Another much debated subject at the gym. Cardio when bulking. In case you didn’t already know, bulking is a term referred to as gaining weight, size and muscle. Should you do cardio when bulking? I hear a lot of people say that performing cardio when bulking and looking to put on muscle is bad for you. I have also been asked this question numerous times in the gym. “Should I perform cardio when bulking, I hear it limits your gains and burns valuable muscle tissue?”
Cardio When Bulking
Due to the uncertainty surrounding this topic I thought I’d write this article to clear things up and give you the real deal about performing cardio whilst bulking.
Should You Do Cardio When Bulking?
Yes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with performing cardio when bulking or looking to put on muscle mass. Cardio is one of the best things you can do to improve your body. Cardio will strengthen your heart and lungs, help prevent a number of diseases, make you feel more energized, strengthen bones, improve digestion, improve sleep, rid the body of any lactic acid build up, minimize fat gains and most notably of all, cardio may also help you recover quicker from your workouts, increasing the chances of progression and muscle growth! As you can see, consistent cardio work has so many benefits which is why I wouldn’t recommend dropping cardio completely while bulking and building muscle.
Just because you are burning calories whilst performing it does not mean you will lose muscle tissue or the ability to put on muscle. Cardio is rightly associated with burning calories and dropping body fat but this of course will only happen if your diet has a calorie deficit in it. The same can be said for weight gain. Weight gain will only occur if you’re taking in more calories than your body burns each day. If you’re set on performing cardio when bulking, then the sensible thing would be to up your calorie intake slightly in order to compensate for the lost calories. This will help your body to stay in a calorie surplus for the day allowing you to put on weight and build muscle.
So How Exactly Does Cardio Help Build Muscle?
As i mentioned above, cardio can actually help you build muscle. Without being too scientific, let me explain how. Performing regular cardio will in time promote blood flow and oxygen transport to your muscles. Through improved blood flow and oxygen transport your body is able to transport oxygen and nutrients to your muscles a lot more efficiently. This can help aid in recovery time and allow your muscles to repair and rebuild at a better rate. Performing regular cardio when bulking forces oxygen through your body which in turn increases the size of blood vessels. Blood vessels work as supply routes to your muscles supplying them with nutrients as well as oxygen to help them rebuild and grow.
How Much Cardio To Perform When Bulking?
This depends entirely on the individual. If you play a competitive sport then maybe it would be a good idea to add in a few more cardio sessions to improve the aerobic side of your game. If you dont play a competitive sport dont think thats an excuse to skip cardio! the benefits of cardio listed above should make you think twice if your thinking of neglecting cardio in your current routine. My advice would be to try and add in at least 2-3 sessions of 20-60 minutes of cardio a week. The type of cardio you decide to perform is completely down to you. Whether it be low intensity or high intensity cardio, the choice is yours!
So Cardio When Bulking Is OK For Everyone?
Not exactly. Yes I would recommend everyone performs some sort of cardio in their routines, the only exception would be ectomorphs. Ectomorph is a body type used to describe thin and skinny individuals. An ectomorphs body type is likely to be described as delicate, flat chested, small shouldered and lean. Ectomorphs are often referred to as hardgainers and take a longer time to put on muscle. If you are one of these people I would not add cardio to your routine at the current time. Since ectomorphs already have a hard time gaining weight and putting on muscle you dont really want to be making it even harder for yourself.
Unless you are confident you can make up the calories through your diet i wouldnt worry too much about cardio right now. Remember, as an ectomorph your body will require so many thousands of calories a day to put on weight. This can prove extremely difficult for a lot of people. If you feel your diet is good enough to put on weight while performing cardio then I encourage you to do it, but if your really struggling to put on weight, as an ectomorph I would drop the cardio and focus on eating more.
Things To Keep In Mind When Performing Cardio When Bulking
Increase Calories. Probably the most important point to remember. Performing cardio when bulking will require you to increase your intake of calories for that day. This will help compensate for the loss of calories through cardio and allow you to stay in a calorie surplus for the day.
Keep Protein High. Protein plays an important role in repairing and rebuilding your muscles so ensure you are getting in at least 1g per pound of bodyweight of protein a day. If your performing cardio when bulking it may be a good idea to increase it slightly but as long as your getting in at least 1g per pound of bodyweight you will see results. Check out the best protein foods to build muscle if your unsure what foods to eat.
Perform On Different Days To Your Weight Training. This isn’t a must but it would be far more beneficial to you if you perform cardio and weight training on separate days. This way you can give each workout 100%. Performing cardio before your weight training routine will tire you out and depending on how strenuous your cardio is, will cause you to lift less. Similar thing can be said about performing it after your weight training. Energy has already been lost and it will affect your cardio to a certain extent.
Beware Of Leg Day. Leg workouts can be extremely punishing on the body so I would advise scheduling your cardio around your leg workouts so they have enough time to recover. Theres nothing worse than performing cardio the day after a leg workout when your muscles are sore, achy and heavy. It can be uncomfortable and you will not have the legs to give it 100%.
Dont Overdo It! Yes cardio is great for the body but if your looking to build muscle and put on weight you dont want to overdo it. Were not training to become long distance runers, in fact quite the opposite. Regular cardio is great but there is no need to perform it for hours at a time every single day.
Push yourself to increase your cardio fitness but dont overdo it. 3-4 sessions a week for around 20-60 mins is more than enough cardio for you to start seeing improvements in your health and cardiovascular system. If overtime you get bored of your current cardio regime, be sure to check out HIIT Cardio Training to add something different to your routine.
