Why You NEED Cardio To Build Muscle And Lose Fat
- Improved Blood Flow: Cardio strengthens your cardiovascular system, leading to better blood flow throughout your body. This increased circulation delivers more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, which is crucial for muscle repair and growth after a strength training session.
- Faster Recovery: By improving blood flow, cardio helps remove metabolic waste products like lactic acid that build up during exercise. This speeds up muscle recovery, allowing you to get back to strength training sooner and maximize your gains.
- Enhanced Endurance: Cardio builds muscular endurance, which allows you to train harder and for longer durations during your strength workouts. This can lead to more overall work done on your muscles, stimulating growth.
- Hormonal Boost: Some forms of cardio, particularly high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can stimulate the release of hormones like testosterone and growth hormone, which play a role in muscle building.
Important Points:
- Focus on Strength Training: Remember, cardio isn’t the primary driver of muscle growth. Strength training with progressive overload (gradually increasing weight or difficulty) is essential for building muscle mass.
- Choose the Right Cardio: While any cardio is beneficial for overall health, moderate-intensity cardio or HIIT are most recommended for muscle building.
- Don’t Overdo It: Excessive cardio can actually hinder muscle growth by burning too many calories and breaking down muscle tissue for energy. Aim for a balanced approach with strength training as the core.