5 Cardio Exercises That Build Muscle

Cardio is an important part of any well-rounded training program. Unfortunately, the dreaded “C” word is avoided like the plague by meatheads and gym rats around the world. Most fear that excess cardio will result in muscle loss (or they’re just lazy), so they tend to neglect it completely in their workout regimen. But not all cardio is out to “steal your gains”.

Here are 5 cardio exercises that burn fat and build muscle.

Muscle Building Cardio Exercises

? High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

• Increased metabolism
•  Increased anaerobic capacity
•  Increased natural growth hormone production
•  More fat burned after exercise than steady state cardio

HIIT is extremely versatile. You can use a variety of methods, exercises, and equipment to deliver a full fat burning and muscle building workout. Here are a few examples:

•  EMOM: Perform 10 burpees every minute on the minute for 10 minutes.
•  Tabata: Alternate 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times per exercise (4 minutes), for 4 different exercises (mountain climbers, jumping jacks, squat jumps, and plyo push ups).
•  1:1 Hard/Light Intervals: On the stairmaster, alternate 30 seconds of max effort work (fast pace), followed by 30 seconds of low effort work (slow pace) for 15 minutes.

? Walking Lunges

Lunges activate the posterior chain and really fire up the leg muscles that are typically neglected. Lower body strength will go through the roof. Lunges also build the musculature around the knee and further protect you from devastating injuries such as ACL tears. Implement walking lunges into your routine today by doing the following:

•  10 minutes of continuous walking lunges post-workout.
•  Lunge 400 m (one lap around a track) as fast as possible.
•  Between sets of any exercise, instead of a typical rest period, lunge to the end of the gym and back.

? Sled Drags/Pushes/Pulls

Sled training allows for maximum work with minimal recovery because there is no eccentric loading. With typical muscle building exercises, the eccentric portion of the lift is what creates the most stress to the muscle which leads to soreness. Sled exercises are also low-impact, and pose very little threat to joints and ligaments. Here’s how to use it:

•  Push a heavy sled as fast as possible for 20-40m, rest for 1-2 minutes, and repeat for 5 sets.
•  Push a heavy sled as far as possible in 10-20 seconds, rest for 1-2 minutes, and repeat for 5 sets.
•  Alternate pushing and pulling a moderately light sled 50m continuously for 10 minutes.

? Loaded Carries

Loaded carries build an iron-clad grip and a rock-solid core. They strengthen your forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders, traps, upper back, abs, and obliques. Here’s how you can use them to burn calories while you build:

•  Carry a heavy object 50-100 m, rest for 30 sec-1 min, and repeat for 10 sets.
•  Carry a heavy object as far as possible in 15 seconds, rest for 15 seconds, and repeat for 10 minutes.
•  10 minutes of a continuous loaded carry variation with a relatively lighter object.

? Sprints

Step off of the treadmill and get outside to sprint, preferably on a field or track. Or, find a hill with a gentle slope. Here are are a few sprint workouts that you can start doing today:

•  5 sets: Sprint 50m-200m with a 1:4 work/rest ratio (Ex: Sprint 30 sec, rest 2 mins).
•  Sprint 50m, then jog 50m, and repeat for one mile.
•  Sprint up a hill, slowly walk down, and repeat for 10 rounds.

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