Cardio and Bulking - a bad idea?

[Advaik]

Is it a bad idea to do cardio while bulking? I am already at around 15-20bf so I don't want to gain much more. I plan on eatting very little fat but alot of calories and protien which could also make me more fat. I was planning on doing 20 mins of cardio in the morning and 20 mins post workout - but will this hurt my lean muscle gains? Thanks

 

[MonStar1023]

Bro I would seriously suggest Cutting first instead of Bulking... no matter what you do its hard to gain 100% fat-free mass. I mean its possible just not always likely. I would suggest getting your BF% down to at least 10% before starting a Bulking Cycle. Bulking while around 15-20% is only going to make things worse... Just my advice bro.

 

[pstagg]

Depends.

IME, keeping some limited cardio helped (2-3 sessions of light cardio, 20 - 30 minutes a session). Keeps my cardivascular system running nicely, which seems to improve my performance when I'm lifting - and doesn't interfere with recovery too much or burn off too many calories.

I'm not sure what drop sets have to do with the question.

(BTW, I agree with MonStar. Get leaner before bulking.)

 

[FitnessFrk]

Depends on your level of training.

Don't know your age or level of training/diet knowledge but havng to drop 10% bf is NO FUN !!!

I would stop bulking check your diet/macros, get that in order and drop down to 12% or so bf before starting to bulk again.

 

[The mann]

i agree with monstar1023...............get lean first

 

[Advaik]

Whats the difference in a cutting cycle and bulking cycle?

 

[edgecrusher]

One reason, i would not recommend cardio with bulking is. the human orgainsm is a very adaptive animal, meaning once we get used to a cetain stimulus, it does not work as well as it did in the beginning. When you do cardio, your body goes through a process called capillarisation (spelling). Basically your body makes more pathways for blood to flow through, this is why cardio gets easier, the more you do it. Thus to see similar results, you now have to increase either the intensity, duration or both. All of these choices, can have a negative impact on your muscle mass.

A perfect example of this is a spin instructor who works at my gym. He teaches 30 classes per week, and is a fat ass. He can not lose the weight no matter how much cardio he does. And if he does start to lose fat, he begins to lose a ton of muscle as well.

Advaik

To answer your last question, a bulking cycle is where you attempt to strictly put on size (ie take in more calories then you expend.) A cutting cycle is where to attempt strictly to lose bodyfat (take in less calories then you expend.)

 

[Corsaire]

It also depends on....

your body type and metabolism, I guess you'll do alright including cardio in your routine if you are either a mesomorph or endomorph (big and muscular , stocky etc,etc, by nature), without going too crazy of course.
It wouldn't work for me given that I am what's called a slim and hard gainer (predominantly ectomorph)added to a super fast metabolism. It's tough as is for me to bulk up, even without cardio. I have reduced cardio work-outs to a bare 5 o 10 minutes, twice a week, mainly to just warm up, sometimes I hit 15' just for the pleasure of it, since I used to be a runner and a sucker for endurance activities... too bad
My goal is to add mass and a decent size in muscularity without becoming large by bodybuilding standards.
My two cents...
The Corsaire Boarding party....AWAY!!!!

 

[Advaik]

My metabalism is wierd. When I don't eat sugar, fat, or carbs it kicks in big time but for some reason sugar, fats, and carbs put fat on me big time. My new diet has very little sugar,fats, and carbs so I am hoping I will lose some bf while gaining muscle. I lost over 40 pounds one summer (5 months) without doing anything, I did not change my diet at ALL. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to do a cycle to see what works - nothing like good ol` exprience to get some knowledge

 

[TheBandit]

If you're concerned about gaining bodyfat, then definitely do a cutting cycle before you start bulking