Have you ever been told cardio is bad?
Within the last year I discovered something that might shock you.
This changed my whole outlook on building and body recomposition. (Building muscle while burning fat)
The truth is that “Cardio is vital for building muscle”
If you’re a an endomorph (naturally heavier) than cardio is a must. But the same thing applies if you’re an ectomorph (hard gainer.
In the past it’s been a struggle for me to put on any type of weight or muscle. For some this would be a plus, but for me, it wasn’t so great.… Always being stuck.
But after countless trying I found a formula that worked.
Enter Calorie expenditure.
Calories in- Calories out = Gains/weight loss
This means that you must eat and you perform enough cardio toward your desired goal.
For the longest time I believe the opposite. I thought the only way I could gain muscle was by completely neglecting Cardio.
I was brainwashed into believing cardio would “AFFECT MY GAINS”.
The amount and type of cardio you perform is the most important aspect to achieving your fitness goal. For me, I always wanted to put on lean muscle, strength, and while minimizing all fat. HIIT (High intensity interval training does just this.
It repairs/ builds muscle
First off I will say, HIIT isn’t catabolic (if performed in moderation) its anabolic! Cardio helps you build muscle by enhancing your recovery from weight training. It promotes blood flow and oxygen transport to your muscles. Cardio can improve general recovery, but too much of it can impair your recovery.
It keeps body fat down when lean bulking
If you want to keep your body fat levels low, then it is imperative to follow some sort of cardio. Why? It increases oxidative enzymes, which break food down to release energy, and as a result use glycogen and fat as fuel. Your metabolism, raises after HIIT. After a session of HIIT, an effect called EPOC occurs. (Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption AKA the after burn effect). This effect speeds your metabolic rate for up to 48 hours after a complete HIIT routine. This means you’ll still be burning fat even after you’ve left the gym.
It aids with building strength
More motor units get recruited. An grouped arrangement of motor neurons are motor units. One of the main things HIIT increases the production of type I motor units. This results in making you run faster, jump higher, and exert more force HIIT IS IMPERATIVE to making you a leaner and stronger!
It helps improve functional body movement patterns
Functional movement is movements based on real-world situational biomechanics. They involve multi-joint movements, which place demand on the body’s core. When you perform HIIT you do a functional movement at a high intensity. When you perform functional movements at high intensity you will make your life tasks easier.
It provides fast results with fast, effective results
I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a no brainer! Why would we ever want to work out longer at less intensity when we can get great results in half the time at a greater instate. HIIT has shown to burn adipose tissue more than low-intensity exercise – up to 50% more .” It has also shown to speed up your metabolism, which helps you burn more calories throughout the day. HIIT provides fast results in half the time as with the lower intensity steady state.
Now where should you start?
I recommend you do a normal 4-5 day split in a caloric surplus with at two 20 Min HIIT cardio sessions per week.
Don’t do HIIT fasted as it can result in injury
Do HIIT after your workout if possible because it can drain your energy to lift weights.
I recommend you do HIIT vs. Less (WHICH you can read about in my old post HIIT vs. LISS you’ll learn a more in depth explanation why I PRFERED to doing strength/ lean bulking with HIIT cardio.)
I’ve included my 6 of my top favorite HIIT workouts
Car Pushes
10 minute brisk walk or slow paced jog for warm up
5-10 intervals of 10-30 second all out pushes and 1-2 minute brisk walk in between intervals
10 minute brisk walk to cool down
Sled Drags
10 minute brisk walk or slow paced jog for warm up
5-10 intervals of 10-30 seconds all out sled dragging and 1-2 minute brisk walk in between intervals
10 minutes brisk walk to cool down
Heavy Ropes
5 minute moderate jump rope for warm up
5-10 sets of 10-30 second intervals (Any thing from waves, slams, throws, spirals, whips at 100% intensity) and 45-60 seconds of rest in between intervals
5 minutes of moderate jump rope to cool down
Kettle bell Swings
5 minute moderate jump rope for warm up or 10 minute brisk walk/jog
5-10 sets of 10-30 second intervals (100% intensity with swings) and 45-60 seconds of rest in between intervals
5 minutes of moderate jump rope or 10 minute brisk walk/jog to cool down
Hitting a Boxing Bag
10 minutes of jump rope for a warm up
5 rounds of 10-30 second all out (100% intensity)
1-2 minutes of jump roping in between rounds
10 minute brisk walk to cool down
Sprints
10 minute brisk walk
5-10 sets of 10-30 second intervals (at 100% intensity) and 1-2 minutes of rest in between intervals
10 minute brisk walk to cool down
HIIT cardio is the way to go! If you implement these exercises along with a solid training routine, I guarantee you’ll get the results.