If you are bulking up then one of the most common questions you may have is whether or not to do cardio, and what types of cardio to do in order to maximize your workout efforts. Most experts and professional bodybuilders recommend that you perform some type of cardio for many reasons. This type of exercise helps keep your cardiovascular system healthy, it provides more nutrients and substances to injured tissues and torn muscles, and it helps to melt away body fat. These are just a few of the many benefits that you will get when you include cardiovascular workouts and exercises in your training schedule. If you are weight training then you may be concerned about ensuring the right intensity for maximum muscle growth and recovery. You want to bulk up and achieve the biggest gains possible, and cardio can help you do this. You are not wasting energy and time when you engage in cardiovascular exercises, and the muscles that you develop will be more visible and stand out better because they are not covered by a thicker layer of body fat. Cardiovascular routines can help you eliminate any areas of stubborn fat that do not seem to disappear no matter how many hours and days you spend lifting each week.

Swimming Offers Exceptional Cardio Benefits With Low Impact

One of the best cardiovascular exercises that you can add to any training schedule is swimming. This activity has many benefits and few if any drawbacks. Swimming engages the whole body and challenges all of your muscle groups, but it is not a high impact exercise which could raise your risk of injury or repetitive stress damage. The water cushions and supports your joints and other injury prone areas. Swimming also raises your heart rate, your blood pressure, and the nutrients delivered to the tissues that need them most.

If you weight train several days a week then high impact cardio exercises could cause injuries, and these could prevent you from following the set training schedule that you have or cause you to choose less effective routines in order to protect certain body parts and tissues. Swimming does not pose these risks but it can be just as effective in providing a cardio workout and the associated benefits as more intense high impact options.

Elliptical Trainers Can Help With Your Cardio

Elliptical trainers can be a great way to get the cardio that you want and need while you are bulking up. These machines offer a lower impact than many other methods and they can be used in any weather conditions. Elliptical trainers workout all of the muscle groups and tissues, helping you burn off any unwanted fat without causing you to lose any potential gains that you have worked hard for. Your upper and lower body are engaged so you get full body benefits, and the ability to set the resistance levels can help you keep your elliptical sessions challenging.

Take a Brisk Walk Around the Block or Jump on a Treadmill

Walking briskly, whether it is around the block or on a treadmill, can boost your cardiovascular health and help you get the physique that you are looking for without serious injuries or time off from your training. Most professionals recommend a session of 20-30 minutes of cardio after you train, and a treadmill or quick walk outside can help you reach this goal without any extra effort. As you increase your strength and size you can adjust the equipment in order to avoid any plateau. When you engage in cardio after training you will boost the nutrients that your injured tissues receive and this can speed up the recovery time and maximize the gains that you will get. A treadmill can be used even if you are suffering from an injury in many cases. You control the pace so you do not overdo it, and even a few minutes at a brisk pace can offer many benefits without causing a high degree of impact on your joints and weaker tissues.

Bike Your Way to a Better Cardiovascular System

Riding a bike can be an exceptional way to get the cardio workout that you need while preventing an injury. This activity is low impact, and it can be very effective at raising your heart rate and blood pressure if the proper pace is set. If the weather is nice out then you can ride around the neighborhood or bike across town. If the weather is poor then you can use a stationary bike and get the same workout and benefits indoors instead. Stationary bikes allow you to change the terrain that is traveled, and you can increase or decrease the effort required to keep the desired pace. As you develop better cardio health and a higher level of physical fitness you can adjust the settings so that your routine becomes harder and more intense. This ensures that you always get optimal results from your efforts and your time is well spent. This will also help you see better gains and keep you from hitting a plateau as your strength and size increases.

How Much Cardio do You Need?

How much cardio do you need? The answer depends on many factors. If you are trying to bulk up them most of your workouts and efforts should be spent building muscles and gaining strength. That does not mean that you should neglect cardio exercises though, because these will improve the muscle results that you see and make each training session more effective. The most common recommendation from many in this field is that you should at least perform 20 minutes of cardio for each training session that you have. If you workout four times a week then you should include at least 4 sessions of cardiovascular activity as well. You do not have to spend an hour or more right after a training session, but increasing your blood flow after you workout will maximize your muscle gains and help you get bigger faster. Each bodybuilder may have different cardio needs, and yours will depend on your age, your training goals, your overall physical fitness, and many other relevant factors.

Source

http://www.livestrong.com/article/437460-how-much-cardio-should-i-do-when-bulking/

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