Myth: Cardio in Excess = More Fat Loss: In Bodybuilding Less Can Be More
The Cardio Fat Loss Fallacy
Cardio, in recent years, has been sold as the best option for burning fat. In fact, most will tell you that more is better when it comes to cardio and fat loss. The general consensus within the fitness community is that cardio can help you burn calories and achieve a healthy heart, but for advanced-level bodybuilders, too much cardio can actually work against them when it comes to losing fat and retaining muscle.
Let’s rake away the myth and learn why a “plan” for cardio, with the aim of maintaining, not sacrificing, muscles mass while losing fat, is incredibly important.
What Happens if You Do Too Much Cardio
Muscle mass is critical for bodybuilders. Cardio is good for your overall health, but too it can be damaging:
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Muscle Catabolism: Prolonged cardio will also put your body in a catabolic state, where it uses muscle tissue as fuel, particularly if you're in a caloric deficit. This results in muscle wasting and less overall strength and mass.
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Energy Deficits: Overdoing cardio can put you in a caloric deficit, hindering your recovery from strength-training workouts. Some of your muscle-building efforts just go down the drain and it becomes harder to put on lean muscle.
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Overtraining: A lot of cardio paired with aggressive strength training can create a lot of stress to the body and cause fatigue and overtraining. This complicates your recovery and may impede progress.
Cardio in Bodybuilding How It Should Be Used
Focus on Strength Training
💡 Resistance training is the fundamental activity and the basis for all therapeutic and fat-loss programs in bodybuilders. Adding muscle will increase your metabolic rate, allowing you to burn fat more effectively over time. Concentrate on compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench press) and progressive overload, and you’ll retain muscle while reducing fat.
Use Cardio Wisely
💡 Use cardio as a tool to enhance your training, not as the main method for fat loss. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or low-impact steady-state cardio will burn the calories without excess muscle loss.
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HIIT burns fat while maintaining lean tissue by stimulating your metabolism for hours after the session.
– Low-impact cardio, such as walking and cycling, as it’s a great way to burn extra calories without overexerting the body.
Cardio Sessions Should Be Limited
💡 Bodybuilders often do not need to do much cardio, limit it to 2-3 sessions a week, this is enough to keep the cardiovascular system healthy while maximizing fat loss without losing muscle mass. This is about quality not quantity.
Nutrition plays a major role in fat loss (or gain).
💡 Nutrition is key for losing fat while maintaining muscle mass. Ensure your nutrition plan supports your goals:
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Protein — A high protein intake allows your muscles to be thoroughly repaired and supported while going through a fat loss phase.
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Caloric deficit: You have to be in a small caloric deficit to lose fat but not such a deficit to lose muscle. The best method is a slightly reduced caloric intake along with as much strength training and as little cardio as possible.
– Healthy Fats and Carbs: Include healthy fats and complex carbs in your diet to give you the energy to perform workouts and strengthen.
Final Thoughts: Cardio Isn’t the Answer to Fat Loss in Bodybuilding
Though bodybuilders do incorporate some cardio into their routines, for fat loss more isn’t always better. If you do excessive cardio, you can end up with muscle breakdown, slow results and slow recovery… Emphasise on strength training while using cardio strategically as a means to achieve your overall goals.
Of course, a balanced program of resistance training, moderate cardio and intelligent nutrition will keep you torching fat without burning muscle.
Cardio is a useful tool, but it should always be part of a holistic, muscle-centric plan.