Can Training Cardio Impact Your Strength and Power Gains?
As a strength and conditioning coach I often get the question of whether endurance training (also known as cardio) affects strength gains. The answer is actually dependent on various factors. This article aims to explore the relationship between endurance and strength training, considering different goals and training strategies.
Consider Your Goals
Before diving into the impact of cardio on strength gains, it's crucial to define your fitness goals. Whether you aim to maximize strength and power, enhance cardiorespiratory endurance, excel in a sport, or lose weight, your objectives will shape your training approach.
Maximizing Strength and Power
For individuals prioritizing strength and power gains, incorporating cardio into their routine requires careful consideration. Research suggests that simultaneous training of cardio and strength can negatively impact strength and power development. However, there are strategies to lessen these effects.
Volume and Intensity
When aiming to maximizing strength gains while incorporating cardio, managing volume becomes important. A higher volume of endurance training, such as running 30 Km vs 5Km in a week, may worsen strength deficits. Opting for shorter, more intense cardio sessions, such as sprint interval training, allows for cardiovascular improvements while minimizing interference with strength gains. If you compare endurance athletes such as marathon runners to sprinters you will notice a significant different in muscles mass. Sprinting requires more power and does not impede on strength gains like endurance training
Choice of Cardio
The type of cardio activity also plays a crucial role. Cardio exercises that engage multiple muscle groups, such as cycling, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and rowing, are less likely to compromise strength gains compared to activities such as long-distance running.
Exercise Order
Research indicates that performing strength training before cardio can mitigate its negative impact on strength gains. By prioritizing strength exercises in your workout routine, you can potentially minimize interference from subsequent cardio sessions.
Improving Cardiovascular Performance
Contrary to concerns about cardio hindering strength gains, integrating both strength and cardio training can enhance cardiovascular performance. Whether you prioritize strength or cardio in your workout routine, the order of exercises appears to have little impact on cardiovascular improvements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the relationship between cardio and strength gains is complex and dependent on individual goals and training strategies. Ultimately while there is an affect, it is small and likely not to have a major impact on your average gym go-er. However, for those focused on maximizing strength and power, careful management of cardio volume, intensity, and exercise selection can be important. On the other hand, individuals seeking to improve their cardiovascular endurance can benefit from incorporating both strength and cardio training into their regimen.
Wilson JM, Marin PJ, Rhea MR, Wilson SM, Loenneke JP, Anderson JC. Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Aug;26(8):2293-307. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823a3e2d. PMID: 22002517.
Zsolt Murlasits, Zsuzsanna Kneffel & Lukman Thalib (2018) The physiological effects of concurrent strength and endurance training sequence: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of Sports Sciences, 36:11, 1212-1219, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2017.1364405
