How To STOP Cardio From Killing Your Gains (3 WORST Mistakes You’re Making)

Summary

This video script explores the impact of cardio on muscle growth and strength gains, highlighting common mistakes in cardio routines. It advises performing cardio after weight training to avoid fatigue and suggests lower impact exercises to minimize recovery time. The script also emphasizes the importance of not overdoing cardio to prevent hindering muscle gains, providing guidelines to optimize cardio and weight routines for efficient muscle building and fat loss.

Takeaways

• 💪 Cardio can be beneficial for health, fat loss, and muscle recovery when done correctly.
• ⚠️ Improperly combining cardio with weight lifting can impair muscle growth by 31% and strength gains by 18%.
• 🏋️‍♂️ It's recommended to perform cardio after weight training to avoid fatigue and strength loss.
• 📈 Separating cardio and weight sessions by at least 6 hours can minimize interference with muscle growth.
• 🚴 Lower impact cardio like cycling or the elliptical is preferable for muscle and strength goals compared to high-impact activities.
• 🏃‍♂️ High-impact cardio can cause significant muscle damage, requiring more recovery time and potentially affecting weight workout performance.
• 🚫 Overdoing cardio can hinder muscle growth and strength gains due to the principle of specificity in training.
• 📊 A meta-analysis shows that cardio more than three times a week and sessions over 20-30 minutes can slow down muscle and strength gains.
• 🔄 Exceeding recommended cardio amounts can be suitable for fat loss while still allowing for muscle maintenance.
• 🛑 Too much cardio can be counterproductive if the primary goal is to build muscle and strength.
• 🔍 For a personalized approach to optimizing cardio and weight routines, a starting point analysis quiz is suggested.

Q & A

What are the potential benefits of doing cardio properly according to the video script?

Properly done cardio can improve health, speed up fat loss, help build muscle, and aid in faster recovery.

What negative impact can improper cardio have on muscle growth and strength gains?

Improperly combining cardio and lifting can impair muscle growth by about 31% and strength gains by 18%.

What is the recommended timing for cardio workouts in relation to weight training?

It is best to perform cardio workouts after weight training to avoid fatigue and strength loss during lifting exercises.

Why might doing a 20-minute cardio session before weights negatively affect performance?

A 20-minute cardio session before weights can cause fatigue, leading to significantly fewer reps performed during weight exercises.

What does the 2017 paper from the journal Sports Science Medicine suggest about the timing of cardio sessions for muscle growth?

The paper suggests that performing a moderate-intensity cardio session 24 hours after a muscle workout can lead to almost twice the muscle growth compared to doing it immediately after.

What is the recommended minimum separation time between lifting and cardio sessions to minimize interference effects?

Research suggests separating lifting and cardio sessions by at least 6 hours to minimize interference effects.

Why might running not be the best form of cardio for those primarily focused on building muscle and strength?

Running and other high-impact activities can cause significant muscle damage, requiring more recovery time, which may negatively affect performance in weight workouts.

What types of cardio are suggested to minimize interference with muscle gains?

Lower impact cardio with minimal eccentric components, such as cycling, the elliptical, and inclined walking, are recommended.

What is the principle of specificity and how does it relate to cardio and weight training?

The principle of specificity states that if the goal is to maximize muscle growth and strength, the focus should be on weight workouts rather than cardio, as too much cardio can interfere with these goals.

According to a meta-analysis of 21 studies, what is the threshold for cardio sessions to start negatively affecting muscle and strength gains?

The threshold is when cardio sessions exceed three times per week and are 20 to 30 minutes in duration.

What is the main takeaway from the video regarding balancing cardio and weight training for optimal gains?

The main takeaway is to perform cardio at the right time, choose low-impact forms, and avoid overdoing the volume and intensity to prevent negative effects on muscle and strength gains.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Optimal Cardio Timing for Muscle Growth

This paragraph discusses the impact of cardio on muscle and strength gains. It emphasizes that improper cardio timing can hinder muscle growth, citing a 2012 meta-analysis that found a 31% decrease in muscle growth and an 18% decrease in strength when cardio is combined with lifting improperly. The video suggests performing cardio after weight workouts to avoid fatigue and strength loss, as supported by a 2016 study. It also recommends separating cardio and weight sessions by at least 6 hours or performing them on separate days, especially for high-intensity or longer cardio sessions, to maximize muscle growth, as shown in a 2017 study. The paragraph concludes by advising against high-impact cardio like running for those aiming to build muscle due to the recovery time required.

05:01

🏋️‍♂️ Balancing Cardio with Weight Training for Maximal Gains

The second paragraph focuses on the importance of balancing cardio with weight training to optimize muscle and strength gains. It warns against high-impact cardio exercises like running, which can cause muscle damage and require more recovery time, potentially affecting weight training performance. The meta-analysis mentioned earlier in the script supports the use of lower impact cardio like cycling, which has less interference with muscle growth. The paragraph also addresses the common mistake of overdoing cardio, explaining that excessive cardio can slow down muscle and strength gains due to the principle of specificity. It references a meta-analysis of 21 studies that indicates cardio sessions exceeding three times per week and lasting 20-30 minutes can impede progress. The video ends with a reminder that while cardio can be beneficial for fat loss, it should be moderated when the primary goal is muscle and strength building, and it invites viewers to a website for a personalized program.

