle building cardio training is designed to increase endurance, prevent the formation of new amounts of fat and maintain the health of the athlete's heart and cardiovascular system.

This is more important than the possible lost muscle mass, because the heart - main muscle in the human body.

Need

Advantages of aerobic training:

metabolism is accelerated;
the cardiovascular system is strengthened;
reduces the risk of developing diabetes and other diseases;
muscles are supplied with oxygen and recover faster;
the heart is strengthened and enlarged.

With regular performance of strength exercises, the size of the athlete's muscles increases, and, accordingly, the volume of blood in the body. This means that the load on the heart also increases. The heart muscle needs to be trained, otherwise serious health problems arise, so aerobic exercise is a must when gaining mass.

The choice of load when gaining muscle mass

To avoid the loss of muscle mass during aerobic exercise, reduce the duration and intensity of training.

For example, instead of an hour on the treadmill, they do 15 minutes at the beginning and at the end of the session.

You can also use interval training, which will even contribute to muscle growth with proper nutrition.

Attention! It is important to consider the intensity of the load: 60% is suitable for mass exercises, while 80–90% will already provoke unwanted weight loss.

Not all types of aerobic exercise are acceptable when gaining mass. For this, an exercise bike and a treadmill are better suited, with a bicycle being the most preferable.

Bike

Cardio exercises on a stationary bike are the most gentle when gaining mass. During cycling, it is difficult to overwork the muscles, the load on the knees is minimal, since the hips are most strained.

Photo 2. Group cardio exercise on exercise bikes, such exercises do not contribute to rapid weight gain.

Run

Running on a treadmill is acceptable during the bulking period, but it's not as safe as cycling. While running, the whole body is tensed, there is contact with the surface and stress on the knees and tendons.

Important! Long runs at a low pace can significantly reduce muscle mass. When recruiting, choose short sessions at a high pace, for example, a sprint.

When gaining mass, it is important to adhere to a high-calorie diet, consisting mainly of protein foods. If the calorie consumption is more than the amount received from food, then any physical exercises lead to weight loss.

Mass Gain Cardio Video: Help or Hurt?!

Many people are interested in the question - are cardio exercises necessary when gaining body weight, and what benefits will they have in this case. The answer is unequivocal - cardio training is useful.

The answer is unequivocal - cardio training is useful. But, sometimes, this kind of body training can slow down the growth of muscle mass.

All for and against

There are many theories that have been repeatedly tested in practice. Let's look at them in more detail. For example, many beginners in bodybuilding are chasing two birds with one stone. They eat to build muscle mass, and in doing so, exhaust themselves with cardo workouts.

Why can't this be done? Because the combination must be correct and justified. Do not eat to lose weight by building muscle mass. For this purpose it is necessary to use cardio training. First, prepare your body. Work out for a month or two according to the cardio scheme, and then switch to strength exercises. Such an approach would be more rational.

One more nuance. During cardio, a person sweats intensely. With sweat, the body leaves fluid and moisture, and it is necessary for the elasticity of the bodybuilder's muscles. Therefore, if immediately after such a workout you switch to strength training equipment, the risk of damaging your muscles increases several times.

And on a note, you must remember that there are many types of cardio workouts. For example, riding an exercise bike or a treadmill significantly slows down muscle growth. But, at the same time, squats, or work on the press give the opposite effect.

On the other hand, it all depends on many factors. This is the constitution of a person's physique, his height, the volume of muscles already worked out.

better days for cardio training

If you are serious about strength exercises, then the following information will be extremely useful for you.

So, a few years ago, scientists started experimenting. Their goal was to understand how, after all, cardio affects the athlete’s muscle mass, and how you can combine these different types exercises.

It is worth remembering the following: it is completely pointless and even harmful to do cardio on the days when you are training on a strength training program. Most best time- days of rest from the simulators. Choose hours for yourself when you can swim in the pool, but it's best to forget about the stationary bike and treadmill. They have been proven to help reduce muscle mass.

It is most useful to start with cardio workouts in the morning of a free day. You will tone the muscles, remove unnecessary and harmful toxins from their fibers. That's when cardio training is beneficial, not harmful.

Thus, you can just do 20 minutes of cross exercises, which are provided by the cardio program.

Intensity Matters

Everyone knows exactly what cardio exercises mean. This is intense, or not very intense movement, for the length of time you have chosen. Thus, a person whose goal is to burn adipose tissue chooses a greater intensity.

For a bodybuilder, this approach makes absolutely no sense. If you want to do a cardio workout but are doing power simulators, the best option for you will be gentle speed, in other words, not too intense mode.

If you do exercises with average speed, then it will not harm you, but rather the opposite - you will benefit, prepare your muscles for high power loads, keep their tone elasticity. So the answer is obvious - you can do cardio while gaining mass, but you should do it wisely.

A little about running

Imagine a situation that could happen. The bodybuilder was injured, and during a break in exercises with power shells, he gained excess weight. How to get rid of it? Sure, cardio will help. We have already said many times that its main task is to reduce body fat mass.

The most important thing is to choose the best option. Let's take, as an example, treadmill. During power days, it is not recommended. But if you need to quickly lose weight - this is an option. In addition, when losing weight, you should pay attention to such a safe and effective sports supplement like l-carnitine.

So, let's develop a system that is worth practicing in order to overweight gone away.

Council the first. Do several short sessions, alternating them with walking. This is just a great way to get you back to normal in a month. What needs to be done? Everything is extremely simple. Do sprints for 10-30 seconds at top speed. What maximum speed? You need to run so that the wind whistles in your ears.

Do a few of these sets. Start with 5, and gradually work your way up to 10. Remember to alternate them with walking, which will restore breath after the race.

Of course, this method does not suit everyone equally well, but nevertheless, in most cases it works flawlessly.

Proper cardio for weight gain

We have already discussed the point that a proper cardio workout will only be considered as such if you use maximum effort and perform it at a very fast pace. This rule applies to everyone. The goal of cardio is to burn fat cells. That is why tempo plays a role here.

In our body there are muscles of two colors - red and white. The red ones are the ones that we use during cardio, they need increased blood supply, because the rate at which fats leave the body will depend on their oxygen enrichment.

The work of white muscles is aimed at building mass - what is necessary when doing bodybuilding. It follows from this that for different muscles, load and type of classes are different. Here is the key to start from when we are doing cardio while building muscle mass.

It is best to choose the right cardio system not on your own, but with an experienced person who knows what will happen for you. the best option. Everything else depends only on you. If you take everything seriously, draw conclusions from what you read, then you will not be in trouble, and you will only benefit from each lesson.

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