Cardio & Muscle Gain

By Runnergirl Training 

Cardio or aerobic training provides a variety of health benefits and is a necessary component to any training program. The type of goal differentiates the type, duration and intensity level of the cardio training.

If muscle gain is the goal, cardio exercise should be limited to twenty minutes in duration. If cardio is long in duration then the body begins to have adaptations to exercise that are opposite of muscle building. 

If muscle gain is your goal cardio exercise should be 2-3 times per week and for 20-30 minutes each session. When your training phase focuses only on muscle gain then cardio should be limited to 1-2 weekly sessions. An increase in aerobic exercise will decrease muscle recovery for gaining.

What are nutritional ways to maintain or build muscle mass in a training program? The body needs to have adequate protein intake for muscle gain or maintenance. The suggested daily amount for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This amount can vary based upon goals. A 13 year old female soccer player will have different protein requirements (around 45 grams of pertain per day) than a 45 year old male body builder (around 56 grams of protein per day). 

Cardio exercise plays an important role in keeping the heart healthy, decreasing body fat and many other benefits. If muscle gain is the training focus then aerobic exercise should be used appropriately to avoid negating the resistance training benefits.