Will Cardio Build Muscle? Best Ways to Balance Hypertrophy & Cardio

This article explores whether cardio can build muscle, the best types of cardio for bodybuilders, and how to balance cardio with resistance training for optimal results. It's designed for anyone interested in maximizing muscle gains while maintaining cardiovascular health, including bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. Many people wonder if cardio can actually build muscle, or if it only helps with fat loss. The relationship between cardio and muscle building is often misunderstood, leading to confusion about how much cardio to do and which types are best for supporting muscle growth. Cardio can help build muscle when combined with resistance training, but balance is key to avoid muscle breakdown. Resistance training is necessary to build muscle mass. Understanding how to integrate cardio into your routine is essential for achieving a lean, muscular physique without sacrificing gains.

Cardio exercises, short for cardiovascular exercise, refers to any activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it elevated for a sustained period. Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, cycling, or swimming, is a form of sustained, moderate-intensity activity that improves cardiovascular health and endurance. It includes exercises like running, cycling, swimming, and brisk walking. The main goal is to strengthen the heart and lungs, improve endurance, and burn calories. Aerobic exercise primarily engages slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for muscular endurance during prolonged activity. Cardio workouts improve the cardiovascular system, enhancing both heart and lung health. Different types of cardio utilize different energy systems in the body, such as aerobic and anaerobic pathways, which can be balanced to optimize performance and endurance. Regular cardio also supports fat loss and boosts overall metabolic health. Better heart and circulatory function from cardio helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscles more efficiently, speeding up recovery between sets and sessions.

Cardio can help build muscle when combined with resistance training, but balance is key to avoid muscle breakdown. Resistance training is necessary to build muscle mass.

Now that you understand what cardio is, let's explore how it fits into a bodybuilding or muscle-building program.

Do bodybuilders do cardio? Yes – bodybuilders and physique athletes include cardio, though the duration and intensity vary. If building muscle were the only goal, cardio wouldn’t be necessary, but staying lean is essential to show muscle definition. The challenge is that too much cardio can lead to muscle loss, since the body starts using muscle tissue for energy along with fat and glycogen. Maintaining muscle mass is a key concern for bodybuilders when incorporating cardio, so balancing cardio and resistance training is crucial. Resistance training is necessary to build muscle mass, and cardio should be used strategically to support fat loss and cardiovascular health.

Bodybuilding and Physique competitions emphasize being able to show your hard-earned muscle outside of the gym, which means lower body fat or being lean. Most athletes, however, can’t rely on diet alone to get shredded, so cardio becomes a necessary tool – not just for fat loss, but also for heart health. While cardio can support fat loss and overall health, resistance training is necessary to build muscle mass. For heavier athletes, low-impact options like stationary bikes are often the best choice to avoid joint strain. Low-impact, high-intensity options like rowing, cycling, or incline walking are often preferred for those focused on building muscle. The key is to burn fat without sacrificing lean mass.

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Now that we've established why bodybuilders use cardio, let's discuss how much cardio is appropriate for muscle building.

The general rule is not to do any more cardio for bodybuilding than you need. Incorporating 20-30 minutes of moderate cardio a few times a week can be done without compromising strength gains. Most bodybuilders usually find that 30-40 minutes of cardio, four to five days a week, is about the limit for burning calories and increasing definition, while maintaining size. Moderate, well-structured cardio can improve blood flow and nutrient delivery to muscles, supporting recovery and muscle growth. One of the main benefits of cardio is improving cardiovascular fitness, which supports overall health and performance. For the average gym-goer, cardio has little to no negative impact on muscle hypertrophy or maximal strength. Knowing how much cardio you as an individual can do without losing muscle mass is something you will need to experiment with and determine on your own, and will be affected by your diet.

Now that we've covered how much cardio is appropriate, let's look at the best ways to incorporate it into your routine.

I certainly would never advise a client to do anycardio before a weight training session. You will need to save your energy for the task at hand – lifting as much weight as possible with as much intensity as possible. To maximize muscle growth, it is generally recommended to separate cardio and lifting weights sessions by at least 6-24 hours. Cardio after a weight session is far more beneficial. In fact, you may well be able to burn extra body fat, especially after a leg workout. For example, if you weight train in the morning, you can finish your evening off with a cardio session a few times a week.

