Are you one of those people who hits the gym every day, does a few sets of lifting, and then hops on the treadmill for a little cardio? If so, you might be surprised to learn that doing cardio alongside your weight training could be hindering your progress. In this post, we'll explore the reasons why no cardio for weight training is sometimes the best approach.
Why No Cardio for Weight Training: Understanding the Pain Points
Before we dive into the reasons why no cardio for weight training might be a good idea, let's take a moment to explore the pain points that people experience when they try to combine the two. You might find that you're experiencing some of these yourself:
- Feeling too tired to lift weights after doing cardio
- Not seeing the gains you want in your strength training
- Feeling like you're not getting enough cardio in when you combine it with weight training
- Not having enough time to do both weight training and cardio in one workout
Why No Cardio for Weight Training: The Target
So, why no cardio for weight training? The short answer is that doing cardio alongside your weight training can actually hinder your progress. Here are a few reasons why:
Reason #1: Cardio Can Drain Your Energy
Cardio is a great way to get your heart rate up and burn some calories, but it also takes a lot of energy. If you're doing cardio before your weight training, you might not have enough energy left to lift as heavy as you want to. And if you're doing cardio after your weight training, you might be too tired to give it your all.
When you lift weights, you want to be able to give it your all. You want to lift as much weight as you can for as many reps as you can. If you're too tired from cardio, you won't be able to do that.
Reason #2: Cardio Can Interfere with Muscle Growth
When you do cardio, your body burns calories from both fat and muscle. While burning fat is great, burning muscle is not. When you're trying to build muscle, you want to hold on to as much muscle as possible. Doing cardio can interfere with that.
Additionally, doing cardio can increase the amount of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone that can break down muscle tissue, which is the opposite of what you want when you're trying to build muscle.
Reason #3: You Can Get Enough Cardio from Weight Training
Believe it or not, you can actually get enough cardio from weight training alone. When you lift weights, your heart rate goes up and you're burning calories. If you focus on doing compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once, you'll be getting a great cardio workout in as well.
My Personal Experience with Why No Cardio for Weight Training
When I first started going to the gym, I would always do some cardio before lifting weights. I thought it was the best way to warm up and get my heart rate up. But I quickly realized that doing cardio before lifting made me too tired to lift as heavy as I wanted to.
So, I switched things up and started doing weight training first and cardio second. But I still wasn't seeing the gains I wanted to see. It wasn't until I started focusing solely on weight training that I started to see real progress.
Now, I do a little bit of cardio on my off days, but I never combine it with weight training. I've found that focusing solely on lifting weights has been the best approach for me.
Why No Cardio for Weight Training: The Benefits
If you're still not convinced that why no cardio for weight training is the way to go, here are a few benefits that might sway you:
- You'll have more energy to lift heavier weights
- You'll see faster gains in your strength training
- You'll be able to get enough cardio from weight training alone
Why No Cardio for Weight Training: Explained in Detail
As we mentioned earlier, doing cardio before or after weight training can interfere with your progress. But why is that?
Well, when you do cardio before your weight training, you're using up a lot of energy that you could be using to lift heavier weights. And when you do cardio after your weight training, you're already tired from lifting weights, so you might not be able to push yourself as hard as you would if you were fresh.
Additionally, doing cardio can interfere with muscle growth. When you're trying to build muscle, you want to hold on to as much muscle as possible. Doing cardio can burn muscle along with fat, which is not ideal.
Finally, you can get enough cardio from weight training alone. When you lift weights, your heart rate goes up and you're burning calories. If you focus on doing compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once, you'll be getting a great cardio workout in as well.
How to Incorporate Cardio into Your Workout
If you're still not convinced that why no cardio for weight training is the way to go, you can still incorporate cardio into your workout. Just make sure to do it on your off days, or at a separate time from your weight training.
You can also try doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which combines cardio and weight training into one workout. With HIIT, you'll do short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest. This can help you get both your cardio and weight training in without interfering with your progress.
Question and Answer
Q: Can cardio help me lose weight?
A: Yes, cardio can help you lose weight. But if you're trying to build muscle, doing too much cardio can interfere with your progress.
Q: How often should I do cardio?
A: It depends on your goals. If you're trying to build muscle, you don't need to do much cardio at all. If you're trying to lose weight, you might want to do cardio a few times a week.
Q: What kind of cardio is best?
A: Any kind of cardio is good, as long as you enjoy it and it gets your heart rate up. Some good options include running, biking, swimming, or doing the elliptical.
Q: Can I do cardio and weight training on the same day?
A: You can, but it's not recommended. Doing cardio and weight training on the same day can interfere with your progress in both areas.
Conclusion of Why No Cardio for Weight Training
While cardio is important for overall health, doing too much cardio alongside your weight training can actually hinder your progress. If you're trying to build muscle and see gains in your strength training, it might be best to focus solely on lifting weights and getting your cardio from weight training alone.
