This is a question I get asked a lot and quite frankly it
was a question that I always used to ask myself at this time of year in the
past. Could I really afford to stop my cardio altogether in order to slap on as
much muscle mass as possible through the off-season or so called “bulking season”? But more importantly Can you?
Il give my opinion on this often talked about debate using
my own personal experience and knowledge I have gained through research I have
looked at over the years. So you are probably thinking that its time to ditch
the cardio altogether right? Surely you
wont grow if you continue to do those interval runs or treadmill sessions?
Think again!
Don’t fall into a big trap that I did over the years and
fail to get your bulking season right. Because you will have more work to do
when you start your cut. Lets face it during a bulk you are going to put on a
little bit of added body fat, which isn’t a bad thing as long as you can accept
this is just something you are going to have to get along with. But by making
sure you maintain a lean bulk by eating a good source of foods you will
minimize the added body fat you put on around the mid-section and this means
that when you come to cut it wont take long to reveal those Abs and display a
chiseled six-pack. So where does the cardio aspect come in?
Most people see cardio as the go to lose weight and yes it
can be looked at this way. But imagine if you skipped it all together. The idea
of a lean bulk is that you minimize body fat increase as much as possible so
throwing 2 – 3 cardio sessions in a week is going to support this a great deal
and it is NOT going to affect your goals of putting on weight at all so don’t
be scared. Here’s why:
When you include cardio in your training you improve the
efficiency of your cardiovascular system, which is essential to help you
maintain intensity when you train and increase work output. During the bulking
season you are going to be lifting much heavier weights so you need as much
muscular endurance as possible to help you reach the end of the workout and
fight muscle fatigue. The last thing you want is to not be able to push out
those final reps right?
On top of this it will limit the amount of body fat you put
on and help you stay as lean as possible through the bulk as mentioned above.
Of course you will cut down on the amount of cardio sessions you include in
your training and I’d also suggest positioning these on different days to when
you lift! Aiming for about 2 – 3 cardio sessions a week is sufficient. But what
type of cardio should you do?
Typically I always suggest and select High Intensity
Interval Training (HIIT) purely for the fact It is much more explosive and
therefore it requires and recruits more fast twitch muscle fibers, which will
improve strength more than Low Intensity Steady State Cardio (LISS). This will
also benefit your bulking as you will be more explosive and continue to recruit
more muscles fibers for those big lifts. On top of this the sessions can be
done in 20 minutes. So all you need to schedule in is 2 – 3 20 minute HIIT
sessions per week and your on to a winner! I have designed some great HIIT
workouts that can help you plan this with ease and they can be used time and time
again to get you proven results. Check them out by clicking here.
I know that this year I am set for my best bulk yet and
can’t wait to see the results over the coming months. Take on board this advice
and you will be too. But don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need added
support such as with your diet or training program to go along with you bulk
(The last thing you want to do is be eating too little or too much!).
EJP
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