Someone recently asked me a question after a session that sparked an interesting conversation I wanted to share with you.
The question was:
“Carlo, can I do cardio? I’m really scared it will ruin my muscle gains.”
As there’s a lot to unpack here, let’s break it down.
Cardio: Friend or Foe?
First, if you enjoy cardio (Running, biking, walking, any other) and it makes you feel good physically and mentally, absolutely do it!
That was me quite some time ago after a HIIT session
Cardiovascular activity is fundamental for your overall health not to mention that it’s obviously great for boosting stamina and endurance.
However, for pure fat loss, cardio alone isn’t necessarily the best approach (more here about this).
Your nutrition matters above everything else. If your diet is reasonably on point and you’re in a consistent sustainable calorie deficit, cardio won’t hurt but won’t make a substantial difference for your fat loss. Also sweating doesn’t count as fat loss (just FYI).
Your diet matters more despite what instagram tells you
From the perspective of pure “fat loss” the order of your priority should be this:
Cardio for a sprinkle of extra calories and for great health benefits
Endless hours on the treadmill is time consuming and won’t give you the results you seek if you’re looking to lose fat.
here are a super cute puppy and a kitten to calm you anger after knowing that cardio by itself won’t make you lose fat.
Why Do You Want to Do Cardio?
This is a recurrent question I ask whenever someone wants to know about cardio, muscle growth and fat loss. Always ask you this type of question: “What’s the goal?”
In this specific case, the answer was simple: enjoyment without fear of losing muscles or progress. If you enjoy cardio, go for it!
However, if you’re worried about its impact on muscle growth, here are some things you might want to consider:
Time it properly: Generally, it’s best to do cardio after strength training because, depending on the intensity and length, it can leave you fatigued. Pre-workout cardio can affect your weightlifting performance and the workout results.
Prioritize Strength: If you’re pushing hard with weights, intense cardio before lifting, again, is not ideal. It’s all about managing your energy.
it doesn’t have to be one or the other
Keep in mind: simply doing cardio along strength training, won’t make you lose muscle mass, but it might make pushing your limits a bit more difficult during weightlifting and this, yes, could prevent you from additional strength and muscle gains.
Why? You only have so much energy per day. Choose how you want to prioritize your efforts. Think of your energy as your phone battery. Long or intense cardio can consume a lot of battery and might leave you at 15% before you need more power to lift.
I’d rather have less battery for a walk than for heavy lifting
There’s cardio and cardio
There are many types of cardio (you can read more here)and their difference might help you choose one that suits your training schedule and time. For example
A leisurely walk before the gym won’t massively affect your performance and might even be beneficial to get some blood pumping and get you in the mood for a strong session.
Playing sports with friends? Go for it! The social and fun factors outweigh a slight dip in gym performance. Take me: I play a 2-hours long futsal match once every few weeks and its pace is quite high and intense for me.that’s straight from my smartwatch stats from my last futsal matchIt leaves me funnily wrecked in the day (s) after but it’s worth it the fun so I’m not going to skip it because I have to go to the gym.
Going on a hike? Nothing beats the feeling of reaching the top even if it means walking funny for the next few days.this is an unbeatable feeling
The key takeaway for this week applies to many situations in life but it has a deep impact on your fitness and health: find activities you enjoy and can do consistently.
If you hate running, don’t force yourself.
Walk, bike, hike, dance – choose something you like!
The more you enjoy that, the more you can be consistent and that will take you a very long way. Focusing on finding activities you enjoy will contribute to your overall health and well-being, both physically and mentally.
My choice? Walking, for the most as I really, REALLY, don’t enjoy running.
I like to finish my lifting sessions with about 40-50 minutes of steady incline walk on a treadmill while watching stand-up comedy on Netflix and I try to do it 4-5 times a week.
I find that this allows me to hit my daily steps and it’s a great way to finish a very heavy session.
Biking and hiking are still thing I love doing but they’re a smaller percentage of my cardio in proportion to the rest.
Ultimately, here is what I would like you to remember, your preferences and the ease to stick to a plan will lead to incredible results. Focus on these.
