Will cardio really ruin your progress? Let’s figure it out
Do you want to improve your cardio? You may perhaps be of the wrong notion that performing any cardio type will destroy muscle growth as well curtail all progress made with your fitness regimen. But this not true! According to the industry experts, scheduling cardio workouts and limiting it combined with consuming balanced food will prove to be beneficial to grow muscles.
What cardio types should lifters perform?
Weight lifters should not try to perform all types of cardio, since some types like running will need more eccentric movement, resulting in unwanted injuries. Running helps to burn your calorie a lot and is among the top aerobic workouts to perform. Treadmill is the perfect and safe cardio option to avail, if you enjoy running and seek muscular, balanced look. They will not twist your ankle as they are padded. Keeping cardio to 15-20 mins is better, this way you don’t really lose much of muscles. If your workouts are long, 10-12 mins is enough.
Cardio workouts to perform
In case, you do not prefer running, then you can perform any or most of the cardio workouts given below to continue your bulk and safeguard your gains made.
Swimming
Swimming several laps will offer full body workout. Most gravity is taken off your body with this exercise. However, still you need to practice hard to be afloat. This is because, most weightlifters possess les body fat percentages, which in turn causes less natural buoyancy.
Cycling
Along with cycling, be it on the road or stationary one, you can develop lower body easily. It is regarded to be a wonderful, low impact activity, which can reduce your risk of getting injured. Taking up cycling will not cause terrible leg day, as you will experience increased lower body endurance.
How long cardio workouts should be performed by weightlifters?
No magical threshold exists, where crossing it will mean losing your muscles instantly. However, you can follow some set basic guidelines, like performing cardio activities for half an hour or even less. Following this guideline will ensure you do not get burnt out quickly, since having plenty of calories left in your body will help you to focus better and perform quality cardio workouts. HIIT (High intensity interval training) should be practiced to optimize your workouts as it helps to improve cardiovascular fitness and develop muscles.
