So, what’s the reality between these reverse factors of view? Is there actually a “proper” time to do cardio, and can it crush your positive factors? The brief reply: It will depend on your targets.
Ask any “skilled” when it’s greatest to incorporate cardio in your exercise and also you’re certain to get solutions starting from “Do your cardio first to heat up” to “By no means do cardio earlier than leg day.” And, after all, there’s this: “Cardio kills your positive factors.”
Nevertheless, the parable that cardio ruins your positive factors must go. Enhancing your cardiovascular well being enhances restoration, reduces stress, and retains you above floor longer.
For years, lifters have feared that working a couple of miles on the treadmill or a post-lift HIIT session would shred their hard-earned muscle. And whereas poor cardio timing can intrude along with your progress, well-programmed cardio can really complement it.
Right here we’ll break down the science, debunk the worry, and present you when cardio helps, when it hurts, and learn how to construction it primarily based in your targets.
Origin of the Cardio Fantasy
The concept cardio kills your muscle positive factors didn’t come from the lab—it got here from the gymnasium bros.
Previous-school bodybuilders seen cardio because the enemy. It’s onerous to argue with a muscular man who believes something greater than 5 reps is taken into account cardio. Again then, the message was clear: If constructing muscle is the aim, cardio is a waste of time. Cardio was solely one thing you suffered by means of to lean out quick throughout a slicing part.
The way in which endurance athletes regarded solely bolstered the distinction. Lifters noticed that look and thought, “That’s what cardio does? No thanks.”
This mindset grew even stronger within the early 2000s, when health tradition break up into two distinct teams: cardio bunnies who didn’t wish to get cumbersome and lifters who did. Then influencers and gym-bros added gas to that fireside, dismissing steady-state cardio and warning everybody that it ruins your positive factors.
That worry caught round, and what bought misplaced in all of the noise? Context.
Now it’s time to offer some.
How Cardio Actually Helps Your Positive factors
Cardio isn’t the villain in your muscle-building quest. When it’s programmed and carried out properly, it’s a instrument that helps fats loss, improves restoration, and boosts your work capability.
Listed here are three good causes to mix cardio along with your lifting.
Fats Loss & Conditioning
In case your most important aim is to lose fats whereas maintaining muscle, cardio could be your ally—however it’s all about timing and depth. Doing cardio after lifting, when glycogen shops are low, can increase your fat-burning efforts. One 2015 research in Sports activities Drugs discovered that combining resistance coaching with post-lifting cardio improved physique composition greater than resistance coaching alone—with out negatively impacting energy.
LISS: Low-Affect, Excessive-Return
Low-Depth Regular-State (LISS) cardio—resembling incline strolling, biking, or mild rowing—has little affect on energy or hypertrophy. It helps restoration by rising blood stream to sore muscular tissues, decreasing stress, and enhancing sleep.
Coronary heart Positive factors Are Nonetheless Positive factors
Higher cardio equals improved work capability. Meaning you possibly can get well quicker between units, practice more durable throughout exercises, and preserve your engine buzzing longer. That’s not “dropping positive factors”—that’s optimizing them.
Cardio Timing Actually Does Matter
Like many myths, there’s a sliver of reality buried beneath it. Cardio doesn’t mechanically spoil positive factors—however it’s all concerning the timing.
Excessive-Depth Cardio Earlier than Lifting? Not Preferrred
In the event you leap proper into sprints, hill intervals, or a long-distance run earlier than lifting, you’re beginning your carry fatigued. That’s an issue—particularly for compound lifts that require most effort.
Right here’s why:
- Your central nervous system isn’t as sharp.
- Muscle glycogen is partially depleted.
- Energy output and lifting method endure, particularly on lifts requiring explosiveness and stability. A 2016 Journal of Sports activities Sciences research discovered that doing cardio earlier than energy coaching reduces energy efficiency.
