Can Bodybuilders do Cardio and Maintain their Gains?

10 August, 2009 No Comment

The answer to this is yes and no. Cardio exercise is so good for your health that most bodybuilders try to fit it in there workout somewhere. If you want to keep your muscle gains than keep your cardio exercise short.

If on the other hand you want to lose some fat you can do longer cardio sessions.

There are different ways to fit your cardio sessions in and no one way is better than the other, however you should have something to eat 30 to 45 minutes before your workout or you may start burning muscle.

So if you go for a walk or run in the morning, take time to eat something first. Some people like to do their cardio exercises before or after their workout. Other people workout with weights some days and do cardio exercises on the other days.

Some bodybuilders do multiple sports. They do strength training to improve their performance in other sports. To keep your muscle mass you only need to do about 11 minutes of cardio with your workout.

Some people suggest interval training where you might run hard for a couple of minutes and then walk for a couple minutes. There is no reason you should lose muscle mass.

Some builders do more cardio to lose fat.

For those that fear losing muscle, short cardio stints will not cause this. The trick is knowing how to balance your cardio workout with your strength training. Any fitness program should contain both.

If you are trying to lose fat your training will be much different than if you are trying to gain muscle. The first thing to do is figure out what your goals are. If you are training to gain muscle and lose fat, you will need to do more cardio exercise. For instance, do weight training three times a week and cardio three times a week and take one day off.

If you are training to gain or maintain muscle, you should do less cardio training. You should only need to do cardio two times a week.

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