You’ve probably been told by someone during your fitness journey that doing cardio will rob you of the hard-earned muscle that you’ve amassed by lifting heavy weights. But are those ‘experts’ right? Does building muscle mean that you can’t enjoy a weekly run or even warm up on the step machine on leg day? Fortunately, Jeff Nippard has broken it all down with three important tips that mean you can crush cardio and still pack on muscle so long as you follow his three principles to build muscle with cardio.
When it comes to the long-held assumption that combining conditioning cardio work with resistance training kills muscle gains, “Probably not,” is Nippard’s frank answer in a recent Instagram post. And, as a competitive powerlifter, he should know. But why do so many people feel this way? “Early science said that, since weight lifting is anabolic, and cardio is catabolic, then cardio will burn your muscle away,” explains the Canadian coach. “But, since then, higher quality long-term research has shown that you can balance cardio with weight lifting as long as you do these three things.”
Perform Longer Cardio Sessions After Weight Training
“It’s totally fine to do a quick 5-to-10-minute cardio warm up before lifting,” says Nippard. “But, If you do your full-blown cardio session before weights, you might take a strength hit.” Since losing strength will hinder your ability to lift progressively heavier weights, then this would impact the muscle building process, so you really don’t need to take cardio out of your weekly workout diary, just make sure to build in enough recovery time so that you can still hit the weights as hard as ever.
Opt for Low Impact Cardio with Resistance Training
But what about those with tight schedules or those that enjoy doing taxing cardio as part of a fuller workout session? “When doing high-intensity cardio, try and stick with low impact options like cycling or the elliptical,” says Nippard. “High impact cardio, like running and basketball are still great, just try to separate them from your leg days by at least a day or two, and don’t overdo them.”
Monitor the Amount of Cardio Training
Of course, as with any program, it is important to check-in with yourself to make sure that you are getting the right mix of cardio and resistance training. So, before sure to monitor your strength. “If you notice it dropping, you might be overdoing cardio,” notes Nippard. “But, most importantly, even if there’s a little interference, you’ll still make great gains as long as you’re lifting consistently, sleeping well, and eating enough.”
Nippard is sport on here. A scientific review in 2022 found that “Concurrent aerobic and strength training does not compromise muscle hypertrophy and maximal strength development. However, explosive strength gains may be attenuated, especially when aerobic and strength training are performed in the same session.”
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