does cardio destroy muscle tissue?

[Abhinav12]

Does doing interval cardio destroy your muscle tissue and if so then how to prevent it. Plus if u do moderate cardio in the morning does that destroy your muscle tissue?? again how to prevent it if that happens?

[TheDarkKnight27]

No it doesn't, unless you eat like a pigeon.

[On Fire]

Ya dude, impossible to build muscle while doing cardio.

[kanis999]

Ya dude, impossible to build muscle while doing cardio.

Lol

It all has to do with how you eat. It makes you more likely to have a calorie deficit. Eat well, and the muscles will develop much more endurance, but not much more size.

[Jimbo48]

Cardio converts fast twitch muscles to slow twitch muscles so if you're involved in a sport that requires speed or vertical/ explosive ability then, yes, it will destroy the muscles that you need.

[Jimbo48]

Ya dude, impossible to build muscle while doing cardio.

Sprinting isn't considered cardio. The people in your picture completed their activity in less than 10 sec. Cardio is much longer than that.

Have you ever seen an elite marathon runner? They don't have a lot of muscle.

[Indestructible6]

If you eat, you will not burn muscle during cardio.

[NeverDie13]

Sprinting isn't considered cardio. The people in your picture completed their activity in less than 10 sec. Cardio is much longer than that.

Have you ever seen an elite marathon runner? They don't have a lot of muscle.

Exactly. Sprinting, 100m uses glycolytic and phosphate pathways, the same metabolic pathways that are used for resistance exercise by most of us. These pathways do not make use of our muscle tissue as would the aerobic pathways used by long distance runners.
In addition to the metabolic aspect, there is also the neuro point of view which deals with recruitment and use of different muscle fibers. Red muscle fibers are what we mostly use for resistance training. Red muscle fibers are also used for any explosive activity, which includes sprinting. Sprinting is actually a great method to train your leg motor units to maximally recruit red fibers.
In all, the anaerobic activity of sprinting will not hurt your muscle as long as you eat correctly (calorie surplus) and engage in smart lifting practices. Any long distance running or aerobic activity can diminish lean muscle.
And in conclusion, by lifting heavy objects, you will gain big muscles. By running far distances, you will be able to run far distances easier....

[MrMisanthrope]

Ya dude, impossible to build muscle while doing cardio.

First of all those are sprinters, and sprinting is anaerobic rather than aerobic.

Second of all, all of those men are skinny and look like they could use a sandwich.

[mmorton]

Sprinting isn't considered cardio. The people in your picture completed their activity in less than 10 sec. Cardio is much longer than that.

Have you ever seen an elite marathon runner? They don't have a lot of muscle.

cardio means "heart." it does not mean marathon runner.

[Tommy W.]

Ya dude, impossible to build muscle while doing cardio.

Firstly, those guys in the photos are genetically gifted, secondly, sprinting is not cardio.

[drpcnow]

Firstly, those guys in the photos are genetically gifted, secondly, sprinting is not cardio.

ok, if that is not "cardio" i assume when they cross the finish line they all have their hearts beating at rate of rest?

[MrMisanthrope]

ok, if that is not "cardio" i assume when they cross the finish line they all have their hearts beating at rate of rest?

By that logic, powerlifting is cardio.

GG

[Tommy W.]

by that logic, powerlifting is cardio.

Gg

^^^^this

[Orlando1234977]

Cardio converts fast twitch muscles to slow twitch muscles so if you're involved in a sport that requires speed or vertical/ explosive ability then, yes, it will destroy the muscles that you need.

You better let 99.99% of bodybuilders know this before they 'destroy their muscle'.

[ironwill2008]

You better let 99.99% of bodybuilders know this before they 'destroy their muscle'.

You've got cojones coming into this thread!

[fade2green514]

no cardio will not break down muscle.

the thing about marathon runners is that a lot of them don't lift weights, and the majority of them dont count calories and they drink a whole bunch of beer right after their run. i would know, my dad is a marathon runner with huge muscular legs, a big beer gut and tiny little stick arms.

anyways, if you adjust calorie intake for the calories you burn doing the cardio, you won't break down your muscle.

[drpcnow]

By that logic, powerlifting is cardio.

GG

aerobic means with air
anaerobic means without air
hope that helps

[VIsland]

Cardio converts fast twitch muscles to slow twitch muscles so if you're involved in a sport that requires speed or vertical/ explosive ability then, yes, it will destroy the muscles that you need.

? wut ?

[Tyciol]

Exercise only breaks down muscle if you're severely deprived of calories or amino acids, because muscle can be cannibalized to supply needed aminos (so eat your protein) and aminos can be burned for energy if you're seriously lacking in glucose. Pretty sure reasonable carb intake negates this from happening.

Cardio converts fast twitch muscles to slow twitch muscles so if you're involved in a sport that requires speed or vertical/ explosive ability then, yes, it will destroy the muscles that you need.

