Does cardio kill your gains? The idea that cardiovascular exercise impedes your ability to build muscle is a long-held…shall we say, rumor in the fitness and bodybuilding community. Is it true? Should you forego your running routine and focus only on that sweet, sweet lifting regimen? 🏋️♂️
👨🏫 These are serious questions. However, as luck would have it, our trusty friend Beau is here to deliver some serious answers. There’s more to cardio than meets the eye!
🎥 Watch as Beau explains the optimal way to balance your exercise between cardiovascular and resistance training, how your diet influences your results, and what to avoid when crafting your exercise journey.
📽️Watch to learn more!
Cardiovascular exercise is any activity that elevates your heart rate. Although cardio has numerous benefits than weight reduction, some people practice it just for that reason. Continue reading to find out more about this type of exercise, its benefits, and how to create a safe and effective cardiovascular routine.
Cardio Exercises with a Big Impact
Jogging and running are two of the most popular and long-lasting high-impact cardio sports that continue to attract and keep enormous numbers of workout aficionados. Jumping rope, high-impact aerobic dancing, and certain forms of advanced strength training are examples of high-impact activities that need both feet to be off the ground at some time throughout the exercise. This sort of exercise is weight-bearing, which means you’re using your limbs to maintain your body weight against gravity.
Cardio Exercises with a Low-Impact
Low-impact cardio is defined as any aerobic activity in which one foot remains on the ground at all times. Just because something is low-impact doesn’t mean it’s low-intensity. This sort of cardio is still a weight-bearing activity, so it’s fantastic for keeping your bones strong while also exercising your heart and lungs. The most frequent types of this sort of exercise include walking, hiking, and low-impact aerobic dancing.
Because being submerged in water lessens the effects of gravity on your body, cardio in water is effectively a no-impact workout. Swimming or water aerobics raise your heart rate and help you burn calories. Bicycling is also a low-impact exercise because the frame and tires of your bike support the majority of your body weight. Both water exercise and cycling reduce the pounding and jarring of land-based exercise, making them perfect for arthritic disorders and injury recovery.
References:
- Paige Waehner (2021, June 28). Everything You Need to Know About Cardio https://www.verywellfit.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cardio-1229553
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