Does Cardio build muscle? Also do I....

Cardio will not build any meaningful muscle. I like to have a little bit of carbs 45min or so before doing any kind of workout.

Cardio CAN build muscle actually, but not like weight training. If you are someone who has not been exercising regularly and you begin a cardio routine, you will absolutely build muscle. Different types of cardio will work different muscles. For example, running will definitely tones quads, handstrings and calf muscles. This will be a long, lean kind of muscle. If you bicycle, you will build many muscles on the legs and glutes (butt) depending on the intensity of your workout. The elliptical trainer can tone quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves also depending on the intensity.

A good rule of thumb if you are working out on gym cardio machines, is to MIX IT UP. You do not want to hop on the stationary bike and ride at a level 3 for 30 minutes. You will burn some calories, but not really tone muscle. Ideally you want to Interval Train. This would look like planning on a moderate level 3 to warm up for 5 minutes. You would then turn up the tension on the bike to a 5 and do that for 10 minutes. Once you are good and warm you will then begin intervals. You would go up to a 7 for 30 seconds to 60 seconds and then down to a 4 or 5 to recover ror 2 minutes then back up to a 7 for 30-60 seconds then back down to a 4-5 to recover repeting this until you reach 26 minutes or so. You will then go back down to a 3 to cool down.

This is a rough idea of interval training where you up your intensity to a high level for a short period and then lower the intensity again to recover and then repeat over and over. You can do this type of thing on any cardio machine or even walking or jogging in your neighborhood. This type of workout blasts calories and keeps your body from plateauing.

Having said that, you should plan two to three days per week of 20 to 30 minutes of weight training. Building muscle will help raise your metabolism and prevent osteoporosis.

Good Luck!
Carrie

Cardio CAN build muscle actually, but not like weight training. If you are someone who has not been exercising regularly and you begin a cardio routine, you will absolutely build muscle. Different types of cardio will work different muscles. For example, running will definitely tones quads, handstrings and calf muscles. This will be a long, lean kind of muscle. If you bicycle, you will build many muscles on the legs and glutes (butt) depending on the intensity of your workout. The elliptical trainer can tone quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves also depending on the intensity.

While you may CONDITION the muscle from running or biking, if it's in an aerobic phase (unlike HIIT which is anaerobic) then the chance of building any muscle is almost impossible.

A good rule of thumb if you are working out on gym cardio machines, is to MIX IT UP. You do not want to hop on the stationary bike and ride at a level 3 for 30 minutes. You will burn some calories, but not really tone muscle. Ideally you want to Interval Train. This would look like planning on a moderate level 3 to warm up for 5 minutes. You would then turn up the tension on the bike to a 5 and do that for 10 minutes. Once you are good and warm you will then begin intervals. You would go up to a 7 for 30 seconds to 60 seconds and then down to a 4 or 5 to recover ror 2 minutes then back up to a 7 for 30-60 seconds then back down to a 4-5 to recover repeting this until you reach 26 minutes or so. You will then go back down to a 3 to cool down.

This is a rough idea of interval training where you up your intensity to a high level for a short period and then lower the intensity again to recover and then repeat over and over. You can do this type of thing on any cardio machine or even walking or jogging in your neighborhood. This type of workout blasts calories and keeps your body from plateauing.

Having said that, you should plan two to three days per week of 20 to 30 minutes of weight training. Building muscle will help raise your metabolism and prevent osteoporosis.

Good Luck!
Carrie

While intervals are great for conditioning and building muscle endurance, it's still not a muscle builder per se. To build muscle you need a couple of things. Calorie surplus and enough reps and sets with overload resistance to create muscle hypertrophy. If you don't have those, then then muscle building isn't likely.


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When I began running, my legs got really toned. This was due to fat loss. I got no real muscle definition until I added in strength training. The upside to strength training as well was that I lost inches like crazy. I put on 10 lbs of muscle while dropping from a size 8 to a size 4. That is why I am adding in strength training as I work to lose the 20 lbs I have gained this year.

I was under the impression that cardio training burns the fat and strength training builds the muscles. Most building advice that I've received is that you cannot gain muscle whilst in calorie deficit. So, while you're in a calorie deficit and doing cardio, you're basically melting the fat away and some muscles may appear more defined as the fat layer around them is disappearing. The strength training you do mainly ensures that you don't LOSE muscle mass along with fat when you exercise.

It makes sense to me!

Correct!


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

When I began running, my legs got really toned. This was due to fat loss. I got no real muscle definition until I added in strength training. The upside to strength training as well was that I lost inches like crazy. I put on 10 lbs of muscle while dropping from a size 8 to a size 4. That is why I am adding in strength training as I work to lose the 20 lbs I have gained this year.

^THIS
I am doing this right now.

Okay, you fitness gurus....if you take a muscle and put repeated force on it you're going to get some hypertrophy, are you not? I know it's not my imagination that I've seen cyclists with huge quads, and it's not from doing weights, it's from the resistance they get pedaling (especially hills). So it is possible to build muscle while doing cardio exercise, though it will be from the resistance. It just seems counterintuitive to say that you can't 'build' muscle while doing cardiovascular activity, though that's perhaps not the intended benefit of the exercise. Swimming would be another example. Yes I understand there is a threshold at which glycogen stores will bottom out and one becomes catabolic, but up to that point....?

Did I miss a page somewhere? :happy: Just trying to understand, so I'm happy to hear what's wrong about my pondering, if that's the case!

Interesting I'm a newbie to all of this so I'm just learning as I go

So a cyclist may be seeing hypertrophy of the type 2a fibres, though I would have to research that fiirst. But they also undergo short sprints which would increase type2b fibres for sure. All exercise really has components of strength, aerobic and anaerobic involved, so multiple changes would be seen. The body would adapt for the main activity performed. The adaptation would also depend on diet, a positive caloric intake and nitrogen levels among other variables.

So a cyclist may be seeing hypertrophy of the type 2a fibres, though I would have to research that fiirst. But they also undergo short sprints which would increase type2b fibres for sure. All exercise really has components of strength, aerobic and anaerobic involved, so multiple changes would be seen. The body would adapt for the main activity performed. The adaptation would also depend on diet, a positive caloric intake and nitrogen levels among other variables.

Very cool. Thanks.

If I'm running, every time I take a step, my leg is launching my entire body weight a few inches into the air. If I put a slope on the treadmill, I have to lift my body during the pass-through as well. It may be cardio, but at least some muscle groups are lifting, too. (And when I use the slope, I can feel which ones are going anaerobic, too.)