3 Reasons To Do Cardio While Bulking

Cardio is often thought of as something we do when it’s time to get lean for the summer, for a vacation, or for an event we’re wanting to be in shape for. While cardio can certainly help with getting, and maintaining a leaner physique, that’s not all it’s good for! It’s probably a good idea to continue doing cardio year round for a few reasons.

Appetite

We’ve all been there. You’re weeks and months into bulking. You’re eating 1000’s of calories, and a seemingly endless amount of carbohydrates, and full to the brim. There isn’t possibly any way that you could fit a single bite of more food. A good option is to do some cardio during the day to help spike your appetite. Even something as simple as 200 calories of cardio can help your appetite enough to get in another 750 calories, netting another 550 calories per day. If you’ve been neglecting cardio during the bulk, it may be time to give it a shot when your appetite is tanked.

Recovery From Training

At the gym, we always see that guy who finishes one set, to sit around and huff and puff for 8 minutes with a red face before even attempting his next set. More than likely, his fitness sucks. If you find yourself winded and out of breath between your sets for more than 1-2 minutes, it’s time to add cardio back into your plan. Building a solid aerobic base will improve your conditioning to allow you to move through your sessions more fluidly.

Heart Health

Lastly, and certainly not least, you should be keeping in cardio for heart health. We know that lifting weights is good for our health, and sure there are heart benefits to lifting weights, but the money is really made when our heart rate is high for an extended period of time. Doing 120 minutes weekly of cardio is an easy way to make sure we’re keeping our heart healthy and happy. If you’re someone that goes to the gym 5-6 days per week, that's only 20-25 minutes of cardio each session! That's not even a full episode of a TV show!