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– BODYBUILDERS TEND TO HAVE BIG FULL ROUND MUSCLES AND FIGURE ATHLETES HAVE LONG MUSCLES.
Both bodybuilding and figure is about being able to show your hard-earned muscle outside of the gym, which means lower body fat or being lean. Now some people can just diet and get shredded without cardio. But trust me, there are not many athletes out there like that. So for the rest of us, aerobic training is a necessity, not just for getting lean but to develop a healthy strong heart. Many of the top pro-athlete bodybuilders find that their body weight is just too heavy to allow them to run, as this places undue stress on the joints (hips, knees and ankles). Using a stationary bike, therefore, seems to be a popular choice for a lot of the heavy weights. Whatever cardiovascular exercise you enjoy, it will suffice. If you’re a bodybuilder, just keep the goal in sight. The aim is to burn calories and keep your resting metabolic rate as high as possible without burning lean mass. For the figure athlete, the goal is to be lean, not ripped. To supplement your cardio workouts, check out our recovery products, which help replenish your energy.
The general rule is not to do any more cardio for bodybuilding than you need. Most bodybuilders usually find that 30-40 minutes of cardio, four to five days a week, is about the limit for burning calories and increasing definition, while maintaining size. Figure fitness athletes usually do three days a week but more high-intensity interval training (HIIT cardio). Knowing how much cardio you as an individual can do without losing muscle mass is something you will need to experiment with and determine on your own.
I certainly would never advise a client to do any bodybuilding cardio before a weight training session, as aside from the obvious, you will need to save your energy for the task at hand – lifting as much weight as possible with as much intensity as possible. Cardio after a weight session is far more beneficial. In fact, you may well be able to burn extra body fat, especially after a leg workout. The only drawback to cardio after a workout is that cortisol levels may get too high, which may place your body into a catabolic state. This means a breakdown of muscle tissue, which will hinder muscle gain and growth. Your best bet to maintain either size or definition while being somewhat lean is to do cardio in a separate workout session or on your rest days, depending on your workout schedule. Just remember that bodybuilders’ cardio is primarily a means of burning fat and increasing definition, and should be done in moderation. Cardiovascular conditioning is also great for just general health, so don’t ignore it. Not to mention a bodybuilder cardio workout is beneficial and supplemental to resistance training and endurance training. But if your goal is to pack on muscle, aerobic training shouldn’t be your number one priority. Moderate your cardio to hold onto your muscle.
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