Trying to gain muscle. Why no cardio?

james6998

Weight lifting increases testosterone levels. Testosterone is one of the building blocks of muscle. Unless the cardio was hauling a big *kitten* tire or something behind you. You are not going to end up gaining any muscle as a result.

JoRocka

Currently training for a marathon and I am not exactly on the skinny side.

You can do cardio and build muscle, you just got to understand some fundamentals. Steady state cardio is not your enemy for muscle growth, calorie deficits and nutritional timing are when it comes to cardio.

this is pretty much the biggest issue though. stead state cardio does great things for weight loss- it creates a larger calorie deficit.

it also does the same thing for bulking- but the down side of this is- it means you have to eat more. which is why it can be harder to fit in.

Cardio means more food- if you are already struggling with getting a surplus- then adding more cardio isn't going to be doing yourself any favors. ... even if you LOVE cardio.

JoRocka

In any case, a constant advice from people telling me how to build muscle is basically "avoid cardio." Why?

It's bad advice. There is no reason to avoid cardio, and many reasons to include it. Here's what 4 hours a day of elite intensity cardio can look like...

As long as you're a genetic freak......right?

that being said- that guy isn't that big. He's lean-and obviously delicious- but he's not big. which if you are trying to get BIGGER and bulk... well- the point should be self evident.

RGv2

In any case, a constant advice from people telling me how to build muscle is basically "avoid cardio." Why?

It's bad advice. There is no reason to avoid cardio, and many reasons to include it. Here's what 4 hours a day of elite intensity cardio can look like...

As long as you're a genetic freak......right?

that being said- that guy isn't that big. He's lean-and obviously delicious- but he's not big. which if you are trying to get BIGGER and bulk... well- the point should be self evident.

Agreed, Ronaldo isn't the biggest dude in the world.

mustgetmuscles1

I would only say to limit cardio if it starts to effect recovery and lifting performance. Just eating back calories is only part of it.

I think conditioning is very beneficial for lifting though. I started doing some bleacher drills at the high school stadium last Sept and quickly noticed my reps started increasing.

I was getting one or two more reps at the same percentage of my 1RM.

My_Own_Worst_Enemy

Have you ever seen a jacked marathoner? no.

Have you seen jacked sprinters? yes.

This is because long,steady state cardio wears/breaks down and uses muscle as fuel.

Sprinters having substantial muscle is a function of their weight training, not a function of their running.

Middle and long distance runners don't want to be carrying excess weight that just slows them down, so the weight training that they do will tend to be more suited to endurance and stabilisation.

Muscle breakdown as fuel is only going to kick in at about the 180 minute mark.

Since we are talking about sprinting now. I thought this was an interesting read. Especially #3. The fastest sprinters don’t always win.

http://www.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/845/Five_Things_You_Probably_Didnt_Know_About_Sprintin.aspx

monty619

I do cardio while I bulk.. but then I eat to make it up. I feel like I have an easier time gaining weight than losing it so I try to limit the weight I gain when I am trying to add muscle. If you have a harder time getting stronger and bigger then do little if any cardio, but I feel like if I am better cardiovascular condition, my workouts go much better.

and Ronaldo is part of the genetic elite just like pretty much every pro athlete

ajaxe432

In any case, a constant advice from people telling me how to build muscle is basically "avoid cardio." Why?

It's bad advice. There is no reason to avoid cardio, and many reasons to include it. Here's what 4 hours a day of elite intensity cardio can look like...

Thats not just "elite intensity cardio" There are other components of fitness that he does to!

jmt08c

I was a Div. 1 NCAA swimmer in college training 4 hours daily and consuming between 7000-8000 calories a day...doesn't get too much more intense than that. We had 3 groups depending on what your events were-sprint, mid distance and distance. Sprinters did the least amount of cardio/actual swimming and more weight lifting to gain muscle (and they were huge). Mid distance did an even combo and distance did minimal lifting were extremely lean. Your body will adapt to the way you train.

Lifting weights burns calories too and if you are training at the correct intervals your heart rate will get up plenty to shed fat without catabolizing muscle. On your volleyball days increase your carb intake a bit to help make up for the extra calories being burned. I'd say also supplement during your playing with a sports drink or energy goo pack-that will help prevent your muscles from depeleting their glycogen levels.

Hope this helped a bit.

Springfield1970

In any case, a constant advice from people telling me how to build muscle is basically "avoid cardio." Why?

It's bad advice. There is no reason to avoid cardio, and many reasons to include it. Here's what 4 hours a day of elite intensity cardio can look like...

Thats not just "elite intensity cardio" There are other components of fitness that he does to!

Bet he bulks like a *kitten* in his off season. He's well into his weights. As long as he eats enough he won't lose his muscle in footy season, but I bet he ain't ADDING any muscle during that time.

So pretty

SteveJWatson

In any case, a constant advice from people telling me how to build muscle is basically "avoid cardio." Why?

It's bad advice. There is no reason to avoid cardio, and many reasons to include it. Here's what 4 hours a day of elite intensity cardio can look like...

As long as you're a genetic freak......right?

that being said- that guy isn't that big. He's lean-and obviously delicious- but he's not big. which if you are trying to get BIGGER and bulk... well- the point should be self evident.

Agreed, Ronaldo isn't the biggest dude in the world.

