When do bodybuilders do cardio

Cardiovascular training is a common topic of discussion among fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders. So what do bodybuilders do for cardio? Bodybuilders do cardio ranging from supersetting their exercises within their workout to minute power walks post workout. Overall, bodybuilders stay away from cardio that is high-intensity, which would take away from their weight training efforts.

In this article, we will take a look at three pro bodybuilders and their recommendations on cardio training, when to perform cardio assuming you need to in the first place , and what NOT to do to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. Need a workout program? Get 3 free workouts on Fitbod right now. Is Cardio Necessary for Fat Loss?

In short, no. Fat loss comes down to being in a calorie deficit. If you simply eat slightly less than you need, and do this over time, you will lose bodyfat. While this may seem easy enough, anyone who has achieved a very lean physique can tell you the final stages of a fat loss phase are very challenging when hunger pains set in.

Cardio can help by allowing you to burn calories more per session, which in turn lets you eat calories more per day. Cardio Recommendations for Bodybuilders from Pro Bodybuilders Below are three tips from pro bodybuilders regarding cardio training during a bodybuilding program.

In addition to these three pro bodybuilders, I also recommend you read what Dr. Olympia, Dorian Yates , recommends that all bodybuilders do cardio throughout the year to improve cardiovascular heart health, increase metabolism, and to build better endurance to prepare you for fat loss cycles where you are weight training with shorter rest periods.

Additionally, the more cardio you do, the more you can eat! If you are dieting down, start with a calorie deficit from whatever your maintenance is. This can be all removed from your intake, or through burning calories a day in extra movement.

You can also do a mix of both. Try focusing on increasing your NEAT , or movement throughout the day to get your extra calorie burn in. Only start adding cardio if you find you can no longer hit your step count for the day without the assistance of direct cardio work. He was a collegiate rower at the University of Rhode Island where he got his Kinesiology degree as well as an amateur physique competitor.

He is currently the master trainer at Upgrade Labs in Santa Monica where he is combining his years of training clients in the gym with newer technology to optimize their performance and recovery.

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Joe Talarico on July 30, Read More. If you are a complete beginner, then adding cardio to your routine is actually a smart idea. Improving your cardiovascular fitness can not only help you to train harder, but it even offers some small hypertrophy benefits. A study found that aerobic exercise can actually induce small increases in muscle hypertrophy , particularly in beginners or in older participants. Aerobic exercise is better suited to the prevention of muscle loss than muscle building, but it can still offer a slight improvement at the start of your training.

If you are bulking then cardio can help you to prevent excess body fat gains while you build muscle. If you are cutting, then cardio can help you to burn more calories than you would normally. Leading to greater fat loss over time. It also allows you to eat more calories while still losing weight.

Which is beneficial for both your physical and mental health. Bodybuilders do a lot more cardio than people expect them to. Particularly during a cut. Many bodybuilders will follow a step count, with the aim of hitting 10, steps per day or whatever number they decide as walking is very low intensity. The traditional image of a bodybuilder is someone spending hours in the weights room, but many bodybuilders will climb on a recumbent bike, walk on a treadmill, or use a cross-trainer to shed some fat.

They may also perform resistance workouts that are more cardio-focused. All of this counts as adding cardio to your workout, and any bodybuilder who is in the last few weeks of a pre-competition training program will have some form of cardio in their schedule.

Adding in recreational cardio such as basketball, tennis, or other team sports is much rarer during a pre-competition period, but during a bulk, it can be fairly common. Depending on how flexible and supple the bodybuilder is of course! Though bodybuilders are often more flexible and dynamic than people presume.

Check out my article on the subject to learn more. How much cardio is performed depends on the bodybuilder in question, but towards a competition, they could be performing cardio every day. If you count walking as a form of cardio, then it is certainly every day.

Unlike many other fitness professionals, bodybuilders will avoid high-intensity cardio. This is ostensibly to prevent muscle loss or fatigue. In truth, high-intensity cardio should be absolutely fine for bodybuilders to perform, and it is unlikely to lead to muscle loss. In fact, it may even contribute to muscle gain in new lifters!