Just as there are people who have a slow metabolism, many others find themselves with an accelerated metabolism that does not allow them to gain weight easily.
We are used to reading training routines to lose weight, with the misconception that cardio is everything, and those who want to increase their weight do not know how to achieve it. Should they eliminate cardio training and just do strength? Do you lose muscle mass running?
Diet will be essential in the process of gaining weight. It is recommended to go to a dietitian-nutritionist to design a personalized diet and take body measurements (both the percentage of fat and muscle). It is a real mistake to submit to a diet full of sugars to gain weight. This will cause us to increase it, but not in a healthy way.
Do only strength to increase muscle mass?
It is true that weight training (your own body or extra) is what creates and increases muscle mass. This is not to say that aerobic exercise is counterproductive to that weight and muscle gain. Depending on the physical objective, we will be interested in carrying out volume or definition processes, but in both cases cardio can be present in the routine.
Aerobic exercises focus on using body fat as a source of energy, so even if you lose bulk, you'll be building leaner, more defined muscle. As we said before, it is not worth gaining weight in any way.
When we do exercise routines whose base is strength (weight lifting, push-ups, pull-ups, squats, etc.), the body mainly pulls the amino acids and glycogen found in muscles.
On the other hand, when we face an aerobic exercise, our body needs a greater intake of oxygen to withstand the resistance. is the fat which acts as the main source of energy, but muscle glycogen stores are also used.
An important factor that we must take into account is the intensity of the realization. If we do, for example, HIIT routines (where our heart rate exceeds 80%), we will be doing explosive training comparable to strength training. That is why this type of training is recommended for people who want to do cardio without losing your muscle volume. No more than 30 minutes and at a high intensity will be enough to work on the strength and power of the movements.
Key tips for doing cardio safely
There are some recommendations to be able to train with cardiovascular exercises and keep muscle mass intact.
- Don't do aerobic exercise before your strength routine. Warm up for 5-10 minutes easy, strength train, and finish with no more than 30-40 minutes of moderate cardio. Unless we do two workouts a day, in this case it is recommended to do the cardio workout in the morning.
- If we do explosive resistance training (HIIT), should not last more than 30 minutes and you should rest from this type of routine for 48-72 hours. That is, you should not do it more than 2-3 times a week. And that day we will not do strength routines, just HIIT.
- Combine strength with cardio it will make you increase your muscle mass without exceeding fat; you will create defined muscles. This is very common in functional training circuits or in supersets.
- Take care of food Do not gain weight by eating ultra-processed products, sugars, or any unhealthy food. Where will the muscles get energy from if you only offer them sugar? It is necessary that you consume protein naturally and in supplementation, as well as complex carbohydrates (rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, cereals and legumes).
- To rest. As much as you train every day, you are not going to increase your muscle volume quickly. Your muscles need to process the training stimuli and recover to be at 100% for the next session.
better options
Bicycling outdoors or indoors is another cardio-caloric method. Cycle outdoors for 30 minutes at a speed of 12 to 13,9 mph and burn 240 or 355 calories if you weigh 56 or 83 pounds respectively. Use the bike in the gym for half an hour, pedaling at a moderate speed and burning between 210 and 311 calories.
Prefer a full-body, low-impact pool workout? Increases calorie burning swimming. Swim for 30 minutes and expend 300 to 444 calories or fuel your muscles with 330 to 488 calories to swim freestyle or butterfly for half an hour. Even a leisurely backstroke for 30 minutes will burn 240 to 355 calories. Try biking or swimming 20 minutes three to six days a week at your own pace; build up time until you feel comfortable and get the calories burned you need for the deficit.
On the other hand, routines high intensity intervals They are also a good option for cardio and maintaining muscle mass. Intervals allow us to burn a lot of calories in a short period of time and keep our metabolism high long after we finish doing them.
We also need to remember to do intervals on training days and not off days like we would with other forms of cardio because that will lead to overtraining much faster.
What is the best time?
The most common is to do cardiovascular exercises morning and leave severe exercises such as weight lifting for the afternoon.
This is due to the way our internal biological clock works. When we wake up in the morning after resting for 7-8 hours, cardio seems better as it is less strenuous compared to weight lifting. The chances of injuring yourself in the morning while strength training may be a bit higher. In addition, cardio also instantly lifts the mood and gives us energy from the very first hour.
On the other hand, for weight lifting in general, the afternoon is preferred since our body temperature is normal. However, this might not be the case for everyone. It all depends on the person. According to science, weight training in the afternoon might be the best option. This is due to the functioning of two hormones, which are believed to play an important role in muscle development: cortisol and testosterone.
Cortisol, in addition to other things it contributes to, also helps regulate blood sugar by breaking down muscle tissue when needed. This process is called catabolism. On the other hand, testosterone helps build muscle by using protein, known as anabolism. The cortisol and testosterone level is highest in the morning, while the cortisol level drops at night. So the testosterone to cortisol ratio is higher evening, which could be beneficial for building muscle.
How long should the cardio session last?
When gaining volume, a latent fear when doing cardio is losing muscle mass. It is important to clarify that this idea is neither true nor false. We must take into account the form, the devices, and the continuity with which we practice cardio.
Cardiovascular exercise is an aerobic activity that burns fat and carbohydrates. However, the amino acids of proteins (those that provide energy) are not affected, as long as the exercise do not exceed 40 minutes. Muscle volume may decrease if carbohydrate stores are depleted; Or if we spend hours on the treadmill, elliptical, or bike.
If our goal is to maintain muscle mass, it is recommended to practice cardio twice a week, with a duration that does not exceed 40 minutes, and at a medium intensity.