A special report to walk you through what works, and what does not when it comes to cardio.
Should You Do Cardio?
If you have ever been in a debate against someone regarding cardio, while bulking, then
you likely can relate to this special report. Cardio is an important aspect of your
wellbeing and comes with many benefits.
But does cardio affect your ability to gain and keep your muscle? This special report is
going to share some thoughts that might just change your mind regarding aerobic
exercise.
So the question is, does cardio help your muscle gains, or hinder? Well, it depends.
First we need to define Cardio, as it can come in many shape and forms. Cardio
exercise, by definition, simply means to do exercise to get your heart rate up. Weight
training gets your heart rate up, so lifting weights can be considered a form
of cardio exercise.
So the real question you should be asking yourself is, does endurance training help or
gain muscle? Not does cardio help or hinder your ability to gain mass.
The answer is simple:
“Extended amounts off endurance training
hinders your ability to gain size and mass.”
Benefits / Drawbacks to Cardio
Since the 60's, aerobic exercises have been sold, marketed, and pushed as the single best
way to be physically fit. But what body type are you going for?
Do you want to look like a marathon runner? If you do, that’s great (for you, not me, I
hate running). However, you likely would not be reading this if you were
a marathon runner. You are reading this because you want to gain mass. You take your
bulking diet serious and want to get the most muscle possible out of your time and
money. Right?
Well then listen up, and listen close. Endurance based cardio is not only useless
for building muscle, but it can actually become counterproductive when you
are trying to build mass.
Here is why you need to be careful.
Excessive Cardio Downsides:
1. Utilizes calories needed for building muscle
2. Depletes glycogen stores
3. Increases physical stress
4. Reduces total and free testosterone levels
5. Increases oxidative stress and free radical production
6. Oxidizes amino acids needed for muscle growth
7. Increases risk of injury
8. Impairs recovery from strength training
9. Can reduce power output
10. Can lead to overtraining
11. Can induce conversion of fast twitch muscle fibers to slow twitch
Did I just give you a free pass on not having to do cardio… Well, kind of.
But don’t take this message the wrong way. There are benefits to doing cardio, so I don't
want to come off as a cardio basher (although I kind of am). Here is what you can gain
by doing cardio.
Cardio Benefits:
1. Increase VO2 max (ventilatory oxygen update)
2. Increase blood flow to exercising muscles
3. Improve blood lipid profiles
4. Enhance insulin sensitivity
5. Reduce fat mass and improve fat distribution
6. Improve exercise capacity and endurance
7. Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
8. Reduce blood pressure
As you can see, these are very significant. However, what’s not on this list? You guessed
it, building muscle.
In the end, you want to do enough cardio to receive the benefits, while
minimizing the drawbacks. Some cardiovascular training can be useful to athletes
looking to add mass and strength, but it needs to be kept within limits to avoid
compromising gains.
So how do you do that? The next sections of this report shows you exactly what types of
cardio (and how much) you should be doing. You will get all the exercises you need to
ensure that you reap the benefits of cardio training, while not screwing up your bulking
diet. It's a step-by-step guide to ensure that you don't lose the muscle you worked so
hard to get.
Cardio to Burn Fat (not muscle)
You lift hard and have made serious gains. Don’t mess that up now by doing the wrong
type or amount of cardio. Even those who want to bulk up, most of the time also want to
look as lean as possible. And since even with a super clean diet like the ones we offer in
our membership meal plan service, fat can sometimes be an issue.
The name of the game is to minimize fat gains during your bulking diets. While doing
the right amount and type of cardio, for cardiovascular benefits (mentioned above).
The main reason why most bodybuilders do cardio is to trim off that fat layer for a
ripped look. However, one must be careful. If done improperly, you can start to eat
away at all that hard earned muscle you have been gaining.
This report will not go into the science, but it is important to know a few things. Lower
intensity exercise (i.e. running) may use a higher percentage of calories from fat, but it
burns less calories when compared to higher intensity exercise (i.e. Interval Training).