The Interference Impact Is Actual
The “interference impact” describes the competing variations that occur when endurance and energy coaching should not successfully mixed. A complete assessment in JSCR confirmed that concurrent coaching can blunt hypertrophy and energy improvement, primarily when modalities are carried out back-to-back at excessive frequency and with poor sequencing.
It’s not about avoiding cardio—it’s about inserting it the place it matches. Earlier than energy work, it could compromise efficiency. Afterward, it turns into a instrument for restoration, conditioning, and physique composition.
Purpose-Based mostly Cardio Timing
So, when are the very best instances to do your cardio? The perfect time to do cardio will depend on your coaching aim, plain and easy. Right here’s learn how to make it be just right for you.
For Fats Loss:
- When to Do It: After lifting, or in separate periods.
- Why: You’ve already used your glycogen throughout energy work—now you possibly can actually faucet into fats and glycogen shops, relying on whether or not you’re doing HITT or LISS.
- Bonus: Fasted morning cardio on off-days can improve the deficit, if restoration is on level.
For Muscle:
- When to Do It: After weights or on relaxation days.
- Why: Your vitality must go towards muscle development. Don’t drain your CNS with high-intensity cardio first.
- Tip: 1–2 brief LISS periods per week is normally a lot to keep up conditioning when most muscle is the aim.
For Endurance:
- When to Do It: Prioritize cardio periods and do energy work after or on alternate days.
- Why: Your efficiency hinges on cardio output—carry to assist sturdiness and cut back damage danger
Right here’s What Occurs When You Imagine Cardio Eats Your Positive factors
Considering that cardio mechanically cancels out energy positive factors has repercussions. Right here’s how this delusion causes issues with progress:
Lifters Keep away from Cardio Altogether
Many strength-focused lifters remove cardio out of worry that it’ll “steal” their positive factors. However skipping conditioning means they’re lacking out on the cardiovascular well being, restoration advantages, and work capability that truly assist higher lifting—being sturdy however winded after a single flight of stairs? That’s not efficiency; that’s your coronary heart telling you to do your cardio.
Pushes False Both/Or Mentality
This delusion promotes a black-and-white view: both you’re a “cardio particular person” or a “energy particular person.” That’s limiting. A balanced coaching plan can and may embody each when timed and programmed properly. Lifters who purchase into the parable miss out on the advantages of turning into well-rounded athletes.
Miss Out on Well being and Restoration Advantages
Cardio isn’t nearly burning fats. It boosts coronary heart well being, circulation, blood strain, and metabolic flexibility—key pillars of long-term efficiency and wellness. Whenever you neglect cardio, these advantages diminish. Moreover, low-intensity cardio, resembling strolling or biking, helps energetic restoration by rising blood stream to sore muscular tissues, clearing waste merchandise, and delivering vitamins. That results in higher restoration between lifting periods.
Stalls Fats Loss and Conditioning
Power coaching alone usually doesn’t present sufficient of a metabolic increase to advertise fats loss, particularly in skilled lifters. With out some type of steady-state or interval-based cardio, your physique has fewer instruments to burn energy effectively and adapt to longer-duration exercises resulting from a scarcity of cardio endurance. This lack of endurance turns into obvious throughout slicing phases, when cardio is essential for sustaining a caloric deficit with out dropping lean mass.
The Remaining Takeaway
Cardio doesn’t kill your positive factors—however poor planning may. The parable that cardio and lifting can’t coexist is like saying you possibly can’t eat carbs and nonetheless get lean. It’s not about one or the opposite. It’s about sensible sequencing.
If energy, measurement, or energy is your most important precedence, carry first. That’s when your nervous system is sharp, your muscular tissues are contemporary, and your output can be highest. Cardio can come later—both on the finish of your session or on separate days, relying on the depth. On the flip aspect, should you’re coaching for endurance or working towards a race, prioritize cardio first and deal with your lifts like efficiency assist.
Cardio isn’t your enemy; it’s your ally when used on the proper time, in the fitting means.
