Is Cardio Bad For Muscle Growth?
You’ve been crushing your strength training sessions, but want to add some variation to your workouts. Won’t adding cardio in kill your gains though? It’s a common worry for lifters, yet the truth isn’t that black and white. So let’s break it down: is cardio bad for muscle growth?
The Science: Cardio vs. Muscle Growth
Muscle growth happens through a process called hypertrophy. This is where your muscles are challenged with progressive overload, then allowed time to recover, rebuild and adapt. Cardio on the other hand, helps burn calories and improves your cardiovascular system.
Whilst research shows that the interference effect is a thing. That is to say that the physiological demands of the two training techniques create competing muscle adaptations that potentially hinder each other. It also completely depends on how cardio is done.
When Cardio Works Against Muscle
Cardio routines that are lengthy and frequent (such as daily long distance running) can absolutely interfere with your body’s overall ability to recover properly and hence build muscle.
Doing intense cardio right before lifting can also reduce strength output, directly impacting the effectiveness of that session. Furthermore, if you’re not eating enough of the right foods to cover the extra energy burn from cardio, your body may lack the nutrition it needs to grow muscle.
When Cardio Can Support Gains
When done in moderation, cardio actually supports your muscle building goals. This is because it boosts your recovery by improving circulation, helps you stay lean during a bulking phase, and enhances work capacity during strength sessions.
So you want to aim for low to moderate cardio exercises like walking, cycling, or even a quick row. Done a few times a week it can complement your training without sabotaging your gains.
In Summary
Cardio isn’t the enemy of muscle growth, bad programming is. If you balance your training, fuel your body, and choose the right type and timing of cardio, it can be a powerful tool to support both your overall health and physique goals.
Need help to strike the right balance? Book a session with a Le Coach Personal Trainer and get a personalised plan that both builds muscle and keeps your helps keep your heart strong.