Steve Howard A cardio training activity is a sporting activity that can be performed in addition to a sporting activity such as weight training or alone for fun or otherwise. However, cardio is not mandatory but can be a real asset to help you progress in weight training or for other physical activity. In weight training, cardio is often associated with a period of dieting or cutting off because it is an activity that allows you to burn extra calories in addition to weight training. Cardio not only has this advantage but can be essential to help you achieve your physical and athletic goals.
It is possible to do cardio by practicing several activities of your choice: indoors, you can cycle, rower, stepper, treadmill or any other machine that allows you to sweat and build muscles at the same time time! You can also practice it outdoors with running or cycling for example! The most important thing in the practice of your cardio-training activity will be to raise your heart rate in order to burn a maximum of calories in a minimum time while having fun!
In this article, we are going to take a look at the 5 reasons that make cardio compulsory or essential to allow you to progress in weight training without losing your hard-won muscle mass in training!
1. Cardio for fat loss
Cardio is often practiced by people wishing to lose fat and weight because it helps burn calories. During dry periods, your calorie expenditure must be more important than your calorie intake, so the easiest way is to add cardio to your workouts to increase your expenditure. You can also lower your calories in your diet, but for obvious health and muscle reasons, you will not be able to lower your calories after a certain point.
However, during a dry spell, your body is much more tired than usual and adding cardio training can significantly increase your fatigue. It will therefore be necessary to manage this well so as not to miss your cut and lose a lot of muscles!
It will be important to make sure you have a sufficient amount of calories in your diet with a good distribution of your macronutrients before adding cardio to your workouts to lose fat and weight!
2. Cardio is good for your health
Cardio is considered a sport activity good for the health of the heart but also for the morale. Indeed, it helps strengthen the heart, prevent cardiovascular disease, strengthen the arteries, thus reducing the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack. By practicing cardio, you will be able to improve your reflexes, lose excess fat mass and help you fight against everyday depression! Cardio has real assets that should not be overlooked and practicing it is really good for your health in general!
3. Cardio increases your metabolism
In the practice of a cardio-training activity, your body and your muscles will consume carbohydrates and fats which will make you lose weight and even after a few hours after the session, your metabolism will remain active and continue to burn calories! Thus, during this period, fats continue to be eliminated! To burn even more calories after your cardio session, it is recommended that you practice interval training or HIIT instead of a low or moderate intensity cardio session.
4. Cardio improves athletic endurance
When you practice cardio training, you will maintain an intense effort over time and it will strengthen your heart. This is because training helps the heart to strengthen the heart muscle, thus increasing the oxygen resources needed by muscles to function properly.
When you practice weight training, you can endure and perform better between your workouts, and you can be less tired. Cardio has real virtues for sport in general.
5. Cardio increases your muscle mass
As seen above, cardio will promote the metabolism and therefore help you consume more calories for the proper functioning of your vital organs. The bigger your muscles, the more energy burned, and therefore fat, will be. Cardio training can help you lose fat for the benefit of muscle mass. For this, it will be important to favor a healthy and balanced diet with a good distribution of your macronutrients in order to meet your needs.
Conclusion
Cardio is a sport activity that should not be neglected regardless of your goals! This sporting activity to be practiced alone or in addition to another sport such as bodybuilding can only bring you positive benefits for fat loss, the development of your muscle mass and the general good health of your body and your heart. Be careful, however, to control your diet so as not to be in a calorie deficit if you want to maintain or develop your muscle mass!
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