Keywords

💡Cardio

Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is any physical activity that raises your heart rate and improves your fitness level. In the video, it is presented as an effective way to improve health, speed up fat loss, and even build muscle, provided it is done properly. The script discusses how improper cardio can negatively affect muscle growth and strength gains, which is crucial for understanding the video's theme of optimizing cardio for health and muscle gains.

💡Meta-analysis

A meta-analysis is a statistical technique used to combine and summarize the results of multiple studies, providing a more comprehensive understanding of a specific research question. In the script, a 2012 meta-analysis is cited to illustrate the negative impact of improperly combining cardio and lifting on muscle growth and strength gains, emphasizing the importance of proper cardio timing and intensity.

💡Fat loss

Fat loss refers to the process of reducing body fat while maintaining or building muscle mass. The video script mentions that when done properly, cardio can be an excellent way to speed up fat loss, which is a key aspect of the video's message about achieving a balanced fitness routine.

💡Muscle hypertrophy

Muscle hypertrophy is the increase in muscle fiber size, which results in increased muscle mass. The script discusses how systemic factors can interfere with muscle hypertrophy when cardio is performed after a muscle-damaging workout, highlighting the importance of timing and type of cardio in relation to muscle growth.

💡Weights workout

A weights workout, also known as resistance or strength training, involves the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction, leading to muscle growth and increased strength. The video emphasizes the importance of prioritizing weights workouts and合理安排 cardio sessions to maximize strength and muscle gains.

💡Fatigue

Fatigue refers to a state of feeling tired, weak, or exhausted, often as a result of physical or mental exertion. The script mentions that doing cardio before weights workouts can lead to fatigue during lifting exercises, which can impair strength and muscle gains, illustrating the negative impact of improper cardio timing.

💡High-impact cardio

High-impact cardio exercises are those that involve significant ground contact and can cause more muscle damage, such as running or jumping jacks. The video script points out that high-impact cardio may not be the best option for those looking to build muscle and strength due to the recovery time required, which can affect performance in weights workouts.

💡Low-impact cardio

Low-impact cardio exercises are physical activities that have less stress on the joints and require less recovery time, such as cycling or the elliptical. The script suggests that low-impact cardio is preferable for minimizing interference with muscle gains, as it causes less muscle damage and requires less recovery time.

💡Intensity

Intensity refers to the level of effort or energy exerted during an exercise, which can affect the benefits and potential drawbacks of the activity. The video discusses how the intensity of cardio sessions, particularly if they are moderate to high or longer than 30 minutes, should be carefully managed to avoid negative impacts on muscle growth and strength gains.

💡Volume

Volume in the context of exercise refers to the total amount of work done, often measured in sets, reps, or duration. The script warns against overdoing cardio in terms of volume, as too much cardio can interfere with muscle and strength gains due to the principle of specificity and the need to prioritize weights workouts.

💡Concurrent training

Concurrent training involves combining two or more types of training, such as cardio and weights workouts, in the same period. The video cites a meta-analysis of 21 studies to show how the frequency and duration of cardio sessions in concurrent training can interfere with muscle and strength gains, providing a guideline for balancing cardio and weights for optimal results.

Highlights

Cardio can improve health, speed up fat loss, build muscle, and aid recovery when done properly.

Improper combination of cardio and lifting can impair muscle growth by 31% and strength gains by 18%.

Perform cardio after weight workouts to avoid fatigue and strength loss.

Separating cardio and weight sessions by at least 6 hours minimizes interference effects on muscle growth.

High-impact cardio like running may not be ideal for muscle and strength goals due to increased muscle damage and recovery needs.

Lower impact cardio options like cycling, elliptical, and inclined walking are better for minimizing interference with weight training.

Too much cardio can be counterproductive for muscle and strength gains due to the principle of specificity.

Cardio sessions exceeding 3 times per week and 20-30 minutes duration start to slow down muscle and strength gains.

Exceeding recommended cardio volumes is fine for fat loss while maintaining muscle, but not ideal for maximizing muscle and strength.

Proper timing, low impact, and moderation in cardio volume and intensity can prevent negative impacts on weight training gains.

2016 study found doing cardio before weights reduced reps performed in weight exercises.

2017 study showed 30-minute moderate intensity cycling 24 hours after a biceps workout led to almost double biceps growth.

Meta-analysis found performance cycling with weights caused less decrease in lower body growth compared to running.

Concurrent training meta-analysis of 21 studies showed more frequent and longer cardio sessions interfere more with muscle and strength building.

For efficient muscle and fat loss, optimize cardio and weight routines with proper program and approach.

Take the Starting Point Analysis Quiz at Built With Science to discover the best program approach for individual needs.