If you must train both in the same session, perform weight training first and cardio second to ensure you have maximum energy for lifting heavy weights. Aim for moderate cardio sessions to minimize potential fatigue that could impact lifting performance. The only drawback to cardio after a workout is that cortisol levels may get too high, which may place your body into a catabolic state. This means a breakdown of muscle tissue, doing the opposite of muscle gain and growth. Improper sequencing or imbalance between cardio and strength workouts can end up hindering muscle gains. Your best bet to maintain either size or definition while being somewhat lean is to do cardio in a separate workout session or on your rest days, depending on your workout schedule. A well-structured routine that prioritizes lifting weights and strength workouts can support muscle growth by improving recovery and work capacity.

Just remember that bodybuilders’ cardio is primarily a means of burning fat and increasing definition, and should be done in moderation. Cardiovascular conditioning is also great for just general health, so don’t ignore it. Not to mention a bodybuilder cardio workout is beneficial and supplemental to resistance training and endurance training. But if your goal is to pack on muscle, aerobic training shouldn’t be your number one priority. Moderate your cardio to hold onto your muscle.

With the best timing and structure in mind, let's explore which types of cardio are most effective for bodybuilders.

Combining cardio and resistance training is a powerful strategy for anyone looking to maximize muscle gains, boost strength, and improve overall health. While resistance training, like weight lifting and bodyweight exercises, is the cornerstone of building muscle mass and promoting muscle hypertrophy, integrating cardio workouts can take your results to the next level by enhancing cardiovascular fitness, increasing calorie burn, and supporting muscle recovery.

The key to success lies in balancing cardio and resistance training within your workout routine. By thoughtfully combining these two training modalities, you can stimulate multiple muscle groups, improve aerobic capacity, and promote muscle growth without hindering your strength gains. For example, performing weight training exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses builds muscle tissue and strength, while incorporating high intensity interval training (HIIT) or cycling sprints can elevate your heart rate, torch calories, and improve muscle endurance.

Not all cardio exercises are created equal when it comes to building muscle. Traditional cardio exercises like steady-state jogging or cycling at a moderate pace are excellent for endurance athletes and improving cardiovascular health, but may not be as effective for those focused on muscle hypertrophy. Instead, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and other forms of intense exercise can help preserve and even promote muscle growth by recruiting fast twitch muscle fibers and stimulating muscle protein synthesis. HIIT sessions - short bursts of all-out effort followed by brief recovery periods - are especially effective for burning fat while maintaining muscle mass.

Incorporating cardio into your resistance training program also supports muscle recovery and reduces muscle breakdown. Cardio workouts performed after weight training can increase blood flow to worked muscles, helping to deliver nutrients and remove metabolic waste, which aids in muscle repair and reduces soreness. This approach can also help replenish muscle glycogen and support muscle protein synthesis, both of which are crucial for building muscle and preventing muscle loss.

To maximize muscle gains and support overall health, it’s essential to pay attention to nutrition and recovery. Consuming adequate protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats fuels muscle growth and repair, while proper supplementation, such as ALLMAX Nutrition’s whey protein isolate or BCAAs, can further enhance recovery and performance. Allowing for adequate rest between sessions is equally important to prevent overtraining and promote muscle repair.

When designing your training program, consider your individual goals. Endurance athletes may benefit from more frequent cardio sessions to improve aerobic capacity, while those focused on muscle building should prioritize resistance training and use cardio strategically to support cardiovascular fitness and fat loss. Mixing up different types of cardio, such as HIIT, cycling sprints, swimming, or rowing, can keep your workouts engaging and help you avoid plateaus.

In summary, combining cardio and resistance training is essential for a well-rounded fitness routine that delivers strength gains, muscle growth, and improved cardiovascular fitness. By balancing cardio and resistance training, incorporating a variety of cardio exercises, and focusing on proper nutrition and recovery, you can maximize muscle gains and achieve your fitness goals. Remember, the best results come from a personalized approach: listen to your body, adjust your workout routine as needed, and fuel your progress with high-quality supplements from ALLMAX Nutrition.

Next, let's look at some sample cardio workouts specifically designed for bodybuilders.

• Continuous, Moderate Intensity: Five-minute warm-up, followed by 35-45 minutes of continuous cardiovascular exercise, then a five-minute cool down.

• High-Intensity Interval Training #1: Five-minute warm-up, followed by 27-30 minutes of sprint intervals. Sprint for one minute, jog to recover for two minutes, repeat. Cool down for five minutes.

• High-Intensity Interval Training #2: Five-minute warm-up, followed by 25 minutes of sprint intervals. Sprint for 30 seconds, jog to recover for one minute, repeat. Cool down for five minutes.

Now that you have some sample workouts, let's discuss how to get shredded without losing muscle.