Please supply proof of this. Muscles can adapt to behaviour (aerobic capacity increasing in mostly anaerobic fibers, strength increasing in mostly aerobic ones) and the middle ones are swayed, but it's not necessarily a "conversion" so much as improvement.

Is there any proof showing that cardio decreases strength/explosiveness in fast-twitch, or is this simply a result of not training strength?

[Ikmal91]

How bout walking for a full hour? Or walking for 15 miles? Does that break down muscle or not?

[IamJonsCranium]

Let's clear the air.

Doing some weight lifting along with cardio will not destroy muscle, as long as you are eating to support your activity level.

Marathon runners are small because they run miles and miles a day. They don't lift weights. Their bodies adapt to the work they put it through and become efficient. Carrying 20lbs of extra muscle is not efficient for running 24 miles at a time.

[IamJonsCranium]

How bout walking for a full hour? Or walking for 15 miles? Does that break down muscle or not?

Like we've said, not if you're eating to support this activity level.

[Abhinav12]

Then That sucks man . . I have extra fat too and i was thinking of losing this fat doing cardio(like running moderately fr 15 min or so) and thinking of buliding sme muscles doing weight training but now i find out that doing cardio causes you to lose muscle . . How can you lose fat thn without losing muscles????

[Pump Freak 86]

Let's clear the air.

Doing some weight lifting along with cardio will not destroy muscle, as long as you are eating to support your activity level.

Marathon runners are small because they run miles and miles a day. They don't lift weights. Their bodies adapt to the work they put it through and become efficient. Carrying 20lbs of extra muscle is not efficient for running 24 miles at a time.

This, it's not really even worth bring marathon runners up because the level of cardio they do is so far beyond what any normal person could do. Most people who train to run a marathon for a full year are LUCKY to even finish. What your body has to go through to get to that point is anything but accidental. You won't accidentally wake up without a bicep because you did an extra HIIT interval.

Sprinters, on the other hand, lift weights and have muscle mass. It's not really because of their running but rather in spite of it. To sprint well, you need a powerful body. You're basically turning your feet into guns to shoot your body forward. They need the muscle to sprint and have to do something other than sprinting to get it. Boxers often lift weights as well, but we wouldn't conflate muscularity with fighting ability despite the fact that size and strength can help a fighter. One only has to do with the other if well-applied.

Frankly, it's no more sensible of us to post pictures of professional runners in a thread about muscular catabolism than it is for "fitness chicks" to post pictures of Ronnie Coleman as a warning against weight training.

Muscle is kind of like a sponge. It takes a lot if squeezing (or inactivity) to get ALL the water out. When people "lose muscle" from cardio, it likely wasn't actually muscle. Second, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis destroy muscle. Para or quadrapeligia cause extreme atrophy, but you don't necessarily lose the tissue. If cardio actually destroyed muscle, then jogging would be a public health crisis.

[ManVsIron]

What about sitting in a chair? You're using your core muscles continuously to support your upper body! Does that destroy muscles?? OMG, I need to go lay down on my bed for a few hours to try and stop this vicious catabolic savagery from ruthlessly ravaging all my hard-earned muscles!

Surely Jay Cutler must spend all this time sleeping in the International Space Station when he's not working out. And then he only comes down to compete at the Mr. O, once a year... that's gotta be his secret!! I'm on to you, Jay!!

[Pump Freak 86]

What about sitting in a chair? You're using your core muscles continuously to support your upper body! Does that destroy muscles?? OMG, I need to go lay down on my bed for a few hours to try and stop this vicious catabolic savagery from ruthlessly ravaging all my hard-earned muscles!

Surely Jay Cutler must spend all this time sleeping in the International Space Station when he's not working out. And then he only comes down to compete at the Mr. O, once a year... that's gotta be his secret!! I'm on to you, Jay!!

Now that you mention it, Jay and Buzz Lightyear show some resemblance.

[Godhand502]

Yes, cardio destroys muscle like Black Flag destroys insects. This is why the US Marine Corps are so well-known for scrawny weak soldiers. Next time your trainer tries to get you to jog or God forbid use a stair climber, lecture him on how much of a fool he must be to recklessly destroy your hard-earned muscle with useless cardio conditioning.








Yes, this is a joke post. Hit that treadmill.

[peterholbrook]

isn't destroying muscles tissue the reason we work out?
tissue gets torn, micro****es digest said damaged tissue, body
lays down new stronger tissue .. repeat

sip on bcaas if you're worried about losing muscle tissue
while doing cardio

[ftwrestler]

Does doing interval cardio destroy your muscle tissue and if so then how to prevent it. Plus if u do moderate cardio in the morning does that destroy your muscle tissue?? again how to prevent it if that happens?

tis broscience my son

calorie surplus vs deficit