So what is the key takeaway? Shorter amounts of time doing something like Interval
Training is better when you are trying to gain mass, than long durations of low intensity
exercise like running. There is very little point to spending long durations of time doing
low intensity cardio, when fat loss is your goal.
When burning fat is your goal, higher intensity exercise works just as well or better, and
you end up spending less time doing it.
“Lower intensity exercise uses a higher percentage of fat calories,
but burns fewer calories overall than higher intensity work.”
Desired Body Type
So what body type are you after? Long periods of low intensity cardio is going to eat
away at your muscle. Take the marathon runner below for example. If you’re looking to
get skinny, then BulkingDiets.Com is not the site you are looking for. (check out
CuttingDiets.Com to learn more about losing weight).
But look at the sprinted. They do short amounts of high intensity exercise. This
promotes and protects muscle growth.
Sprinters are just as lean as someone who does distance running, but far more
muscular. Yet I don’t think anybody out there is going to argue that sprinters don’t have
cardiovascular fitness.
Lower intensity exercise
– i.e. Running
Higher intensity exercise
– i.e. Interval Training
Exercise Plan
As you already know from reading above, the key to cardio while bulking is to do interval training.
Interval training can also be referred to as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Interval training is
alternating bursts of high intense activity with lighter activity.
There are a lot of ways to do interval training. You can vary the length of the recovery periods and the
form of exercise being performed. You can also deviate from this routines below (which is perfectly
acceptable) make sure you choose an exercise that you can start and stop quickly.
Typically intervals last 15-60 seconds of high intensity bursts, followed by 30 seconds to 4 minutes of
recovery.
You might not be able to successfully complete the routines below at first, so work up to it. Beginners
should start with 1 session per week, and work up to 2-3 sessions per week. Each session should last no
more than 20 minutes. Be sure to warm up and cool down for a few minutes as well.
We would recommend variety. Mix and match these routines so that you don’t get bored.
Routine #1 - Sprints
Sprint – 15 seconds
Rest – 45 seconds
Repetitions – 10 to 15
Routine #2 - Deadmill
Use 2 treadmills
o Set 1 to highest incline and speed to zero
o Set the other to no incline
Jump on the "dead" treadmill and start running to make the belt move
Push the belt for 20 seconds and then jump onto the running treadmill for a "rest" time
of 1 minute
Repetitions – 10 to 15
Routine #3 – Extreme HIIT
Perform each exercise for 30 seconds before going to the next
o Burpee
o Alternating Jump Lunges
o Plank Hold
o Box Jump
o Speed Skater
After all 5 exercises are done, rest for 90 seconds, the repeat
Repetitions – 5
Routine #4 – Stationary Bike
Increase to a high resistance and pedal as fast as you can for 20 seconds.
Decrease the resistance to an easy pace for an active rest of 1 minute 40 seconds
Repetitions – 8 to 10
Routine # 5 – 4-Minute Round Workout
Moderate Jog – 1 Min
Sprint – 1 Min
Run – 1 Min
Walk – 1 Min
Repetitions – 3
Cool Down It’s extremely important to never skip your cool down. At least 3 minutes, but a 5 minute cool down is
preferred. The cool down process should include stretching and can really make a difference as to how
you feel after your HIIT.
You can cool down however you like. A walk, bike ride, ect. Just go at a slow pace to slowly work your
heart rate back down. This process can even help with dizziness you may experience after a really
intense exercise.
Muscle Nutrition
If you plan to do interval training during your bulking diet, you must properly fuel your body. There is no
better way to do this than to be consistent about the foods you eat, ensuring that your macronutrition
ratios are in line for bulking, and that your calories are set at the right target.
If you don’t follow a strict plan, you risk your muscle gains coming to a halt. HIIT training is very
effective, but if you do not properly fuel your body, your muscle will start to get eaten away.
If you have not already done so, be sure to sign up for our Bulking Diet Meal Plan Membership
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