Is Cardio Actually Killing Your Gains? An Exercise Scientist Sets the Record Straight
Once you start seeing gains in the gym, it becomes addictive. Suddenly, you're hyper-focused on maintaining those hard-earned muscles, avoiding anything that might even slightly compromise them. And although cardiovascular exercise is an integral aspect of overall health and fitness, many dedicated lifters treat the treadmill or bike as if it's a death sentence to the gains.
But according to exercise scientist Mike Israetel, PhD, of Renaissance Periodization, having cardio as part of your weekly training routine is not as detrimental as one might think. After all, physical health guidelines recommend getting at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (or a combo of both) to support overall health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
"There's a spectrum of how much cardio you want to do on both volume and intensity, and you're just making trade-offs on that spectrum," Israetel told Men's Journal. "But the trade-offs aren't as bad as people think."
For instance, if you go all in on extreme endurance, like training for an Ironman, you will experience some loss of muscle mass, Israetel explains. On the same token, being extremely jacked isn’t exactly ideal for that kind of performance. But there’s a sweet spot between the two where you can actually get the best of both worlds.
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"Let's say you do four 30-minute sessions of high-intensity interval training cardio, either full-body or legs, and it's not in a pattern that is injurious to you or irritates injuries. You can boost your cardiac health, wellness, longevity, and cost yourself like 5 percent or less rapid muscle growth," Israetel says. "So you're still growing, just less fast than optimal. But that trade-off is going to be worth it to a lot of people."
Israetel himself has experienced strong results while training in jiu-jitsu three to five times per week, showing that regular cardio doesn’t automatically cancel out muscle gains. It may not be "optimal" for maximizing growth at all times, but it can significantly benefit your overall health and performance.
"You can be ultra jacked and do lots of cardio, just know what your performance is like," Israetel says. "It's just about managing your volume. If your intensity doesn't interfere with your workouts much, and it doesn't hurt your joints, you can do all kinds of cardio."
All this to say, cardio isn’t the enemy. Keep it in check, find a modality that works for you, and it can fully complement your training rather than compromising your gains.
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