Tom Croft and James Haskell, however are massive (compared to most people).

They seem to have low bf%ages (although it is possible they cut for promotional photos) for Rugby players though. I had thought about 14-16% (depending what position you play) was optimal because...tacking.

Springfield1970

Another thought I had was this...seeing as bulking needs pretty precise numbers to work, for me 2/300 per day over on a precisely worked out maintenance figure, it is easy for any more numbers being thrown into the equation ie exercise to mess the numbers up.

The more stuff being taken into calculation, the more likely the numbers are likely to be out, the bigger chance that bulk is over or under.

I love cardio me. But was really held back during my bulk, which worked beautifully as planned. Now to see if it gets my 5k under 21 mins before May.

__Di__

I've heard over 30 minutes of cardio can eat into muscle mass - however - I've seen plenty of runners who are bulky and when I was weight lifting my 45 minute runs didn't eat into anything. (back in the 80's when most of the guys I lifted with also ran- and they were freaking huge!!) I still think it's cals in - cals out.

30 mins or more of cardio will not eat into any muscle mass.

fairygirlpie9

OMG so much bad advice here.
You are not going to lose muscle if you are using it until the vast majority of your fat stores are diminished this occurs once you reach around 4% body fat (for men, higher for women).
You can do cardio - for now to get any excess fat off but once its low then you will need to decrease the amount of cardio you do - not because your body is going to eat your muscle but because you will have to eat a substantial amount in order to GAIN muscle.

_Terrapin_

ok - thanks to all the folks who've chimed in to my questions regarding gaining some muscle. Now just to clarify, I'm only looking to put on about 10lbs max.

In any case, a constant advice from people telling me how to build muscle is basically "avoid cardio." Why?

How does cardio prevent you from building muscle? Is it because you're burning excess calories in cardio? In that case, should I just eat more?

Or is it something like "cardio releases too much lactic acid, and causes your muscles to break down, blah blah blah..."?

I really would like to be able to put on muscle in addition to continuing to work my cardio, because the sports that I enjoy demand a good level of cardio. I'm only looking to put on some muscle to help my explosiveness and power (think speed more than heavy weight). Yes, Power is a function of strength, but it's a function of strength over time, so the faster I can move something, the better

Thanks to all the people who share their knowledge and experience on the forum.

Well, your picture shows you digging a ball, so, if the sport is volleyball and your trying to gain speed for the sand and strength to play all day, maybe look at Contreras's exercises for the flutes. Volleyball is mostly about explosive anarobic movement, quick powerful bursts, so I'd work on the flutes by lifting. Search out Bret Contreras best of luck. Yes I'm a turtle but a good player in another life.

Chieflrg

In for the thread. I'm facing the same concerns. Trying to lose body fat while retaining max muscle. It's a constant mental connundrum to decide between keeping useful calories (protein) in my diet and workout focused on weights, vs trying to speed the fat loss with a larger calorie defecit and more cardio. Haven't figured out if I'm doing it right yet.

If you are trying to do this - "Trying to lose body fat while retaining max muscle" - then adequate protein and a small calorie deficit are the way to go combined with a good, progressive weight training routine.

My personal choice was a small calorie deficit by including a lot of cardio exercise as well as my weight training and lot's more food, which seems to be a win/win. Same calorie deficit as no cardio less food but less restricted diet and increased CV fitness and sporting performance.

My choice as well. I do a ton of cardio as I enjoy many of the benefits of it, one being a diet that is full of high calorie yum yums.

ElliottTN

Currently training for a marathon and I am not exactly on the skinny side.

You can do cardio and build muscle, you just got to understand some fundamentals. Steady state cardio is not your enemy for muscle growth, calorie deficits and nutritional timing are when it comes to cardio.

this is pretty much the biggest issue though. stead state cardio does great things for weight loss- it creates a larger calorie deficit.

it also does the same thing for bulking- but the down side of this is- it means you have to eat more. which is why it can be harder to fit in.

Cardio means more food- if you are already struggling with getting a surplus- then adding more cardio isn't going to be doing yourself any favors. ... even if you LOVE cardio.

EXACLTY. Cardio = more food. Which is mother-flippin awesome.

_Terrapin_

autocorrect suck. glutes' not flutes' apologies.

ofccat

Intense cardio longer than a certain time limit (not sure what it is, need some scientific studies, but lets just say 15 minutes HIIT) is catabolic, it necessarily starts the process of muscle breakdown. And of course, burns calories but this can be offset with eating.

This is why you'll see professional bodybuilders do 2 types of cardio. Low Intensity stuff for an hour (walking, slow stairmaster) or 10 minutes of HIIT.

Just dont go running a half marathon every week.

Well put. You can do cardio just not intense.

34blast

I've been down the road on doing cardio, eating alot, and strength training many times. Even if you eat a lot, my experience is cardio and strength training / muscle building are different types of adaptations and counteract one another a bit. If you are a newbie to both, you can do both well. If you are intermediate or advanced at both, it becomes more difficult.

I now think of cardio and muscle building like losing fat and gaining muscle. I try to focus on one at a time. My results have improved on muscle building since limiting cardio.

So for me fat loss = lift to maintain muscle, cardio, and eat at deficit
TO gain muscle = lift with progressive overloaded program like starting strength or madcow with limited cardio. Eat at surplus.

Everyone is different, but I have found this works for me.