Transcripts

when done properly cardio can be an

excellent way to improve your health

speed up fat loss and can even help you

build muscle and recover faster but on

the contrary when done improperly it

does the opposite and negatively

interferes with the gains you make in

the gym in fact a 2012 meta-analysis

illustrations point exactly and found

that improperly combining cardio and

lifting on average impairs muscle growth

by roughly 31% and strength gains by 18%

which is obviously detrimental to your

quest for gains so the big question now

is how exactly can you reap the various

benefits of cardio without impairing

your gains in the process and in this

video that's exactly what I cover by

going through four of the biggest gain

killing mistakes that people make with

their cardio routines one of the most

common mistakes is doing cardio at the

wrong time now for most people the most

convenient time for them to do cardio is

when they're already in the gym for a

weights workout however when doing so

it's best that you perform your cardio

workout after your weights workout

rather than before

this is because when doing cardio before

your weights you'll be more fatigued

during your lifting exercises and your

strength will likely suffer as a result

in fact a 2016 paper found that subjects

that did a 20-minute cardio session

prior to their weights workout performed

significantly less reps on their lifting

exercises as a result which is an

agreement with multiple other papers on

the topic there for prioritizing your

weights workout by moving your cardio to

after your workout would be ideal for

both strength and muscle gains an even

better option though particularly if the

cardio session you'll be doing is of

moderate to high intensity and/or longer

than 30 minutes or so is to perform your

cardio and workout sessions completely

separately supporting this idea is a

2017 paper from the journal sports

science medicine which found that in

untrained lifters performing a 30-minute

moderate intensity cycling session 24

hours after a biceps workout as opposed

to immediately after the workout it led

to almost a two-fold increase in biceps

growth which is theorized to be due to

systemic factors actually interfering

with muscle hypertrophy when cardio is

performed after a muscle damaging

workout now although the study does have

its limitations and likely would not

apply for shorter and or less intense

forms of steady-state cardio other

research is an agreement that when

possible you should separate your

lifting and cardio sessions by at least

6 hours apart in order to minimize any

possible interference effects and build

muscle faster when most people think of

cardio they usually think of running but

this may in fact be the worst option if

your main goal is to build muscle and

strength this is because running and

other high-impact modalities like jump

rope jumping jacks and high-intensity

interval training Sprint's all have a

significant eccentric component to them

and as a result causes a lot of lower

body muscle damage that you'll then need

to recover from which can negatively

affect your performance during your

weights workouts especially your leg

workouts for example

[Music]

whereas lower impact types of cardio

don't require nearly as much recovery

and therefore don't cause this issue in

fact the meta-analysis I mentioned

earlier found that performance cycling

concurrently with weights led to

significantly less of a decrease in

lower body growth when compared to

running therefore to minimize cardio's

interference with your gains you'll

ideally want the majority of your cardio

to be done with lower impact modalities

that have a minimal eccentric component

to them such as cycling the elliptical

and inclined walking for example and

when you do choose to include more

intense or high-impact forms of cardio -

just be wary of the recovery that

they'll require you wouldn't want to do

a sporadic 30-minute intense battle rope

session the day before shoulder workout

for example as that would likely

negatively affect your strength within

that shoulders workout

the last mistake people often make is

just doing too much cardio in general

this is detrimental mainly due to the

principle specificity meaning that if

your goal is to maximize muscle growth

and strength then your focus and your

priority needs to be on your weights

workouts rather than cardio in fact we

can see from a concurrent training

meta-analysis of 21 studies that the

more days per week you incorporate

cardio and the longer the duration of

your cardio sessions the more it

interferes with your ability to build

muscle and strength the researchers

found that once your cardio sessions

exceed three or more times per week and

20 to 30 minutes in duration is when

they really start to slow down your

gains now although I would not suggest

necessarily using that as the upper

limit of cardio you should be doing it

does nonetheless provide a general

guideline to follow and more importantly

illustrates that doing too much too

frequently will negatively affect your

gains as a result one thing to realize

though is that in almost all scenarios

and the previous graphs gains were still

made it's just that they were slowed

down when additional cardio was added

meaning that if your main goal is to

drop fat while maintaining your muscle

then exceeding the prior recommendations

is perfectly fine and is something I'll

even do when I'm cutting on the other

hand if your main goal right now is to

pack on muscle and build strength then

you can see how too much cardio quickly

becomes counterproductive now I don't

want you to be completely scared away

from performing any cardio after seeing

this video but I do want you to realize

that it does interfere with your gains

when done improperly but by performing

it at the right time it's taking the

mostly low impact cardio and not

overdoing it with volume and intensity

then you shouldn't have to worry about

it negatively affecting your gains and

for an all-in-one step-by-step program

that shows you exactly how to properly

optimize your cardio and your weights

routine especially you can build muscle

and lose fat as efficiently as possible

and simply head on over to built with

science comm and take my starting point

analysis quiz in order to discover what

program

approach is best for you anyways if you

enjoyed this video then please don't

forget to give it a like leave a comment

down below as to what topic you like to

see me cover next subscribe to the

channel and turn on notifications for

the channel as well as this all it truly

does help me out thank you so much

everyone I hope you enjoyed this one and

I'll see you next time

[Music]