29 Apr Muscle Growth and CVT

Question: Provide a 500 word written answer to the question “If maximal muscle growth is my goal, should I do cardiovascular training in the same training session?”

Cardiovascular training (CVT) is vital in everyone’s training regime (3-4 times a week) for its’ numerous benefits, including heart health and function. For someone who wants to maximise their muscle growth, however, there is much debate about this topic. I do believe that there is no correct answer to the question, but hopefully my explanation will give you some clarity as to what would suit you best.

Firstly, I would like to dispel the myth that CVT is detrimental to muscle growth/hypertrophy. Secondly, there are many ways to include CVT in your exercise program design. It does, however, depend on a few factors:

Timing of CVT

Many debate when the ideal time is to do your cardio. Old school theories centre around waking up early and getting it done on an empty stomach. This is absolutely out of the question as you would be exercising in a fasting state, which can only be detrimental to the body and to muscle size gains. The debate now centres around whether or not you can do your CVT before or after your weight training routine, or whether it is better to do it separately and/or on another day to your weight training routine. To get to your question, you may do CVT in the same session as your weight training. Terms and conditions do apply though:

• Don’t do your CVT before your weights as this will deplete your body of its glycogen stores and leave you with limited energy producing potential for your weight training. Obviously, you would want to maximise the energy producing potential of the glycogen stores in your body for a good weight training session.
• You may do your CVT after your weight training if your time to train is limited (i.e. you only have time for one training session a day). If this is the case, you will need to replenish some of the nutrients that will be used up when you weight train. I would suggest having a protein shake while training to ensure that you still have glycogen available for when you do your cardio (to prevent the breakdown of proteins to produce energy if the glycogen has been depleted). This CVT session should also be of a low intensity.
• In an ideal world (where time isn’t an issue) you would split your weight and CVT routines with more than six hours in between them to allow for sufficient recovery in between sessions. Another option is to do your CVT training on your “off” days so that you can focus on each session appropriately.

Type of Cardio

The type of CVT that you choose to do will depend on your preference (running, cycling, swimming etc.) as well as on your individual response to the type of training (this will depend on the type of muscle fibres predominant in your muscles. e.g. Type I or Type II or slow or fast twitch fibres). This is an entirely separate discussion. For optimal muscle growth it is understood that a combination of low-moderate and high intensity interval training (HIIT) can be used. HIIT training is best done on its own, 48 hours before/after leg days. To avoid overtraining (which will reverse the effects of muscle growth), sufficient rest and recovery will also need to be factored in (a periodised program would work best to ensure this).

I have outlined a very basic program that combines the various theories, based on an assumption that you only have time to train once a day.

Summary

To answer your question, you may include CVT in the same session. The timing and type of CVT depends largely on you.

Written by:

Jolene Mortimer

B.SpSc (summa cum laude)

Hons Biokinetics (summa cum laude)

Master of Sport Science (cum laude)